Post by Llyan (Admin) on Feb 11, 2017 2:53:24 GMT
A Man Walks into a Bar (8.14)
W: Gary Glasberg
D: James Whitmore, Jr.
OAD: 2.8.11
OUTSTANDING EPISODE! So far my favorite since Spider and the Fly this season. Thank you Gary for having such a good handle on these characters.
A lot to digest and this Obs in no way does it justice - not even close.
Will add more personal thoughts as the thread gets started. Just not happy with my finished product here.
NOTE: Missing episode titles have been provided by Llyan in her 1st post. And a correction too. Noted here.
GUEST CAST:
Dr. Rachel Cranston.............. Wendy Makkena
Navy Captain Thomas Lind......................... Scott Lawrence
Nancy Hargrove............... Kim Johnston Ulrich
Min Ho Kwon........................ Matt Yang King
Navy Admiral Wayne Hargrove.................. Robert Newman
Navy Ensign David Howard............................. Brian Skala
Navy Petty Officer Rena Oliver....................... Alexandra Barreto
Navy Seaman Marcus Leonard...................... Dustin Seavey
Navy Information Systems Tech Victor Davies...............Andrew Pattison
FYI: Robert Newman who played Admiral Hargrove was Josh Lewis on Guiding Light. I think Kim Johnston Ulrich who played Nancy Hargrove was also on a soap. Kim Ulrch Johnson also did soaps.
PHOOFS
ACT I: Gibbs/McGee
ACT II: Gibbs
ACT III: McGe
ACT IV: Gibbs
ACT V: Vance
MOVIE/TV REFS:
Oh dear, I don't think there were any. If there were I was so blown away by the rest of the episode that I missed them.
McNICKNAMES/NICKNAMES:
Probie - but in a round-about way by Doctor Cranston and in a flashback by Tony.
Ziva-isms:
None - I think.
Newish feature if ya'll want it:
Passage of time drawn from the change in Gibbs polo shirts.
3 days. Green shirt, Gray shirt, Baby blue shirt.
EDIT: After a few mentions I switched to calling Doc Rachel - D.R.
Teaser:
* Yeah! We had a ship. Not at sea but still it was a ship.
* XO (Executive Officer) called to bridge but he doesn't show. CO goes to him in his quarters. Ensign is there. CMDR Vincent Reynolds. Dead and very bloody. Time to call NCIS.
ACT I:
* Vance is talking to a woman assigned to "shrink" Team Gibbs. Points out that they've rescheduled 9 times and have never done it even though it's required.
* I liked Vance trying to defend the team by saying that cases take precedence.
She lets him know that agents need to be at the top of their game but when he says they are she points out some flaws in that thinking:
Vance nearly being killed and hospitalized
Gibbs resignation
DiNozzo and McGee being held captive (by Saleem)
* Hindsight is 20/20. Boy did I ever see the resemblance the 2nd time around.
* Loved that Vance was more concerned about the shrink than he was the team being shrunk. She asks who she should start with - who has the most to talk about.
* Cut to Tony being Tony for Ziva and Tim. Is playing with a large stack of money - won at a track (Pimlico) for winning on Win, Place and Show.
What I liked best about this scene wasn't that Tony did horse impressions but that Tony came out a winner for a change. He's always on the losing end so this was a nice change of pace.
* Intro: Doctor Rachel Cranston, Psychiatrist. Let the worrying begin.
She'll be following them around to observe and will talk to them one-on-one.
Off to the crime scene on the ship with Rachel in tow.
* Of course Tony tries to explain himself doing horse impressions. Says that he does stuff like that to lighten the mood for his teammates. She questions why he thinks he needs to do it.
* Clue: Doc Rachel calls Tony "VERY Special Agent DiNozzo" - didn't get it at all. Just figured she'd done her research and found out that he refers to himself that way quite a bit.
* Case. Victim was shot in his rack. Bullet is embedded in the mattress and the shell casing is on the floor (found by Gibbs). Casing is from a gun used by Koreans and Russians.
7 initial suspects - journalists aboard from a variety of countries.
ACT II:
* Journalists.
2 English
2 French
1 Korean
Assume the other two are US Citizens.
* Gibbs and Vance. I LOVED what Gibbs had to say about his team when Vance told him that a bad report from Doc Rachel could lead to changes (dun dun DUN!)
Gibbs: We are who we are, Director Vance.
* Info on the victim from Tony.
CMDR Vincent Reynolds. 30 years active service. Being forced into mandatory retirement. Best friend is Admiral Wayne Hargrove. Reynolds career stalled but the two remained friends.
* Looks like Ziva will be 1st up on the "couch".
* But 1st, Tony goes to question the journalists. The Korean (Min Ho Kwon) is agitated (don't meet the others). Liked that although the Tony humor was there it wasn't over the top and he was pretty damn serious and totally professional.
