Bunker Down

Tonight's episode of "NCIS Sydney", "Bunker Down", was their best, yet! The episode contained a fun blend of humor, drama, glitz, mystery and heart. My attention was captured quickly, not just because the cast looked gorgeous in their dapper duds. I was eagerly looking forward to seeing what happened next, both with the case and with the character development. The prior episodes were okay, I liked them, but they didn't lure me in or intrigue me as much as " Bunker Down." If all of the episodes from here on continue in this fashion, I will be quite a happy "NCIS" fan.

I love how the team felt even more like an actual team or family in this episode. Their chemistry tonight was great. It made my fannish heart happy to see the friendships between the team deepen and grow, especially the friendship between Blue, Evie and Mackey. Also, I appreciate that Mackey is becoming less gruff and more friendly. She doesn't need to be another Gibbs; she needs to be her own character. Blue being allowed to join the festivities made me smile. I like seeing her included more. If the writers want to have more adventures with Evie, Blue and Mackey kicking butt and taking names and with DeShawn, J. D. and Roy being a power trio, again, I am all for it! Seriously. It was fun. All in all, it was a great episode. I'm hoping the next episode will be just as good.

To me, definitely some improvement to the previous episode(s). Perhaps it was the whole escape-room scenario that felt a tad more authentic. Perhaps it was the cast being less annoying, perhaps it was the support actors and extras -- or likely a mixture of all that.

Does the plot make sense? No, still not. NCIS and AFP in crisis and there is no support, e.g. From local law enforcement in Sydney? Really, who green-lights such narrative emptiness? There is no cohesion to "anything outside" that little bubble of this task force, aside from choosing nice locations. At least the location scouts did a great job for that show!

The story of "Bunker Down" continues in the eights and last episode of the season, I doubt it will start making sense there aside from picking up a story fragment from earlier in the show.