NCIS Review: "Guilty Pleasure"

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The various women in Leroy Jethro Gibbs' life have become a subject of debate among NCIS fans, some of whom believe their hero is losing his way (as is the procedural itself).

Last night's episode featured Gibbs and Holly Snow (guest star Dina Meyer) teaming up, and while nothing inappropriate took place, there was some interesting chemistry there.

Busting a call girl undercover seemed like a hokey premise at first, but what ultimately unraveled was another solid episode. Our recap has the plot details. Now, TVF's review ...

Lt. Jake Moss is found dead after suffering stab wounds in a motel. He was writing a piece for the Navy Times about high priced hookers in Norfolk, Va. Charlotte Cook is one.

Not only is she tied to Moss, but other murder victims who were also her clients.

The Team Investigating

At the motel where the killing took place. No, Tony, the wife didn't do it.

Gibbs tracked down her past employer, Holly, during her community service. He then put back in business, then set out to trap Charlotte by having DiNozzo pose as a customer.

Unconvincing as Tony was, the plan worked. They arrest Charlotte for prostitution and proceed to link her to the murders. Until another client of hers dies while she was in custody.

So what was her link to the murders if she wasn't carrying them out? In a clever twist, it was her attorney, Dwight, who she was also dating, and couldn't accept Charlotte's career.

There was also the ongoing question of whether Holly was more involved than she let on, especially after she went off the grid, and a very tense moment after she was abducted.

Fortunately, Gibbs busted in without a moment to lose and took Dwight out before he could off Holly. Reminiscent of Ziva earlier this year, Jethro did not hesitate. Nor did he miss.

Throughout the episode, it was entertaining to watch Gibbs and Holly dance around each other, speaking cryptically and working in tandem despite the unusual circumstances.

From the first moment Gibbs showed up at a seminar she was giving as part of her sentence, Holly cracked a little. The mere sight of Gibbs got to her. He has a way with women.

Holly was a fun character to see again. She knew Tony was a novice when it came to paying prostitutes ... or just talking to women in general. His Hugh Hefner impression? Wow.

As for whether she and Gibbs can possibly be more than friends after this? It looked like it, but it looks like that was quashed, which is for the best, despite him taking her home.

For steak, that. is.

Tony or Hef?

Worst. John. Ever.

Meanwhile, Tony hit it off big time with Phil McCadden, the local Norfolk police detective who had a similar love of classic movies. They finished each other's thoughts and he dropped even more film references and voices than usual. Very funny and typical.

Also amusing? That Tim was jealous, as Abby noted. Much as Tim might act like he can't stand Tony, he loves him like an older brother, and vice versa. Aww.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

  • We couldn't tell if awkward Abby was repulsed, impressed or just in awe of Holly Snow. Nor could Holly ... or probably Abby, for that matter.
  • Of course Ziva referred to Tony's relationship with his new BFF as a "man-mance." Her English is only 98-99 percent fluent, which is great.
  • Nice to see Tony and Tim, who are such lovable losers with their interoffice bickering, make up. Is there anything Nutter Butters can't do?
  • We sort of prefer Holly to Allison Hart as Gibbs female adversaries go.

Guilty Pleasure Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 (42 Votes)

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.

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