SEASON EIGHT EPISODE TWO
WORST NIGHTMARE
Overall I thought this was another very good episode.
We had a real honest to goodness NCIS case - not one they just happened to
stumble over or get shoe-horned into, but a real case. Gas knocking out an
entire school on a naval base and then the kidnapping of the daughter of not
just one navy personnel but two.
There was some good banter, some excellent scenes and touches of humour that
worked well. I wasn't overly gripped by the case as such, but I didn't find it
boring and the end to the case was very well done indeed. I certainly found that
intense.
Overall the episode wasn't an intense as last week's but that was to be
expected. It was a nice 'after Mexico' episode. A good let's get the team back
to what they are meant to be doing and what they do so well.
The whole idea of Gibbs actually allowing interns to join his team was an
interesting one and they actually worked well. Although adding three more
people, plus Mason, to the overall team could have meant people really lost out,
this time I didn't feel that. I like the two male interns, I thought they were
both good, but the female . . . I wanted to slap her and stranger her. Some
people just get my back up on first look/word - she was one of them.
Abby I found annoying for the most part, I'm sorry to say. I know why she had
the whole issue with her intern and never letting him out of her sight and then
demeaning him so much by making him wear those bells, but I do think she took it
too far - the bells was a step too far. But, rather cleverly, I felt, she did
redeem things to an extent later on when she actually started to work with him
and give him credit. And he seemed happy later on, whereas when he had the bells
. . . Nice little touch thought that he told Gibbs he was more afraid of Abby
than of Gibbs.
I expected Conrad to turn around and actually enjoy working there; that wasn't a
surprise. And I like how his role developed and what he did and how he learnt as
it went on.
Poor Jimmy; I felt so sorry for him this week. That darn intern all bouncing and
smiley and trying to be a young female Ducky. And dear Ducky so chivalrous, but
he should know Jimmy was upset by it. But I did love Jimmy and the way he kept
trying to find something else to do to make him 'needed'.
Tim looked slightly less awful this week as he wasn't as pale, but he's too
skinny. He really is. I know it's all down to diet and exercise but he is still
worrisome. But Tim was also wonderfully geeky this week, even more so than
usual.
I guessed from the off that Carmichael was the bad guy in some way. He just
tripped my spider sense the second I saw him. But it was a clever twist as to
just why he did what he did. Interesting that he thought he was in the right to
do all those things to try to make amends for what he'd done and the
self-flagellation thing. That man needs help. To set the whole thing up, to
kidnap a young girl, just because you think you are being driven by a higher
force to try to make amends for what you'd done decades before was quite intense
and showed that maybe he hadn't been the right man to recruit all those years
ago.
Mason was good; Mason was darn good. To have Tim in a neck-lock and knock Ziva's
gun from her hand and her out of the way was tremendous. He certainly had been
extremely well trained. Nice that Gibbs told him they could use him. I really
did feel for Mason over his grand-daughter's kidnapping. I liked the closeness
between the two of them and as it went on and he discovered just why she'd been
kidnapped - in effect because of him - my heart went out to him. I have no doubt
at all that he would willingly have given his life to save her.
The final scene in the park was excellent. Although I knew it was a set-up, just
for a moment I did think that the plan had gone wrong and in fact what was
happening was real and Ziva had really killed Mason. It was only when Gibbs and
Ziva's conversation was so obviously an act (interesting that actors actually
'acting' whilst acting) and false that I knew all was well.
Overall a good second episode, a nice back to work properly and forget the whole
Mexico arc and those involved in it. Good team work, nice to see them all having
good roles and no one person over-shadowing all the others. Solid.
They do seem to have remembered what the 'N' stands for. I may be tempted fate
here, but I have to say I have a good feeling about this season.
And for me there were several lovely Gibbs/Ducky scenes, so I was happy on that
front as well as overall.
Minor irks:
- Abby for the most part.
- The female intern (actually more than a minor irk, she was a major one.
Thankfully we didn't see any more of her).
Favourite scenes:
- Gibbs and Tim's conversations; because Tim went extra geeky they really stood
out and I found them enjoyable.
- Ducky singing! He still has a nice voice. And then the scene with Jimmy and
how hurt he was by the intern. I loved the 'when are you leaving'. And also when
Gibbs appeared I liked how he moved her out of the way and stood back, but was
nodding intently and knowledgeably. Bless him. And the whole Gibbs & Ducky scene
that followed, nice and close. I also loved how Ducky corrected Gibbs *g* and
the look on Gibbs's face - priceless moment. Such great interaction between the
two of them.
- Jimmy's scenes when he was trying to find something else to do because he
feared for his position. It was lovely to see him in a suit rather than his
Autopsy greens or the blue coveralls. And all his little running around trying
to persuade the team to give him something else to do were great. The hand slap
from Gibbs, the way Jimmy 'arranged' Tony's lapel and the whole 'I don't want to
be usurped' I loved them all. And his role was a great balance of humour plus
making the viewer feel for him.
- Gibbs and Conrad in the lock-up. I enjoyed that little conversation and the
whole scene.
- Abby, Gibbs and Abby's intern in the lock-up when she wasn't being horrible to
him.
- Gibbs and Ducky in Autopsy. Ducky knowing Gibbs would be down to see him and
the whole scene was just so well done - I loved it.
- The 'shoot-out' in the park.
Ship of the week:
Gibbs/Ducky.
Character of the week:
Jimmy
Actor/Actress of the week
Brian Dietzen
Storyline: 9.00
Enjoyment: 9.00
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