SEASON FOUR
EPISODE TWENTY-FOUR
ANGEL OF DEATH
So NCIS ended the season as it began it, with one of the weakest
(okay, I know I can't say one of weakest, but what the heck) episodes, which I
find mind-boggling.
Bullet Points
1. No one died.
2. We didn't learn any extra secrets as far as the NCIS team went. There was no
polygraph taken, just them preparing for it.
3. The only hint of other secrets was that when Abby was testing her made
polygraph on McGee and he denied having any name other than McGee (no middle
initial) and his writing name it registered as a lie. But then Gibbs points out
he's also Probie and Elf Lord, but maybe that's a possibly secret. I don't think
so though.
4. We did, however, learn that Jeanne is La Grenouille's daughter and Tony has
now met him. The ep ended with Jeanne, Tony and Daddy in Daddy's stretch-limo.
5. Jenn's father committed suicide 12 years ago, and was a Colonel.
6. Or did he? Abby matched his finger prints to a bottle and glass left in
Jenny's office whilst Jenny was in Paris.
7. Pretty major Inconsistency over Emily and the ex-wife.
8. No Gibbs and Ducky scenes *sigh* They didn't even see one another in this
episode.
9. Ziva is in love with Tony and Ducky knows it.
10. The whole Tony and Jeanne were captured by drug dealers and Tony is unarmed
was a five minute scene and really hyped up.
11. Jenn's house is huge and she has a maid.
12. Very little about the team really. As many non-NCIS scenes as there were
NCIS scenes - if not more. *Sigh*
Basically, overall, IMO a let down. What a way to end the Season. Okay, so it's
up in the air re: Jenny and her father and Jeanne and her father. But as far as
the main team go . . .
Full review
And could someone please tell me when NCIS changed from being the 'Gibbs and his
team show' and became the 'Jenny, Tony and Jeanne show'? Because, I'm tired of
it. And with the way the final episode was written, it means that the story(ies)
is/are going to have to go into Season Five, and so we'll have more of the J, T
& J show. One wonders if DPB was miffed at being taken from the show and wrote
it this way deliberately. And no real secrets came out, save the fact that
Jeanne is La Grenouille's daughter.
I was also surprised and irked by the fact that it was a case of 'oh, let's use
all the characters (thankfully save Mann) who we've used throughout the show and
who are good. It doesn't matter is their appearance has a point, let's use 'em.
In particular I refer to Jimmy and Michelle whose roles were pointless; they
were simply there because they are semi-regulars.
Sadly, the same can be said for Ducky in this episode and pretty much Ziva too.
So we had the little Ducky and Ziva scene whereby he confronted her, in his
wonderful Ducky way, about her loving Tony. But really that scene in the bar was
utterly unnecessary.
Cynthia's role also wasn't necessary. Why did she have to meet Jenn at the
airport? After all Jenn sent her straight home. The only reason was because she
was a semi-regular and got to tell Jenn that the Agency and Gibbs had just about
survived one another.
Fornell, always lovely to see, was again there solely to show another
semi-regular character. The scene he and Gibbs shared could easily have happened
over the phone. Putting aside the whole Diane and Emily thing - and the major
inconsistency involved.Siimply put canonically Diane cannot be the ex-wife
Fornell married; Emily cannot be her child, unless Gibbs's first ex-wife also
happened to be Diane. See A letter to the new producers of NCIS for full
details.
And sadly, to be perfectly honest even Gibbs's part was hardly a vital or
central one in this episode, ditto really Abby and McGee. They at least had a
'real' part rather than a 'let's just throw in all these characters' part, but
the main focus of the story was Jenny, Tony and Jeanne.
So, onto the actual review of the Jenny, Tony And Jeanne Show 'Angel Of Death'.
Cynthia goes to the airport to meet Jenny and there is a teeny humorous exchange
between regarding whether or not Jenny hitched up with any Euro Cops. Cynthia
denied that she was going to ask/even think that, Jenny said 'I would'. And then
we find out that both the Agency and Gibbs just about survived one another for
the week of Jenny's absence. But from Cynthia's 'It is', when referring to the
Agency and 'He barely is' when referring to Gibbs, the Agency survived more than
Gibbs did. Again, a nice touch of humour.
And as Jenny is being driven away a man, whom we later discover is called Devon
is knocked down and drops his mobile phone where we see a message to Bernie. And
standing watching is a little girl with blonde curly hair and a doll.
We then go to Jenny's house, which is huge! And she has a servant, a maid who
fusses around her to an extent and has cooked her favourite meal; a nice touch,
actually, a hint of the human Jenny. And Jenny tells her driver to take Cynthia
home and then collect her very early the next morning (I do hope she didn't
forget the scarf she promised Cynthia).
