SEASON SIX EPISODE THREE

CAPITOL OFFENSE

A better episode, I felt, than last week's, but still not up to the standard of the opening episode.

At least we had a little more Ducky this week, but I was beginning to think we weren't going to - I thought we were only going to get the teeny scene at the beginning, so I was pleased we had a little more of him. Although we still have more Vance than Ducky - which I think is such a huge shame. I really feel NCIS went the wrong way when they moved from Tom Morrow's involvement to making the Director a key player. And if they were going to do that, why not do it with Tom Morrow? But all in all I think the Director's job should not be so hands-on; we don't need to see him/her all the time.

Another real naval case, which is always good, and not a bad case. Not brilliant, but . . . it held my attention more than last week's and had a few twists in it; one that I certainly didn't see coming! As usual the red herring was so obviously a red herring it was laughable (although I confess I did suspect him in the first few seconds after seeing him, but as it went on and we had another scene, it was so clearly not him - NCIS PTB, work on making your red herrings believable, please). The baddie I did spot, but I wasn't one hundred percent correct.

Abby I'm sorry to say annoyed me again *sigh* So much again I wanted to shake her - what are they doing to her character? There were some shippy moments for various ships - mostly Abby/Ziva - and some low key team interaction. Not a bad episode.

Anyway, I digress; on to the episode itself.

We begin with a man and woman on mountain bikes riding through some kind of park; they are clearly enjoying themselves and agree to race to the car. The man hits a tree branch and falls into the water that is alongside the trail and in the water is a body. Quite a good start.

After the credits (no Jimmy *sigh*) we go straight to the squad room where Abby is opening a box on Ziva's desk, watched by McGee and DiNozzo. Inside is a rather scrummy looking chocolate cake, which Ziva calls a cup cake (it's bigger than the cup cakes I know, maybe a US/UK thing?). But it's not just any old cup cake: it's the ultimate in cup cakes. Abby hugs Ziva and we learn that Ziva bought Abby the cake to say 'thank you' for Abby letting her stay at her apartment.

Of course DiNozzo wants to know more and starts to play on the 'two women together' thing, but McGee says he is not interested; it is none of his business (which it isn't). And he called DiNozzo 'DiNosey' (nice one, McGee); does this mean we are going to get a season of 'Di' names as well as 'Mc' names? Ziva accuses DiNozzo of being a control geek, which DiNozzo corrects to 'freak' and Ziva says 'that too' and wants to know why he needs to know what everyone is doing all of the time.

At that moment Gibbs arrives with the news that a dead Lt. Commander's body has been found in the water in the Rock Creek Park. She has been shot in the back. We learn, from Ziva, she was Kerry McLenaon (sp?) thirty-five years old, stationed at the Pentagon where she worked as a Congressional Liaison Officer for the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs; and she lives alone. Gibbs sends Ziva to help DiNozzo do whatever DiNozzo is doing.

Ducky, in a very brief scene, confirms she was shot with a single small calibre shot to the back and there is no exit wound. He also says she was shot elsewhere and moved, she bled out on a hard surface and has been dead at least twelve hours and no more than twenty-four. There is then a noise that is meant to sound like thunder and Ducky looks up at a nice blue sky with white clouds in it and says that they were predicting precipitation (it didn't look as if it were going to rain to me!) and adds 'just what we need'.

McGee has found a partial shoe print and at that moment Gibbs's phone rings and he begins to walk off telling McGee to work fast as they'll lose evidence if it rains. At the van DiNozzo is again pushing Ziva about spending the night at Abby's; he wants to know if they shared the same room and bed (or coffin), in the end Ziva says she slept on Abby's couch, in her pyjamas. Gibbs appears tells them to go to Kerry's apartment when they are done and gets into his car and drives off - much to the surprise of DiNozzo and Ziva. After all, they are rushing against the weather, he's told them to hurry, but he's gone.

Gibbs has gone to meet Senator Patrick Kiley - an old friend, in fact they served together. They hug and Kiley says they are meeting outside because it's best they are not seen together. He asks about the dead Lt. Commander and enquires if it is Kerry. Gibbs is studying him, very hard indeed and wants to know why he thinks it might be. Kiley is clearly upset by the news it is Kerry and we learn that he had been having an affair with her - he's married with kids - and he and Kerry were due to meet last night, but she didn't turn up; nor did she call him.

