Episode Review: Split Decision (1x21)
Yet another good ep. May I just apologise in advance: I am medicated and apparently channeling Abby this evening. Cut for spoilerage...
Limited Ducky and therefore limited G/D in this one, although what there was made me giggle and the DuckyAbby interaction was great.
Post credits we open on Ducky and the unfortunate marine impaled on the 'stick'; I call it a stick because I refuse to acknowledge it as the 'tree' summarised in the TV guide. Lovely little monologue as Duck does his thing, reverent as usual for the dead - I know doctors with live patients who have lower ethical and care standards than Ducky. We also learn another two of the places his extensive travels have taken him on: Somalia, where they apparently take sheepherders impregnating Warlords' daughters very seriously, and Sri Lanka. Gibbs and co. are with him by this point, doing their little thing that they do when there's a body. The Somalian story does actually tie into the case because the standard punishment for impregnation is exactly what the Marine died of: being shot at 20 paces with, specifically, a Russian Shoulder-fired antitank missile. Ouch. Gibbs is requesting a time of death which leads to another lovely little exchange when Duck says that lividity and other standard TOD markers are no use in this case:
DUCKY: It's tricky, Jethro, given the massive and rapid loss of blood. I mean, body temp, lividity, and rigor aren't going to be much use in establishing PMI.
GIBBS: yeah, but...
DUCKY: What makes you think there's a but?
GIBBS: Well, with you there always is.
DUCKY: Yes, that's right, isn't it.
When Duck agrees he nearly always has a 'but' - a lovely little grin on his face - he follows up with 'well as they say in the high country markets of Sri Lanka, there's more than one way to skin a mongoose,' followed very quickly with 'Actually there are three ' at which point I nearly wet myself and Gibbs cuts him off with a still fond but rather more exasperated 'Ducky' than usual. I think Ducky picked up on it but continues to explain how he can get a time of death back at the lab. Gibbs seems a little pre-occupied, there's a certain something he's giving off - he's still focused on the job but...I don't know. Anyway, in my mind it's obvious that the only reason he cuts Duck off is because he knows that story inside out. I know he probably knows all of them inside out, but this is obviously one Duck has had cause to share a lot.
Autopsy + Jimmy + dictaphone = excrutiatingly embarrassing scene. I was wondering why he didn't go to the crime scene earlier, but if this is the frame of mind he's in, I'm really rather glad he didn't. As Duck gives a 'lecture' on the marine he's brought home for Jimmy's benefit, Jimmy is repeating verbatim into his tape recorder and as the scene goes on we see Duck getting more and more, erm...well, it's not quite frustration, but definitely something along those lines as dear Mr. Palmer starts injecting emotion into his repetition. And his cellphone goes off:
DUCKY: Yes. Do you want to get that?
NEW ASSISTANT: Can I?...Mom?
DUCKY: Oh, please.
Poor Ducky. Not only is Gibbs a little 'off' today, his assisstant is trying to drive him crazy. The 'please' comes out like 'Puh-lease'. It's cute. :D
Other than that, we don't actually get any more G/D in the ep although there are some other separate moments that I thought were worth mentioning, such as the fact that since Ducky's revelation that he thinks Ari may have been educated in the UK, Gibbs has followed through and got McGee to focus his computer search on past students at uni over here. He really does trust Duck's judgement implicitly, has absolute faith in him. It's lovely. Even more lovely than that is the headslap Tony recieves as a direct result of making a slightly scathing remark that reflects badly on Duck. Hah! Serves you right, DiNozzo. Lioness and cub, anyone?
Aside: Gibbs hates peas.
Jethro's definitely pre-occupied in this one, and is it just me or does he look tired? Really tired? I can only assume it's down to his search for Ari, which then leads me on to wondering about how Duck is coping with Gibbs' obsession. It's also very possibly because this ep is set only a week since Pacci's death (it's mentioned on screen) and I think we all know Gibbs isn't the sort to let guilt go easily.
