I suppose peer pressure and envy affect us all, no matter how old or how famous. Ralph Waite already made an appearance on NCIS this season, so it should come as no surprise that Robert Wagner popped up again last night as Anthony DiNozzo Sr. Only, I’m not sure how good it was to see him.
Not that I wasn’t excited by the guest appearance, but Senior is starting to wane a bit in my affections. And that’s mainly Gibbs’ fault — Gibbs is a much better father figure/mentor for Junior than Senior will ever be. Awesome for us and Gibbs, but not so much for Senior.
I did, however, really enjoy the talk that Junior and Senior had at the end of the episode. I don’t expect two adults to alter their relationship that easily, but it was certainly a step in the right direction. And it’s a big step by a parent to admit to their child that they need help, even if ultimately Senior did say that he could take care of himself.
The Gibbs/Senior face-off was a lot more muted this time around, but it still made for some good TV, as limited as it was. I love the fact that Gibbs’ main problem with Senior (as I’ve understood it) is that he isn’t a good father to Junior. Isn’t that awesome?
I loved Samm Levine‘s appearance as NCIS Agent Cashier Fred Seymour; his role could provide a lot of levity considering that pencil pushing money men are always the bane of any employee’s existence. I just hope that, were he to land a more prominent role, it wouldn’t be at the expense of Mr. Palmer, who was absent last night.
Was anyone else insulted by the manner in which Vice Admiral C. Clifford Chase (Bruce Boxleitner) treated Gibbs? I felt like Chase wanted Gibbs off of the case from the beginning. And what was up with Gibbs’ little smirk the entire time he was dealing with Chase? Have we come across Chase before and I just don’t remember?
I was super impressed with McGee’s detective work on the numbers he found on Iverson’s phone. Tracking it back to the cab was awesome … how does he come up with that stuff? You have to think to look for something like that, and I’m always very impressed with McGee — even if he is only doing what the script says — when he figures that stuff out from nowhere.
I was disappointed in how swiftly things moved from the point at which the team got made at the party up to their getaway. Would it really be as simple as a swift kick and a punch to dispense with senior security personnel? And that Senior got the drop on a much younger man … it’s all possible, but it felt more like the writers ran out of steam there and just let them get free. I expect better.
The last time Wagner showed up we got a nice Gibbs and Junior moment at the end of the episode, sharing a beer and a steak at Gibbs’ house. Maybe Senior’s reappearance will bring some of those nice moments back. I know I wouldn’t complain if it did.
Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 10, 2010 @ 16:00 EST5EDT