* A witness to an earlier confrontation between Kwon and Reynolds: Petty Officer Oliver.
* Ziva's session with Doc Rachel.
Ziva seemed both annoyed and agitated. Doc Rachel did her homework. Knows that Ziva has been trying to juggle to family, job and country for most of her life.
FLASHBACK:
Confronting Eli at being left out of the loop on the Rivkin assignment and Eli demanding her loyalty.
Ziva confrontational with the things that Doc Rachel is bringing up.
She knows that Ziva replaced "someone". Ziva says who it was - Catlyn Todd who was killed in the line of duty. Doesn't bring up that she was killed by her own half-brother.
Says that Kate's loss was significant to NCIS but stops short of saying it was significant to Gibbs, Tony, Tim, Abby and Ducky.
FLASHBACK - Silver War
Ziva trying to sit at Kate's desk and telling McGee that she's going to be a part of their team.
Then jumping ahead to the end of the episode sitting there again telling Gibbs that she doesn't think Kate would mind.:
* Interesting considering what we'll find out later. Ziva tells D.R. that other than being women she and Kate are very different women.
Very true.
* Men. D.R. points out that Ziva has been affected by different men. She denies it. "My work has never been affected" and tells D.R. that it's none of her business. She may have said that the D.R. but her flashes tell a different story.
FLASHBACK: Legend: Part 2
Ziva angry at Tony for calling her on her evasiveness when she only ID'd Rivkin as a Mossad operative and not that she knew him personally.
She then flashes to her attack on Tony in Israel - Aliyah.
Anger drops away. D.R. asks what Ziva wants and is told "something permanent, something that can't be taken away".
Sad really because there is no such thing in life.
* MTAC - a Gibbs conversation with Admiral Hardgrove.
Only thing really learned here is that the Admiral and his wife Nancy were good friends with Reynolds.
Note: The Admiral was played by Robert Newman who was Josh Lewis on Guiding Light for more years than I care to remember that I remember.
* Gibbs and Tony question Kwon.
LOVED seeing them double team the guy.
He's evasive but our guys get him...
T: Heck of a powder keg
G: (hand slam on the table) What are you, the fuse.
I love how they do this so naturally.
...AH but not on a murder charge. Was sending emails at the time of the murder to a North Korean submarine off the coast. He's North Korean instead of South Korean.
ACT III:
* D.R. awaiting Gibbs when he comes in the next morning. She tries to engage him. Not happening.
* Abby-ville.
Gun is a TT-30 or TT-33. She spots D.R. Asks Gibbs if she's the "Shrink-oid" and then calls her "Sigmund".
Although Abby was unnerved I was impressed that she didn't go into full-on Abby.
* Off only a look from D.R.:
Abby: Trust me honey, you don't have enough hours in the day.
I loved that. It was so "Abby".
* Loved the Tony/Ducky one-on-one. Tony confesses what Ducky already knows - he doesn't like head doctors. Feels judged and especially by this one.
* CASE: CMDR was shot with the gun pointed and pressed directly into his body.
* Enter D.R. Exit Tony.
D.R. You don't have to leave, Agent DiNozzo.
Tony: I do if you're staying.
Couldn't help but smile that when he said this he was already headed for the doors and didn't even break his stride and didn't look back.
* Ducky's turn. She tells him that she's not worried about him.
He admits to being a bit melancholy at times.
FLASHBACK: Kill Ari: Part 1
The "I appreciate you keeping me covered in front of the others, especially Tony" scene.
* Gibbs sends McGee off to check out Seaman Marcus Leonard's house. Records show he has a Russian gun. He'd had issues with the CMDR and had requested a Captains Mast.
G: Take Dr Cranston with you. Let her drive, you can lie down. Shrinks love that, McGee.
* McGee drives anyway. She tells him it must be nice to be out without Tony because it puts him in charge. He says it's true. It is nice.
* Another clue: She knows "Probie".
* Interesting that Tim seemed comfortable with D.R.. Not surprising thought since he does seem to be the most well adjusted member of this dysfunctional family.
* FLASHBACK:
"See No Evil". - correction by Llyan: "Reveille".
Tim becomes a full member of Team Gibbs and gets head slapped by Tony and Kate at the same time.
Then the "Pa-ro-beeeee" scene from "Singled Out" when Tim says "You wouldn't still be here now if you did, would you DiNozzo" comment.
* Doc thinks he's stunted with women. Asks if he wouldn't like to be in a committed relationship.
FLASHBACK:
"Endgame" when he 1st meets Amanda.
Then to Susan Grady in "Moonlighting" when he asks her out and she turns him down because she doesn't really think he means it.
Then the discussion with Abby over the girlfriend who took out a bunch of credit cards in his name and racked up $65,000 in charges. EDIT: "Designated Target". - Thanks Llyan.
