![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebecca_in_blueOn Monday night, Sable and I slept over at JC & Co's so Eva wouldn't have to stay home alone (her dad was working nights, and her mom was spending the night with Grandma, who can't be left alone anymore). I love them and visiting their house, so I was happy to do it. I'm not sure if Sable was, though; in all the years I've had him, I'd never brought him to their house before, and he doesn't adapt well to strange places in his old age. He and their sweet puppy Eleanor didn't know what to make of each other, but Sable enjoyed sniffing around their back yard so much that I had trouble bringing him back inside!
I got some bad news about Grandma before we left -- she's in hospice care now, and the doctor thinks she has about three months left. It hasn't really sunk in yet. And I'm not gonna lie, the first thing I thought about was when the doctor said that Aunt Carolyn had about six months left, and she died a few weeks later. We visited Grandma later that evening, and it was painfully uncomfortable. I wish I could do more for that poor, sweet old lady.
To distract myself from that -- NCIS! Yesterday's was our first new episode in a while, but Rebecca hasn't taken a break from her notes. I decided that for each week we don't get a new episode, I'll go back and rewatch an old one. I started at the beginning of Season 8. I'm not sure if I'll go back and write reviews for every old episode -- I'd have to rewatch close to 200! -- but I do wish I had started writing these reviews sooner.
Anyway, as for last night's episode. Perhaps because I was already so depressed going in, it didn't thrill me. NCIS does not have a good history with Christmas episodes.
Episode 9x11 Newborn King
Featuring Breena Slater, last seen in Moonlighting.
Writer: Christopher J. Waild (Safe Harbor)
This episode shoved Christmas down my throat until I wanted to gag on it. It especially bothered me that the Christmas references were so religious -- from the front desk clerk's line about a hotel being all booked up on Christmas Eve in the opening scene, to the climax scene of a baby's who "practically royalty" born on Christmas Eve. Would it kill the writers to remember that many viewers don't celebrate Christmas in a religious way, or even (gasp!) don't celebrate Christmas at all? Of course, almost all TV shows have a Christmas episode every season, but most of them are way more secular than this one was.
I really didn't expect any acknowledgement of the fact that Ziva's Jewish, because that's something that the show seems to have completely forgotten. It's one way the show has changed - and in my opinion, deteriorated - from earlier seasons. Seasons 3-5 didn't shove it in your face that Ziva's Jewish, but they did reference it from time to time. I miss that SO much.
How the heck do Ziva and McGee know about Wendy? I haven't seen Baltimore since it aired last season, but I don't remember Tony mentioning her to anyone. Also, Ziva seemed pretty darn happy that Tony's former fiancee was trying to reconnect with him. I don't ship Tiva, but it seemed odd. I wasn't sure if she was teasing him, or if she genuinely wanted him to find someone to make him happy. I prefer to believe the later.
"...and her seven-year-old son, Fred." Oh, please, how often do you see the name Fred on young kids?
"I say it with the upmost respect." - "I know that." I loved this exchange so much. It was nice to see Tony semi-respecting Palmer for a change, and it was nice to see an episode that gave Palmer some decent screentime. He was cute in that sweater vest. His "grinch-in-law," though, was too much of an over-the-top jerk. It pissed me off when Gibbs defended this guy, when what he needed was a good smack to the head.
"Get off my desk." Yeah, Palmer, Ziva is the only one who can sit on Gibbs's desk (in Enemy on the Hill). Oh, and Abby could get away with it, too.
"Oo-rah." - "Oo-right." I loved this exchange. Emma was very sharp.
"What if this is the only way?" That line felt a little immature to me. Come on, Palmer, you're getting married! Part of being married is facing issues, solving problems, making sacrifices, and compromising together. There is never an "only way" to happiness. I liked the pep-talk Ducky gave him. God loves a duck!
"I guess someone else had other plans." Again, this episode was waaay too religious and Christian for my taste.
And there's the "Do you have kids, Agent Gibbs?" question again.
"Wendy used to make the most kick-ass snickerdoodle." It was so weird to hear Tony volunteering information about her. The cookie interrogation was weird, too, and I didn't like it. The Russian agent's accent was ridiculous.
For how intimidated Palmer seemed by Ed at the beginning, he sure grew a pair of balls and stood up to him awfully fast. And Ed accepted Palmer's assertion of his alpha-maleness so quietly that it makes me wonder if his unapproving, tough-guy stuff was all just an act. Maybe he was testing Palmer to see if his future son-in-law had any gonads.
Childbirth is often depicted inaccurately on TV shows, and it's also TV cliche to have a baby born under extenuating circumstances. So I guess I shouldn't fault the show for that. I liked how Ziva was eager to switch places with Gibbs, letting him deliver the baby while she took down the bad guys. So very her.
The split scenes of Gibbs delivering the baby and Ziva fighting off the bad guys, all set to "Silent Night," were more than a little ridiculous. And Ziva's fight scene felt way too drawn-out. In some ways, this episode reminded me of Engaged: Part 2, where Gibbs and Ziva got all the action while Tony just did interrogations.
It pissed me off when Gibbs referred to Amira as "Mike Franks's granddaughter," as if Tony didn't know her name. Then I thought, "Well, this line was probably for the audience, not for Tony. We see Amira so rarely that it's understandable many viewers wouldn't remember her name, so Gibbs had to explain who she was. That's okay, then." But then, Tony had to answer with, verbatim, "Oh, I forgot Leyla and Amira live in DC now." You. Jerk. I'm can't believe Gibbs didn't head-smack him for this. Writers, it is ridiculous to have Tony act so saddened by Mike's death, and then completely forget that his family lives in the city! I haven't been so pissed since Ziva missed Mike's funeral (in Pyramid).
