With the final few episodes of Season 6 drawing near, the higher ups at NCIS are throwing out some very tantalizing hooks in order to make people tune in to watch NCIS. They have stated that Anthony DiNozzo, one of the most popular characters of this show, will definitely have a tragedy to deal with in his life. They have also hinted that Ziva David will also experience a tragedy. Most importantly for fans of Michael Weatherly (Tony) and Cote de Pablo (Ziva) who love the sexual tension and flirting that goes on between these two characters, there will be plenty of Tiva drama during the last four episodes. Seems Ziva's mysterious boyfriend from earlier this year, Michael, will be making an appearance, causing a triangle. Will his presence push Tony into admitting to Ziva how much he cares for her, will Ziva pick Michael, or will Tony remember Gibbs' famous rule about not dating co-workers?
And if these spoilers weren't enough to have any NCIS fan on the edge of their seats, the higher ups have also stated that a secret from Gibbs' past, that has been hinted at supposedly from the very first episode, will be uncovered. They have dared NCIS fans to figure out what the secret is, making these passionate people speculate about many different scenarios and secrets. These have ranged from looking further into his relationship with FBI Agent Fornell, to Gibbs having had a fling with a girl when he was very young. The fling resulted in the birth of either Abby Sciuto or Tony DiNozzo - both of whom seem to be Gibbs' favorite "children." If this were to happen, I think I would believe it more if Tony were the child given up for adoption that Gibbs never knew about. Why? Tony is an only child. One that did not have the best of childhoods since both parents, although rich, tended to drink a lot. Rich couple wants to have a child and can't. Enter a young girl who wants to give her child to someone who can provide for it and give the child everything it would want and it is classic. Other fans have even gone way off into the realm of believability and suggested that Kelly, Gibbs' daughter who supposedly died in a car accident, is actually alive. Whatever the secret, the internet is buzzing with guesses, which is exactly what the higher ups wanted.
I have news for them. They do not need to throw out hooks to bait viewers into watching NCIS. The writing, the characters, the actors who portray them and the chemistry of the cast is enough to make anyone want to watch this wonderful show. Very few shows on television today can make you laugh one minute and cry the next. To keep you interested in solving the case (especially if you get bored with forensics or computer geek-speak) simply because you love the interaction between the characters. Watching them joke around with each other before doing a 180 and concentrating on the case at hand.
Ducky, the medical examiner, may drone on and on about something that is totally boring, yet you feel compelled to watch because you want to see him interact with the other characters, you're afraid you might miss something funny that is going to be said, or you simply love David McCallum. The same think can be said of Abby Sciuto, played by the very talented Pauley Perrette. I have no clue what she is explaining, yet I love her quirkiness, her enthusiasm for her job and her love for all of her co-workers. And although Brian Dietzen, who portrays Jimmy Palmer, does not often get many lines, his character is one that we could not do without. Jimmy has become to Ducky what Tony is to Gibbs. Both Jimmy and Tony idolize their bosses and do everything in their power to please them. Gibbs and Ducky are very fond of their proteges even if they have to rein them in sometimes with a head slap (Gibbs) or stern words (Ducky). Even Tony and Jimmy seem to have a friendship, which was revealed this season, that seems to imitate Gibbs and Ducky's relationship.
The agents of NCIS are in the spotlight in most episodes. They are the ones who must do the investigating, interrogating and capturing of the criminals they pursue. While Ducky, Jimmy and Abby are integral in solving the mysteries, the agents in this show are the star attractions. Each of them brings something different to the table and although their personalities might be as different as night and day, they mesh so well that no one seems to notice. And the relationships are so different, yet the same, that their scenes flow well and keep you interested for the entire hour. In fact, I have often found myself wishing that NCIS was a two hour show every week instead of one because one hour does not seem to satisfy me. I haven't found myself wishing this about any show since Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel ended a few years ago. I never thought I would ever hear myself saying that someone else could write as well as Joss Whedon and company, but the writers at NCIS are definitely talented enough to keep up with them.
As with Joss' writing, the writers at NCIS know when to inject humor into a tense situation or gory crime scene without being tasteless. The viewer realizes that these agents have to rely on a sense of humor sometimes in order to get through the horror of the day to day job of solving terrible crimes. Along with the humor and intensity, there is also compassion and understanding for the victims and their families. Each character handles heartbreak in their own unique way and the other characters are so tuned in to each other that they know what to do in order to help anyone through a troubling time.
Gibbs, the father figure of the group, says little, but yet so much. With just a look, he can convey how he feels to each of his agents, especially Tony. While Gibbs is very private about his personal life, he takes interest in the lives of his team. When anyone, including Palmer, is going through a tough time, Gibbs knows what to say or do to calm them down and make them focus. Gibbs is hard on his agents. He yells, he gets into their personal space and he does quite a bit of head slapping - again, especially DiNozzo. The head slapping is not meant to be mean. In one episode, Ducky asks why Gibbs slaps his agents on the back of the head and not the face. Gibbs replies, "A slap to the head is a wake-up call. Slapping someone in the face is humiliating." This says it all. Gibbs wants to make sure his team stays focused so that they won't end up getting hurt. This is his way of letting them know that he cares.
