Let’s face it, by now everyone knows that the focal point of
the series this season was Abby. When it was announced that Pauley Perrette had
decided to leave the show fans were shocked. The character of Abby Sciuto was
so ingrained in people’s mind as being associated with this series that it was
a loss they all took to heart. With the exceptions of Mark Harmon as the series
centerpiece Leroy Jethro Gibbs and David McCallum as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard
she was the only remaining cast member from the first season forward. Fear ran
rampant. Was she going to be gone for good? Would they kill her off? Would she
just leave for a while?
If you’ve been watching the show you know that season 14
ended with a cliff hanger. Jethro and Tim McGee (Sean Murray) had been captured
while saving a group of people in Paraguay. This season kicks off 2 months
later and the search for them is still going on. The episode ends with their
rescue but that’s not the end of what they endured. Those mental scars will
come back to haunt them at different moments of the season.
The series moves forward with the NCIS (Naval Criminal
Investigative Service) unit investigating a number of crimes involving the
military. A service man who disappeared a year ago, an undercover agent who
went missing 10 years prior, bribery, kidnappings and arms dealers are just a
few of the cases they investigate. And as with all 14 prior seasons the team
works together to find the solutions to the problems they are presented with.
Last season also saw the dismissal from the FBI of long time
agent and running character Fornell (Joe Spano) due to testimony provided by
Gibbs. This season the character who was set free returns and Gibbs has the
chance to help his friend. He makes Fornell a part of the team and they work
together to bring the killer to justice.
The previous season introduced Nick Torres (Wilmer
Valderrama) to the season and he fits in nicely here, a bit self-absorbed type
who fills in for the missing Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) who left the series
(to star in his own series BULL). But Tony does make an appearance just not in
person. And it’s one of the most touching moments this season.
Jack Sloane (Maria Bello) was added last season as a
psychology expert familiar with Gibbs and brought in to work with the team.
Hints of issues she was working with have been periodically dropped but that
all comes to the forefront in one episode this season. It’s an episode that
shows how damaged she is beneath the cool exterior she displays for the rest of
the team.
It seems cast members come and go in this series and sadly
many of them are not just moving from one place to another (like DiNozzo). At
various points in time cast members have been killed in the line of duty.
That’s the reality that officers actually face on a day to day basis. That
holds true in this season as one member of the team will not be there come
season 16.
Wait does that mean Abby dies? Hey if you didn’t see and
someone didn’t spoil it for you don’t expect me to be the one to tell you.
Suffice to say that an incident involving Abby leads to her no longer being on
the team. By choice or by death, watch and see to find out.
The series once again ends with a cliff hanger, one that
affects Sloane and deals with those issues mentioned earlier. The appearance in
D.C. of a man she knows is the same one who tortured her in Afghanistan has led
those above her to question her decision making capabilities. At the same time
if the man actually is here the odds that he is a terrorist with intent to do
this country harm increases. If that is or is not the case won’t be determined
until season 16 begins this fall.
It’s easy to see why this series always ranks in the top
spot. It’s informative, it’s fascinating, it’s humorous, it’s entertaining and
the mysteries being solved are always the type you can follow along with and
try to figure out on your own who the guilty party is. The acting remains fresh
even after watching these same characters for all this time. Harmon in
particular has done an amazing job. Going back and watching previous seasons
and seeing the slow polishing of the character of Gibbs is amazing to watch.
I came into this series late in the game. After several
characters had died and others had moved on. I’ve since become a fan and I’m
still in the process of going back to watch previous seasons starting with the
first. If only there were more hours in the day.
I was asked the other day why would anyone want to buy TV
series of shows they’ve already seen? I thought about that. I thought back to a
time when there were favorite shows I grew up with that I could no longer watch
on TV. Some came back as reruns or in syndication but not all. Even now
episodes of the original STAR TREK or THE WILD WILD WEST are no longer showing
on TV. But they are on DVD. I can watch them when I want. I can watch them
non-stop if I choose. I can select particular episodes to re-watch. I can enjoy
them again and again. Or, as with NCIS, I can go back and start from the
beginning watching what I missed early on and enjoy them for the first time
while those episode that take place after I became a regular viewer will take
on a different meaning having learned what took place before. In any event if
you’re a fan like me owning series like this is something to cherish. And if
you’re a fan of NCIS you’ll want to add this season to your collection.
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