Gibbs says he can't cover it up and Kiley accepts that and says he wouldn't ask Gibbs too. However, he does explain that he has a very important energy Bill, which will give tremendous help to people, he needs to to get through Congress - and he will. But if it comes out he's had an affair and the woman is now dead, it's likely to kill the Bill. Gibbs agrees to try to keep Kiley's name out of it - until after the vote. Gibbs asks if Kiley knows anyone who might have any against Kerry and Kiley says her Commanding Officer wasn't happy with a recent report Kerry wrote.

McGee, Ziva and DiNozzo are at Kerry's apartment and DiNozzo (in true DiNozzo style) is going through Kerry's undies, pointing out the are not naval issue - Ziva is cross with him and adds that she was a woman as well as an Lt. Commander. She accuses him of enjoying snooping into other people's lives; he agrees and says that's why he became a cop (for all his faults DiNozzo is honest about himself most of the time, so the comment was very in-character). They find birthday cards and Ziva seems quite moved by the fact that one of them was from Kerry's grandmother; they also find an unsigned card from Kerry's lover and DiNozzo deduces it is from a married man. Gibbs appears then and as yet they haven't found much at all, but DiNozzo pulls the 'my gut is telling me this card is from a married man'. Gibbs looks at said card, but in true Gibbs fashion says nothing - I assume he did recognise Kiley's handwriting, even though it was printed in capital letters.

Back at HQ Gibbs and DiNozzo are meeting with Kerry's CO Admiral Charles Graves. He is fiddling, oh, so obviously, with his wedding ring which leads to DiNozzo, who is watching him, thinking he was Kerry's lover. Gibbs asks him about the report, Graves said it was nothing, there had been a leak, it had been proven not to have come from his office, he told Kerry not to write it up, but she did - she was head-strong like that. And then he leaves. He never even twitched my spider sense - despite the ring twitching, but given DiNozzo clearly suspected him and Gibbs clearly didn't that alone would tell the viewer Graves was not the guilty man.

McGee has been checking Kerry's mobile phone records, all perfectly normal, except there are thirty-six calls to Capitol switchboard. Ziva says that's not unreasonable, she'd have to call Senators, etc. But as McGee points out to Ziva, why call the switchboard, why not dial them directly? DiNozzo says he intends to check out Graves as he seemed more interested in covering his butt than in Kerry's death.

Gibbs arrives and asks what they have, McGee says about the records, but Gibbs pretty much dismisses it with a 'she didn't want it known who she was calling'. Ziva pulls up her ESR that reveals she was fourth in her Academy class, but since then her rise has been uphill and she has lots of awards and rapid promotion.

And then Vance appears and we get another look exchanged between Gibbs and him, and he pretty much tells Gibbs he wants to see him. He goes and DiNozzo starts to say how odd it was that Gibbs left the crime scene and also knew about a report Kerry had written. We had a nice little touch when suddenly all three of them peer around the plasma to see if Gibbs has really gone up the stairs.

In Vance's office he tells Gibbs he's had a call to his private line. It's a woman's voice and it tells them where the gun is - oh, isn't that nice and convenient!

Back at Rock Creek Park we have McGee and DiNozzo; McGee has the equipment that will pick up sounds of metal and DiNozzo is just there being DiNozzo. And then DiNozzo sees something - right across the other side of the stream. He wants McGee to get closer to it; McGee tries to make DiNozzo do it - after all he saw it - but no, of course DiNozzo won't. And then there is some by-play because McGee can't get near enough; so DiNozzo hangs onto him and his jacket, McGee learns forward and . . . Inevitably DiNozzo loses his grip/lets go (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was accidental) and McGee falls into the very dirty, very smelly water. It was meant to be a touch of humour and lightness, but it was so contrived, so obvious, so telegraphed. But the fall was worth it: McGee does find the gun.

In Abby's lab she is firing the gun and it turns out to indeed be the gun from which the slug came that killed Kerry - it's a perfect match. The serial number was still on the gun, so Ziva is trying to track it down.