Tim tells D.R. that he hasn't found the right girl yet. She says maybe he's looking too hard.
* Leonard's house. Despite telling her to stay on the porch D.R. follows him in and when called on it says: "Psychiatrists never listen" -
* Leonard is aboard ship but his house has guns guns and more guns.
ACT IV:
* Ziva questions Seaman Leonard aboard ship. Says he gave that gun to a friend/collector in Ohio.
* Tony's turn. Break room. Attacking the vending machine when his snack doesn't fall.
Glad to see his paying for his snacks this year.
Here goes.
Tony: My mom died when I was eight. Sent away to school when I was 11.
I almost lost that kid in Baltimore.
How'm I doin'? Am I doing good?
D.R. quotes Robert Frost. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both...."
FLASHBACK: "Singled Out"
Jenny making the promotion to Rota offer.
then later seeing him turn it down.
Tony: We make decisions and we live with them.
D.R.: Some decisions are easier than others.
Snack falls but he walks away without it. And without even a hint of "Masked Tony".
LOTS to that conversation to ponder.
* I was curious about the info that Tony wasn't sent away to school until he was 11 but realized that he'd never come right out and said that he was sent away right after his mom died.
* Baltimore mention again - with a specific piece of information. Oh Boy!
* Regret that he didn't take the promotion? With meeting the agent that took it coming up this should be interesting.
* Don't meet him but brother of CMDR Reynolds is in conference room being interviewed by Tim - was in long-term relationship with a woman named Nancy. Same name as Admiral Hargrove's wife.
* One of the best lines of the night. Abby and D.R. again with Abs trying to stall/get rid of her.
Abby: I can't right now, I'm swamped. I love my job, I love my Gibbs. I need more sleep and I'm learning not to be so hard on myself.
She admits to being scared of learning things about herself that she doesn't like. D.R. reassures her. Suggests she needs more Abby time.
Asks if she hangs out with any of her female co-workers?
Abby: I miss Kate and Ziva's seeing someone.
FLASHBACK: EDIT "Hometown Hero" - Thanks Llyan
Abby and Kate talking about going away for the weekend and Tony letting his imagination run wild.
D.R. suggests McGee
More FLASHBACK - "See No Evil"
The "not just slept" revelation.
* CASE: Tape residue on Capt Reynolds hands.
* Gibbs talks to Nancy Hardgrove. 20 year relationship with Reynolds.
I liked that Gibbs wasn't judgmental and told her he was sorry for her loss.
Gibbs has his revelation moment regarding the case.
* Vance and D.R. - parking lot.
Leon is still limping slightly but he's not using the cane and seems to be in less pain.
FLASHBACK: "Cloak"
Conversation with SecNav over Leon inducing the SecNav to appoint him to the job after Jenny's death.
Then hospital with Reily trying to finish the job of killing him - "Enemies Domestic".
Gets call from Gibbs. "It wasn't murder".
* Gibbs and Tony on the ship. Hands the CO a piece of paper with names on it. Wants them together.
Tony points out that he's breaking Rule #1 (Never let suspects stay together)
Gibbs acknowledges that he's breaking it again.
ACT V:
* G/T question the Ensign who found Reynolds body and the Petty Officer that Tony spoke to earlier. They covered up a suicide. They both liked and respected their XO and thought he deserved to be honored for his service.
Reynolds was given the gun by a Russian while he was serving in Vietnam.
* Tony: Your XO was about to lose everything he cared about.
Man is Tony introspective these days. I love it.
* Autopsy. Tony looking at the body of XO Reynolds.
D.R.: What do you see when you look at him Agent DiNozzo?
Tony: Man works his whole life, dedicates himself to his job and then has nothing to show for it.
D.R.: How does that make you feel?
Tony: Afraid.
WHOA. That one simple heartfelt word just tore at my heart. That has to be the most serious thing he's said in years - maybe ever as far as the show is concerned.
T: I'm a good agent Doctor Cranston, a really good one.
I love that he said that about himself.
D.R.: I know. And so do a lot of other people.
FLASHBACK: "An Eye for an Eye"
Tony giving Iggy Kate's sat phone and her fighting it.
MISSING SCENE! Rooftop in Paraguay.
Kate: Well it's kind of beautiful up here.
T: And dangerous.
K: Well from this height you can't really tell.
T: I was referring to you. I thought you were going to attack me back in Iggy's stall.
K: How was I suppose to know what you were doing?
T: Well, we're a team Kate. You're suppose to fillow my lead.
K: Even when I don't know where it's going?
T: Especially then.
Good point. And had it been Gibbs doing what Tony did, Kate wouldn't have questioned it. Would she?
D.R.: But you can be more (than just a good agent). Has anyone ever told you that?
FLASHBACK: "SWAK"
Isolation chamber. Bickering with Kate just before Dr Pitt makes her leave.
