NCIS – When it comes to affairs of the heart. …

With the appearance of Cameron Monaghan — otherwise known as Ian Gallagher on Showtime’s Shameless — on last week’s episode of NCIS I wondered when actors on a successful series get to stop doing procedural guest appearances. But last night NCIS took things one step further when Josie Loren — Make It or Break It’s Kaylie — appeared in the cold open as “woman who chases a deer and stumbles onto a dead body.” Is it just me, or does that not seem like a forward career step? On a side note, was it the facial recognition focus feature on her camera that actually noticed the body? Because that’s very cool.

Despite the odd casting in the open, I found the episode to be quite interesting. I loved how the case twisted and turned, with an exhilarating race to protect everyone who’d read a tell-all book rapidly shifting to a case of rage and jealousy. The former alone would have been interesting, but it was made all the better with the surprise ending.

Alexis Ross, AKA Jinn (Melissa Farman), was a really wild character. She wasn’t introduced in a way that promised we’d ever see her again, but imagine learning that a college kid was also an arms dealer; I thought that was fascinating. Especially if you consider what could be done with the story … if anyone out there is looking for their next show idea, why not jump into that one? Insecure college co-ed by day sells arms to terrorists and allies alike by night. Not bad, right?

There’s no question that I enjoy Fornell (Joe Spano), but part of me worries that writing him into too many episodes takes away some of his mysterious allure. Certainly it detracts from the character when the case doesn’t scream for a Tobias/Jethro investigation.

I wasn’t all that intrigued by the wedding invitation, or by the fact that Gibbs’ and Fornell’s ex-wife Diane was getting remarried (although it was funny that she was getting married to yet another government agent, this time someone from Homeland Security). But what I was a bit surprised by was Tony’s attitude toward the combination of Gibbs and a wedding, to the extent that he even scoffed at the notion of having Gibbs at his own wedding.

I know it was being played for a laugh on account of Gibbs and his many, many marriages, but in multiple scenes we were to believe that Tony would be acting as if he doesn’t have the utmost of respect for Gibbs. Something about it felt different than other times that Tony’s joked about Gibbs behind his back; this was somewhat dismissive, and altogether disrespectful. I wouldn’t even say that I’m disappointed in Tony — this was a case of his being written for both terribly and wholly inaccurately. That’s just a sloppy job.

Meanwhile, just when I thought we’d get a reawakening of McGee’s author persona….

“You want a tip? You got a problem with your wife … get a divorce.” – Gibbs to Derrick Archer as Archer’s being arrested for murdering his wife

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Mar 30, 2011 @ 14:00 EST5EDT