Up in Vance's office Gibbs is saying that it was too convenient (I said that a few minutes ago) that they were handed it on a plate. Vance wants McGee to trace the call and McGee says he needs Vance's password for his voice mail. Vance after a second's hesitation hands it over, saying it's for his eyes only and adding that calls from Vance's wife are not for McGee's ears (nice little touch) and then tells McGee to go home and get changed - McGee is in NCIS coveralls. [An aside: I still don't trust Vance and I wonder if his agenda is to get rid of Gibbs and he's trying to turn Gibbs's team by using little touches like telling McGee to go home and change, something Gibbs probably wouldn't think of saying - he won't turn Gibbs's team]. Vance then asks if Gibbs thinks they are being taunted by the killer; Gibbs says it could be that. Vance then tells Gibbs he has to keep him in the loop on this one - Gibbs replies when he knows anything concrete, he'll let Vance know. Yes, that's Gibbs.

Down in Abby's lab we get the beginning of Abby really irritating me. She has crime scene tape around her fridge and tells Gibbs she has been 'violated' - someone has stolen her cup cake and she is dusting the fridge for prints. Gibbs seems less than impressed and asks Abby if she's been working and she says she has; Kerry, amongst other things, downloaded her horoscope each day (as does Abby). She also has found fibres on Kerry's clothes from a car and is trying to match them. She then sees a speck on Gibbs's jacket, bends really, really close as he asks her what and demands to know if it's a cup cake crumb. He says it isn't, quite indignantly, but she takes it anyway.

Back in the squad room, DiNozzo gets off the phone from someone and says he's sure Admiral Graves was the lover. He and his wife split up a year ago because he'd been having affairs, they are now back together and trying to rebuild their marriage - but he's still playing the field. He reveals his source is the barber at the Pentagon gym and when McGee and Ziva seem surprised, he points out (quite rightly so) that barber's like other similar 'service' people are invisible; people talk freely in front of them. [That has always been the case, servants collected a huge amount of information because there masters and mistresses talked in front of them, not even seeing them - but a good servant would pride him/herself on being 'invisible'].

McGee (who again gets Gibbs draped over his chair as he looks at the screen) has discovered the mobile used to make the call was a burn phone, bought a year ago at a convenience store that only keeps surveillance tapes for a month, and also tells Gibbs it wasn't a real voice it was a high quality, very sophisticated text reader - so they know nothing. However, Ziva has got lucky with the gun; it was bought in 1949, never registered, but had a new firing pin put in and the person who had that done was Otis Tripp - who died in 1999. Gibbs recognises either the name or photo or both and takes off ordering McGee, Ziva and DiNozzo not to go anywhere until he returned. DiNozzo is now 'officially curious'!

Gibbs meets Kiley again and we learn Tripp was his father-in-law and Kiley had the gun in his locked gun-cabinet in his study. He swears he didn't kill Kerry. And he says that Gibbs could always see through him, always read him, always know when he was lying. At that moment Vance calls Gibbs.

Back at HQ Vance has had another call from 'the informer' and asking why it is taking so long and wondering if Gibbs is covering for an old friend (interesting, so it has to be someone who knows about Gibbs meeting Kiley and their past). Vance wants to know what's going on, but rather than answer Gibbs walks to the door - I really thought he was going to leave, as does Vance - and brings Kiley in.

Kiley talks about how he met Kerry and was instantly attracted to and fascinated by her, and how they kept on meeting, which he knows was wrong. He tells Vance about the important Bill and how he has his enemies, the big oil companies would stand to lose tens of millions of dollars if his Bill gets through - and he's sure it will; he wonders if Kerry was killed because of him. It looks as though Kiley is being set up by someone. One lobbyist in particular has been putting pressure on him and making noises: Reed Talbot, he never misses a trick to try to shoot it down. He also assures Vance that Gibbs had said he wouldn't cover for him. Vance says that it is not the Agency's policy to give out information about current investigations; basically they'll keep quiet for now, unless they really have to speak.

Abby has identified the fibres; they are from a charcoal grey interior of a 2002/2003 Grand Cherokee Jeep. And after that Abby switches from work and starts to demand DNA swabs from them all to continue to find who took her cup cake (this really was OTT and just not the Abby I know and love; again it was meant to be fun and light-hearted, but it irritated rather than amused). At first McGee refuses, but DiNozzo tells him to give and Abby also demands; so McGee does. And then Abby demands it from DiNozzo too - he seems surprised - but he insists on doing it himself. She even wants one from Ziva, who by now is saying she'll buy Abby another one, and Ziva is stunned, pointing out she bought it for Abby. Abby says no one is above suspicion and at that moment Gibbs comes down with Kiley.