Even just that little bit of that scene made my heart lurch.
D.R.: Maybe Agent Todd was hard on you because she knew what you were capable of. Too bad she never got the chance to tell you that.
Now for the best part - for me.
Tony's epiphany and the genuine smile that went with it.
T: I think I just realized who you are, Rachel.
NOTE: I was still in the dark. And I'm glad.
* Gibbs gets it too (or did he all along? Guess it's open to interpretation).
When I saw the Doc asleep behind what had been Kate's desk I immediately though of Twilight but it still didn't hit me.
FLASHBACK - "Twilight"
Gibbs covering up the sleeping Kate when the whole team stayed the night at NCIS to protect Gibbs from Ari.
D.R. wakes up when Gibbs puts down a cup of coffee next to her face.
G: So, how'd we do?
D.R.: Can't tell. Doctor/Patient privileged.
G: A c'mon doc, it's me.
This line makes me think Gibbs knew all along and that Rachel knew he knew.
DR: Still one agent I haven't talked to.
G: Well that's not gonna happen.
DR: I forgot, you're perfect.
G: No. No, I'm just too set in my ways to change now.
OK, my jaw dropped when Gibbs said what he's about to say. I loved it.
G: You know when you were lying there a second ago you looked just like your sister. You know that?
FLASHBACK: "Yankee White"
Gibbs offering Kate the job at NCIS.
then: "Twilight"
the "Protection detail's over Kate" conversation and then her murder mid-sentence: "Wow, I thought I'd die before I ever heard...."
* Team Gibbs has been better at letting go than she has.
Not really a surprise. Kate was her little sister.
G: You don't forget, you just move on.
* Loved Gibbs taking Rachel to his house and planting her on the spot where Ari died after being shot by Ziva.
I'm beginning to believe that the rest of Team Gibbs knows the truth about who really killed Ari. Too many other people already know.
* Liked the conversation between sisters. Did Sasha do the dialog or was it a sound alike?
* Rachel poses a riddle to Gibbs - and title of the episode.
A man walks into a bar. Asks the bartender for a glass of water. Bartender pulls out a shotgun. Fires a blast just missing the man. Man says thank you and puts a tip on the bar. Why the thank you?
G: Guy had the hiccups.
Loved the smile and the laugh.
Doc Rachel comes back out. Tells Gibbs it's all about responses for him and his team.
* Official Report. Sorry just too long to type out (think I'll truncate) but it boils down to: "In clinical terms they're a disaster. "Their selfless dysfunction is why it works."
And: "We react for better or worse. It's why your team succeeds. But be careful, eventually it might catch up to you." Then closing with the riddle.
But here are the flashbacks from when Vance was reading it.
FLASHBACKS:
"Enemies Domestic" Gibbs w/Vance at the hospital.
"Kill Ari: Part 2" Kate in her coffin and Gibbs looking at her.
"Recruited" Doctors Magnus and Mallard.
"Twilight" Tim firing at he terrorist who was firing at him from the warehouse window.
"Truth or Consequences" - Tony getting backhanded by Saleem and Tony & Tim supporting Ziva in getting out of that room.
"Borderland" - Abby catching the shell casing tossed to her by Paloma.
"Spider and the Fly" - Day of the Dead doll being thrown into the dirt by Alejando's face.
* When Vance finishes reading the report he reaches up and turns out his desk lamp and the set goes dark.
EDIT to add whole voice over.
The report read in voice over by Doc Rachel.
Flashback sequences included (again)
Spending time with your team has been enlightening to say the least. In clinical terms they're a disaster. But their selfless dysfunction is why it works. It's clear to me we all react to life's challenges in different ways - your people are no exception. Some fight death...
FLASHBACK - "Enemies Domestic" Gibbs w/Vance at hospital then Kate in her coffin in "Kill Ari: Part 2"
... and some embrace its solace.
FLASHBACK: "Recruited" - Ducky and Dr. Magnus
Some recognize their fate and others do what ever is necessary to alter it.
FLASHBACK: "Twilight" - Tim firing back at the terrorist in the window.
EDIT: (Thanks Jane) - Ziva's swearing in ceremony
Sometimes we defy others expectations.
FLASHBACK: "Truth or Consequences" - Tony getting backhanded by Saleem and Tony and Tim half-carrying Ziva from that room.
And occasionally we rise to meet them.
FLASHBACK: "Borderland" - Abby catching the shell casing tossed to her by Paloma Reynosa.
But the constant is being true to ourselves.
FLASHBACK: "Spider and the Fly" - Day of the Dead doll being tossed into the dirty by Alejandro Rivera's face and him being hauled to his feet my (oops - by) Tony and Tim to face Gibbs.
We do what we have to do when we have to. We regret for better or worse. It's why your team succeeds. But be careful, eventually it might catch up to you.
