NCIS – The one with the father who should have just stayed home

I’m beginning to wonder if I enjoy the idea of Anthony DiNozzo Senior (Robert Wagner) more than I like the character himself. Am I misleading myself when I get excited to hear that he’s returning? Could be.

I want to be clear that this feeling in no way extends to Papa Gibbs (Ralph Waite). He’s awesome, and he should totally live with Gibbs like Henry Reagan lives with his son Frank on Blue Bloods, so that we could see him all the time. But the last time we saw Senior he disappointed Junior and got a talking to from Gibbs; the time before that Senior disappointed Junior and learned a lesson from Gibbs. I get that Senior is a kid at heart (to put it mildly), but can’t we see another side of him? Or was the cop’s question to the team (“Repeat offender?”) a wink-wink at his behavior? Because it’s getting old.

I found myself disappointed in Junior’s inability to just follow orders and stay out of the case. I understand a child’s need to protect the parent who was always there for them, but where is Tony’s anger? Why can’t he ever seem to bring himself to call his father out for how he’s treated him all these years, and let him sink or swim on his own? Tony knows that the team would do everything it could for his father, so why not show real emotion by symbolically cutting him loose? Instead he looked kind of pathetic, as terrible a thing as that is to say given the circumstances.

The case itself was really secondary to the father/son stuff going on, but I do wonder why they even bothered with Navy Lieutenant Commander Stephanie Mosner (Rachel Luttrell) and the whole JAG angle. I think the truth behind Lieutenant Massey’s (Tom Schanley) murder was interesting all on its own … that is, it could have been had they given it more than the rush five minutes at the end that it received. The JAG red herring was unnecessary.

I loved how Tony sweat-talked Probationary Agent Ned Dorneget (Matt L. Jones), who, by the way, was awesome and should totally stick around (maybe he can replace the team’s current Probie?). When Senior said, “Junior, we have no secrets from Dorneget,” I couldn’t stop laughing. That was great!

The sleepover at Gibbs’ was also great, in theory. Gibbs drinks whole milk! Gotta say, it kind of makes sense. The “He wanted a father” moment was touching … when Gibbs said it a year ago. Hearing it again makes everyone seem sad, from Senior for not changing to Gibbs for thinking that talking to this man is going to do anything. Just focus on being there for Junior and forget about rehabilitating his father.

Even the cooking scene at the end could have been better, had it just been between Gibbs and Junior. Senior being there ruined the moment for many reasons, but here’s the one that I was left with: he stayed to “spend time with his son,” but he didn’t let him know. How long would it have taken for him to call Tony had Tony not walked into Gibbs’ house when he did?

If they’re not going to give us McGee’s parents, stick to Papa Gibbs. At least he’s worth the bother.

“How’d it go with my father last night? [gets a stare from a silent Gibbs] Where is he?” – Tony
“Autopsy.” – Gibbs
“You shot him. Can’t say I blame you.” – Tony

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Nov 23, 2011 @ 14:15 EST5EDT