Gibbs orders Ziva to run a background check on Talbot; McGee to trace the second call and takes DiNozzo with him and Kiley - as he goes Abby is calling for a DNA sample. And again that is just totally OTT and OOC; Abby would never do that, not given who was with Gibbs - and they recognised Kiley - she would know better. So wrong.

At Kiley's house we meet Cole Erickson, Kiley's Chief of Staff and yes, for a moment I did think it was him. And then we meet Kiley's wife - Lynn - who recognises Gibbs's voice, comes down the stairs and hugs him. At that moment I also suspected her; the hug and greeting and whole thing, even given they knew one another, just seemed a tad OTT and out of place and 'off'. I can't explain it really, but my spider sense tingled. Kiley tells Lynn they have to talk and sends Cole off to show Gibbs and DiNozzo where the guns are.

And there are a lot of guns! In Kiley's study is a photo of Gibbs and Kiley in combat dress from Desert Storm; Cole says Kiley talks about Gibbs a lot and from the way he told it Gibbs made a green Lieutenant look good. Gibbs then thanks Cole and sends him out.

We then move to Gibbs's basement where he is working on his boat and suddenly a woman's voice is heard, it's Lynn, talking about how nothing has changed, the front door is still unlocked and he's down in the basement; she asks for a drink. And then says she needs to talk as she'd told Kiley she wouldn't tell the press or anyone. She says she won't stand by him and that they'll be a circus once it gets out; she is really nasty about Kiley, but although she's saying the right things, something seemed slightly off - I felt it was forced, set up. She knew about Shannon and Kelly and says if Gibbs could get through that, she can get through this.

Gibbs asks if the knew about the affair; she says not at first but then did, even though not who it was. She tells him Kiley and Kerry used to meet at Cole's apartment and that Cole would do anything for Kiley and she thought he might be in love with Kiley. And by now it was one hundred percent clear Cole was not the killer; it was overplayed as a scene and rather than give us more ammunition for thinking it was Cole, did the opposite. [Actually I was thinking that maybe she had thought her husband was actually having an affair with Cole and had gone to Cole's apartment to kill Cole and Kerry had been an accident].

Her phone rings again and she won't answer it; Gibbs says she has to talk to Kiley at some point and tells her to go home; she says she's not feeling forgiving, but he tells her it will come - and from the tone of his voice he is talking from experience. She agrees to go home and thanks him for letting her talk and then she comments that she might not be over fond of her husband at the moment, but he was a Marine through and through he would never shoot anyone, especially not a woman, in the back. Ahhhhhhhh.

** [A small digression: We know Diane cheated on him from a comment Jenny made way back in S3, but is it her to whom Gibbs is referring/implying? We also have that scene back further when he said he came home from deployment and found his wife in bed with another man, but he choose divorce not murder. At the time DiNozzo told Kate Gibbs was just identifying with the man to make him talk, but I always wondered if it was more than that. We know (in one of the many inconsistencies) that he didn't join NCIS until after Shannon & Kelly were killed, but we also gather he might have been Agent Afloat (from a small exchange in last week's episode) so I guess he could have used that as 'deployment' for that, maybe; and he forgave whichever wife that was, probably ex-wife #01. And yet he's also always been really disparaging about them. I have raised the question more than once about if he remembers his marriage to Shannon through rose coloured glasses; did he actually find Shannon, maybe, with another man, but forgave her? We know her loved her; we're not so sure how deeply he felt about Diane, Stephanie and ex-wife no. 1.]

Back at HQ, Abby confirms that all but one of the finger prints on the gun-cupboard match either Kiley, Lynn or Cole. And then she goes on again about her blasted cup cakes and how she has a print from her fridge! And she has pictures of all the team, plus the night janitor, and is sure it is one of those. Gibbs just looks as if he cannot believe she is doing this - he can't and I can't.

In the squad room DiNozzo and Ziva are discussing Talbot (McGee is also there); he really will do anything to defeat Kiley's energy bill - but murder and framing? Ziva has a 'feeling' about him. DiNozzo says he had one of those about the Admiral, but it led nowhere. Gibbs arrives and says Abby has found an odd fingerprint, but they can't see if it is Talbot's as he hasn't been in the military nor has he ever been arrested. DiNozzo says Cole is moving up his list as he has a Jeep (even more evidence it is definitely not Cole). Gibbs tells McGee to see if the second call came from the same location as the firs. And Ziva just leaves - she doesn't say where she's going and Gibbs doesn't question her (very odd) and she takes DiNozzo's clipboard with her. McGee shows Gibbs that the second call had to have been made from a car as it passed through two cell towers in twenty-six seconds.

