NCIS - TV Fanatic

NCIS Extended Promo: Super "Secrets"

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:37:04 EST

NCIS uncovers a secret society of real-life super heroes and must track down the villain on tomorrow night's episode. The catalyst for that plot is the death of a Navy captain and the costume under his uniform.

The personal tie-in comes as DiNozzo is forced to work closely with his ex-fiancee, Wendy (Entourage's Perrey Reeves), during the course of the investigation. Will this former couple rekindle the romance?

Watch the 30-second promo for "Secrets" below:

NCIS "Secrets" Promo (Extended)

NCIS Round Table: "Life Before His Eyes"

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:27:51 EST

Our NCIS review broke down the latest installment of TV's #1 show in great detail.

Now, TV Fanatic staff members Steve Marsi, Matt Richenthal and Eric Hochberger have assembled for a weekly Round Table Q&A discussion of events from last Tuesday's 200th episode, "Life Before His Eyes."

Join in below, as we analyze various aspects of Gibbs' introspective journey ...

----------------------------------

Describe this episode in one word (or two).

Steve: Imaginative; Thought-provoking.

Matt: Great stuff.

Eric: Edge-of-your-seat. I defy you, Steve, and your tyrannical word limits! From the moment Gibbs was shot, this became a riveting installment, albeit not because of the action or the real-world plot (obviously Gibbs would come out of this fine). I just couldn't wait to see who appeared in the diner, and what alternate NCIS reality we might get a glimpse of next.

What was your favorite one-liner?

Steve: One easily overlooked but quite cool moment was not as much a one-liner but a lack of one. Tony's serious, supportive reaction to McGee's career decision really threw Probie for a loop.

Matt: Gotta be Tony calling Ziva "Tiva" in the interrogation. Great wink to the fans.

Eric: The comment about Palmer's abs after Abby's rolfing session. We're all thinking it, but for once, Gibbs - the functional mute, as Tony once said - was the one to say it.

Did the highly unconventional format work for you?

Steve: It did. I talked at length in my review about all the reasons why, so I won't ramble too long here, but I felt it was a great tribute to the show's run, with plenty of nods to the viewers, but wasn't a throwaway episode on its own merit. Past and present (and reality and alternate reality) intertwined nicely for the sake of the broader narrative. Bravo.

Matt: I enjoyed the episode overall, but I'm going to be contrarian for a moment, because a lot of our readers raised valid points. For the big 200th episode event, I would've liked to see more of the entire team, not just a heavy Gibbs-centric story. Don't get me wrong, Mark Harmon, Muse Watson and Michael O'Neill are all terrific, but Franks and McAllister had more significance than cast members who have been on the show for most or all of its run. The humor, relationships and crime-solving that make the show so good were relegated, at least somewhat, to the back burner this week.

Eric: I agree with what Matt just said, but I also don't care. Once in NINE YEARS, I'll allow for an experimental episode like this, as long as it's well-written, acted and directed. Which this clearly was. Kudos to the whole team for attempting and pulling off such a difficult concept in one hour of television - and here's to 100 more!

Anyone or anything missing that you wish we could have seen?

Steve: I found it interesting that young Gibbs was in the periphery of the alternate reality diner scenes. I know they're making up the rules, but how does that happen exactly? A conversation between older Gibbs and his fresh-faced, Marine self would have been a lot of fun, especially considering that Mark Harmon would be acting alongside his own son Sean.

Matt: A scene with Lauren Holly's Jenny could've been great, even if it had to be cobbled together from footage on the cutting room floor, like they did with my girl Sasha A.

Eric: Seeing Ari and Vance playing chess was awesome, but I wish they had more to say to our fearless leader. As some fans have said, this could've easily been a two-hour episode!

What scene was the most emotional?

