Help, Rebecca can't stop writing fanfiction!
I was kinda nervous about tonight's new episode of NCIS. I've been excited about the return of Eli David (the Ziva stuff is always juicy!) but also terrified that the writers would make a mess out of it. And it did have some disappointing bits, but for the most part, I enjoyed it.
Notes for episode 8x08 Enemies Foreign
Featuring Malachi Ben-Gideon, last seen in Good Cop, Bad Cop; Eli David, last see -- uh, last heard in Good Cop, Bad Cop; Amit Hadar, last seen in Aliyah; and first appearance of Riley McCallister.
Writer: Jesse Stern (Rule 51).
- Ugh, how awful and annoying was that music in the opening scene? I had to mute my TV! I also thought Tony and McGee looked just a tad bit stupid when they assumed this young girl with such bad taste in music was the terrorist, instead of the pickpocket.
+ Ziva's adorable little laugh when McGee told Tony that he "should still be terrified of my kind." The bullpen scene between the three of them was so funny and cute.
+ "If someone wants something out of your pants, they should have to use their hands." Ooh, Ziva's sultry tone when she said that! I loved this line so much, not only because it's hilarious, but also because it's the sort of remark Ziva used to make all the time. What Tony said about her in Dead Air is true: she's less sexual now than she used to be -- but that doesn't mean she isn't still sexual (and sexy). It was nice to see that she can still raise the guys' eyebrows.
+ Gibbs being subtly sarcastic to Vance in his office.
+ Gibbs asking Vance if he was okay. A nice, brief hint that some Vance-heavy stuff was coming up.
+ The dialogue between Ziva, Tony, and McGee while they were out hunting for the credit card. Their little digs at each other were funny without feeling mean.
+/- The scene where we met Malachi and Liat had its good and bad points -- mostly bad. I loved the look on Ziva's face when she realized Liat was following them and when she heard her accent. (Couldn't you just see her thinking, "Wait, that's my accent"?) But Tony flirting with Liat rubbed me the wrong way. Not because I ship Tiva -- I don't -- but because the two of them have been flirting and making each other jealous for a long time now, and it's getting old. Remember Ziva flirting with Malloy and Tony getting jealous in Royals and Loyals? At least that was brief. This was too much Liat and Tony, especially since she was sleeping with Malachi.
- Didn't Liat being played by a real Israeli actress, Sarai Givaty, kinda emphasize that Cote de Pablo is Chilean? To me, it felt pretty obvious that Liat's accent was real and Ziva's wasn't. But don't worry, Cote, you're still twenty times sexier than her -- and every other woman!
- "Clearly, this is the new Ziva." McGee, that was just uncalled-for.
- Geez, wasn't that pissing match between Ziva and Liat overdone? It seemed to me that Liat was trying to make Ziva feel guilty for making yerida. I've read that many Israelis who make yerida do feel guilty about it, which is so sad to me. Liat had no place asking Ziva how her family felt about her decision. Her family is her NCIS team, and they care about her no matter what. It's okay with me if Liat is a bitch, but I reeeeally hope the writers don't reveal her to be evil. This show has already overplayed its "evil Israeli" card.
+ Ducky's talk about how human and animal hair was used to clean up the gulf oil spill was so interesting to me. Now I wish I had cut my hair and sent it to the gulf! And didn't you love how he pronounced salon the French way? God loves that duck.
+ Ducky, Gibbs, and McGee trying to figure out what the terrorists were smuggling. McGee: "Drugs, drugs are always good." Ducky: "Pirates do love rum." Gibbs: "It's not a guessing game!" Haha.
- "It would be nice if they would play things above the board every once in a while." Hmph. Yes, Abby, use the actions of a few Mossad operatives to knock an entire country. She really annoys me sometimes. But then again, I go to a temple where no one ever talks badly about Israel.
? What did it say on the note Gibbs gave Abby? I'm guessing it was something about owing her a kiss, since she usually kisses her when he goes down to her lab and this time, he didn't.
- The meeting between Gibbs and Eli felt pretty anti-climatic. The only bit I really liked was when Gibbs reminded Eli that "she" had a name. He can be such a papa bear when it comes to his team.
- "This coffee's weaker than a Frenchman's handshake." Well, the French don't generally shake hands in greeting, McCallister! There's knocking another country I care about again. Now this episode is really starting to annoy me.
+ McCallister snapping the other directors to attention.
+ The shot of Ziva and Liat from behind while they were surveying the hotel -- on a purely shallow note, did you notice how Liat has unattractive, stick-thin legs? Not at all like Ziva's.
? I'm not sure how I feel about Malachi's casual mention that he and Liat were sleeping together. This show has often portrayed Mossad agents as more sexual, and I don't know if that's accurate or not.
+ Liat asking if Eli needed to be protected from Ziva, and questioning whether it was a good idea to have her work her father's protection detail. Well, she did have a point. And I loved Ziva's expression when she said that. You could tell she thinking, "Damn, I'd really love to smack this bitch." Stern seems obsessed with hinting that Liat could be evil. So help me, if she is...
+ I loved Ziva talking Gibbs into walking the garage approach with her and how she smiled at him there.