A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a shotgun.....
W: Gary Glasberg
D: James Whitmore, Jr.
OAD: 2.8.11
OUTSTANDING EPISODE! So far my favorite since Spider and the Fly this season. Thank you Gary for having such a good handle on these characters.
A lot to digest and this Obs in no way does it justice - not even close.
Will add more personal thoughts as the thread gets started. Just not happy with my finished product here.
NOTE: Missing episode titles have been provided by Llyan in her 1st post. And a correction too. Noted here.
GUEST CAST:
Dr. Rachel Cranston.............. Wendy Makkena
Navy Captain Thomas Lind......................... Scott Lawrence
Nancy Hargrove............... Kim Johnston Ulrich
Min Ho Kwon........................ Matt Yang King
Navy Admiral Wayne Hargrove.................. Robert Newman
Navy Ensign David Howard............................. Brian Skala
Navy Petty Officer Rena Oliver....................... Alexandra Barreto
Navy Seaman Marcus Leonard...................... Dustin Seavey
Navy Information Systems Tech Victor Davies...............Andrew Pattison
FYI: Robert Newman who played Admiral Hargrove was Josh Lewis on Guiding Light. I think Kim Johnston Ulrich who played Nancy Hargrove was also on a soap. Kim Ulrch Johnson also did soaps.
PHOOFS
ACT I: Gibbs/McGee
ACT II: Gibbs
ACT III: McGe
ACT IV: Gibbs
ACT V: Vance
MOVIE/TV REFS:
Oh dear, I don't think there were any. If there were I was so blown away by the rest of the episode that I missed them.
McNICKNAMES/NICKNAMES:
Probie - but in a round-about way by Doctor Cranston and in a flashback by Tony.
Ziva-isms:
None - I think.
Newish feature if ya'll want it:
Passage of time drawn from the change in Gibbs polo shirts.
3 days. Green shirt, Gray shirt, Baby blue shirt.
EDIT: After a few mentions I switched to calling Doc Rachel - D.R.
Teaser:
* Yeah! We had a ship. Not at sea but still it was a ship.
* XO (Executive Officer) called to bridge but he doesn't show. CO goes to him in his quarters. Ensign is there. CMDR Vincent Reynolds. Dead and very bloody. Time to call NCIS.
ACT I:
* Vance is talking to a woman assigned to "shrink" Team Gibbs. Points out that they've rescheduled 9 times and have never done it even though it's required.
* I liked Vance trying to defend the team by saying that cases take precedence.
She lets him know that agents need to be at the top of their game but when he says they are she points out some flaws in that thinking:
Vance nearly being killed and hospitalized
Gibbs resignation
DiNozzo and McGee being held captive (by Saleem)
* Hindsight is 20/20. Boy did I ever see the resemblance the 2nd time around.
* Loved that Vance was more concerned about the shrink than he was the team being shrunk. She asks who she should start with - who has the most to talk about.
* Cut to Tony being Tony for Ziva and Tim. Is playing with a large stack of money - won at a track (Pimlico) for winning on Win, Place and Show.
What I liked best about this scene wasn't that Tony did horse impressions but that Tony came out a winner for a change. He's always on the losing end so this was a nice change of pace.
* Intro: Doctor Rachel Cranston, Psychiatrist. Let the worrying begin.
She'll be following them around to observe and will talk to them one-on-one.
Off to the crime scene on the ship with Rachel in tow.
* Of course Tony tries to explain himself doing horse impressions. Says that he does stuff like that to lighten the mood for his teammates. She questions why he thinks he needs to do it.
* Clue: Doc Rachel calls Tony "VERY Special Agent DiNozzo" - didn't get it at all. Just figured she'd done her research and found out that he refers to himself that way quite a bit.
* Case. Victim was shot in his rack. Bullet is embedded in the mattress and the shell casing is on the floor (found by Gibbs). Casing is from a gun used by Koreans and Russians.
7 initial suspects - journalists aboard from a variety of countries.
ACT II:
* Journalists.
2 English
2 French
1 Korean
Assume the other two are US Citizens.
* Gibbs and Vance. I LOVED what Gibbs had to say about his team when Vance told him that a bad report from Doc Rachel could lead to changes (dun dun DUN!)
Gibbs: We are who we are, Director Vance.
* Info on the victim from Tony.
CMDR Vincent Reynolds. 30 years active service. Being forced into mandatory retirement. Best friend is Admiral Wayne Hargrove. Reynolds career stalled but the two remained friends.
* Looks like Ziva will be 1st up on the "couch".
* But 1st, Tony goes to question the journalists. The Korean (Min Ho Kwon) is agitated (don't meet the others). Liked that although the Tony humor was there it wasn't over the top and he was pretty damn serious and totally professional.