Our last view of Duck is rather early in this ep but is nice. He's been smiley today which is always good to see, although he too looks tired which I'm putting down to worrying about Gibbs. Discussion of Abby and anarchism - Ducky says he had her pegged as an anarchist type - to which Abby states she was an anarchist but there were too many rules and we get a gorgeous little chuckle from our guy in response. He also makes a 'gratuitous rock reference'; I have to admit, I've always wondered about Duck's taste in music. He loves music, we know that, we also know that he likes classical and opera but I can quite readily imagine him listening to quite a wide variety of genres. It wouldn't surprise me if he had some heavier stuff in amongst his culture. A little Iron Maiden maybe? Well maybe not Iron Maiden, but...it's something to ponder at least.
On the Gibbs front my exact thoughts were: Locator watch! How cool! Bet he gave Ducky one for Christmas. Then I realised that this is S1 and therefore set before KA or TMP, so he probably hasn't given it to him yet but he might do by mid-point S2. My other really intellectual thought later in the ep was 'Gibbs, you are so hardcore!Guns!'. (OT: when I make notes for reviews they tend to be streams of consciousness rather than thought out, sensical sentences.) I love seeing action!Gibbs and the way he handles the MP5 made me remember just how highly skilled he was to be a sniper in the Corps - his expertise doesn't always come across as readily as it should. I didn't for one second buy Gibbs getting shot even though I hadn't seen this ep before; there would have been far more post-ep fic if he had. But I did hope that he warned Duck what the plan was rather than just turning up at home with a 'blood' stained shirt, jacket and handkerchief - he'd be worried sick.
Final Gibbs note: I want his ex-service jacket. You know, the green one he wears in a few eps.
Once again Abby rocked even though she is dealing with a less than optimal tolerance factor where Gibbs is concerned - his patience is continuing to be lacking even with her. The scene where she's creating a fake ID for DiNozzo got a giggle - at the end it becomes obvious that although she's laughing it's not because she thinks Tony is humourous. It's because she thinks he's "funny". I LMAO when ATF Agent Stone is in her lab with Gibbs to create his fake ID:
GIBBS: Honorable discharge. Give me a medal.
ABBY: Silver?
GIBBS: Bronze.
ABBY: Silver would be better. you're more of a winter. Never had your colors done did ya?
GIBBS: Not unless I was unconscious.
ABBY: Your colors are arranged seasonally based on your skin tone. Bronze is more of an autumn. It's important, Gibbs.
But the best was yet to come:
ABBY: Wise choice. Okay, work history.
GIBBS: Civilian contractor. Nicaragua, Nepal, Greece.
ABBY: Kazakhstan. That'd be a good addition.
STONE: Another winter thing?
ABBY: Don't be silly, ATF lady.
Agent Stone is forever to be known as ATF lady as far as I'm concerned. PP's delivery of that line was outstanding.
PMT!Kate was really harsh to McGee: it started out as real feminist kick-assness towards the marines early on and then all of a sudden she's being an uber-bitch to poor Bambi, which I didn't like: granted, he did screw-up with the motel check, but there was no need for her tone. I even felt sorry for Tony at the end when she brings up Voss from Dead Man Talking - she really hurt him: she must have done to get any empathy for DiNozzo out of me. And why was she so nervous about interrogating Rafael? At first I thought maybe she was afraid of screwing up - as she so rightly states, Gibbs does the interrogations - but it seemed to be something other than that, something I couldn't quite put my finger on...
And as for Tony, well, I won't say much on that front. He was bearable today. We discover he's 32 and actually does have an area of knowledge - primarily weapons discharge; I couldn't follow a word he was saying, but it sounded good. There were a lot of acronyms this evening that weren't explained. His undercover persona (Gus Bricker) was actually a more attractive person than Tony as far as I'm concerned. Which is scary given that 'Gus' has a dishonourable discharge, did time in Leavenworth for drug dealing and is currently running guns. Heh.
McGee? Well, at least on the up side he got a hair-ruffle and a grin from Gibbs. That had to make his day worthwhile. I know it would mine. :D
Gibbs Ducky rating: very little in it but 7/10 for what there was. I struggled on this.
