NCIS Recap: Double Back – 11×13

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6 responses to “NCIS Recap: Double Back – 11×13”

1. Reel Life With Jane (

   January 15, 2014

   NCIS Recap: Double Back – 11×13 http://t.co/A9tyv90Dli

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2. Ncis Recap: Double Back – 11×13

   January 18, 2014

   […] He wasnt even only telling other people that he was fine, I think he was trying to fool himself as well. Poor Tim He just couldnt deal with it. But finally (its been original site a while) we got to see that our team is a family, still. Kim Tony, Gibbs, and Abby (and Dr. Cranston) helped Tim through this, helped him to deal with it. And Delilah, thank goodness, understood and wasnt angry about Tim not staying with her for a day or two. Kardashian news I think Im a fan of the McGee/Delilah relationship. Full story https://www.reellifewithjane.com/2014/01/ncis-recap-double-back-11×13/ […]

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3. 

   Terry

   January 19, 2014

   Diane, you are absolutely right. There is no direction, no focus and no sense of emotion on the show this season. It is like everyone is just going through the motions, writers lost, actors phoning in the show (except for the very rare story line).
   And what strikes me the most is that NCIS has made EXACTLY the wrong move to reach that new demo that they want so much to reach. In fact, they are losing steam in the key demo. Last season’s Shabbat Shalom and Shiva episodes through the flashback about Abby and the stories about Vance’s attempts to deal with the loss of his wife are the template for reaching that new demo. They were the highest rated shows of the season — and in two cases the highest rated in the history of the show.
   I get frustrated with people who want NCIS to “get back to the cases” — this show at its best is NOT about the cases. It is about the psychology of the team and the individuals using the cases as a backdrop for that exploration. I also get frustrated when I hear people complain about multi-part story arcs. What exactly is a television series anyway but a multi-part story arc?
   What is really missing is the emotion — the “pah.” And that is the saddest thing. I feel like I am watching a show slowly lurch to an inglorious end when it could have been the biggest series finale since MASH.

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   1. 

      Dianne Lodder

      January 20, 2014

      Hi Terry,
      Thank you so much for your comment! I absolutely agree. NCIS is (should be) about 65% about the team, about the characters’ personal storylines, and 35% about the cases.
      I think through the years we got to know the caharcters better and better and the show revolved around their personal stories increasingly more. And it thrived on that. There may be a group out there who feel it should focus more on the cases but I’m pretty sure that’s a minority. I think the ratings speak for itself.
      Like you mentioned, last year’s Shabbat Shalom and Shiva were the highest rated episodes NCIS ever saw. (Season 10, as a whole, was the highest rated season.) That’s not a coincidence. This show was headed in the right direction. And Ziva was a big part of that, whether people like it or not. Those two episodes specifically revolved around her a lot. Season 10, more than any other season, I believe, revolved around the characters’ personal storylines. Psychology, indeed. Especially on Tony’s part. It was so interesting to see him grow. And again, Ziva was an important part of that. And all of this has kind of stagnated. And I don’t think they can really get back on that path that they were on.
      It’s very upsetting. It’s easy to say it’s just a tv show, but when a show runs for so long, as a viewer, you care, you are invested. And it’s upsetting to see things go downhill.

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4. 

   Cath

   January 20, 2014

   You raise some really great points here Diane. I think you hit the nail on the head when you say it feels as though the show is going through the motions. That’s exactly how it comes across to me too. I have held on with hope this season that this feeling of being stalled was in fact intentional, that it was building to a moment of resolve and, to some extent, release. A release of this seemingly pent up tension or whatever it is that makes the show feel a little off. Yet I fear that is not the case. The basis for the season, the Parsa case, while interesting, was not set up in such a way that continuity or suspenseful development was really possible without Ziva. The entire premise was that he wanted the team dead, Ziva being almost at the top of that list, yet after she left it seems that suddenly the urgent need to target each member of the team suddenly evaporated. And as a viewer, this is where the pull of the storyline was gone for me.

   Obviously there are many factors, including the personal feelings of the writers, actors and producers, that influence the show going forward, but I do feel a little disillusioned by the way the show has dealt with (or, to a large extent, not dealt with) Ziva’s exit. It’s as though the fear of stagnating the storylines and character development by bringing her up has in fact done exactly that – stagnated the show to a large extent. For a show that has in the past provided some great moments of follow through and continuity, it’s strange that there appears to be great effort not to continue with anything that could possibly result in the mention of Ziva. And I cannot help but feel that whatever did or did not happen that resulted in this character exiting, those involved in creating NCIS really did owe it to the viewers, who are the reason this show is number 1, to follow through with a little more consideration.

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   1. 

      Dianne Lodder

      January 20, 2014

      Hi Cath,
      It’s funny how you mention that they really seem to try to avoid the “Ziva-subject”. To be fair, they did sort of mention her shortly after she left, and, through Bishop, in the latest episode. However, these were only vague references, without actually pronouncing her name.
      You know, the same thing happened with Kate. For years, she was never mentioned. And it just doesn’t make any sense at all. It’s not realistic. If somebody dies or leaves, it’s only natural that the people left behind still mention that person every now and then. It’s not like in some magical way, the person is completely erased from everyone’s memory.
      I honestly did expect the show to handle this better then they did with Kate.

      I have to say though, I don’t know how much of a say CBS has in these things. I have never made it a secret that I strongly suspect them of playing a huge part in Cote’s (and therefore Ziva’s) departure. And Sasha’s/Kate’s too, for that matter. And I do also believe that the silence was also due to CBS. I mean, how vague was everything in those first few months after hearing about it? CBS wasn’t exactly keeping their story straight. They basically said Cote didn’t want to do the show anymore and had been thinking of leaving. That, in itself, was strange and hard to believe since this whole thing happened like a week before they started filming the new season. Yeah… really seemed like this thing was planned… And then they had their lie thrown back in their face when the Latina Magazine article came out with an interview with Cote that took place before her departure and in which she was talking about her excitement for season 11.

      Anyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS is keeping them from mentioning Ziva, and that they are, consequently, the cause of this screwed up storyline. They probably want people to forget about her and hope that the viewers are stupid, that they won’t notice that this storyline was not resolved at all. I just have trouble believing they writers are the ones who ruined this. They are usually quite brilliant and brave.

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