* A witness to an earlier confrontation between Kwon and Reynolds: Petty Officer Oliver.
* Ziva's session with Doc Rachel.
Ziva seemed both annoyed and agitated. Doc Rachel did her homework. Knows that Ziva has been trying to juggle to family, job and country for most of her life.
FLASHBACK:
Confronting Eli at being left out of the loop on the Rivkin assignment and Eli demanding her loyalty.
Ziva confrontational with the things that Doc Rachel is bringing up.
She knows that Ziva replaced "someone". Ziva says who it was - Catlyn Todd who was killed in the line of duty. Doesn't bring up that she was killed by her own half-brother.
Says that Kate's loss was significant to NCIS but stops short of saying it was significant to Gibbs, Tony, Tim, Abby and Ducky.
FLASHBACK - Silver War
Ziva trying to sit at Kate's desk and telling McGee that she's going to be a part of their team.
Then jumping ahead to the end of the episode sitting there again telling Gibbs that she doesn't think Kate would mind.:
* Interesting considering what we'll find out later. Ziva tells D.R. that other than being women she and Kate are very different women.
Very true.
* Men. D.R. points out that Ziva has been affected by different men. She denies it. "My work has never been affected" and tells D.R. that it's none of her business. She may have said that the D.R. but her flashes tell a different story.
FLASHBACK: Legend: Part 2
Ziva angry at Tony for calling her on her evasiveness when she only ID'd Rivkin as a Mossad operative and not that she knew him personally.
She then flashes to her attack on Tony in Israel - Aliyah.
Anger drops away. D.R. asks what Ziva wants and is told "something permanent, something that can't be taken away".
Sad really because there is no such thing in life.
* MTAC - a Gibbs conversation with Admiral Hardgrove.
Only thing really learned here is that the Admiral and his wife Nancy were good friends with Reynolds.
Note: The Admiral was played by Robert Newman who was Josh Lewis on Guiding Light for more years than I care to remember that I remember.
* Gibbs and Tony question Kwon.
LOVED seeing them double team the guy.
He's evasive but our guys get him...
T: Heck of a powder keg
G: (hand slam on the table) What are you, the fuse.
I love how they do this so naturally.
...AH but not on a murder charge. Was sending emails at the time of the murder to a North Korean submarine off the coast. He's North Korean instead of South Korean.
ACT III:
* D.R. awaiting Gibbs when he comes in the next morning. She tries to engage him. Not happening.
* Abby-ville.
Gun is a TT-30 or TT-33. She spots D.R. Asks Gibbs if she's the "Shrink-oid" and then calls her "Sigmund".
Although Abby was unnerved I was impressed that she didn't go into full-on Abby.
* Off only a look from D.R.:
Abby: Trust me honey, you don't have enough hours in the day.
I loved that. It was so "Abby".
* Loved the Tony/Ducky one-on-one. Tony confesses what Ducky already knows - he doesn't like head doctors. Feels judged and especially by this one.
* CASE: CMDR was shot with the gun pointed and pressed directly into his body.
* Enter D.R. Exit Tony.
D.R. You don't have to leave, Agent DiNozzo.
Tony: I do if you're staying.
Couldn't help but smile that when he said this he was already headed for the doors and didn't even break his stride and didn't look back.
* Ducky's turn. She tells him that she's not worried about him.
He admits to being a bit melancholy at times.
FLASHBACK: Kill Ari: Part 1
The "I appreciate you keeping me covered in front of the others, especially Tony" scene.
* Gibbs sends McGee off to check out Seaman Marcus Leonard's house. Records show he has a Russian gun. He'd had issues with the CMDR and had requested a Captains Mast.
G: Take Dr Cranston with you. Let her drive, you can lie down. Shrinks love that, McGee.
* McGee drives anyway. She tells him it must be nice to be out without Tony because it puts him in charge. He says it's true. It is nice.
* Another clue: She knows "Probie".
* Interesting that Tim seemed comfortable with D.R.. Not surprising thought since he does seem to be the most well adjusted member of this dysfunctional family.
* FLASHBACK:
"See No Evil". - correction by Llyan: "Reveille".
Tim becomes a full member of Team Gibbs and gets head slapped by Tony and Kate at the same time.
Then the "Pa-ro-beeeee" scene from "Singled Out" when Tim says "You wouldn't still be here now if you did, would you DiNozzo" comment.
* Doc thinks he's stunted with women. Asks if he wouldn't like to be in a committed relationship.
FLASHBACK:
"Endgame" when he 1st meets Amanda.
Then to Susan Grady in "Moonlighting" when he asks her out and she turns him down because she doesn't really think he means it.
Then the discussion with Abby over the girlfriend who took out a bunch of credit cards in his name and racked up $65,000 in charges. EDIT: "Designated Target". - Thanks Llyan.