And then we see where Ziva went and why she took the clipboard. Dressed rather sexily she approaches Talbot to get him to sign a petition. People apparently want to reduce the 55mph speed limit to help with the fuel crises; Ziva's 'group' are against it. Talbot laughs and asks if Ziva knows who he is; she flirts with him and says he's handsome and clearly works out - to me it's way OTT and obvious, but to him . . . He falls for it and duly signs her petition and says he'll give her his phone number and email address - *rolls eyes*. And when he goes, she carefully wraps a handkerchief around the pen he used. Clever girl, Ziva.

Back in the squad room, DiNozzo orders McGee to trace Cole's cell phone, McGee points out he is the middle of doing something, but DiNozzo insists. He has learnt that the interior of Cole's Jeep matches the fibres Abby found (but it's not him; again it's far, far, far too obvious). McGee traces the cell and it is still turned on and is at Cole's apartment. Cole hasn't turned up for work that day nor has he called in.

Gibbs leave to go to the apartment, taking DiNozzo with him. And we knew exactly what Gibbs was going to find, didn't we? Cole's body. And indeed they do. He has a plastic bag over his face and is dead. And has left a suicide note which McGee confirms was written on the machine in Cole's apartment and printed on the printer.

And so it all seems to be over; Cole has confessed to murder and is now dead - case closed. Except it isn't. Gibbs doesn't believe it; it's too convenient; too simple. DiNozzo tells Ziva she was wrong about Talbot, but Ziva says he is still a 'crumb bag'. We are still getting the malapropisms. She spots a part of the carpet that has been cleaned and says she'll get the equipment to check it. She finds blood.

And we see Ducky again - yay! Again, not for long, but we have a nice little conversation between him and Gibbs. Forgive me for quoting it, but you all know how much I love Ducky, and how deprived I've been feeling by a lack of him :-)

Ducky: "I can give you a preliminary cause of death."
Gibbs: "Asphyxia."
Ducky: (with a smile) "Yes, it is rather obvious, isn't it? Would you care to venture the time of death?"
Gibbs: "Little after ten."
Ducky: (looking a little crest-fallen as he looks up at Gibbs) "I'm not feeling very needed." [of course you are needed, Ducky] "On what do you base your reasoning?"
Gibbs: "Suicide note written 10:02." (He shows it to Ducky).
Ducky: "Ah."

Surprise, surprise, McGee has found the burn phone in Cole's desk and the laptop has the text recorder - talk about over-kill and over egging the pudding. And then Kiley turns up and wants to see Cole. Gibbs, of course, won't let him. He asks Kiley how long Cole had known about the affair and if he approved. Kiley said since the beginning and no he hadn't approved, but he still was willing to let them use his apartment. He didn't think Cole knew Kerry well as he'd usually gone when they got to the apartment. Cole's note of confession was addressed to Kiley.

Back at HQ, Ducky hands his formal report to Vance confirming asphyxia, adding that he also found quantities of Diazapham in the stomach and blood, Vance seems a tad surprised, but Ducky explains to Vance that isn't unusual amongst suicides to take something to calm them down so that they can go through with it. Vance asks Gibbs, who is also there, lurking by the bookcases, what he thinks. And Gibbs says it's too easy; it doesn't feel right (go Gibbs - you can't fool Gibbs, look out Agent Lee). Vance has been asked to attend a Press Conference in two hours at Kiley's house; he'd like to be able to confirm the case is solved, but he gets the feeling it isn't. Ducky is watching Gibbs, who says he can do a lot in two hours and leaves. Ducky and Vance exchange a telling look.

Down in Abby's lab we have Abby, DiNozzo and Ziva and McGee comes in - Abby has been looking for him. She accuses him of stealing her cake as she found one of his fat fingerprints. (Please, can I strangle her? Her and her bloody cup cake; grow up, Abby! I can't believe I'm saying this: I love Abby *shakes head at self*). McGee reasons he wouldn't have left a fingerprint on the fridge because he knows how good she is. She says the fingerprint wasn't found on the fridge but on a new box of latex gloves, and other than her the only fingerprint belongs to McGee - oops.