Steve: Everything that involved Shannon and Kelly, from their conversation in the diner to the "what-if" scenes in which Gibbs' loss became theirs, or in which a despondent Gibbs had not avenged their death by taking down Hernandez. Both what-ifs were realistic scenarios that anyone who has experienced loss would likely consider, and they hopefully helped Gibbs see the good that emerged from an unspeakable tragedy.

Matt: The look on Gibbs' face when he laid eyes on his daughter.

Eric: Personally, I liked the scenes with Gibbs' mother because I didn't see that coming at all, and always wondered about her and didn't quite know/remember what happened to her.

Will Gibbs finally let go of his guilt?

Steve: I think so. He seemed awfully rejuvenated at the end, especially for a man who just got shot in the shoulder. Not that I expect Jethro to take time off, but it looked like mentally, a little weight was off his shoulders.

Matt: That was the subtext to all of this, right? You can't have it both ways. Wherever you go, there you are. As an intelligent, principled man, Gibbs will never let go of those he lost, or feel any less responsible for not being perfect. That said, this had to shine a light on everything positive he's accomplished, while proving that what might have been isn't necessarily idyllic.

Eric: Let go of? I don't think you can ever expect that, given all he's been through. Made peace with? That may be more feasible after revisiting the consequences - good and bad - of the decisions in his life.

What's your take on these issues of the week on NCIS? Discuss below!

NCIS Promo & Photos: A Super Secret Society

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:43:31 EST

"This isn't a costume." - Abby

Next week on NCIS, DiNozzo is forced to work closely with his ex-fiancee, Wendy (Perrey Reeves), when the death of a Navy captain is tied to a secret society. Might these two rekindle the passion they once had?

The tie-in comes when the team finds the deceased military officer wearing an unusual costume under his uniform. That leads NCIS to the society of real-life super heroes in its quest to unmask the villain.

For a discussion of Tuesday's NCIS 200th episode event, follow the link for TVF's "Life Before His Eyes" review. Then watch the promo for "Secrets" and click to enlarge a bunch of photos from it below ...

NCIS Promo: Secrets

NCIS 200th Episode Review: Again, For the First Time

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:56:16 EST

"We shall not cease from exploration / And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time." - T.S. Eliot

Tonight's milestone episode of NCIS showed viewers a side of Leroy Jehtro Gibbs we've never seen before, which was the point, as the bulk of the action did not actually take place, other than in his mind.

I have not seen the 1998 film Sliding Doors, upon which "Life Before His Eyes" is loosely based, but I'm intrigued after Gibbs' introspective journey proved to be funny, moving, and surprisingly complex.

Only by looking back at the decisions he's made and the wide-ranging ripple effects that followed could our fearless leader truly understand the scope of what he's accomplished over the decades.

Seeing his life, in a sense, again for the first time.

Gibbs would love to live in a perfect world, to have it both ways. Wouldn't we all. But it doesn't work that way, as he learned time and again. That said, Gibbs wouldn't have his world any other way.

The filming style and the presence of familiar faces, past and present, going about their business in the diner gave the episode a surreal aura, one which could have fallen flat had it not fulfilled a grander purpose.

Leave it to old, wise Mike Franks (Muse Watson) to talk the original Probie through this out-of-body experience, one that reintroduced memorable characters and rehashed monumental NCIS events.

Mike's "Swan Song" last spring was another unconventionally brilliant installment, so it was only appropriate that Gibbs' longtime friend and mentor played something of an otherworldly role this time around.

With the help of Mike and others, Jethro came to the realization that everything that's happened and every choice he's made - even those with tragic results - has brought him to where he is now.

A simple message, but nonetheless profound. It doesn't work that way. We heard those words often as Gibbs relived not saving Kate, Kelly and Shannon, only to consider what good resulted from such devastation:

The team coming together. The criminals and terrorists locked away. The families given closure after suffering unspeakable losses. Gibbs' own family being spared that inevitable, dreaded knock on the door.

His choice. His life.