Tim tells D.R. that he hasn't found the right girl yet. She says maybe he's looking too hard.
* Leonard's house. Despite telling her to stay on the porch D.R. follows him in and when called on it says: "Psychiatrists never listen" -
* Leonard is aboard ship but his house has guns guns and more guns.
ACT IV:
* Ziva questions Seaman Leonard aboard ship. Says he gave that gun to a friend/collector in Ohio.
* Tony's turn. Break room. Attacking the vending machine when his snack doesn't fall.
Glad to see his paying for his snacks this year.
Here goes.
Tony: My mom died when I was eight. Sent away to school when I was 11.
I almost lost that kid in Baltimore.
How'm I doin'? Am I doing good?
D.R. quotes Robert Frost. "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both...."
FLASHBACK: "Singled Out"
Jenny making the promotion to Rota offer.
then later seeing him turn it down.
Tony: We make decisions and we live with them.
D.R.: Some decisions are easier than others.
Snack falls but he walks away without it. And without even a hint of "Masked Tony".
LOTS to that conversation to ponder.
* I was curious about the info that Tony wasn't sent away to school until he was 11 but realized that he'd never come right out and said that he was sent away right after his mom died.
* Baltimore mention again - with a specific piece of information. Oh Boy!
* Regret that he didn't take the promotion? With meeting the agent that took it coming up this should be interesting.
* Don't meet him but brother of CMDR Reynolds is in conference room being interviewed by Tim - was in long-term relationship with a woman named Nancy. Same name as Admiral Hargrove's wife.
* One of the best lines of the night. Abby and D.R. again with Abs trying to stall/get rid of her.
Abby: I can't right now, I'm swamped. I love my job, I love my Gibbs. I need more sleep and I'm learning not to be so hard on myself.
She admits to being scared of learning things about herself that she doesn't like. D.R. reassures her. Suggests she needs more Abby time.
Asks if she hangs out with any of her female co-workers?
Abby: I miss Kate and Ziva's seeing someone.
FLASHBACK: EDIT "Hometown Hero" - Thanks Llyan
Abby and Kate talking about going away for the weekend and Tony letting his imagination run wild.
D.R. suggests McGee
More FLASHBACK - "See No Evil"
The "not just slept" revelation.
* CASE: Tape residue on Capt Reynolds hands.
* Gibbs talks to Nancy Hardgrove. 20 year relationship with Reynolds.
I liked that Gibbs wasn't judgmental and told her he was sorry for her loss.
Gibbs has his revelation moment regarding the case.
* Vance and D.R. - parking lot.
Leon is still limping slightly but he's not using the cane and seems to be in less pain.
FLASHBACK: "Cloak"
Conversation with SecNav over Leon inducing the SecNav to appoint him to the job after Jenny's death.
Then hospital with Reily trying to finish the job of killing him - "Enemies Domestic".
Gets call from Gibbs. "It wasn't murder".
* Gibbs and Tony on the ship. Hands the CO a piece of paper with names on it. Wants them together.
Tony points out that he's breaking Rule #1 (Never let suspects stay together)
Gibbs acknowledges that he's breaking it again.
ACT V:
* G/T question the Ensign who found Reynolds body and the Petty Officer that Tony spoke to earlier. They covered up a suicide. They both liked and respected their XO and thought he deserved to be honored for his service.
Reynolds was given the gun by a Russian while he was serving in Vietnam.
* Tony: Your XO was about to lose everything he cared about.
Man is Tony introspective these days. I love it.
* Autopsy. Tony looking at the body of XO Reynolds.
D.R.: What do you see when you look at him Agent DiNozzo?
Tony: Man works his whole life, dedicates himself to his job and then has nothing to show for it.
D.R.: How does that make you feel?
Tony: Afraid.
WHOA. That one simple heartfelt word just tore at my heart. That has to be the most serious thing he's said in years - maybe ever as far as the show is concerned.
T: I'm a good agent Doctor Cranston, a really good one.
I love that he said that about himself.
D.R.: I know. And so do a lot of other people.
FLASHBACK: "An Eye for an Eye"
Tony giving Iggy Kate's sat phone and her fighting it.
MISSING SCENE! Rooftop in Paraguay.
Kate: Well it's kind of beautiful up here.
T: And dangerous.
K: Well from this height you can't really tell.
T: I was referring to you. I thought you were going to attack me back in Iggy's stall.
K: How was I suppose to know what you were doing?
T: Well, we're a team Kate. You're suppose to fillow my lead.
K: Even when I don't know where it's going?
T: Especially then.
Good point. And had it been Gibbs doing what Tony did, Kate wouldn't have questioned it. Would she?
D.R.: But you can be more (than just a good agent). Has anyone ever told you that?
FLASHBACK: "SWAK"
Isolation chamber. Bickering with Kate just before Dr Pitt makes her leave.
