What a thrill to watch this terrific, pulse-pounding episode, reinvigorating "NCIS" after the show's inevitable decline in recent years due to the departure of Mark Harmon. Just when I was wondering why CBS was continuing with a hit show past its "Best use by" date, here's the answer.
Chris Waild's screenplay is amazing -it's as if a whole movie was pared down to the basic through-line, removing the flab, minimizing the necessary camaraderie and shtick, and making the story count. By focusing on Valderama's character, but carefully making him sort of the segment's MacGuffin with all his teammates pitching in as a team to save him. That's a formula for success and really true to the whole point of the show, as stipulated in the dialogue near the end.
The guest cast, especially Pilar Holland as Nick's sister (she had a small role years ago on NCIS I had forgotten all about) is fine, while the emphasis on the core regulars was terrific. Near the end I noticed how (dialogue permitting), the editing was amazingly fast-paced, with shots (especially reverse-shot cutting) reduced to only a second or two in duration, helping to maintain the breakneck pace. And the plot twists were ingenious, quite satisfying right up to the cryptic "wait for next week" sudden ending.
Chris Waild's screenplay is amazing -it's as if a whole movie was pared down to the basic through-line, removing the flab, minimizing the necessary camaraderie and shtick, and making the story count. By focusing on Valderama's character, but carefully making him sort of the segment's MacGuffin with all his teammates pitching in as a team to save him. That's a formula for success and really true to the whole point of the show, as stipulated in the dialogue near the end.
The guest cast, especially Pilar Holland as Nick's sister (she had a small role years ago on NCIS I had forgotten all about) is fine, while the emphasis on the core regulars was terrific. Near the end I noticed how (dialogue permitting), the editing was amazingly fast-paced, with shots (especially reverse-shot cutting) reduced to only a second or two in duration, helping to maintain the breakneck pace. And the plot twists were ingenious, quite satisfying right up to the cryptic "wait for next week" sudden ending.