Episode Review: 7x05 - Code of Conduct

[little_ozzo]

Beware! Tony-centric rambling, ravings, swoonings and squeeings behind the cut, along with 27 poorly cut and coloured caps! tejas, I swear I'm totally re-writing as well. I just got distracted by Tony's nose and hair. Again. ;-)

Comments

[karababe_64]

I guess that Gibbs did try in his own way to help with the comment in Knockout and I loved the "I'm proud of you" moment but it was probably too little too late to make any serious impact. But yeah everyone was screwed up and that was one of the reasons I disliked the seaon so much. It would have been much better if they had just had Tony and maybe one of the others dealing with emotional issues instead of everyone being almost ooc and there being no decent on-screen explanation for any of it (don't even get me started on McGee's "I lost all my money in the GFC" excuse). Because while Tony's breakdown can be justified and Gibbs withdrawing because of the team being split up makes sense, it comes back to the fact that we have to come up with justifications ourselves to help keep everything realistic and in character. And that's just bad writing.

I should rewatch the season (I'll add it to my ever growing list of thing to do after exams) from start to finish in order and maybe I'll enjoy it more the second time around. I like what they are doing with Tony this season and that is a major part of me enjoying the show, but I am disappointed with certain aspects of it still. So you are basically saying that you don't want them to drop the Tony breakdown issue without any addressing it again this season? If so I completely agree with you. if they completely ignore the whole issue this season I will be very annoyed. As someone who has come almost as close as Tony to suffering a breakdown, I know it is not something you get over easily or just magically disappears as much as you want it to. But then again Tony is someone who likes to bury/ignore the past and reinvent himself and get on with the current so maybe it is realistic to not see any lingering affects. But I still think it gets to point where you can't shake off the past and it's emotional effects completely and I think Tony is well and truely at that point.

That's ok, I'm not so bad at the moment. I've had the last couple of evenings to myself after being out all weekend from 8am to 6pm both days at a conference, but early nights aren't really possible when your brain refuses to let you sleep. :-) Friday's interview was fairly promising but who knows what will happen. :-)

[little_ozzo]

Yeah, Gibbs’ acknowledgement of Tony’s ace job despite everything going on with him wasn’t exactly before time, LOL, but it does fit in with my idea that Gibbs detached himself from the team in S6 so much. But, like you say, the fact that we’re having to come up with these justifications ourselves isn’t really right - I’m all for TV shows making me work a little harder when I watch, and making me think, but when what I’m thinking is almost entirely built on my own, mostly unsupported subjective interpretation, something feels a little wrong. I don’t want it spelled out for me, but I do want at least some verification that my thoughts are vaguely on the right track, or even that they’re completely wrong - just something! (I won’t get you started on McGee, LOL, don’t worry, I actually kind of enjoyed him being a dick just because it was interesting and it’s nice to see a main character being allowed a flaw like that, but totally understand being really annoyed at him too. But again, there was one possible excuse the writers offered us for his behaviour, and the rest is kind of all supposition. Wow. For a series that seems to be dividing its fans a lot now over forgetting about the “sub” in “subtext”, S6 was actually full of so-far-beneath-the-text-it’s-practically-invisible stuff.)

Watching from a POV entirely based on my theory that Tony is barely coping has really made it a lot more enjoyable and interesting - although a little less fun, too, in that it’s quite disturbing how very fucked up his behaviour is when viewed like that! Well done, you managed to sum up what I couldn’t say in ten sentences in just one - yeah, I want them to acknowledge whatever’s going on with Tony in some way so I at least know that my theory that he was screwed up all the way through S6 was either somewhat on target, or completely wrong. Just something. I’d agree with both points, I think; if Tony did come as close to having a breakdown as I think he did between S5 and S6, then despite his seeming ability to push on with life, there has to be some fallout from that. In S6, there wasn’t really fallout, just a display of Tony doing what he could to ignore what was going on with himself. I have no idea what they’re going to do with Tony in S7 yet, though, whether they’re going to have him actually succumb to some kind of emotional fallout, or whether the very brief show of numbness and revival we saw in the premiere is going to be all we get. (I hope not.)

Glad your interview felt good on Friday! Fingers crossed for you, though I’m sure you don’t actually need the luck and will get there entirely on your own merit! I’m very lucky to rarely suffer from insomnia, my late nights are entirely a result of my own lack of willpower to make myself go to bed and sleep at sensible times! When will the exams all be over?

[karababe_64]

McGee has never been my favourite character so his attitude, especially towards Tony, really annoyed me. It's fine for a characters to have flaws, and a seperiour attitude is natural for an oldest child who is an overachiever, but we don't have to like them.

So far the only emotional fallout has been in the season opener which concerns me. I would have expected a little more by now if they were going down that road. Then again maybe because things have calmed down a little he is able to get back on track and we won't see anything until something else major comes along.

Thanks, but I do need all the luck I can get! *g* I'm not normally this bad, usually I'll fall asleep at around 12:30-1am but I have no idea why I'm having so much trouble at the moment. Maybe it's an unconcious attempt to sabotage myself (it's been known to happen) or maybe it's just the heat. I had my first exam today and the final one will be on the 16th of November. Can't wait!