Every now and then, Gibbs will let the protective walls he has built around himself since the loss of his wife, Shannon and their daughter, Kelly down and show Tony, Ziva and Tim just how much he really cares about them. Gibbs does not give praise out freely. He expects his agents to do their job and do it well so when Tony, Ziva or Tim are given this praise, it means so much more to them.
Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, the rich playboy, ex-Baltimore cop is the senior field agent of the team. While Tony gives an outward appearance of being a carefree, brash, immature man, he is the one character that has many depths. Like an onion, you peel one layer off to find so many layers hidden underneath. Tony is actually very compassionate, observant and very smart. He sees things that the others do not often see. The way he comes up with things may be weird, but he definitely gets the job done.
Tony craves attention from all of his co-workers, especially Gibbs. He is not above going through his co-worker's personal things in order to learn more about them. And while he can annoy them to no end, they definitely miss Tony when he is not around. As Gibbs says in the episode "Agent Afloat", "The team needs him." Tony has a father/son relationship with Gibbs. He also has a big brother relationship with McGee, Abby and even Jimmy. Ziva and Tony have a great "partner" relationship and it has been hinted that their relationship borders on love. Whether we will see this at the end of Season 6 is yet to be seen. Ducky treats him like a grandfather would an errant grandson and even Jenny Shepard, one time Director of NCIS before she was killed in a shoot-out, became a mother figure to Tony.
Tony gives the others a hard time, but just like Gibbs, if they need him, he is always there. When anyone on the team gets in trouble, Tony is there to lend support. He is loyal, brave and has a very compassionate side that is seen every now and then. Tony is also funny and is one of very few who can make Gibbs truly smile or laugh.
Ziva David, the Mossad officer who took Kate's place after she was shot and killed by a terrorist (who happened to be Ziva's half-brother) has been a welcome addition to the NCIS team. Her banter with Tony is fun to watch, as was her trying to win over Abby's friendship when she was brought in to take over for Kate. As with NCIS viewers, Ziva managed to win Abby's heart.
Ziva is one tough cookie. She can take on a whole army of men and come out standing. She is smart, competent and can kick some major league butt. While Ziva tries not to show her emotions, there have been times when we see that she does indeed have them. It is hard for Ziva to open up to others, possibly due to her Mossad training. Yet, she too, is loyal, brave and smart.
Timothy McGee, or Probie as Tony likes to call him, has come a long way in character development. When Tim first started working on "Team Gibbs," he was as green an agent as there ever was. He couldn't look Gibbs in the eye, stuttered through his explanations, worried whether he was making the right decisions, fell for Tony's many practical jokes and was very unsure of himself. Over the years, Tim has developed into a man who now realizes that not only is he a genius with computers and very smart, but that he also can handle himself in the field.
Abby Sciuto, Forensics Specialist Extraordinaire, is a Goth who loves science, but also believes in things such as vampires or weird occurrences like crop circles. She loves her music and sleeps in a coffin. Yet despite her quirks, Abby is the best there is in the field of forensics. Nothing gets past this girl.
Abby is a very loving person and never hesitates to show her love for her fellow co-workers. Her enthusiasm and love of life make her a favorite among the team. If there were anyone on the team that everyone would rush to protect, it is Abby. They all love her like a little sister, granddaughter or daughter. McGee seems to have more than "sisterly" feelings for Abby and NCIS fans love to see their flirty relationship. Abby also loves her Caf-Pow and no one tries to get information out of her without offering her one.
Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard is the "grandfather" of the show. He never hesitates to impart his wisdom on the younger field agents or his assistant, Jimmy Palmer. While Ducky has a tendency to run on and on about anything and everything, he is very wise and shares this wisdom with his "grandchildren" and his "son", Gibbs. As Medical Examiners go, no one comes close to being as good at figuring out how someone dies than Ducky. Even though he may seem eccentric, talking to the bodies as if they are alive, it is this kind of compassion that makes Ducky a very lovable character.
Jimmy Palmer is the quirky and very young assistant who is as eager to please Ducky as Tony is to please Gibbs. He looks up to Dr. Mallard and never tires of hearing Ducky's stories as most of the other characters on the show do. Jimmy, like McGee, has also developed over the years and has become a more multi-dimensional character than when he first appeared on the show. If there were anything I would change about NCIS, it would be that Jimmy had more time on the air.
These characters are so different in many ways, yet alike in others. They all fit well together, which makes NCIS so much fun to watch. There are very few shows that have such a talented ensemble, in front of the camera and behind it. NCIS is heads above other shows of the same nature in that, while solving the crimes is a big part of the show, the relationships are even bigger. NCIS rarely, if ever, disappoints their viewers and that is why there are so many people who love this show and can't wait to tune in each and every Tuesday night to watch their favorite character or characters. If you have not checked out this show, I certainly urge you to give it a try. Once you do, I am sure that you will become hooked on it, just as I have become.