He confesses to taking it, but swear he did it to save Abby from herself, as she was meant to be on a gluten-free diet. And then he says he took it because it was late; he hadn't had anything to eat since lunch-time and the machines were empty. DiNozzo hugs him, then head-slaps him; Ziva head-slaps him, telling him she bought the cup cake for Abby; Abby glares at him, then her face softens for a moment and she asks what it was like. McGee says 'life-changing. Abby then glares and say 'Book him, Danno' [a reference to Hawaii 5.0 it's what Steve McGarrett always said at the end to his right hand man Danny - whom he called 'Danno'].

Gibbs arrives and tells them to break it up, he's not a happy camper. They are surprised that he is still looking for the killer; they have a confession, there was blood on the carpet and in Cole's car; why is Gibbs still pushing? [Was it just me or did anyone else find their attitudes somewhat difficult to believe? Now had it been Agents Lee and Keating, yes, I could have bought it. But we have DiNozzo who has worked with Gibbs for seven years and was a cop before that; McGee who is no longer green, and Ziva a Mossad agent all so surprised that Gibbs isn't happy; all taken in by how easy it was. I just found it difficult to believe they would have accepted it so easily]. Anyway, Gibbs leaves.

At Kiley's house Vance and the reporters are there and Gibbs turns up. Kiley greets him and is happy to see him and says it's nice that an old friend has come to support him. Gibbs tells him he hasn't come to support him; but to arrest him. Okay, now that did throw me a little - I hadn't thought he was involved; his wife, yes, him . . . Not after what he'd said about Gibbs knowing him. Kiley still pushes and asks if it can be later, Vance says no; it turns out that Cole was fifty miles away, talking to his mother, when the second call went through to Vance - Kiley called whilst on his way to meet Gibbs. Kiley traded on Gibbs's friendship and used him. But Gibbs isn't there to arrest him for Kerry's murder - as Kiley said, Gibbs knows when he's lying; Kiley was covering for Lynn.

She claims she only went to Cole's apartment to talk to Kerry and took the gun to scare her (oh, yeah?) They argued; Kerry said some unpleasant things and before she knew what she was doing, Lynn had shot Kerry; she claimed not to remember doing it - oh, please! Kiley turned up and wasn't going to let Lynn go to jail for something that was essentially his fault (no, you merely had an affair, you didn't pull the trigger) and persuaded Cole to help them cover it up. Gibbs says Lynn's mistake was going to see him and talking about shooting in the back - that news had not been released. Kiley then used his influence with Gibbs. However, he is being arrested for the murder of Cole - Kiley did that one; cold blooded, deliberate murder. So okay maybe Kerry was a 'crime of passion' Cole was not. And still Kiley tries to play the 'old pals' act and asks for no handcuffs; Gibbs tells him he is all out of favours.

The final scene is in Vance's office with Vance and Gibbs. They are watching the arrest on the news and the report then Vance turns it off and pours a drink; he tells Gibbs he would have appreciated knowing it was the Kileys before he got the house; Gibbs said he covered well.

Gibbs: "Trust, loyalty. Very important."
Vance: (looking at him) "Guess you know all about that here today." [Pause] "How do you think we're going to do in that department?"

Gibbs says nothing. He just stares at Vance with the very faintest hint, maybe of a smile. But really he was his enigmatic self - I still don't think Gibbs fully trusts Vance.

Why, oh, why, did Kiley, try to play Gibbs? After all he said that Gibbs knew him, read him, knew he was lying, he was adamant about that, and yet he tries to use Gibbs, does use Gibbs. It didn't really make sense - it was an anomaly. Given what he'd said, it didn't ring true.

OVERALL

A mixed episode of good and bad.

A reasonably interesting case, not the best by a long way, but not the worst, that did have a couple of surprises, even though it was mostly predictable. It also had anomalies.

Some nice small touches of humour. Other stuff that was meant to be humorous and wasn't - just irksome.

Some good interaction. But other that seemed really forced.

Some believable stuff. Other stuff that had me going 'huh'?

Abby annoyed me beyond measure.

Not enough Ducky and even what we had seemed lacking in attachment to and with the team.

No Jimmy.

Too much Vance.

Interesting to see an old friend of Gibbs's, who then did the dirty on him and used him.

I hate to say it and maybe it's just me, maybe I'm getting jaded, but the last two episodes have felt tired and old and nothing new. Has NCIS had its day?

Storyline: 7.50

Enjoyment: 7.25

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