(321-word review) The theories I was creating about the reasoning behind the murder were way off the mark. The scenarios didn't even include the one who did it, making me feel a little taken aback; it was so straightforward. It was also easy to predict, except not for me, only in hindsight, because I made it more profound in my head. I'm a dum-dum.
But what surprised me more was the pure escalation that occurred at the end. The case was tame, and its unraveling was progressing smoothly. Then, all of a sudden, we've hit with a massive change at its conclusion. That escalation's impact, which was already effective by itself, was enhanced by the tameness of the plot. Not only was the back-and-forth firefight a contender for the most significant one in the show so far, but that explosion was something that doesn't happen often, and it, too, may have been the most significant one in the show so far.
The remaining thing to give props to were the character moments/interactions. This episode's presentation of them was at the top of the list in the show yet: between Caitlin and Tony, Tony and McGee, the latter two and Caitlin (their laughter in the scene with her was unexpected, probably because neither one has ever laughed out loud like that, let alone together), and obviously, any interaction with any of those characters that include Gibbs.
That's not surprising, given that one of the writers of this episode was John C. Kelley, who wrote seven others before this one. Up to this point of the show, he's a name that pops up enough to remember it; it's safe to say he knew what he was doing.
This episode served its purpose, as they usually do: no surprise there, and that purpose is entertainment. The end of the season is closer than ever now, and I'm curious to see what it has in store.
But what surprised me more was the pure escalation that occurred at the end. The case was tame, and its unraveling was progressing smoothly. Then, all of a sudden, we've hit with a massive change at its conclusion. That escalation's impact, which was already effective by itself, was enhanced by the tameness of the plot. Not only was the back-and-forth firefight a contender for the most significant one in the show so far, but that explosion was something that doesn't happen often, and it, too, may have been the most significant one in the show so far.
The remaining thing to give props to were the character moments/interactions. This episode's presentation of them was at the top of the list in the show yet: between Caitlin and Tony, Tony and McGee, the latter two and Caitlin (their laughter in the scene with her was unexpected, probably because neither one has ever laughed out loud like that, let alone together), and obviously, any interaction with any of those characters that include Gibbs.
That's not surprising, given that one of the writers of this episode was John C. Kelley, who wrote seven others before this one. Up to this point of the show, he's a name that pops up enough to remember it; it's safe to say he knew what he was doing.
This episode served its purpose, as they usually do: no surprise there, and that purpose is entertainment. The end of the season is closer than ever now, and I'm curious to see what it has in store.
