NCIS Round Table: Chasing Delilah

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When a thief was found murdered in the home of Marine sergeant, McGee and Delilah suddenly found themselves at odds with each other during their joint pursuit of a would-be terrorist.

Enter Tony with his all-knowing romantic advice.

In response to NCIS Season 12 Episode 18, TV Fanatic panelists David Taylor, Tanya Moat, Christine Orlando, Kathleen Wiedel and Douglas Wolfe debate Tony's advice and the terrorist's effectiveness, among other things.

Maybe you have some answers for these questions. Let's go!

How would you describe this episode, in a few words or a sentence?

David:  The Long Hello.

Tanya: The Relationship Test.

Christine:  Long Distance Terror and Romance.

Kathleen: Sleepless in D.C.

Doug: Chase but don't chase.

Was there any part of Tony’s romance advice to McGee that seemed true?

David: The bit about women wanting the illusion of being chased seemed plausible, but I suppose I should defer to our female panelists. Unfortunately, as we all saw, when Tony put theory into practice, the outcome was not successful.

Tanya: As much as I adore Tony, I don't know if I would ever take relationship advice from him. He really doesn't have a great track record. :) With that said, he was right to tell McGee to give Delilah the space to respond on her own timeframe versus peppering her with more voicemails and texts.

Christine: Perhaps Tony has endured enough failed relationships to have learn something from them. I loved it when he told McGee, “Breathing room, Tim. Breathe with me.” McGee did need to step back and take a breath before he made things worse.

Kathleen: I'm with Christine. Despite the fact that Tony hasn't had much luck in the romance department, I think his advice to McGee was spot-on. The billion texts and calls that McGee was sending to Delilah bordered on that "Overly-Attached Girlfriend" meme.

Doug: I'm glad you guys chimed in on this. Frankly I wouldn't trust Tony for romantic advice at all -- but he seems to have nailed it on this one.

Here's a thought: when someone doesn't respond to you after two texts or phone calls.....nah. I'd have been slightly panicking too. So maybe don't take advice from me either.

Did the terrorist seem particularly terrifying? (Apart from the murder that is)

David:  No, it was more "creepy" than "terrifying."  It bore a close resemblance to a scene in NCIS Season 8 Episode 10 where a man received a DVD showing someone in his house even as the recipient slept.

Tanya: The videos he made were definitely creepy and certainly terrified me because they were reminiscent of the Manson Family videos. But he lost a lot of his creepiness when he became somewhat obsessed or crushing on Delilah.

Christine:  What was terrifying was how he stalked his victims and the way he was escalating. Creepy did end up becoming murder pretty fast.

Kathleen: He seemed more creeper than terrorist. I wonder if he didn't go the more traditional terrorist route because he enjoyed sneaking through people's houses and going through their underwear drawers.

Doug: When I saw him brushing his teeth with someone else's toothbrush, the sinister atmosphere evaporated and I laughed. "Look kids......SSSSPOOKY!"

What was your favorite scene?

David:  For me, it's a tie. I liked  "stop....Giiiibbsssss....come baaaaaack....." That reminded me of Gene Wilder's deadpan "Help....police....murder" from "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." However, I also liked Gibbs' response to the measuring contest--"We're bigger!"  SCHOOLED!!!!!

Tanya: I liked how Tim and Delilah finally got their chance to give one another a proper hello. I've always been more of a McAbby fan than I ever was a Tiva fan, but I like Tim and Delilah together. I'm glad she's back in the States and looking forward to seeing more of her.

Christine:  David took my first two so I’m going to go with the husband and wife arguing over their online friends list. I thought their back and forth as he suspected she was cheating was pretty funny, “Body’s a temple. Looks like the congregation’s growing. “

Kathleen: I can't help it. I loved that MTAC scene David mentioned. Vance was just so unbelievably unimpressed with Mr. Homeland Security!

Doug: I'll confess to being a romantic softy. Although I really enjoyed the arguments between Tim and Delilah, I especially liked Tim's answer to her comment about their need for better communication. That kiss he gave her said so much: he loved her, he was extremely worried about her in that situation (despite his cool demeanor), and "let's start over."

Can McGee and Delilah make their relationship work?

David: I think so. I kind of like the idea of having her nearby and seeing more collaboration between NCIS and DoD.

Tanya: Yes, I think they can, especially now that she's coming back to DC. If she had needed to stay overseas, I'm less sure, but they seemed to be in a good place by the end of the show.

Christine:  Not that she’s back in D.C., yes but long distance can only be sustained for so long. However I did have a question when Rafi told Tim that Delilah made sure they had separate rooms. Why did she have to “make sure?” Wouldn’t that have been a given if nothing was going on between them. That seemed like a red flag but hopefully I’m just paranoid.

Kathleen: In regards to Rafi, I think he was bordering on sexual harassment at best. Every time he put his hand on Delilah, all I could do was wish I could yell through the TV for him to stop touching her! She looked so incredibly uncomfortable every time. All that said, McGee really needs to work on his insecurities if he hopes to have a successful relationship with Delilah.

Doug: I think Kathleen's right about Rafi. That's why I referred to him as a "walking hormone" in my review: the man was more than incompetent -- he was just a nasty piece of business looking to spread his DNA wherever he could.

I think Tim and Delilah will do well -- but despite that kiss at the end, they really are going to have to work on their communication.

Thanks for reading. And be sure to come back next week when we do this again for NCIS Season 12 Episode 19!

Douglas Wolfe was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in 2016. Follow him on Twitter

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NCIS Season 12 Episode 18 Quotes

McGee: Why did you move half way around the world?
Delilah: Why did you let me?
McGee: Because I love you.
Delilah: I know.

Delilah: Rule number 9. I listen. You and I on the other hand...we need to work on our communication.
McGee [kisses her]: Hello.
Delilah: Hi.