NB: Newborn King was the last episode of 2011. The first was Ships in the Night.
FF: I wrote a tag to this episode in Those Who Favor Fire: Chapter 4.
I got some bad news about Grandma before we left -- she's in hospice care now, and the doctor thinks she has about three months left. It hasn't really sunk in yet. And I'm not gonna lie, the first thing I thought about was when the doctor said that Aunt Carolyn had about six months left, and she died a few weeks later. We visited Grandma later that evening, and it was painfully uncomfortable. I wish I could do more for that poor, sweet old lady.
To distract myself from that -- NCIS! Yesterday's was our first new episode in a while, but Rebecca hasn't taken a break from her notes. I decided that for each week we don't get a new episode, I'll go back and rewatch an old one. I started at the beginning of Season 8. I'm not sure if I'll go back and write reviews for every old episode -- I'd have to rewatch close to 200! -- but I do wish I had started writing these reviews sooner.
Anyway, as for last night's episode. Perhaps because I was already so depressed going in, it didn't thrill me. NCIS does not have a good history with Christmas episodes.
Episode 9x11 Newborn King
Featuring Breena Slater, last seen in Moonlighting.
Writer: Christopher J. Waild (Safe Harbor)
This episode shoved Christmas down my throat until I wanted to gag on it. It especially bothered me that the Christmas references were so religious -- from the front desk clerk's line about a hotel being all booked up on Christmas Eve in the opening scene, to the climax scene of a baby's who "practically royalty" born on Christmas Eve. Would it kill the writers to remember that many viewers don't celebrate Christmas in a religious way, or even (gasp!) don't celebrate Christmas at all? Of course, almost all TV shows have a Christmas episode every season, but most of them are way more secular than this one was.
I really didn't expect any acknowledgement of the fact that Ziva's Jewish, because that's something that the show seems to have completely forgotten. It's one way the show has changed - and in my opinion, deteriorated - from earlier seasons. Seasons 3-5 didn't shove it in your face that Ziva's Jewish, but they did reference it from time to time. I miss that SO much.
How the heck do Ziva and McGee know about Wendy? I haven't seen Baltimore since it aired last season, but I don't remember Tony mentioning her to anyone. Also, Ziva seemed pretty darn happy that Tony's former fiancee was trying to reconnect with him. I don't ship Tiva, but it seemed odd. I wasn't sure if she was teasing him, or if she genuinely wanted him to find someone to make him happy. I prefer to believe the later.
"...and her seven-year-old son, Fred." Oh, please, how often do you see the name Fred on young kids?
"I say it with the upmost respect." - "I know that." I loved this exchange so much. It was nice to see Tony semi-respecting Palmer for a change, and it was nice to see an episode that gave Palmer some decent screentime. He was cute in that sweater vest. His "grinch-in-law," though, was too much of an over-the-top jerk. It pissed me off when Gibbs defended this guy, when what he needed was a good smack to the head.
"Get off my desk." Yeah, Palmer, Ziva is the only one who can sit on Gibbs's desk (in Enemy on the Hill). Oh, and Abby could get away with it, too.
"Oo-rah." - "Oo-right." I loved this exchange. Emma was very sharp.
"What if this is the only way?" That line felt a little immature to me. Come on, Palmer, you're getting married! Part of being married is facing issues, solving problems, making sacrifices, and compromising together. There is never an "only way" to happiness. I liked the pep-talk Ducky gave him. God loves a duck!
"I guess someone else had other plans." Again, this episode was waaay too religious and Christian for my taste.
And there's the "Do you have kids, Agent Gibbs?" question again.
"Wendy used to make the most kick-ass snickerdoodle." It was so weird to hear Tony volunteering information about her. The cookie interrogation was weird, too, and I didn't like it. The Russian agent's accent was ridiculous.
For how intimidated Palmer seemed by Ed at the beginning, he sure grew a pair of balls and stood up to him awfully fast. And Ed accepted Palmer's assertion of his alpha-maleness so quietly that it makes me wonder if his unapproving, tough-guy stuff was all just an act. Maybe he was testing Palmer to see if his future son-in-law had any gonads.
Childbirth is often depicted inaccurately on TV shows, and it's also TV cliche to have a baby born under extenuating circumstances. So I guess I shouldn't fault the show for that. I liked how Ziva was eager to switch places with Gibbs, letting him deliver the baby while she took down the bad guys. So very her.
The split scenes of Gibbs delivering the baby and Ziva fighting off the bad guys, all set to "Silent Night," were more than a little ridiculous. And Ziva's fight scene felt way too drawn-out. In some ways, this episode reminded me of Engaged: Part 2, where Gibbs and Ziva got all the action while Tony just did interrogations.
It pissed me off when Gibbs referred to Amira as "Mike Franks's granddaughter," as if Tony didn't know her name. Then I thought, "Well, this line was probably for the audience, not for Tony. We see Amira so rarely that it's understandable many viewers wouldn't remember her name, so Gibbs had to explain who she was. That's okay, then." But then, Tony had to answer with, verbatim, "Oh, I forgot Leyla and Amira live in DC now." You. Jerk. I'm can't believe Gibbs didn't head-smack him for this. Writers, it is ridiculous to have Tony act so saddened by Mike's death, and then completely forget that his family lives in the city! I haven't been so pissed since Ziva missed Mike's funeral (in Pyramid).
NB: Newborn King was the last episode of 2011. The first was Ships in the Night.
FF: I wrote a tag to this episode in Those Who Favor Fire: Chapter 4.