Even just that little bit of that scene made my heart lurch.
D.R.: Maybe Agent Todd was hard on you because she knew what you were capable of. Too bad she never got the chance to tell you that.
Now for the best part - for me.
Tony's epiphany and the genuine smile that went with it.
T: I think I just realized who you are, Rachel.
NOTE: I was still in the dark. And I'm glad.
* Gibbs gets it too (or did he all along? Guess it's open to interpretation).
When I saw the Doc asleep behind what had been Kate's desk I immediately though of Twilight but it still didn't hit me.
FLASHBACK - "Twilight"
Gibbs covering up the sleeping Kate when the whole team stayed the night at NCIS to protect Gibbs from Ari.
D.R. wakes up when Gibbs puts down a cup of coffee next to her face.
G: So, how'd we do?
D.R.: Can't tell. Doctor/Patient privileged.
G: A c'mon doc, it's me.
This line makes me think Gibbs knew all along and that Rachel knew he knew.
DR: Still one agent I haven't talked to.
G: Well that's not gonna happen.
DR: I forgot, you're perfect.
G: No. No, I'm just too set in my ways to change now.
OK, my jaw dropped when Gibbs said what he's about to say. I loved it.
G: You know when you were lying there a second ago you looked just like your sister. You know that?
FLASHBACK: "Yankee White"
Gibbs offering Kate the job at NCIS.
then: "Twilight"
the "Protection detail's over Kate" conversation and then her murder mid-sentence: "Wow, I thought I'd die before I ever heard...."
* Team Gibbs has been better at letting go than she has.
Not really a surprise. Kate was her little sister.
G: You don't forget, you just move on.
* Loved Gibbs taking Rachel to his house and planting her on the spot where Ari died after being shot by Ziva.
I'm beginning to believe that the rest of Team Gibbs knows the truth about who really killed Ari. Too many other people already know.
* Liked the conversation between sisters. Did Sasha do the dialog or was it a sound alike?
* Rachel poses a riddle to Gibbs - and title of the episode.
A man walks into a bar. Asks the bartender for a glass of water. Bartender pulls out a shotgun. Fires a blast just missing the man. Man says thank you and puts a tip on the bar. Why the thank you?
G: Guy had the hiccups.
Loved the smile and the laugh.
Doc Rachel comes back out. Tells Gibbs it's all about responses for him and his team.
* Official Report. Sorry just too long to type out (think I'll truncate) but it boils down to: "In clinical terms they're a disaster. "Their selfless dysfunction is why it works."
And: "We react for better or worse. It's why your team succeeds. But be careful, eventually it might catch up to you." Then closing with the riddle.
But here are the flashbacks from when Vance was reading it.
FLASHBACKS:
"Enemies Domestic" Gibbs w/Vance at the hospital.
"Kill Ari: Part 2" Kate in her coffin and Gibbs looking at her.
"Recruited" Doctors Magnus and Mallard.
"Twilight" Tim firing at he terrorist who was firing at him from the warehouse window.
"Truth or Consequences" - Tony getting backhanded by Saleem and Tony & Tim supporting Ziva in getting out of that room.
"Borderland" - Abby catching the shell casing tossed to her by Paloma.
"Spider and the Fly" - Day of the Dead doll being thrown into the dirt by Alejando's face.
* When Vance finishes reading the report he reaches up and turns out his desk lamp and the set goes dark.
EDIT to add whole voice over.
The report read in voice over by Doc Rachel.
Flashback sequences included (again)
Spending time with your team has been enlightening to say the least. In clinical terms they're a disaster. But their selfless dysfunction is why it works. It's clear to me we all react to life's challenges in different ways - your people are no exception. Some fight death...
FLASHBACK - "Enemies Domestic" Gibbs w/Vance at hospital then Kate in her coffin in "Kill Ari: Part 2"
... and some embrace its solace.
FLASHBACK: "Recruited" - Ducky and Dr. Magnus
Some recognize their fate and others do what ever is necessary to alter it.
FLASHBACK: "Twilight" - Tim firing back at the terrorist in the window.
EDIT: (Thanks Jane) - Ziva's swearing in ceremony
Sometimes we defy others expectations.
FLASHBACK: "Truth or Consequences" - Tony getting backhanded by Saleem and Tony and Tim half-carrying Ziva from that room.
And occasionally we rise to meet them.
FLASHBACK: "Borderland" - Abby catching the shell casing tossed to her by Paloma Reynosa.
But the constant is being true to ourselves.
FLASHBACK: "Spider and the Fly" - Day of the Dead doll being tossed into the dirty by Alejandro Rivera's face and him being hauled to his feet my (oops - by) Tony and Tim to face Gibbs.
We do what we have to do when we have to. We regret for better or worse. It's why your team succeeds. But be careful, eventually it might catch up to you.
A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a shotgun.....