Series rating: 8/10
Limited Ducky and therefore limited G/D in this one, although what there was made me giggle and the DuckyAbby interaction was great.
Post credits we open on Ducky and the unfortunate marine impaled on the 'stick'; I call it a stick because I refuse to acknowledge it as the 'tree' summarised in the TV guide. Lovely little monologue as Duck does his thing, reverent as usual for the dead - I know doctors with live patients who have lower ethical and care standards than Ducky. We also learn another two of the places his extensive travels have taken him on: Somalia, where they apparently take sheepherders impregnating Warlords' daughters very seriously, and Sri Lanka. Gibbs and co. are with him by this point, doing their little thing that they do when there's a body. The Somalian story does actually tie into the case because the standard punishment for impregnation is exactly what the Marine died of: being shot at 20 paces with, specifically, a Russian Shoulder-fired antitank missile. Ouch. Gibbs is requesting a time of death which leads to another lovely little exchange when Duck says that lividity and other standard TOD markers are no use in this case:
DUCKY: It's tricky, Jethro, given the massive and rapid loss of blood. I mean, body temp, lividity, and rigor aren't going to be much use in establishing PMI.
GIBBS: yeah, but...
DUCKY: What makes you think there's a but?
GIBBS: Well, with you there always is.
DUCKY: Yes, that's right, isn't it.
When Duck agrees he nearly always has a 'but' - a lovely little grin on his face - he follows up with 'well as they say in the high country markets of Sri Lanka, there's more than one way to skin a mongoose,' followed very quickly with 'Actually there are three ' at which point I nearly wet myself and Gibbs cuts him off with a still fond but rather more exasperated 'Ducky' than usual. I think Ducky picked up on it but continues to explain how he can get a time of death back at the lab. Gibbs seems a little pre-occupied, there's a certain something he's giving off - he's still focused on the job but...I don't know. Anyway, in my mind it's obvious that the only reason he cuts Duck off is because he knows that story inside out. I know he probably knows all of them inside out, but this is obviously one Duck has had cause to share a lot.
Autopsy + Jimmy + dictaphone = excrutiatingly embarrassing scene. I was wondering why he didn't go to the crime scene earlier, but if this is the frame of mind he's in, I'm really rather glad he didn't. As Duck gives a 'lecture' on the marine he's brought home for Jimmy's benefit, Jimmy is repeating verbatim into his tape recorder and as the scene goes on we see Duck getting more and more, erm...well, it's not quite frustration, but definitely something along those lines as dear Mr. Palmer starts injecting emotion into his repetition. And his cellphone goes off:
DUCKY: Yes. Do you want to get that?
NEW ASSISTANT: Can I?...Mom?
DUCKY: Oh, please.
Poor Ducky. Not only is Gibbs a little 'off' today, his assisstant is trying to drive him crazy. The 'please' comes out like 'Puh-lease'. It's cute. :D
Other than that, we don't actually get any more G/D in the ep although there are some other separate moments that I thought were worth mentioning, such as the fact that since Ducky's revelation that he thinks Ari may have been educated in the UK, Gibbs has followed through and got McGee to focus his computer search on past students at uni over here. He really does trust Duck's judgement implicitly, has absolute faith in him. It's lovely. Even more lovely than that is the headslap Tony recieves as a direct result of making a slightly scathing remark that reflects badly on Duck. Hah! Serves you right, DiNozzo. Lioness and cub, anyone?
Aside: Gibbs hates peas.
Jethro's definitely pre-occupied in this one, and is it just me or does he look tired? Really tired? I can only assume it's down to his search for Ari, which then leads me on to wondering about how Duck is coping with Gibbs' obsession. It's also very possibly because this ep is set only a week since Pacci's death (it's mentioned on screen) and I think we all know Gibbs isn't the sort to let guilt go easily.