- Wow, I loved Tony comparing the pissing match between Ziva and Liat to something out of a '80s movie! Things were getting way too heavy and serious, and this was just what we needed to liven the mood. (It was accurate, too.) And I loved how rather than getting mad at Tony, Ziva laughed at herself a little. SO refreshing. Thank you, Tony!
- "I have hung a net." Oh, please, Stern, would Ziva really not understand that? That was the most forced Ziva-ism ever. Ugh.
- Geez, Vance went pretty overboard talking about the past NCIS directors.
+ McGee talking to Ziva about Wiley Coyote was pretty funny. I could just imagine Ziva thinking, "Wow, I couldn't care less, but I'll pretend to be interested for McGee." Those two are so cute together.
+ The sad, brief look on Ziva's face when she realized just how badly the three assassins wanted to kill her father.
- Abby pushing Ziva to talk to Eli -- ugh! This is exactly what she did with Tony and his dad in Broken Arrow just last week. She is really so rude and out-of-place. "Well, I would talk to my dad if he were still alive, so that means you and Tony should talk to your dads." You do not have the same dads, Abby! Ugh.
+ Eli saying that in Israel, he has to travel with armed guards behind bullet-proof glass. Wow, Stern, you actually made me feel a little bit sorry for the bastard.
- "You have a way of making my family disappear." And just like that, I hate him again. It's not Gibbs's fault that your only surviving child isn't speaking to you, Eli. What a jerk. Didn't Gibbs glare daggers at him?
+ Ziva and Liat telling each other that they did a good job. Finally, the pissing match is over. Can we all agree that she's not evil now? Please?
- More talk about Vance and Eli's mysterious mission in Amsterdam. I'm getting really tired of all this build-up, but I know we won't find out until Enemies Domestic next week.
- That scene between Ziva and Eli -- my heart really ached for her when he brushed her off, and when he launched into that speech about how his job and responsibilities have to come first, you could tell that Ziva had been hearing it since she was a little girl. Still, I felt disappointed. This is the first time Ziva's seen her father since Aliyah, and the writers have been hyping up his return like crazy. This scene did not live up at all.
+ "This she learned from her mother." Wow, we never hear mentions of Ziva's mother.
+ Wow, what a close call with Al-Masri at the end. I was surprised when he popped back up wearing a bullet-proof vest.
+/- Tony bursting into the room of previous directors and sputtering. I heard some angry fans complain that it made him look stupid, and yeah, it kinda did. The writers play Tony for laughs more often than I would like. I did think him asking for "a round of applause" was genuinely funny, though.
+ Great cliffhanger ending! Now I'm all excited for Enemies Domestic next week!
FF: I wrote a tag to this episode in Treading Muddy Waters.
Notes for episode 8x08 Enemies Foreign
Featuring Malachi Ben-Gideon, last seen in Good Cop, Bad Cop; Eli David, last see -- uh, last heard in Good Cop, Bad Cop; Amit Hadar, last seen in Aliyah; and first appearance of Riley McCallister.
Writer: Jesse Stern (Rule 51).
- Ugh, how awful and annoying was that music in the opening scene? I had to mute my TV! I also thought Tony and McGee looked just a tad bit stupid when they assumed this young girl with such bad taste in music was the terrorist, instead of the pickpocket.
+ Ziva's adorable little laugh when McGee told Tony that he "should still be terrified of my kind." The bullpen scene between the three of them was so funny and cute.
+ "If someone wants something out of your pants, they should have to use their hands." Ooh, Ziva's sultry tone when she said that! I loved this line so much, not only because it's hilarious, but also because it's the sort of remark Ziva used to make all the time. What Tony said about her in Dead Air is true: she's less sexual now than she used to be -- but that doesn't mean she isn't still sexual (and sexy). It was nice to see that she can still raise the guys' eyebrows.
+ Gibbs being subtly sarcastic to Vance in his office.
+ Gibbs asking Vance if he was okay. A nice, brief hint that some Vance-heavy stuff was coming up.
+ The dialogue between Ziva, Tony, and McGee while they were out hunting for the credit card. Their little digs at each other were funny without feeling mean.
+/- The scene where we met Malachi and Liat had its good and bad points -- mostly bad. I loved the look on Ziva's face when she realized Liat was following them and when she heard her accent. (Couldn't you just see her thinking, "Wait, that's my accent"?) But Tony flirting with Liat rubbed me the wrong way. Not because I ship Tiva -- I don't -- but because the two of them have been flirting and making each other jealous for a long time now, and it's getting old. Remember Ziva flirting with Malloy and Tony getting jealous in Royals and Loyals? At least that was brief. This was too much Liat and Tony, especially since she was sleeping with Malachi.
- Didn't Liat being played by a real Israeli actress, Sarai Givaty, kinda emphasize that Cote de Pablo is Chilean? To me, it felt pretty obvious that Liat's accent was real and Ziva's wasn't. But don't worry, Cote, you're still twenty times sexier than her -- and every other woman!
- "Clearly, this is the new Ziva." McGee, that was just uncalled-for.
