Rebecca's been all over, and it's been all over her...
My grandma is in the hospital (has been since yesterday) because she's had so much pain in her legs and trouble walking lately. Some relatives have been trying to get in touch with my mom about Grandma, and I feel like I'm being put in the middle again. It is not a pleasant position to be in, and one person even seems to blame me for my mom's behavior. I've had to make and receive some very snippy phone calls lately. Honestly, it's times like this when I can understand why Mom cut off contact with her family. For Hanukkah this year, I think I'd like a new family consisting only of members of my temple and NCIS characters.
The day got even worse when I got in my car after work and discovered that the battery in Muse Watson had died at the worst possible time! I made several calls for a ride but got no answers, and even more depressing, every single time, I got the message "Sorry, but the person you are trying to reach has a voice mailbox that hasn't been set up yet." Ugh! So I had to walk home! (Work is not right around the corner, nor was my walk through the most well-lit, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.) At least the weather's still warm. After I finally got home, I had to drive back to work in the truck, get Muse Watson jump-started, and buy a new battery for him. It was the biggest, most inconvenient hassle, and I missed seeing NCIS live! I watched the new episode online later, and it was the only thing that got me through the day.
On the other hand, it all kinda emphasized that I still have my good health and relative youth to be thankful for. I mean, Grandma is in the hospital because she can't walk, but I got an opportunity to put my legs to good use today.
Notes on episode 9x09 Engaged: Part 2
Featuring SecNav Jarvis and young Gibbs, both last seen in Engaged: Part 1.
Writer: Gary Glasberg (Nature of the Beast).
- I still don't like Chaplain Burke. She just comes off as really wooden and useless to me, kinda like Counselor Troi. Her scene with Ducky had me torn between "Aw, aren't they cute together?" and "You get your hands off my sassy Scottish grandfather!" But Ducky hasn't quite been himself since Thirst, so maybe this will be good for him. And I'd rather see her with Ducky than Gibbs.
- Burke teasing Tony about his bucket list -- ugh! Where does this woman get off? I don't mind when Ziva teases Tony because she's his partner (the same went for Kate, back in her day) but Burke hardly knows him, so it came off wrong when she did it. McGee teasing Tony about his list annoyed me a little too, but it also came off as bromantic.
+ Wow, that interrogation scene. Tony was so smolderingly intense! His line about girls' schools threatening the terrorists' way of life harkened back pretty strongly to his charged conversation with Ziva in Masquerade. I wonder if that was intentional.
+ Ziva and Gibbs talking to the girls -- awww. Yes, it was ridiculous that the girls could speak English, but Ziva and Gibbs's sympathy and the way they were able to put them at ease was so touching. We don't see this side of them very often. When Gibbs kissed the girls at the end, I half-expected him to kiss Ziva, too.
+ I loved that McGee went down to Abby's lab in this scene. Lately Gibbs has been the only one goes down to her lab; in fact, I think this was Abby's first interaction with a non-Gibbs team member since Nature of the Beast! It's sad, because I miss her friendship scenes with Tony and Ziva. She and McGee were so cute together here.
- Tony talking to God -- um, okay. I know we all talk to God in our own ways, but I still feel this scene could've been better. And there are no words for how much I hated when Burke walked in. You'd think as a chaplain, she'd know not to barge in on people's one-on-one time with HaShem.
- "I could've used you a few months ago. I got my head scrambled pretty good." Shh, Tony! You know that once an arc is over, you're never supposed to reference it again! We can't have you starting to wonder where EJ is now, can we?
+/- The Gibbs flashbacks were more than a bit odd. I mean, they were well-written and well-acted (and it's always a treat to see Sean Harmon as young Gibbs) but they felt out-of-place and pointless. I really didn't like the hint that Gibbs was romantically interested in Matteson, when he was obviously so much in love with Shannon. I did like how Ziva showed concern for him without ever saying a word.
+ That white-hot white tank top that Ziva was wearing in the second half of the episode! *drools*
+/- For all that Ziva's already seen, it did feel strange that watching Quincy die would effect her so much. But it was a nice touch how she put his photo on the wall behind her desk. We found out back in Ships in the Night that this what Gibbs does, too.
+ Vance telling Gibbs to take some time off was interesting. More people are starting to take note of his insane work ethic.
- The final scene with Tony and the kids -- is Glasberg trying to make him look stupid? The Tony fans complain a lot about how he gets treated, and in episodes like this, I can understand why. Gibbs and Ziva got to fly to Afghanistan, wear fatigues, shoot people, save lives, comfort torture victims, and generally be bad-asses, while Tony got to flail around awkwardly in a room full of screaming kids. Ugh! Let's just hope he gets treated better in Sins of the Father (which will have his dad) next week.