In Jenny's study, on her desk, is a bottle of whisky and a glass; and we get a
flash back (no, not to Paris) to Jenny's father, and then to Colonel-General
Dimitri Borov, and a repeat of the end of last week's episode with him telling
her that her father had visited him only three weeks before. As a side note, she
certainly has a lot of bottles of drink in her study.
Back at NCIS, we have a fun scene with Abby and McGee. Abby is attempting to
make a polygraph machine, as the agency doesn't have one. Of course, she says
being logical, surely if they all had to take a test because someone was worried
about security, the 'someone' who ordered the test would hardly allow them to
use their own polygraph machine, and especially one that had been made. They'd
bring one with them; or take the staff to the machine. Maybe Abby was just
making it to give people a trial run. McGee is her 'victim' and he is shirtless
with various wires attached to him and can't even move his hands, so he asks
Abby to scratch his nose for him, nice touch.
Abby then starts to test the machine. She asks McGee is name and he tells her
and we learn that he is just Timothy McGee, he has no middle initial. She goes
on to ask him if he has any other names, and he gives her his writing name, but
denies have any others. The machine says he's lying at that point. DiNozzo and
Ziva turn up and much squeeing for DiNozzo/McGee fen as DiNozzo touches McGee's
chest. McGee is really worried about the test, as his future as a Special Agent
depends on it; ditto the others.
Gibbs turns up then and points out that McGee does have two other names: Probie
and Elf Lord, so maybe that was what was meant, unless McGee really does have
another name, and still has a deep, dark secret that will be revealed; but I
think I'm with Gibbs on this one. He also wants to know why Abby is torturing
McGee, and they tell him about the polygraphs, that all agents and the Director
have to take, and that it was authorised by Homeland Security. As DiNozzo and
Ziva both get messages telling them when their test is Gibbs pulls one of his
vanishing acts.
The next scene (it's a very bitty episode) is the hospital where nurse Carly and
Jeanne are talking and the nurse is asking Jeanne if she's ever seen the Angel
of Death; Jeanne hasn't, but Carly says she has. Then the man who was knocked
over at the airport is brought in; he's still in tremendous pain and alert
despite being given strong pain relief and he won't allow any blood tests to be
taken. Jeanne believes that the man must be on drugs - she's close. Devon wants
to call his sister - Bernie.
Another of scene to Gibbs sitting in a car outside a house - another large one.
Fornell turns up and asks Gibbs if he's there to see their ex-wife; Gibbs isn't.
He's there to see Tobias and as it's Friday, he knows that is where Tobias will
be, to pick up Emily. The door open and Emily comes out and there is their
shared ex-wife, Diane (see above), who is glaring at Gibbs; she really hates
him. Gibbs asks Fornell if he's ever wanted to do a OJ on Diane. Fornell says no
because Emily kind of likes her and asks Gibbs if he has. He says only when he
thinks about his grandfathers clock (as we know their shared ex-wife emptied
their Bank Accounts when she left, and that woman wasn't Diane; and we won't
even get into the fact that Gibbs wouldn't still be paying alimony to her).
Gibbs reveals his real reason for being there, it's to ask Fornell about the
polygraphs; Fornell tells him that it is only NCIS (to save him going through
the alphabet) who is being tested and that the CIA see Jenny as a security risk
(which given her recent behaviour isn't that much of a long shot).
Gibbs then goes to see Jenn and the maid greets him by name; she clearly knows
him. Jenny offers him a bourbon and he comes straight to the point and asks
where she was when she gave her security details the slip. She accuses him of
sounding like a jealous husband, and he asks her how she'd know. The look on her
face at that point is interesting, and I got to wondering if, in fact she and La
Grenouille were maybe married at one point; hence the comment about him having
ruined her life and why she is so obsessed with destroying him. 'Hell hath no
fury . . .'
He is about to pick up the bottle from her desk and she snaps at him to leave
it, and then tries to cover up by saying it's scotch; he drinks bourbon. He
takes the glass from her and then delivers his parting line. He tells her she's
lying. Her right eye twitches when she lies; it always has'. Another hint maybe
back to the Paris days and her smiling as he was arrested?
And then we get the pointless scene that is there purely to bring in Jimmy,
Michelle and Ducky and Ziva really. Ziva, Abby, McGee and Michelle are already
in the bar, and they are talking about the polygraph test. Abby is suggesting
that McGee, who really is worried by it, asks Ducky to write a letter saying
that it would be harmful to McGee's mental health to undergo it. Michelle points
out that Ducky is an ME, not a psychologist, but Abby explains that Ducky does
psychological profiles (well he's done one or two). And a comment is then made
about Ducky profiling serial killers, so maybe it's not the best idea for him to
profile McGee. Michelle also tells them that they can't talk about how they want
to get out of in front of her, as she's in the legal department.