Utopian, it's not, and there will always be mistakes and what-ifs. But for a man who gets up every day with the purpose of protecting and serving others, it's hard for Gibbs to have many regrets in the end.

The alternate-reality scenes were near-perfect, offering terrific "here's to the fans" moments while dovetailing with the broader narrative and without dragging on so long as to feel like contrived, cheesy filler.

That's a tough line to walk and while some fans may have wished for a boilerplate episode - I was more than a little skeptical of the concept headed into the hour - it was executed flawlessly.

There were clear parallels between the case of the week, involving a father who did what he thought was just, despite the moral gray area he clearly crossed, and Gibbs' own contemplation.

Without that case and how Gibbs' lessons at the diner applied to it, this story would not have resonated, but Gary Glasberg's teleplay and Tony Wharmby's direction struck the right balance.

Gibbs' rendezvous with Shannon and Kelly was the night's emotional high point, as well as his personal turning point. His loss would instead have been their loss, and NCIS would never have known Gibbs.

It felt like 2005 again with a flashback to Kate's demise, only to give way to a glimpse of what might have been. Think she really would have gone on to marry and have a child with DiNozzo?

Interestingly, in the other alternate universe, where Tony did not appear, Kate's baby was of the opposite gender, likely alluding to the fact that Tony wasn't in the picture in that scenario.

Seeing a married Tony wasn't just a gimmick, either, as we've witnessed him yearning for more out of life this season, and are about to meet the woman he was once engaged to marry, Wendy.

McGee-Abby fans were no doubt loving that couple's role, too, but unlike Kate, they're still around and very much fond of one another in reality. Might this be a gateway to something more?

Fortunately, he's not taking the job on Okinawa. What did Tim mean when he said he had more to accomplish here? He didn't have time to elaborate, but he couldn't mean just professionally.

"Life Before His Eyes" was not only an NCIS benchmark, but a crossroads for the characters that made these 200 episodes so strong; A reflection on where they've been, where they might've gone, and where they're headed.

For Gibbs, he's finally let go of the guilt. For the rest, we'll have to wait and see.

The screen faded to black with a thank you to the fans who've made this the #1 drama on TV in recent years. With episodes like this, the fans owe the actors, writers, producers and crew thanks as well.

A few closing thoughts and observations - and please, add your own below, because there are almost too many to list after such a head-spinning hour - before turning it over to your comments:

I loved seeing Gibbs' father (Ralph Waite) as well as young Gibbs (Sean Harmon) and Matteson, from this season's "Engaged", even if they were mostly on the periphery.
It goes without saying, but Mark Harmon was outstanding tonight.
Gibbs' mom was a redhead, too? Somehow not surprising.
Did Sasha Alexander actually film that scene, uncredited?
Tony calling faux Ziva "Tiva" in the interrogation? Classic.
Who knew Palmer had abs like that, indeed.
ROLFING?

What did you think of tonight's NCIS? Discuss below!

NCIS First Look: Married Tony! Handcuffed Ziva!

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:11:18 EST

Next week's big 200th episode of NCIS puts an It’s a Wonderful Life spin on TV’s #1 drama.

More specifically, "Life Before His Eyes" is based on the 1998 film Sliding Doors. Whatever parallels you want to make, it's going to be out of this world ... in the literal sense. We're talking alternate realities.

Fans are used to single NCIS agents Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) on the same side of the table and exchanging wisecracks and quasi-flirty remarks. Well, that won't happen Tuesday.

Here's a shot of married (!) Tony interrogating a handcuffed Ziva, who’s still with Mossad:

“The interrogation is as if they hadn’t met” six seasons ago, says showrunner Gary Glasberg, who says the scenario is meant to explore how never meeting her “would've affected Tony in his world and Ziva in her world.”

The scene is part of the fallout of a situation NCIS leading man Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) experiences, which makes him wonder about how decisions he’s made in the past have effected the lives of those around him.

