michaelweatherly

(S04E22) We started season four with a look at Tony taking over for the retired Gibbs. So it's fitting that as we move toward the end of the season we get to see the two of them in parallel stories. They both are facing big decisions where the women in their lives are concerned. And both of them are struggling with what to do, though for different reasons.

Over the last 90 episodes we have learned plenty about Gibbs' past. The issues he has with making a more official commitment to his relationship with Hollis (Susana Thompson) didn't come as a surprise. Gibbs has baggage, and a lot of it. It's a complicated situation and I really like the way they handled it.

(S04E21) This week the NCIS team managed to put the viewer in the same position as Jenny. Unfortunately, that's not a good thing. When she opened up that cargo container and realized that she had been taken for a ride, I was right there with her, because the viewers had been on a ride of their own.

Now, I get how the formula works. NCIS is a mostly stand alone show, with serial elements. And I'm perfectly fine with that. I've been waiting anxiously for the last half of the season to get some answers about Tony/Jeanne and Le Grenouille, and that's fine. I enjoy the stand alone episodes while we wait. This week though, I would describe as a stand alone serial episode. What I mean is that while they were playing with the ongoing storylines, in the end it amounted to nothing. With the possible exception of knowing that Tony had dinner with Jeanne's mother, this episode could be left off the DVD and the story wouldn't miss a beat.

Michael Ausiello at TV Guide is reporting a big scoop: NCIS star Mark Harmon is threatening to walk off the hit CBS show.

Citing inside sources, Ausiello says that Harmon has always been fed up with producer Donald Bellisario's (Magnum, P.I., JAG, Quantum Leap) "chaotic management style" and wants off the show. The source also says that Harmon is one of the nicest guys on television and that he's in the right on this one. The dispute is described as "a big standoff."

So I'll ask you readers the same thing that Ausiello asks his readers: can NCIS survive without Mark Harmon, or is he the main reason to watch the show?

[via TV Tattle]

(S04E20) Twenty episodes in, and I'm chomping at the bit to get to the Tony/Jeanne story. Credit to team NCIS that they have created an arc that has people waiting anxiously for a resolution. With that in mind, if you would have told me that we were going to get a stand alone episode that didn't get into any of the big seasonal stories, I doubt I would have been excited about it.

But then they went and did this. Bringing McGee's next book, "Rock Hollow," into the picture made for some great scenes. And those scenes were really what sold this one. The actual mystery was interesting, but more for what we learned about McGee and the new book than the actual whodunnit aspect. I thought they gave Landon away right off the bat when he recognized "Thom."

(S04E19) Those pesky writers at NCIS just continue to tease us with the Tony/Jeanne story. I saw that Scottie Thompson was going to be in this episode, and after the way the last one ended I was hopeful that we would get tipped off to just what is going on there. No such luck, but I'm ok with that. There were a lot of other things to like about this installment.

Things like the case. The conflicting results from Abby and Ducky had me all confused. Having the plan hinge on the voice modeling software was an interesting way to go with it. The magic door was also a fun twist, and made even more so thanks to Tony's scene both discovering it, and trying to defeat it.

(S04E18) One thing we can say for this episode, the answer to the mystery wasn't obvious from the get go. Between the loan shark, the shady freight carrier, and the return of Mike Franks (Muse Watson), it was a complicated affair. That's ok though, because it made for a pretty entertaining episode.

The folks in promotion over at CBS get a couple demerits this week for the misleading teasers. The various previews I saw kept mentioning "a connection to Gibbs' past." Now, that's some of the good stuff that I think a lot of fans are waiting for. If there was a connection in this episode, it was either very minor, or I completely missed it. If that connection was just Mike coming back again, then they horribly oversold it.

(S04E15) After the big revelations last week regarding the ongoing case, I fully expected a stand-alone episode that mostly ignored it this week. And that is pretty much what was delivered. It's ok though, because while it was open and shut, this was an interesting case.

What really sold the mystery for me was the way it was presented. The Club One angle worked on a couple different levels. I would have said it was worth it just for the scene with McGee, Abby, Ziva, and Lee making their entrance, but there was much more.

The exclusivity of the club put the team at a disadvantage because they couldn't investigate as they normally would. It had the bonus of putting us in the same situation, because we couldn't get a feel for the suspects.

(S04E12) After what was an all too long winter break, our pals at NCIS are finally back with a new episode. It's an important episode for the show. This season has seen the shows audience grow to be a top ten contender, but now things have changed. The gorilla is back in the building and it will be interesting to see how NCIS holds up against Idolmania.

There was a lot going on here. Aside from the case of the week there was some foreshadowing of coming stories and a crazy cliffhanger ending. I'll get to that in a minute, but first a look at the little town of Edenvale. It was obvious where they were going with the town when Tony and McGee started in with the dueling banjos. Boondocks. I can't believe that their little concert didn't warrant dual headslaps from Gibbs though.