At that point Ducky and Jimmy turn up. McGee offers Ducky his stool, but Ducky
says he prefers to stand at a bar; as does Jimmy. Michelle is clearly not
expecting to see Jimmy, and we see them groping one another under cover of the
bar. Ducky orders a Macallan whisky (J likes Macallan *g*) neat, with mineral
water on the side and no ice. He asks why they are all so sombre and they tell
him about the polygraph, he says that they have no reason to worry unless,
looking at Ziva, anyone is a spy. Ziva asks why he's looking at her and he says
he's only trying to lighten the atmosphere, after all it is Friday. Michelle
asks if anyone knows where the loos are, and Jimmy says he does. They are just
about to go off together when Ducky insists on ordering a round of drinks, and a
comment is then made about two myths concerning the Scots - i.e. they don't have
a sense of humour and are tight-fisted with money - have been dispelled. Ducky
then makes a longish and complicated Scottish toast in a Scottish accent. At
that point Abby and McGee's pagers go off and they both leave, Abby kissing
Ducky on the cheek; and Jimmy and Michelle vanish too.
Back to the hospital where DiNozzo is in the lift with two junkies, who turn out
to be Bernie and Nick and they are there to see and take away Devon. They don't
want him to have surgery. Jeanne and DiNozzo go off to the cafeteria after the
former allows Bernie and Nick to visit Devon for ten minutes, and they talk
about the house Jeanne wants to show DiNozzo. It's raining and she hopes it will
have stopped by the morning, as she wants him to see the house in the sunlight;
he makes a joke about it leaking.
We then get a Code Blue and Jeanne, followed by DiNozzo dashes off. It is Devon.
DiNozzo grabs his bag and finds out that the man has flown in from Caracas and
it's a pretty good guess that he's body packing heroin (a mule) and that the bag
has burst. Nick and Bernie won't confirm this and Devon dies. At that point
nurse Carly sees the little blonde girl (the one from the airport) and she
believes her to be the Angel of Death. Nick and Bernie try to get Devon's body
released, well Nick does, Bernie now too strung out to barely think, but Jeanne
insists on an autopsy.
DiNozzo does his best to stop Jeanne from getting involved above and beyond her
duty. Another nurse, Annie, says that she's a first year doctor and it takes
time to develop calluses, but DiNozzo doubts whether Jeanne ever will. It's very
touching, the way he thinks about her.
Back at NCIS offices we learn that McGee's pager was Gibbs who is waiting for
him. He's written a letter and put it on McGee's desk for him to sign, he then
counter-signs it. When McGee asks what it is, Gibbs says 'a get out of jail free
card'. When McGee asks why he needs one, Gibbs tells him because he's going to
hack into the CIA.
Meanwhile, also at NCIS offices, Abby goes into her lab and begins to talk to
her machines as though they were human; apologising for waking them up and
making them work, when she'd told them they wouldn't have to. Jenny walks in at
that point and the look on her face is a picture. Abby salutes her and we learn
that Abby's page was from Jenny herself; Jenny wants Abby to fingerprint test
the bottle and glasses.
So we have Gibbs and McGee in the squad room and Abby and Jenny in Abby's lab
and apparently neither duo know about the other being there. And yet Abby and
McGee left the bar together, thus we assume that they went to NCIS together, so
they at least know the other is there, but it's not mentioned (or maybe we were
meant to forget that they left the bar together).
McGee hacks away, tracing the polygraph and from where the order came. At first
it seems simple, the Assistant Director for Infrastructure. But then McGee shows
Gibbs how he's followed it pretty much around the world. And finally back to the
CIA's national clandestine service; it's a black op called Lodestone. And it
seems that La Grenouille is somehow involved.
On to another scene with La Grenouille himself and Kort. And we then learn that
it is actually the FBI, instructed by Kort, who has been taking the photographs
of Jeanne and DiNozzo. La Grenouille asks why Kort didn't also get tapped
evidence, but Kort says the photos are enough. They discuss DiNozzo being a
player, but La Grenouille says that DiNozzo loves Jeanne and thus would do
anything for her. Kort says that DiNozzo is a white hat, and La Grenouille puts
his own white hat on.
Back at the hospital we learn that Carly's 'Angel of Death' is just a little
girl called Sarah who has wandered away from her mother and now the security
staff are turning the hospital upside down trying to find her, which is nice and
convenient for the forthcoming scenes.
Bernie and Nick are back in the lift, and come out on the floor where Autopsy
is; a morgue attendant tells them that they can't be down there and sends them
off. He does then tell Jeanne, who takes off, followed by DiNozzo to Autopsy.
