Oh, what a tangled web we weave. I think that pretty much sums up last night’s season finale of NCIS, don’t you? Because, really, with all of the goings-on that were going on, at times it was rather hard to follow just who was playing whom.
In the end, as should come as no surprise to anyone, it appeared that Gibbs and Vance were actually working together on the “wink, wink, nudge, nudge,” but sometimes I wonder if it’s really worth all of the confusion to maintain the allusion of suspense.
Because allusion was really all that they had going for them. Did anyone honestly believe that Gibbs was really working for the Mexican drug cartel? Jerry Seinfeld had his “unshushables” … Gibbs, meanwhile, is the incorruptible. Even when we saw him removing the package from that container, a line from the movie Newsies popped into my head, from when Les tried to stand up for Jack: “He’s foolin’ ‘em, so he can spy on ‘em or something. Yeah, yeah, that’s it. He’s foolin’ ‘em!” Did anyone expect anything less from Leroy Jethro Gibbs?
It was remotely interesting when Paloma Reynosa (Jacqueline Obradors) and Alejandro Rivera (Marco Sanchez) turned out to be siblings, but then again all that did was perpetuate the stereotype that Mexican authorities are corrupt. Instead, I found it more fascinating that the episode managed to leave us on a cliffhanger, even as 59 minutes in I imagined it would fail to do so. Paloma better watch who she’s messing with — Papa Gibbs (Ralph Waite) is far from an easy target. Plus, can you imagine what Gibbs would do to someone who hurt his father? Glad to see Waite back, though, even under these circumstances.
I always enjoy seeing Tony getting more to do, and watching him with Franks (Muse Watson), who is still alive, introduced the possibility that the new season will find Tony serving as Franks’ probie for a bit. And there ain’t a thing wrong with that.
I was disappointed to see Mr. Hart back — did anyone have any idea what she was talking about when she went to Gibbs’ house? — but I am even more disappointed in the show for ending the Colonel Bell (Robert Patrick) plot without ever really returning to it. Some part of me says that Mr. Hart is actually the mastermind behind that operation, but proving that out would require her to return, so I’ll pass.
I loved what we got of Palmer, as always … his trying to jump-start Ducky’s train-of-thought was hilarious. And how great was that entire scene? I think Ducky went into that story, and his brogue, just so we’d get to enjoy the two of them together. I have been loving Palmer’s development, and I hope the show manages to continue giving him the time in the years ahead.
Gibbs’ moment at the end with the written rules (he wrote them down!) and the memories was both good and bad. I enjoy when we see how much he misses Shannon (although, how did he ever remarry if it still hurts so much?), but that thing with younger Franks who sounded like an older Franks was just too weird. If the show means to explore his psyche, do it. If not, don’t bother us with these strange wisps.
In case you missed it, the card Gibbs was holding read: “Rule #18 — Never, ever involve a lawyer.” And what he wrote on the back of it was, “Rule #51 — Sometimes you’re wrong.” Is rule 51 referencing #18, or was the glimpse we got of 18 meant to explain his mistrust of Mr. Hart, while #51 referred to his actions in the whole mess unrelated to Mr. Hart? I don’t know, and I feared that that was a pretty terrible “cliffhanger” to leave us on for the summer.
But leave it to NCIS to keep ratcheting up the surprises. And my money’s on Papa Jack walking out of there standing.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on May 26, 2010 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
Mr. Hart?
*POST AUTHOR*
One of my silent, unnoticed protests. It goes back a few episodes to when I first used it. As I said then — “And no, the “Mr.” is not a typo — it’s less offensive a way to refer to her than her “Mr.” is in reference to Gibbs.”
Hart was there because of what was in Abby’s report. When it was sent to the task force it went to her and not Mexico. (Vance telling Rivera that may have put her in a bind with the cartel.) She told “Special Agent” Gibbs that they could beat it, in effect offering her services to help him if the shooting went to trial. I put the Special Agent in quotes as I think this is the first time she has called him by his correct title.
As to rule 51 I think it was meant to cover everything. Several times he quoted his rule about never saying he was sorry and he was actually called out on it.
Doesn’t Papa Gibbs keep a loaded shotgun under his counter? That could end up being quite the surprise for Paloma!
*POST AUTHOR*
Thanks. And yes, I believe Papa Gibbs does keep a shotgun under the counter!
I don’t know … I didn’t understand how Hart would now rotate into Gibbs’ corner after all along seeming to be there as an agent of Bells … the whole thing is rather confusing, particularly as a result of the fact that Bell’s dead and his story was never fully fleshed out.
I can only think that Ducky was correct when he told her (over Bell’s body in the morgue) that he thought she may be having doubts and perhaps she even believed that she had backed the wrong man in helping Bell.
Does anyyone know what the riddle was? I’m interested with that.. pleaaasse!
*POST AUTHOR*
You mean: “A man is in a room with no windows or doors. The room was built around him. There is a table and a mirror in the room. How does he get out? — He looks in the mirror to see what he saw. He takes the saw and cuts the table in half. Two halves make a whole. He gets out through the hole.”
It’s a play on the words “saw,” and “w/hole.” Does that help?