- Geez, wasn't that pissing match between Ziva and Liat overdone? It seemed to me that Liat was trying to make Ziva feel guilty for making yerida. I've read that many Israelis who make yerida do feel guilty about it, which is so sad to me. Liat had no place asking Ziva how her family felt about her decision. Her family is her NCIS team, and they care about her no matter what. It's okay with me if Liat is a bitch, but I reeeeally hope the writers don't reveal her to be evil. This show has already overplayed its "evil Israeli" card.
+ Ducky's talk about how human and animal hair was used to clean up the gulf oil spill was so interesting to me. Now I wish I had cut my hair and sent it to the gulf! And didn't you love how he pronounced salon the French way? God loves that duck.
+ Ducky, Gibbs, and McGee trying to figure out what the terrorists were smuggling. McGee: "Drugs, drugs are always good." Ducky: "Pirates do love rum." Gibbs: "It's not a guessing game!" Haha.
- "It would be nice if they would play things above the board every once in a while." Hmph. Yes, Abby, use the actions of a few Mossad operatives to knock an entire country. She really annoys me sometimes. But then again, I go to a temple where no one ever talks badly about Israel.
? What did it say on the note Gibbs gave Abby? I'm guessing it was something about owing her a kiss, since she usually kisses her when he goes down to her lab and this time, he didn't.
- The meeting between Gibbs and Eli felt pretty anti-climatic. The only bit I really liked was when Gibbs reminded Eli that "she" had a name. He can be such a papa bear when it comes to his team.
- "This coffee's weaker than a Frenchman's handshake." Well, the French don't generally shake hands in greeting, McCallister! There's knocking another country I care about again. Now this episode is really starting to annoy me.
+ McCallister snapping the other directors to attention.
+ The shot of Ziva and Liat from behind while they were surveying the hotel -- on a purely shallow note, did you notice how Liat has unattractive, stick-thin legs? Not at all like Ziva's.
? I'm not sure how I feel about Malachi's casual mention that he and Liat were sleeping together. This show has often portrayed Mossad agents as more sexual, and I don't know if that's accurate or not.
+ Liat asking if Eli needed to be protected from Ziva, and questioning whether it was a good idea to have her work her father's protection detail. Well, she did have a point. And I loved Ziva's expression when she said that. You could tell she thinking, "Damn, I'd really love to smack this bitch." Stern seems obsessed with hinting that Liat could be evil. So help me, if she is...
+ I loved Ziva talking Gibbs into walking the garage approach with her and how she smiled at him there.
- Wow, I loved Tony comparing the pissing match between Ziva and Liat to something out of a '80s movie! Things were getting way too heavy and serious, and this was just what we needed to liven the mood. (It was accurate, too.) And I loved how rather than getting mad at Tony, Ziva laughed at herself a little. SO refreshing. Thank you, Tony!
- "I have hung a net." Oh, please, Stern, would Ziva really not understand that? That was the most forced Ziva-ism ever. Ugh.
- Geez, Vance went pretty overboard talking about the past NCIS directors.
+ McGee talking to Ziva about Wiley Coyote was pretty funny. I could just imagine Ziva thinking, "Wow, I couldn't care less, but I'll pretend to be interested for McGee." Those two are so cute together.
+ The sad, brief look on Ziva's face when she realized just how badly the three assassins wanted to kill her father.
- Abby pushing Ziva to talk to Eli -- ugh! This is exactly what she did with Tony and his dad in Broken Arrow just last week. She is really so rude and out-of-place. "Well, I would talk to my dad if he were still alive, so that means you and Tony should talk to your dads." You do not have the same dads, Abby! Ugh.
+ Eli saying that in Israel, he has to travel with armed guards behind bullet-proof glass. Wow, Stern, you actually made me feel a little bit sorry for the bastard.
- "You have a way of making my family disappear." And just like that, I hate him again. It's not Gibbs's fault that your only surviving child isn't speaking to you, Eli. What a jerk. Didn't Gibbs glare daggers at him?
+ Ziva and Liat telling each other that they did a good job. Finally, the pissing match is over. Can we all agree that she's not evil now? Please?
- More talk about Vance and Eli's mysterious mission in Amsterdam. I'm getting really tired of all this build-up, but I know we won't find out until Enemies Domestic next week.
- That scene between Ziva and Eli -- my heart really ached for her when he brushed her off, and when he launched into that speech about how his job and responsibilities have to come first, you could tell that Ziva had been hearing it since she was a little girl. Still, I felt disappointed. This is the first time Ziva's seen her father since Aliyah, and the writers have been hyping up his return like crazy. This scene did not live up at all.
+ "This she learned from her mother." Wow, we never hear mentions of Ziva's mother.
+ Wow, what a close call with Al-Masri at the end. I was surprised when he popped back up wearing a bullet-proof vest.
+/- Tony bursting into the room of previous directors and sputtering. I heard some angry fans complain that it made him look stupid, and yeah, it kinda did. The writers play Tony for laughs more often than I would like. I did think him asking for "a round of applause" was genuinely funny, though.
+ Great cliffhanger ending! Now I'm all excited for Enemies Domestic next week!
FF: I wrote a tag to this episode in Treading Muddy Waters.