Bernie and Nick are indeed in Autopsy, looking for Devon's body, she is totally
strung out now and in desperate need of a fix. He tells her to find Devon and
all her problems are solved.
Outside DiNozzo tries to prevent Jeanne from going inside, but she's determined
that she won't let Bernie see her brother open, so he takes the lead and is
about to go in, when he discovers that a) he isn't armed and b) Nick is standing
at the door with a gun.
We then jump back to Ducky and Ziva in the bar. Ziva is tipsy, and is concerned
about DiNozzo and that all she gets is his voice mail, which is all she ever
gets when 'he's with her'. Ducky presses her, asking why is she monitoring
DiNozzo and says that she sounds like a mother worrying over a toddler; that or
a woman with a wayward lover. She tries to tell him it's just that DiNozzo is
her partner, but it's clear that Ducky does not believe her. He knows that she's
in love with DiNozzo. She then confesses to having a not so good feeling that
DiNozzo is in trouble and Ducky at that point does look a tad concerned too.
Back to the hospital again and in Autopsy, DiNozzo is being searched for
weapons, which he doesn't have (Gibbs wouldn't be pleased to learn that his
senior agent is sans knife, thus breaking one of the rules). Nick tells Jeanne
to call off security, but she only does so when he whacks DiNozzo around the
head with his gun. She then insists on seeing that DiNozzo is okay before she
begins to cut Devon open.
Back at the office, McGee discovers that the CIA are now 'looking' at him and
has to shut down his computer before they penetrate his firewall as they could
then copy his hard drive. He goes to another computer but is still worried that
they'll be able to track him via his searches. So Gibbs tells him that they are
trying to track the girl-friend of a dirt-bag and to instigate a BOLO; when
McGee asks the name of the girl-friend, Gibbs tells him 'Jenny Shepard'. He is
standing looking out of the window at the rain, but tells McGee that when he
looks at him like that he has the urge to head slap him.
Gibbs/McGee fen will like the scene as, yet again, Gibbs leans over McGee,
putting his arm around the back of the chair and getting very close to him, and
also the exchange about head slapping is very gentle.
Down in Abby's lab, Abby is again talking to her computer and Jenny tells her
she worries her. She then tells Abby to extend the search to ex-servicemen who
died prior to 1995.
Back at the hospital, DiNozzo tells Jeanne to do the 'operation' and find the
drugs. She does, but makes Nick tell Bernie to turn around. She cuts Devon,
pulls out the intestine, but then cuts it, thus letting the heroin pour out and
whilst Nick is aghast, stabs him in the neck with the scalpel, he drops the gun,
DiNozzo slides across the floor grabs it and shoots him in the shoulder. Then we
flash to the horrible sight of Bernie licking up the heroin from her dead
brother's intestines.
Back at NCIS, Gibbs brings McGee coffee and McGee has found something - and
displays a photo of Jenny's father - Colonel Jasper Shepard; whom Gibbs did not
know. We learn that he committed suicide twelve years ago.
Meanwhile down in Abby's lab, she is woken up by the sound of her machine
telling her there is a hit on the fingerprints on the bottle and glass. And the
same picture of Colonel Jasper Shepard appears.
And the final scene is of DiNozzo and Jeanne leaving the hospital together,
she's saying that he needs to be kept under observation. And in front of them is
a black stretch limo. She say's it's her secret/surprise. And inside is La
Grenouille, whom Jeanne introduces as her father. He gets DiNozzo's name wrong,
but no one corrects him. And that is how it ends.
So basically nothing, other than the fact that La Grenouille is Jeanne's father
is tied up. All we are left with are the same questions we've picked up
throughout the season.
Is Jenny's father alive or dead?
How does he tie in with La Grenouille?
What has La Grenouille done to Jenny? Were they married? Did he drive daddy to
his suicide (if he's dead)?
Is Jeanne merely a job (I still say no.)
Does Jenny know that La Grenouille is Jeanne's father? (Again, I'd say no).
Is Ziva in love with DiNozzo? (I'd say yes).
Will Jimmy and Michelle get caught?
OVERALL:
A very strange episode with which to finish the season. One of the worst all
season. Utterly unsatisfying.
No actual case at all.
Far too bitty.
Far too little of the main cast (well what was the main cast before it turned
into the J, T & J show). Scenes that were there purely so that the likes of
Jimmy could appear.
DiNozzo was very good in this episode. Mature, caring, competent. A good agent
and boyfriend. His role shone.
Too little Ducky.
No Gibbs and Ducky scenes at all.
Storyline: 4.00
Enjoyment: 4.00
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