Network: CBS
Time: Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo, Sean Murray, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Rocky Carroll
WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for the episode.
Summary: When a marine is murdered while on a dinner cruise, the team works with the Coast Guard Investigative Service to solve the crime. (from tvguide.com)
Review: Eight seasons in, NCIS has become fairly formulaic. It's a science that clearly works for them, since NCIS is arguably the most-watched scripted show on television, but it means that some episodes will be nothing special.
This was a nothing special episode.
The only thing that made this episode stand out a little from others was the return of CGIS Special Agent Abigail Borin (aka Other Abbs). Abigail is the Gibbs of the Coast Guard, from the succint statements to the coffee swilling. I've always enjoyed watching Gibbs when he's forced to interact with other agencies, and this was no exception. She's probably the only one he's ever actually seemed to like (since he always pretends to be annoyed when he has to work with Fornell), and I really liked their scenes together. I hope they'll continue to bring her character back.
The rest of the episode was on par for an NCIS episode. They investigated the shooting of a marine who was on a cruise with SA Borin, a marine who also happened to be the prodigal son of a wealthy family. Turns out Junior wanted to take the family business and make it a charitable non-profit. The minute that little tidbit was introduced, I was able to identify the killer, so no surprises there.
Even our regular characters were just average tonight. Coming off a great DiNozzo episode, I was a little disappointed that Tony was back to his usual self, apparently having learned nothing from his joke-free time. McGee was slightly off, two days of overtime turning him into a bit of a slacker (though he still does more in any given episode than everyone else on the team combined). And I can't even remember the scenes in autopsy.
The only character who stood out in this episode was Abby, who seemed to be having a great time with the other Abby. It's rare that Gibbs and Abby like the same woman, but it seems like SA Borin might be the exception. The scenes in the lab were by far my favorite moments, and the dynamic between the three was fun and engaging. Borin's brisk manner complemented Abby's long-windedness well, and Gibbs' brevity fit in well with both.
Were you as apathetic towards this episode as I was? Leave me some comments and let me know.
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Rating: 3/5
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Good review Jillian. I enjoy the NCIS bunch from seeing the character development and interaction.
ReplyDeleteThe intrinsic dry humor of Gibbs is well-played by Mark Harmon. It's the reason I watch - along with watching Cote de Pablo. ;-)
You are right-on that the plot of this one is among the ordinary but the Abbys were fun to watch. I also found the earlier episode when the team investigated along with the local police squad, who were mirror-images of the team's personalities, an absolute hoot.