NCIS - Jack Knife

Network: CBS
Time: Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Rocky Carroll

Summary: When a Marine is found dead, the team hits the road to bust an illegal trucking operation.

Review: This was an odd episode.  Start to finish, it was quite unlike any NCIS episode I've seen before.  For one thing, while there was a murder of a Marine, the bulk of this episode had very little to do with murder or Marines.  It was about a possibly illegal trucking operation that possibly employed a few Marines.

Remember Corporal Damon Werth?  The super-soldier from a couple seasons ago who came back a few episodes ago to save the team's collective butts?  The one Ziva had a thing for?  Well, he's back.  And our favorite FBI agent, Tobias Fornell?  He's back too (with facial hair).  I have to admit, just having Fornell there made Gibbs a more likable character again.  I don't know what's been up with him lately, but he's been even surlier than normal.

Also, McGee has taken to being Gibbs' personal slave.  He feels bad about Gibbs getting hurt while saving his life, so he's running around doing anything and everything Gibbs could possibly need.  Which means getting very little sleep.  Which means a way over-caffeinated McGee.  Which was hilarious.

Also also, if Tony and Ziva aren't sleeping together, I'll be shocked.  There are just way too many inside jokes and secret looks for them to be teetering on the brink still.  The tension is no longer unresolved; it's a different kind of tension now.  The kind that TV couples have when they're in a relationship that no one else can know about (see The Mentalist's Rigsby and Van Pelt for a good example). 

This was a fun little episode.  Not much in the way of substance, but it seemed like the writers were stepping back and making sure all the characters were still likable.  For the last few episodes, there's always been at least one character who was acting unnecessarily obnoxious or snarky.  It was nice to see everyone get back to where they should be.  They've also set up a nice story with Gibbs and McGee that I feel could be leading up to a good moment between the two.  Not quite a 5-star episode, but definitely enjoyable to watch.



Favorite lines
Gibbs (upon seeing Fornell's beard): What happened to your face?
Fornell: What happened to your arm?
Gibbs: The job.
[beat]
Fornell: Same.

Fornell: This is a big deal for you, isn't it?  Letting me drive your car.
Gibbs: Yeah, whatever.  You already slept with my wife.

Gibbs: Get Tony and Ziva out of bed.
McGee: What? Oh, you want me to get them out of bed. Because it's the middle of the night. Their individual beds.

Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

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