Is this the end of Rebecca's love affair with NCIS?
I guess since I missed the NCIS Season 10 premiere to go to Yom Kippur services, it's appropriate that I missed the NCIS Season 10 finale to go to Shavuout services. Shavuout isn't celebrated much outside of non-Orthodox Judaism, so I thought it was pretty cool that the synagogue here was doing something for it. I couldn't stay for the service, but I did go to the study session and really enjoyed it. We talked about the holiday and how it marked the giving/recieving of the Torah. Rabbi K is good at taking these ancient ideas and showing how they're still relevant to Jews today, and I feel like I'm learning a lot.
I watched the NCIS finale online when I got home that night, but it's taken me until today to get my notes together on it. Part of that is because of the hours on my semi-new job; they're pretty different from what I worked before, and I'm trying to relearn how to manage my time. The other reason is because this season's finale arc really, really didn't thrill me. So my notes for this episode are kinda long and somewhat angry, and I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to continue making them next season. I'm still planning to watch next season (NCIS has been a big part of what would be my life, if I had one, to the point that I can't imagine not watching it) but I might just make notes for the episodes that I really enjoy and/or write fanfiction to, rather than every one.
Notes on episode 10x24 Damned If You Do (Season 10 Finale)
Featuring Mike Franks, last seen in Life Before His Eyes; Tom Morrow, Revenge; Richard Parsons, Double Blind; and Tobias Fornell, The Devil's Trifecta.
Writer: Gary Glasberg (Shiva)
+/- The opening scene of Gibbs and Mike fishing started out well, and I liked the foreshadowing in Mike's lines “the clouds bring the tricky ones to the surface” and the “strong ones would rather die fighting.” But I hated the implication that Parsons was a “bottom-feeder” just for doing his job, and the ending was so melodramatic. It also made me wonder if Gibbs was going crazy.
+ “You've been pushing legal boundries, pushing things under rugs for twenty years.” Yes, this is exactly what Gibbs has been doing for the entire run of the show! I hate how the writers are trying to make Parsons into an evil dude when he's completely justified in going after Gibbs.
- The scene between Vance and Morrow in the director's office - ugh! Of course, since Parsons is going after Gibbs, he has to be corrupt.
- “Well, my wife was telling me different.” Geez, cheesey much, Vance?
- Gibbs's lawyer - where did that dude come from? He so rubbed me the wrong way.
- And now we have the team going after Parsons (even after Gibbs told them to back off), rather than accepting the fact that maybe their beloved father-figure got himself into his own mess. I expected this from Abby, because she can be very childish, but I was disappointed in the rest of them.
+ Abby voting for “biweekly elevator meetings” - lol!
+ Gibbs pulling his gun on Ziva when she showed up at his house reminded me of Ziva pulling her gun on Tony when he showed up in Chasing Ghosts.
- So Gibbs literally built a log cabin in the woods with no electricity, plumbing, or address? That seems more than little ridiculous to me.
- Tony and Ziva claiming that they'd “done nothing wrong” and that their “actions were justified” - seriously, do they not hear themselves? Do you not hear yourself, Glasberg?
- Chad was captured, tortured, killed, and then his killers mailed his head to his wife in a box? Even for this show, that's pretty harsh, especially for such a sidelined story. Adding in pointlessly dark elements doesn't make the episode better, Glasberg.
+ Palmer and Breena are adopting a baby! (Or kid!) This might've been the biggest highlight of the show for me.
- If Mike's advice to Gibbs is to “shoot first, ask questions later,” then Gibbs, you need to find a new dead guy to be your ghostly spiritual adviser. Also, this is at least the second time that Mike has ruined a poignant moment by talking about women - remember their conversation in Swan Song?
+/- The (completely one-sided) conversation between Ziva and Parsons in the elevator. Damn, he really hit her where he lived. I liked her complete non-reaction - so Ziva. It also shows how much homework Parsons has done on the team to know that she killed Ari (How did he know that? And as an aside, do the guys know? I was never quite clear on that.) and that she sees Gibbs as a surrogate father.
+ I really liked the shot of the Three Musketeers around McGee's computer, and Tony and Ziva's reactions when they found out McGee had a new girlfriend. So cute.
- “You don't follow rules.” - “I got my own.” Yeah, and that makes it okay, Gibbs. Oh no, wait, that's the whole reason why you and your team are in this mess!
- Oh, seriously, now Parsons is bringing up Abby's missing forensic report from the Season 7 finale arc? This card has already been played, Glasberg, and I'm tired of it! This might've been even worse than when Stratton brought it up in Housekeeping.
- I almost lol'ed at how uncomfortable Michael Weatherly seemed during that Tiva anvil of a scene. Tony's face when Ziva started touching his shirt reminded me of his face when she put her head on his shoulder in Swan Song.
+/- “You're preaching to the symphony, Ducky.” This was a really good Ziva-ism, although I detested the scene it was in - and I usually love scenes of the whole team together.
