Big episode tonight for old new guys Mr. Palmer and McGee. There was a nice parallel between the two — McGee got the chance to run his first investigation, and Palmer conducted his first solo autopsy … of a squirrel. The little body on the table ruined the moment and also made it so much better. By the way, anyone else think it was a monkey when it was first spotted on the ground?
I thought Palmer was joking when he asked Ducky if it would be alright if he told an unrelated story while he cut the body open. But what a perfect tale about confusing the French word for squirrel with the one for shark! I’m glad Palmer never got forgotten in all the years he’s been on the show; he’s great. As well as the highlight of tonight’s episode.
I’m never very into the case-of-the-week, but jetpacks? Talk about totally boring (Ryan, this is the bad kind of science fiction, for purposes of reference). Even with McGee geeking out I couldn’t wait for each lecture to end. Yes, his video was funny, but I didn’t need to hear him ramble on about propulsion or whatever at every turn. Nor did I need to see the bad guy blasting from the hanger with a pack strapped on … I got flashes of The Rocketeer, and that ain’t a good thing.
Then there was the Tillman’s lawyer, Margaret Allison Hart (Rena Sofer). I know I should have liked her going toe-to-toe with Gibbs, the little sexual tension hanging in the air between them (“Did you use to have red hair?”), but no thank you. I wanted him to just punch her in the face.
What I did like was Colonel Bell (Robert Patrick) resurfacing, because I think it’s rare when revenge plotlines make sense. You could definitely see Bell plotting his comeback back at the end of episode six, and I’m excited at the prospects for the future that his reemergence promises. It’s going to be awesome watching someone worthy gunning for Gunny.
But what really rubbed me wrong was the way that Margaret butted heads with NCIS. While I know that there are laws, NCIS is not the police, and in seven seasons I can’t remember our ever hearing that the traditional rules of rights, representation, and whatnot apply in these types of military investigations. When has someone in the box ever asked for a lawyer, forcing Gibbs or someone else to leave the room? Especially now, with the Patriot Act and whatever else superseding old procedures, is that right? Seems counterproductive to me, at least in the evidence-gathering stage.
Anyway, investigation aside (as I usually take NCIS), this was a solid episode. Gibbs calling McGee “Elf Lord,” Ducky driving an ATV, Gibbs referencing “tweaking” (not too far off, if you think about it). All solid stuff. Plus this:
“What is the range?” – Ziva
“Almost a kilometer.” – McGee
“I don’t speak Canadian; how far is that?” – Tony
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Jan 05, 2010 @ 22:04 EST5EDT
There were rumors that Rena Sofer aka “show killer,” “b*tch” (from personal experience) is supposed to become a recurring character.
Does anyone know if this is still true or do I have to remove NCIS from my TiVo rotation?
*POST AUTHOR*
What I’ve read is that it was speculated that she could be coming on as a recurring character back when her casting was announced in the fall, but that at this point she’s only due back once more, in connection with this Bell thing.
@aryeh
Thank you! I know as shows age the thought is to spice them up, but NCIS has it’s low points but it does not need Rena Sofer. Though it would be nice to see Gibbs meet his match with a woman – hasn’t had one since (forgot her name) from a season or so back.
*POST AUTHOR*
You mean the army officer who was around for a bit? I liked her, too.
Palmer and McGee totally made this episode. Loved the completely unrelated anecdote, and Gibbs then interrupting them and for once not being completely on top of the situation.
Aryeh, I understand what you meant, but there’s nothing science-fictiony about the boring jetpacks (rocket belts?) we saw in this episode, just science. The best part about McGeek going on and on was that absolutely no one else was interested in listening to him and all his passion. Haven’t we all had to listen to a friend ramble endlessly like Tim?
There was something bugging me with the emphasis on M. Allison Hart rather than simply Allison Hart. Is there a joke or an anagram I’m missing?
Agreed about looking forward to seeing Robert Patrick again. I wouldn’t mind seeing the Gibbs-Bell matchup running the entire season rather than merely one episode. Throw in Tobias too, for good measure.
I can’t be certain, but it might have made a difference that both of Hart’s clients were civilians, not Navy or Marine Corps. In that case, her “charge or release” ultimatum would hopefully be valid. Also, with a new administration in power, things are supposedly different.
It did remind me of the episode of 24 when a terrorist is arrested and driven directly to CTU with no opportunity to contact anyone, and an Amnesty International lawyer gets there even before he does, with no possible legitimate way to have heard about the arrest that quickly.
I really wanted to see more of the Forest Rangers from the cold open. And Tony referencing both Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars was sublime.
*POST AUTHOR*
Yeah – Gibbs and Palmer have a unique relationship that doesn’t get nearly enough screen time.
Eh, jetpacks seem science fiction to me, even if they are feasible. I guess it’s just the look of them, and the idea behind them of man’s ability to fly. I definitely did like the theory of McGee droning on, just that I was just as bored as his teammates listening to the topic. :)
Nothing that I now of about her name – I was surprised to find the whole thing when I checked IMDb for the actress info.
You may be right about the civilian thing, but I still would imagine that there’d be some special military investigation rules that superseded civilian procedures. I don’t know, just putting it out there.
The great thing about the history of film is that Tony’s source material is endless. I think the show will run until they’re out of new references for him.
Oh, it’s just a minor semantic disagreement over your use of the term “science fiction,” as that jetpack exists and has for several decades, no speculation involved. You’re certainly right that’s it’s not feasible as far as fuel, range, stability or ease of piloting is concerned, and that it’s pretty boring to watch in real life. It’s even believable to have a couple of very small aerospace contractors working on solving all those problems on their own dime, without government funding, because if one of them does make a Rocketeer-style pack a reality, they’ll sell enough to outfit our entire military, and probably police and other civilian agencies as well.
*POST AUTHOR*
Sounds like the next Segway, and wasn’t that a smash hit!
It’s much less useful than a Segway, the mere sight of which offends the artistic and aesthetic portions of my soul. We’ll probably never have real jetpacks without magnetic levitation or gravity manipulation.