It really is the cast that keeps me coming back to this show. Luckily the pacing is such that you can gloss over some of the larger holes in the plot but something in the story arc leading the the Season 7 cliffhanger made me groan out loud. (twice) The big "threat" hanging over Gibbs was that Abby was able to prove the bullet that killed the Mexican drug dealer came from Jethro's sniper rifle. HUH? When they showed Ducky pull the slug from the remarkably preserved 20 year old corpse I just shook my head. How many times have they rerun the moment when Gibbs killed him? And the graphic visual of spraying blood from a through and through hit!! There is no way that slug would have still been in the victim. And even if it was there is no way of connecting it to Gibb's rifle without a sample to compare it to, and why on earth would they have one from his rifle? OK, I still enjoy the show, I just wish they would try a little harder with the scripts.
3 Reviews
Vendetta
ttapola8 March 2011
In the third part of the first ever continuous four-episode arc, the truth is revealed. The first part centered on the Gibbs - Abby relationship and the second part on Gibbs' complicated relationship with Ms. Hart. Now the focus shifts again. It's rather neat that each part of the arc examines Gibbs' relationship with a different character. Were this just one loooong plot-arc, it would not stand out, especially as the show is first and foremost about the characters.
The arc plot keeps on twisting and turning. Though Gibbs' loyalties are never in doubt, he is put in a lose - lose situation, which should make most viewers wonder whether the time has come for him to exit the show, one way or other. That. Would. Be. Huge. And should this be the end of Gibbs, Mark Harmon delivers a great performance when, as the pressure increases, Gibbs turns inwards. It is also great that the writers gave Gibbs' opposition not only motivation, but also personality and complex principles.
Season 8 ends on a great sequence of no less than three intercut scenes which leaves the audience waiting for answers to a lot of questions. On top of that, comes the final cliffhanger. As the arc has progressed, the cliffhangers have intensified, and the last one is no exception.
However, when rated as an individual episode, "Rule Fifty-One" doesn't quite equal the best season-enders, which are Season 2's shocking "Twilight" (still the best), Season 5's aptly named "Judgment Day" and Season 6's "Aliyah". It's "only" 8/10, mostly because the plot developments most crucial to the arc are not quite realistic, as has been pointed out in another review. Also, we *still* do not know what really happened in Paris. *That* is just the writers disrespecting the audience. The faithful deserve a reward. Not getting one leaves the audience feeling cheated. Bad writers! Bad writers! They need to be trained.
The arc plot keeps on twisting and turning. Though Gibbs' loyalties are never in doubt, he is put in a lose - lose situation, which should make most viewers wonder whether the time has come for him to exit the show, one way or other. That. Would. Be. Huge. And should this be the end of Gibbs, Mark Harmon delivers a great performance when, as the pressure increases, Gibbs turns inwards. It is also great that the writers gave Gibbs' opposition not only motivation, but also personality and complex principles.
Season 8 ends on a great sequence of no less than three intercut scenes which leaves the audience waiting for answers to a lot of questions. On top of that, comes the final cliffhanger. As the arc has progressed, the cliffhangers have intensified, and the last one is no exception.
However, when rated as an individual episode, "Rule Fifty-One" doesn't quite equal the best season-enders, which are Season 2's shocking "Twilight" (still the best), Season 5's aptly named "Judgment Day" and Season 6's "Aliyah". It's "only" 8/10, mostly because the plot developments most crucial to the arc are not quite realistic, as has been pointed out in another review. Also, we *still* do not know what really happened in Paris. *That* is just the writers disrespecting the audience. The faithful deserve a reward. Not getting one leaves the audience feeling cheated. Bad writers! Bad writers! They need to be trained.
a really bad, bad girl
ppacct15 August 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Ms Obradors as the drug queen Paloma Reynosa is a very bad girl and it's a very good thing for this story arc. It's hard to believe she's the same cute bundle of girl in Six Days and Seven Nights. Well acted in both. Gibbs is in trouble and knows it. However... as usual, in the end Gibbs outmaneuvers the bad guys in the windup to this arc.
When the dust settles, there are lead-offs to other story lines that are picked up as the series moves along confirming that things you did in the past have a way of catching up with you. Fortunately Gibbs has loyal friends willing to keep the wolves at bay for him.
The base action that sets this whole thing in motion is a Mexican drug lord killing Gibbs' wife and daughter which is in an earlier arc. Gibbs later goes down to Mexico and kills the dealer. Guess who Paloma is. Hint: not the wife. IMHO, this is one of the better sub stories in the series. There are a number of subplots as episodes that make it a fun segment/arc to follow. Remember Mike Franks?
If you are an NCIS/Gibbs fan you'll enjoy this arc and it's offshoots.
When the dust settles, there are lead-offs to other story lines that are picked up as the series moves along confirming that things you did in the past have a way of catching up with you. Fortunately Gibbs has loyal friends willing to keep the wolves at bay for him.
The base action that sets this whole thing in motion is a Mexican drug lord killing Gibbs' wife and daughter which is in an earlier arc. Gibbs later goes down to Mexico and kills the dealer. Guess who Paloma is. Hint: not the wife. IMHO, this is one of the better sub stories in the series. There are a number of subplots as episodes that make it a fun segment/arc to follow. Remember Mike Franks?
If you are an NCIS/Gibbs fan you'll enjoy this arc and it's offshoots.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