[little_ozzo]

You're right, it wasn't a particularly nice characteristic, and I hope they keep it toned down this season because I've always quite liked McGee and would prefer him occasionally bitchy to overly malicious. But because I've always liked Tim, I of course find ways to justify his behaviour to myself! ;-)

I have absolutely no idea what the writers are going to do, if they're working up to something, or if the vague, brief emotional fallout we've had so far is all we're going to get. At the moment, Tony seems to be doing things okay - he's dealing with extra responsibility quite well, is making a lot of fun jokes but not going too overboard, and is interacting well with his teammates. That's how it is to my eye, obviously, YMMV. But there's a sense that something is going on behind what we're being shown, or maybe that's just my feeling that we haven't had things explained coming into play. I'm not certain of what the characters are feeling, so again, I'm projecting and coming up with subjective theories! *sigh* What I would like to see is Tony getting involved in a particularly brutal case, and maybe losing it a little over that, or revealing some of the things he's hiding because of it, but I have a feeling that might only happen in my daydreams or in fic.

Heat is hard to fall asleep with. Currently, over here, it's not overly cold but last night was getting there, and I hate having cold feet during the night! Well, you clearly have quite a lot going on at the moment, exams and job apps, but at least one of those things will be over in a fortnight - I hope you don't have to wait ages for results!

[karababe_64]

The only thing I've noticed is when he is interacting with Ziva, like he wants to tell her something but then stops himself, or he is trying to figure out something about her. The times that Tony has revealed something has been when they are working a case so I think that is a possibility. Although now with the news about his father appearing I think it is very likely there is going to be emotional fallout in that ep. And I was obviously wrong about the likely hood on him appearing this season!

I can't live without my electric blanket in winter and it doesn't get nearly as cold as I imagine it would where you are. I don't know how you put up with it, I can't stand being cold. But at the same time I don't cope well with it being really hot. I'm very hard to please. *g*

Exam results come out in the first week on December so it's not too long a wait.

[little_ozzo]

Firstly: HAPPY BIRTHDAY! *showers you with balloons and sparkles and Tony!clones!* Hope you have a lovely day and enjoy your lie-in! :-)
LOL, I was really surprised to get the news that his dad would be in this season - I wonder if he's the "angry father" that was mentioned in an interview?! I have my fingers, toes, and everything else possible crossed for some kind of emotional fallout. All I can do is wait, obviously, to see what they're going to do, but I have to admit I am hoping that they don't make him into just a nice guy who has just made some msitakes after his wife's death (I hope we get more info on that, too) and too much to drink. I want some payoff for all the angst Tony has hinted or accidentally let slip regarding his past, I don't want his dad's neglect of him to be written off! I'm already half terrified and half excited.

I'm awful when it's too hot, but I'm not sure the way I deal with the cold over here (it's about 5 degrees here today, but that's still okay, LOL) could be called coping or dealing; I just moan a lot and wear about a thousand layers! I'm a little bit scared of electric blankets, but only because my dad once set one on fire and threw it into the neighbour's garden, causing havoc. He was a lot younger and stupider then, but the story has stuck with me!

Not too bad then - I can't believe it's only 2 months to Christmas/other festive holidays already. Eek!

[karababe_64]

Thank you :D I've had a nice relaxing day, slept until 11am and then had a lazy afternoon. Just what I needed :-)

He could be the "angry father". It would be good if he is as it would keep in with our current perceptions of him. I'm not overly fussed as to how they portray him just as long as they do it so well that I don't care if I had the wrong idea about him. They shouldn't ignore what we have learnt previously but if they do it by just having made mistakes in the past, then I'll be fine with that even though it's not currently how I view him.

The lowest it gets here is about 10-15C in winter during the day. Melbourne is famous for it's flucating weather so it can be 35C one day and 20C the next. I've never had a problem with my blanket and in winter it's pretty much on 24/7!

[little_ozzo]

Brilliant, I hope you feel a lot better rested! Are you doing anythign special or continuing the lazy day? I love being lazy, especially on my birthday.

I'm going to take some deep breaths and try to relax and just wait until January, because I'm sure my speculation will spiral way out of control otherwise! I think that's the ebst way to look at it, though, to jsut hope that whatever angle they go for, they do it well. But I will still keep my figners secretly crossed for a load of Tony angst, even if they don't actually reveal that much.

I shall mention that to my father, who has yet to turn the central heating on! I'm on top of a hill, just far enough from the sea that we get awesome, deep snow, and it's fairly often icy and freezing! If it hits anywhere between 20 and 25 over here, people walk around topless, it's like a heatwave!

[karababe_64]

I feel normal again! :-) I'm just continuing the lazy day, I really can't be bothered to do anything else. And hopefully if I'm lazy enough today then I'll be able to study hard tomorrow.

Yeah, I'm going to have to try and forget about it otherwise the wait until January will drive me crazy! The one good sign is that Tony centric episodes have a history of being filled with angst, so I'm sure we'll get some this time.