- I don't think I understood the final scenes (something about Vance and Gibbs coming up with a plan to clear his name, the Three Musketeers handing over their badges, and everyone hating on Parsons) and the sad thing is that I don't even really care that much. The last two minutes, though, just made me roll my eyes. Does anyone out there actually believe that Gibbs is going to kill Fornell?
P.S. Hooray for the weekend! I still haven't gone bike-riding from the new place, but I'm determined to change that soon!
I watched the NCIS finale online when I got home that night, but it's taken me until today to get my notes together on it. Part of that is because of the hours on my semi-new job; they're pretty different from what I worked before, and I'm trying to relearn how to manage my time. The other reason is because this season's finale arc really, really didn't thrill me. So my notes for this episode are kinda long and somewhat angry, and I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to continue making them next season. I'm still planning to watch next season (NCIS has been a big part of what would be my life, if I had one, to the point that I can't imagine not watching it) but I might just make notes for the episodes that I really enjoy and/or write fanfiction to, rather than every one.
Notes on episode 10x24 Damned If You Do (Season 10 Finale)
Featuring Mike Franks, last seen in Life Before His Eyes; Tom Morrow, Revenge; Richard Parsons, Double Blind; and Tobias Fornell, The Devil's Trifecta.
Writer: Gary Glasberg (Shiva)
+/- The opening scene of Gibbs and Mike fishing started out well, and I liked the foreshadowing in Mike's lines “the clouds bring the tricky ones to the surface” and the “strong ones would rather die fighting.” But I hated the implication that Parsons was a “bottom-feeder” just for doing his job, and the ending was so melodramatic. It also made me wonder if Gibbs was going crazy.
+ “You've been pushing legal boundries, pushing things under rugs for twenty years.” Yes, this is exactly what Gibbs has been doing for the entire run of the show! I hate how the writers are trying to make Parsons into an evil dude when he's completely justified in going after Gibbs.
- The scene between Vance and Morrow in the director's office - ugh! Of course, since Parsons is going after Gibbs, he has to be corrupt.
- “Well, my wife was telling me different.” Geez, cheesey much, Vance?
- Gibbs's lawyer - where did that dude come from? He so rubbed me the wrong way.
- And now we have the team going after Parsons (even after Gibbs told them to back off), rather than accepting the fact that maybe their beloved father-figure got himself into his own mess. I expected this from Abby, because she can be very childish, but I was disappointed in the rest of them.
+ Abby voting for “biweekly elevator meetings” - lol!
+ Gibbs pulling his gun on Ziva when she showed up at his house reminded me of Ziva pulling her gun on Tony when he showed up in Chasing Ghosts.
- So Gibbs literally built a log cabin in the woods with no electricity, plumbing, or address? That seems more than little ridiculous to me.
- Tony and Ziva claiming that they'd “done nothing wrong” and that their “actions were justified” - seriously, do they not hear themselves? Do you not hear yourself, Glasberg?
- Chad was captured, tortured, killed, and then his killers mailed his head to his wife in a box? Even for this show, that's pretty harsh, especially for such a sidelined story. Adding in pointlessly dark elements doesn't make the episode better, Glasberg.
+ Palmer and Breena are adopting a baby! (Or kid!) This might've been the biggest highlight of the show for me.
- If Mike's advice to Gibbs is to “shoot first, ask questions later,” then Gibbs, you need to find a new dead guy to be your ghostly spiritual adviser. Also, this is at least the second time that Mike has ruined a poignant moment by talking about women - remember their conversation in Swan Song?
+/- The (completely one-sided) conversation between Ziva and Parsons in the elevator. Damn, he really hit her where he lived. I liked her complete non-reaction - so Ziva. It also shows how much homework Parsons has done on the team to know that she killed Ari (How did he know that? And as an aside, do the guys know? I was never quite clear on that.) and that she sees Gibbs as a surrogate father.
+ I really liked the shot of the Three Musketeers around McGee's computer, and Tony and Ziva's reactions when they found out McGee had a new girlfriend. So cute.
- “You don't follow rules.” - “I got my own.” Yeah, and that makes it okay, Gibbs. Oh no, wait, that's the whole reason why you and your team are in this mess!
- Oh, seriously, now Parsons is bringing up Abby's missing forensic report from the Season 7 finale arc? This card has already been played, Glasberg, and I'm tired of it! This might've been even worse than when Stratton brought it up in Housekeeping.
- I almost lol'ed at how uncomfortable Michael Weatherly seemed during that Tiva anvil of a scene. Tony's face when Ziva started touching his shirt reminded me of his face when she put her head on his shoulder in Swan Song.
+/- “You're preaching to the symphony, Ducky.” This was a really good Ziva-ism, although I detested the scene it was in - and I usually love scenes of the whole team together.
- I don't think I understood the final scenes (something about Vance and Gibbs coming up with a plan to clear his name, the Three Musketeers handing over their badges, and everyone hating on Parsons) and the sad thing is that I don't even really care that much. The last two minutes, though, just made me roll my eyes. Does anyone out there actually believe that Gibbs is going to kill Fornell?
P.S. Hooray for the weekend! I still haven't gone bike-riding from the new place, but I'm determined to change that soon!