The episode airs Tuesday, February 7 at 8 p.m. EST. Watch the NCIS 200th episode promo if you haven't seen it, then weigh in with your thoughts on what you expect from this unusual, milestone installment of the series.

NCIS 200th Episode Promo: This is Your Life ...

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:16:44 EST

Next returns with a milestone episode Tuesday, February 7. One that forces Gibbs to ask that time-honored question, What If? In the long-running series' 200th installment, our hero ponders the decisions he's made.

During a routine stop for his morning coffee (see photo gallery), Gibbs finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun, forcing him to question what he's done in the past and how it has changed the present.

Guest stars Muse Watson, as Mike Franks, Ralph Waite, as Jackson Gibbs, Joe Spano, as Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell, Darby Stanchfield, as Shannon Gibbs and Rudolf Martin, as Ari Haswari, return for the episode.

Watch CBS' promo for "Life Before His Eyes" here and see what you think:

NCIS Promo: "Life Before His Eyes"

NCIS 200th Episode Photos: Mike Franks Sighting!

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:44:03 EST

NCIS returns Tuesday February 7 for a watershed event in show history.

It is, after all, the 200th episode of the CBS procedural, now in its ninth season and the #1 drama on TV. For Leroy Jethro Gibbs (star and executive producer Mark Harmon) it's a time to look back upon his life.

During a routine stop for his morning coffee at his favorite diner, Gibbs unexpectedly finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun, forcing him to question choices he has made in the past and present.

The 200th installment also serves as a "here's to our fans" moment of sorts, with a number of familiar faces returning in the alternate reality to which Gibbs' mind drifts (a la the 1998 movie, Sliding Doors).

Muse Watson (Mike Franks), Ralph Waite (Jackson Gibbs), Joe Spano (Senior FBI Agent T.C. Fornell), Darby Stanchfield (Shannon Gibbs) and Rudolf Martin (Ari Haswari) appearing in the milestone episode.

Check out some photos from "Life Before His Eyes" below ...

NCIS Cast Dishes on 200th Episode

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:12:00 EST

TV Guide Magazine went behind the scenes of NCIS' 200th episode this week, featuring the cast on three separate covers and interviewing with the cast and an inside scoop of the February 7 milestone event.

What can fans of TV's #1 drama expect as Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs looks back to the "roads not taken" and "a moment of mortal terror" where he "imagines a series of alternate-reality scenarios"?

A lot of familiar faces and surprises. Some quotes from the cast:

Smiling NCIS cast members Mark Harmon, Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen (!), Pauley Perette, David McCallum, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo and Sean Murray take the cover of three collector's edition covers of TV Guide.

"The episode is about, what if things had been done differently? What if Abby and McGee were married?" - Sean Murray

"In my particular reality of the 200th episode...I've been running different missions all over Europe, and it's old Ziva - loud and in your face and sexual. It's a great scene, just between Michael and me, with the original tension all over again. So it poses the question: Is the attraction inevitable?" - Cote de Pablo

"I figured, hell, we'll make a few episodes. But I did get a sense right off the bat working with Harmon that he was a cagey veteran who seemed to know the direction in which we should head, all the time." - Michael Weatherly

"The network heads came by for a celebratory cake and [CBS Entertainment President] Nina Tassler said, 'We'll see you at the 300th cake cutting!' It was like, wait, what? That's four and a half years from now! ... That's longer than a presidential term." - Michael Weatherly

When Will Tony's Ex-Fiancee Arrive on NCIS?

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:10:50 EST

A week after NCIS' 200th episode, another major event awaits Tony DiNozzo.

The arrival of his ex-fiancée, Wendy (Perrey Reeves), “comes out of left field for him,” executive producer Gary Glasberg says of the February 14 episode written by co-executive producer Steve Binder.

Some fans have correctly recalled that Wendy, who has been spoken about several times of late, was long ago said to be a music teacher and not a journalist, which Glasberg says will be mentioned.