FF: I wrote a tag to this episode in Those Who Favor Fire: Chapter 2.
The day got even worse when I got in my car after work and discovered that the battery in Muse Watson had died at the worst possible time! I made several calls for a ride but got no answers, and even more depressing, every single time, I got the message "Sorry, but the person you are trying to reach has a voice mailbox that hasn't been set up yet." Ugh! So I had to walk home! (Work is not right around the corner, nor was my walk through the most well-lit, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.) At least the weather's still warm. After I finally got home, I had to drive back to work in the truck, get Muse Watson jump-started, and buy a new battery for him. It was the biggest, most inconvenient hassle, and I missed seeing NCIS live! I watched the new episode online later, and it was the only thing that got me through the day.
On the other hand, it all kinda emphasized that I still have my good health and relative youth to be thankful for. I mean, Grandma is in the hospital because she can't walk, but I got an opportunity to put my legs to good use today.
Notes on episode 9x09 Engaged: Part 2
Featuring SecNav Jarvis and young Gibbs, both last seen in Engaged: Part 1.
Writer: Gary Glasberg (Nature of the Beast).
- I still don't like Chaplain Burke. She just comes off as really wooden and useless to me, kinda like Counselor Troi. Her scene with Ducky had me torn between "Aw, aren't they cute together?" and "You get your hands off my sassy Scottish grandfather!" But Ducky hasn't quite been himself since Thirst, so maybe this will be good for him. And I'd rather see her with Ducky than Gibbs.
- Burke teasing Tony about his bucket list -- ugh! Where does this woman get off? I don't mind when Ziva teases Tony because she's his partner (the same went for Kate, back in her day) but Burke hardly knows him, so it came off wrong when she did it. McGee teasing Tony about his list annoyed me a little too, but it also came off as bromantic.
+ Wow, that interrogation scene. Tony was so smolderingly intense! His line about girls' schools threatening the terrorists' way of life harkened back pretty strongly to his charged conversation with Ziva in Masquerade. I wonder if that was intentional.
+ Ziva and Gibbs talking to the girls -- awww. Yes, it was ridiculous that the girls could speak English, but Ziva and Gibbs's sympathy and the way they were able to put them at ease was so touching. We don't see this side of them very often. When Gibbs kissed the girls at the end, I half-expected him to kiss Ziva, too.
+ I loved that McGee went down to Abby's lab in this scene. Lately Gibbs has been the only one goes down to her lab; in fact, I think this was Abby's first interaction with a non-Gibbs team member since Nature of the Beast! It's sad, because I miss her friendship scenes with Tony and Ziva. She and McGee were so cute together here.
- Tony talking to God -- um, okay. I know we all talk to God in our own ways, but I still feel this scene could've been better. And there are no words for how much I hated when Burke walked in. You'd think as a chaplain, she'd know not to barge in on people's one-on-one time with HaShem.
- "I could've used you a few months ago. I got my head scrambled pretty good." Shh, Tony! You know that once an arc is over, you're never supposed to reference it again! We can't have you starting to wonder where EJ is now, can we?
+/- The Gibbs flashbacks were more than a bit odd. I mean, they were well-written and well-acted (and it's always a treat to see Sean Harmon as young Gibbs) but they felt out-of-place and pointless. I really didn't like the hint that Gibbs was romantically interested in Matteson, when he was obviously so much in love with Shannon. I did like how Ziva showed concern for him without ever saying a word.
+ That white-hot white tank top that Ziva was wearing in the second half of the episode! *drools*
+/- For all that Ziva's already seen, it did feel strange that watching Quincy die would effect her so much. But it was a nice touch how she put his photo on the wall behind her desk. We found out back in Ships in the Night that this what Gibbs does, too.
+ Vance telling Gibbs to take some time off was interesting. More people are starting to take note of his insane work ethic.
- The final scene with Tony and the kids -- is Glasberg trying to make him look stupid? The Tony fans complain a lot about how he gets treated, and in episodes like this, I can understand why. Gibbs and Ziva got to fly to Afghanistan, wear fatigues, shoot people, save lives, comfort torture victims, and generally be bad-asses, while Tony got to flail around awkwardly in a room full of screaming kids. Ugh! Let's just hope he gets treated better in Sins of the Father (which will have his dad) next week.
FF: I wrote a tag to this episode in Those Who Favor Fire: Chapter 2.