I’ve been trying to remember back to earlier seasons of NCIS … I’m pretty sure there was a time when I actually enjoyed the weekly cases. Not that they were ever relatable to my life, but maybe it was the relative freshness of Naval investigations that kept me looped in. Unfortunately, that’s no longer true.
And yet I still find myself more excited for a new episode of the show than for a new episode of most anything else. The reason? Fantastic characters. For me, an episode of NCIS is always as good as the balance between the team and the investigation. That, and good guest casting, which NCIS does pretty well.
I imagine Rose from Lost might be pretty disappointed in what her loving husband Bernard (Sam Anderson) has become. I mean, the teacher thing is okay, but the kidnapping, murdering psycho bit? And how about William Devane as mysterious grandpa Mason? His jump from Knots Landing to Phenom was by far his strangest casting decision, but it felt awkward watching James Heller from 24 as a super spy who could barely lift his leg when he “kicked” McGee. He’s a fantastic actor, but perhaps not the right casting for the role.
Either way, that didn’t detract from the episode at all. I loved the college interns. Sarah (Elizabeth Wright Shapiro) was a perfect fit for Ducky, and the fact that she had Palmer running around searching for job security was hilarious … as was Palmer in general in a suit and tie. It was great to see Jimmy again.
Michael (David Magidoff) was so-so, and that’s partially because I’m not a big Abby fan. Should we take it as cute and eccentric that she had him wear bells around his neck? I remember her experience with subordinates as well as anybody, but does that mean the guy has to be humiliated like that? Clearly he has some skills. Although, way creepy with the almost kiss at the end.
Of course the above-ground intern was the best — Conrad (Zack Lively) actually seems a good fit for the team, even if his presence would alter McGee’s status with Tony. Despite all evidence to the contrary, McGee would relish in a subordinate he could treat as a probie. And it’s funny that Heath from Greek graduated on that show last season (ignore the fact that he returned) only to pop up on a mature show this season. He’s great, and I was really happy to see him again.
Conrad could make for an enjoyable second to McGee, third to McGee and Tony (I loved Tony calling him Mini-Gee), and fourth to McGee, Tony, and Gibbs. I wonder if there’s any longevity to the character, or for any of the interns. Was the application McGee gave him at the end really something beyond the initial program, or was it symbolic of the fact that Conrad was only now making the commitment that he had half-heartedly made in the first place?
I never would have thought to suggest that the show expand the cast, but it’s an interesting idea if done in this manner, and in moderation. NCIS excels in characters — who’s to say that a couple more won’t be for the better?
“Got a lot of guts coming out here alone. Actually, he’s got a lot of guts being over 60 and owning a Skype phone.” – McGee to Gibbs, on Mason
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Sep 29, 2010 @ 11:00 EST5EDT
I was thinking the same thing — that I didn’t know why NCIS wasn’t as enjoyable as it had been in previous seasons and when the interns came on, it was like a breath of fresh air. And there’s never a bad time to sing Scotland The Brave.
I also found Abby’s intern the least interesting and also because I’m getting annoyed with the character of Abby who bounces between SuperScientist and a five year old girl. Gibbs’ favouritism of her makes it worse.
I was completely fooled by Ziva shooting Mason which I guess says how much I enjoyed the episode because I wasn’t nit picking it.
I laughed when Gibbs asked Mason who he needed to get the security clearance from and Mason answered ‘the president’ because Devane had played the US president in a couple of seasons of Stargate SG1. (I also have a vague memory of him playing JFK a long time ago.)