“Steve speaks to that in the script - Wendy decided that she wanted more out of life, so she took a journalist job,” he said, meaning he either thought about that already or fans caught the mistake just in time!

NCIS Round Table: "A Desperate Man"

steve@iscribelimited.com (Steve Marsi) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:26:24 EST

Our NCIS review broke down the latest installment of TV's top-rated show in great detail.

Now, TV Fanatic staff members Steve Marsi, Matt Richenthal and Eric Hochberger have assembled for a weekly Round Table Q&A discussion of events from last Tuesday's episode, "A Desperate Man."

Join in below, as we analyze various aspects of Tony, Ziva, Ray and more ...

----------------------------------

Describe this episode in one word (or two).

Steve: Emotionally complex.

Matt: Excellent.

Eric: Surprising.

What was your favorite quote or scene?

Steve: Det. Burris telling Tony and Ziva to cherish each other. What a perfect way to end an episode that took so many twists and turns - both emotionally and in terms of the investigation.

Matt: In a Tiva-centric week, any scene with the more mature, supportive Tony. It was fun to watch the conflicted DiNozzo be there for his friend, even as she potentially agrees to marry someone else.

Eric: Ray getting walloped at the end. If there was EVER a dude that had it coming!

Are Tony and Ziva getting too much screen time?

Steve: Abby, McGee and Ducky all have had memorable stories this season, but not as much lately. Gibbs, as the show's focal point and the team's leader, will always command the most attention and I doubt many fans are upset about that. But hopefully after two Tiva-centric episodes we will pivot back to some of the other team members in the coming weeks. We know there's Palmer's wedding, if nothing else. Hopefully there's another episode featuring Abby and her brother in store, as well as another love interest for McGee. Talk about a dry spell!

Matt: Not to me, because the story arc has been so good. Both Cote de Pablo and Michael Weatherly have delivered strong, nuanced performances of late, and their characters' relationship - which I express my opinion on below - has been a treat to watch. After these last two weeks, what's to complain about? Be patient, fans of McGee and Abby. Your time will come!

Eric: Sometimes I wonder if I'm watching The Ziva Show ... and bear in mind I love me some bad ass Ziva, so no real complaints. Still, more Abby writers!

Did you peg Ray as the killer?

Steve: Maybe I'm just naive but I actually did not connect Ray to the case very quickly. I assumed his proposal and whereabouts were simply concurrent with the investigation, not involved. I also believed Ziva would say yes to the proposal, only to second-guess herself and break off the engagement weeks later.

Matt: Yes, Ray was shady even by CIA standards.

Eric: It was reasonably well disguised by the writers, but the way it's been going these days, I half-expected he would be involved even before his name turned up on that slip of paper.

Do the team members get involved with too many murderers?

Steve: As I said in my review, I'd like to see the NCIS team members involved in some more steady relationships - either with each other or outsiders - that don't involve murderers.

Matt: Yes. As Eric said earlier, I almost expect it nowadays. A little stability wouldn't hurt. In Ray's case, though, it worked better than most, given what he does (or did) for a living.

Eric: Are they involved with more people with such inclinations than you or I? Definitely. But it's a TV show (and a great one at that) and these are criminal investigators so I'll buy it.

Do you want Tony and Ziva to get together?

Steve: This may sound like a cop out, but I don't care too much either way as long as the writing quality remains strong and their relationship evolves in a believable manner. That's more important to me than whether their romantic connection develops. And, as I said earlier, my biggest concern is that the other characters not be ignored.

Matt: Personally no. I think of Tiva as friends, or closer than that, but not romantic partners. It's more of a sibling type chemistry to me - nothing more, nothing less - and it's terrific. As is.

Eric: Yes. They don't need to rush it, but yes. How many more guest characters need to comment on the obvious chemistry before they open their eyes! It's gonna happen.

What's your take on these issues of the week on NCIS? Discuss below!