Our last view of Duck is rather early in this ep but is nice. He's been smiley today which is always good to see, although he too looks tired which I'm putting down to worrying about Gibbs. Discussion of Abby and anarchism - Ducky says he had her pegged as an anarchist type - to which Abby states she was an anarchist but there were too many rules and we get a gorgeous little chuckle from our guy in response. He also makes a 'gratuitous rock reference'; I have to admit, I've always wondered about Duck's taste in music. He loves music, we know that, we also know that he likes classical and opera but I can quite readily imagine him listening to quite a wide variety of genres. It wouldn't surprise me if he had some heavier stuff in amongst his culture. A little Iron Maiden maybe? Well maybe not Iron Maiden, but...it's something to ponder at least.
On the Gibbs front my exact thoughts were: Locator watch! How cool! Bet he gave Ducky one for Christmas. Then I realised that this is S1 and therefore set before KA or TMP, so he probably hasn't given it to him yet but he might do by mid-point S2. My other really intellectual thought later in the ep was 'Gibbs, you are so hardcore!Guns!'. (OT: when I make notes for reviews they tend to be streams of consciousness rather than thought out, sensical sentences.) I love seeing action!Gibbs and the way he handles the MP5 made me remember just how highly skilled he was to be a sniper in the Corps - his expertise doesn't always come across as readily as it should. I didn't for one second buy Gibbs getting shot even though I hadn't seen this ep before; there would have been far more post-ep fic if he had. But I did hope that he warned Duck what the plan was rather than just turning up at home with a 'blood' stained shirt, jacket and handkerchief - he'd be worried sick.
Final Gibbs note: I want his ex-service jacket. You know, the green one he wears in a few eps.
Once again Abby rocked even though she is dealing with a less than optimal tolerance factor where Gibbs is concerned - his patience is continuing to be lacking even with her. The scene where she's creating a fake ID for DiNozzo got a giggle - at the end it becomes obvious that although she's laughing it's not because she thinks Tony is humourous. It's because she thinks he's "funny". I LMAO when ATF Agent Stone is in her lab with Gibbs to create his fake ID:
GIBBS: Honorable discharge. Give me a medal.
ABBY: Silver?
GIBBS: Bronze.
ABBY: Silver would be better. you're more of a winter. Never had your colors done did ya?
GIBBS: Not unless I was unconscious.
ABBY: Your colors are arranged seasonally based on your skin tone. Bronze is more of an autumn. It's important, Gibbs.
But the best was yet to come:
ABBY: Wise choice. Okay, work history.
GIBBS: Civilian contractor. Nicaragua, Nepal, Greece.
ABBY: Kazakhstan. That'd be a good addition.
STONE: Another winter thing?
ABBY: Don't be silly, ATF lady.
Agent Stone is forever to be known as ATF lady as far as I'm concerned. PP's delivery of that line was outstanding.
PMT!Kate was really harsh to McGee: it started out as real feminist kick-assness towards the marines early on and then all of a sudden she's being an uber-bitch to poor Bambi, which I didn't like: granted, he did screw-up with the motel check, but there was no need for her tone. I even felt sorry for Tony at the end when she brings up Voss from Dead Man Talking - she really hurt him: she must have done to get any empathy for DiNozzo out of me. And why was she so nervous about interrogating Rafael? At first I thought maybe she was afraid of screwing up - as she so rightly states, Gibbs does the interrogations - but it seemed to be something other than that, something I couldn't quite put my finger on...
And as for Tony, well, I won't say much on that front. He was bearable today. We discover he's 32 and actually does have an area of knowledge - primarily weapons discharge; I couldn't follow a word he was saying, but it sounded good. There were a lot of acronyms this evening that weren't explained. His undercover persona (Gus Bricker) was actually a more attractive person than Tony as far as I'm concerned. Which is scary given that 'Gus' has a dishonourable discharge, did time in Leavenworth for drug dealing and is currently running guns. Heh.
McGee? Well, at least on the up side he got a hair-ruffle and a grin from Gibbs. That had to make his day worthwhile. I know it would mine. :D
Gibbs Ducky rating: very little in it but 7/10 for what there was. I struggled on this.
Series rating: 8/10