From Melbourne it's around 4hrs to the snow but I used to live about an hour away from the Australian snow fields which are generally the only places that it snows on a yearly basis. Very rarely it will snow in some of the surrending hills of Melbourne but that almost never happens. Today it was 20 and I've got the electric blanket on and have put on my winter pjs after wearing just a singlet top to bed the last few nights.

[little_ozzo]

LOL, you're mentally preparing for work! I'm just having a minor panic about just when exactly my essay that I totally haven't started is due in. As long as it's not today I should be fine.

It's true, and hopefully they'll keep whatever storyline they do go for in keeping with what's been hinted at and said before. I do wonder if they'd been kind of holding out to see if they could get RW, in which case some kind of story might have been in the works for a while and there's definitely potential for angst if that's the case.

Snow fields? That sounds very cool. Well, to be fair, your 20C is probably, in like, all year weather conditions, comparable to our freezing temperatures! Last year the coldest we got was -12C. Now, I tend to live in jammies and a hoodie anyway, but when winter truly hits I usually double up on socks and tops underneath my giant hoodie, and I sleep in about two to three layers, in a sleeping bag, under my thick duvet. And I'm considered to be quite a wimp. Mmm, this chat is making me feel cozy, but also long for my PJs. ;-) (I should mention I'm actually really far south in Scotland, too, hardly Arctic!)

[karababe_64]

LOL, I was having a mini panic attack yesterday on the way to the exam, about having forgot to bring any pens! Luckily the handbag I was using had one in it. I always leave essays until the last minute. The excuse I use is that I seem to work better if I do it that way. ;-)

Quite possibly, I don't imagine he would be the sort of actor you can get last minute.

It's basically just the mountains high enough to get snow in winter and where people going skiing. We were the opposite, having extreme heat last summer with 40+ days. Luckily I was in New Zealand through the worst of it. You are obviously living in the wrong country. But I don't really recommend moving to Melbourne unless you are able to put with 4 seasons in one day. *g*

[little_ozzo]

Pens are the worst! I always take about ten, which is ridiculous, jsut in case one runs out! I was once so frantic about taking pens to an exam that I forgot to take my house keys and ended up locked outside for about three hours - I also hadn't taken my phone - after it ended! Writing it in stages, weeks before the due date, just means that for me, I lose my flow. That's the story I'm sticking to!

He certainly seems like he'd be in demand, and he's quite a bit older than I thought! I didn't realise, from what you were saying over in the no_tiva comm, that he was portrayed in quite such a negative light in the film. But like you say, he mustn't feel too strongly against MW particualrly for that, or I doubt he'd have signed on.

LOL, it's definitely a bit colder than I'd like, and we've just had flash floods! But I don't know, for some reason the rain and cold and general Britishness of the weather has grown on me (possibly due in aprt to my serious affection for hoddies and jammies), and I love how hilariously red we all get whenever we go anywhere warm! But I didn't actually realise there were places to ski in Australia, that's very cool!

[karababe_64]

I normally chance my luck and only take one or two pens and so far I've never run out. LOL, that would have been annoying! The only other thing that I forgot to take was an Accounting handbook of the standards that we were allowed to take in. Luckily I had enough time to go back home and get it before the exam started. Nice excuse. I may borrow it.

It's not as bad as the biograhy that it was based on but there is enough to cast doubt over him if you didn't bother to investigate further. That's one of the reason's I really want to read his autobiograhy to get his take on the events. The movie did make me hate Christopher Walken who was also there that night, even more than I already did.

I would actually like to live in England for a couple of years. But I think anymore than that, the weather would drive me crazy. It's not up to European standards but for part time skiers and families it's not too bad. But there are still a lot of people in Australia who have never seen snow, as it pretty much only snows in Victoria and parts of sourthern New South Wales.

[little_ozzo]

Luckily mine have all been Lit exams so far, so all I ever needed was my ID and pens!

I have no strong feelings either way on Christopher Walken, but I am feeling more and more that I need to see this movie! I knew he was on the yacht too, but didn't know too many details. MW seems fairly cool about the whole thing, if you've seen his chat transcript! Going to be very interesting. I think I'm a bit sleepy at the moment, I've calmed down a lot after the initial excitement - I may make it through the next two months after all!

There are a lot of people from Greece and Spain on my course, and they are already totally over our weather and having to wear a million layers, LOL! It's not great. Our snow is great! But it turns to mucky slush awfully quickly.

[karababe_64]

I get this really creepy vibe from Walken. You should definitly watch it. I hope you have better luck at finding a copy than I did. It took me 6 months to find it. But I think there are some copies on ebay at the moment.

Our snow is very icy and hard, which makes it very bad for making snowballs and snowmen.

[little_ozzo]

I've only seen him in a couple of films where I think his character was supposed to be creepy - and he did that act very well, LOL! I'm definitely going to start looking, possibly via some nefarious internet means! I apparently also need to see Her Minor Thing, for extremely attractive MW-ness!

Ice in your eyes is not a good plan! Although I bizarrely prefer harder snow to ski on, mostly because I always lose stuff in powder - skis, gloves, poles, ability!