NCIS Season 13 Episode 17 Review: After Hours
doug@mediavine.com
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Tony the frat boy is back, this time playing the lounge lizard, in living color.
Watching his smooth operation, as he got his apartment ready for his date was amusing, but it was vintage old-style Tony.
He couldn't just have a normal romance with someone. No, he had to smooth-talk his way through all of it, even after he brought her home. It was all – every minute of it – geared toward getting her into bed.
The case of the week on NCIS Season 13 Episode 17 was just about as boring as it gets.
A traumatized woman followed her rapist, hit him with her car, then shot him when he approached her in a rage. Then, she called her friend who agreed to stage the scene so it looked he shot the guy.
Gibbs and company eventually found out the truth, but it took most of the hour to get there.
And here's the rub: at the end of the day, no one was at fault, and even though the two wasted NCIS resources with their lies, no one was charged.
Kind of makes you wonder why they even bothered.
There were some decent moments in the show: Bishop's hollow leg, for starters. The girl ordered enough food to kill a mule: I need some food with a little bit more food in it.
Too bad she and Gibbs had to leave before her order arrived. I'd have paid money to watch her down that meal.
Then there was McGee and Delilah's evening "download dinner" ritual, where they set a timer and talk about their work day. When the timer goes off, they're supposed to retire all work discussion.
You have to admit, the girl makes a good point:
I don't want work to be the basis of our relationship. Look what happened to Bishop. What happens one day if we aren't allowed to talk about work with each other?
Delilah
The montage of NCIS team members sabotaging their evening activities because of irritating discrepancies about the open-and-shut case was cleverly done too. And it was a treat to watch Tony's date swirl around the drain.
I don't think he was missing out on much when she left though (other than the sex, obviously): Leah was an irritating person who became even more so when she decided the date was over. Her initial here, kitty, kitty, when she thought Tony had a cat, invited a full-fledge cringe, even to cat people like yours truly.
Granted, dating protocol suggests that when your date asks for more wine, you actually pour it, instead of just handing her the bottle. So yeah, Tony loses marks for that. But to be so petty as to call it quits shows her to be a tad self-entitled.
Had this date been anything other than one designed around a romp in the sack, Tony and Leah could have honestly talked about the case and had a great time ironing out the inconsistencies. But this was not about them trying to do any honest relating.
So maybe it's a good thing it ended. And maybe Tony needs to find a new gig: being a 14-year-old cast member of sleaze central doesn't suit him.
The other irritant in this throw-away story showed up in the dialogue between Ducky, Bishop and Palmer:
Bishop: Petty Officer Muldoon didn't call 911 until an hour later.
Ducky: Which begs the question....
Palmer: What happened in that hour?
Here's a hint: when the phrase "begs the question" is used, the very last thing that should happen is that a question should follow. I won't get into the many reasons that's wrong (I tweeted a reference to an article that explains it) but it's disappointing when writers make this mistake.
Some final notes:
- Michael Weatherly sang in this episode, but there weren't any clear shots of him playing the piano. It's too bad, because the man definitely plays the piano (as well as the guitar).
- Tony has a two-sided picture of himself. In one, he's with a dog, and on the opposite side, he's with a cat. The perfect tool for a seasoned Lothario.
- Even Tony's stick-figure representation of a woman has overtones of maturity and class. And the beats just keep on coming.
- Join us in two weeks for NCIS Season 13 Episode 18. It's the 300th episode, entitled "Scope." Dr. Grace returns.
- In case you missed it, NCIS has been renewed for two more years. Mark Harmon has also been signed for those two years as well.
- In the meantime, you can always catch up on missed episodes when you watch NCIS online right here at TV Fanatic!
What are your thoughts on this episode? Did you enjoy the case? What are your thoughts on Tony and Leah, or McGee and Delilah? Hit us up in the comments!
Douglas Wolfe was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He retired in 2016. Follow him on Twitter
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