Critique of 2/14/12 NCIS – “Secrets”

Posted on by
Reply

Did Tony receive a special Valentine’s gift as he faced off with his former girlfriend, or did he receive something else, like insight into his lonely life? Because David served as a Special Agent with NCIS, friends asked us last night if the latest episode was realistic. Here is David’s brief take: In real life, a supervisory agent such as Gibbs would never have ordered a Special Agent such as Tony to be a liaison with his former fiancée Wendy, who is now a reporter. So why did Gibbs toss Tony into the Lion’s Den?
Let’s look at the evidence. Vance asked Gibbs if he was playing Cupid. Being typical Gibbs, he merely grinned and the show took off from there. We do not discover the answer until the final few minutes. In the meantime, we are treated to a complex plot involving two “super heroes” gunned down in a florist shop, one being a Naval Captain wearing a secret uniform. We laughed when Abby dressed up in a kitty mask and cape, clearly carving out her role as “Cat Woman”. Go Abby. Another lighter moment occurred when Tony asked Ducky, “Is that what I think it is, Duckman?” To Diane, she could hear the old TV character Robin asking that of Batman.
Gibbs acted perturbed at having these cartoonish super heroes roaming the streets, but in the end he seemed to approve of the heroes trying to prevent crimes whereas Gibbs and his team investigate murder and mayhem after the fact. When Ziva, McGee, and Abby accuse Tony of being pensive around his former flame, he will only admit that he is confused. All of the personal banter overshadowed the criminal case. About halfway through the show, we concluded it was ICU’s Dad, although we guessed the wrong reason because the writers kept his slum leasing a secret until the case had been solved.
When Wendy admits to Tony that she lied about why she invited him for Christmas brunch, he demands to know why she broke up with him in the first place. Well, she wasn’t ready to marry “The One” so she left her “super hero cop to marry a stockbroker who cared more about money than people”. Turns out, she claims she is ready, but then leaves without finding out if she is Tony’s Valentine.
Our opinion? Forgive her, Tony, and then run! She left you the night before your wedding (who knew?), marries a jerk, has a son, gets a divorce, and then after 9 years, invites you to Christmas brunch with NO apology then or now. Then she gets in your face about why you don’t want to work with her on a murder investigation. Nope, you can do much better. Look no further than your good friend Ziva. David is convinced the writers will never put Tony in a permanent relationship so long as they can tease us with the idea of Tony + Ziva = Tiva. Okay, perhaps Wendy is a vehicle for Tony to learn why he dates as Ducky says, the “wrong women”. Ducky cut right to the chase when he observed that Gibbs marries the wrong women after Shannon’s death, making sure he’ll always be alone. Tony is following in his footsteps albeit for other sad reasons.
Did you enjoy your Super Heroes last night? Who rose to the top, Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Ziva, or Abby? We’d like to know your thoughts. For fun, if you haven’t seen this, here’s a link to a video comparing David with Mark Harmon, who brilliantly plays Leroy Jethro Gibbs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pP20D0BOMg
Be Blessed,
Diane and David

Critique of 2/7/12 NCIS – “Life Before His Eyes”

Posted on by
1

This 200th episode of NCIS was meant to be a montage of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ life, played brilliantly by Mark Harmon. Reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart’s role in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Gibbs sees his past flow through his mind at the speed of light when a diner fires a shot at him. The bullet hangs in the air as Gibbs is transported to a would-be “Diner Heaven.”
Putting aside our questions about how it could be Heaven with unrepentant bad guys sashaying around with coffee, we were intrigued and kept watching. The real fun began when Mike Franks asked him how it all began. In the flashback we see Gibbs gathering his team to investigate a shooting on the USS Gentry. While there, they find another man who is almost dead, but still breathing.
The writers pose key questions many of us may have pondered in our lives, such as what if we had a second chance to push the reset button for life-changing decisions we’ve made. Gibbs finds out what would have happened if he wouldn’t have killed the drug-runner who killed Shannon and Kelly. We were startled when Shannon told Gibbs, “the loss would have fallen on us if you had stayed a Marine.”
We chuckled when Tony and Kate show up married. Tony finds out he is a new father, telling Kate in her hospital bed, “You look less big,” and “Good job, Kate.” Another fun part was during Tony’s questioning of Ziva (who of course is not a special agent because Kate is alive) and he calls her “Tiva,” an amusing play on their relationship, i.e., Tony + Ziva = Tiva. The laughs aside, what if Gibbs had never joined NCIS? Besides there being no hit show, Shannon tells him how much he has impacted the lives of his team. And if he’d never made the decision to take out the drug-runner, Gibbs would have been consumed with bitterness. He acted outside the law for good reasons. Is that ever justified? The show left us hanging about what happened to Michael Rose, who tried to take back his acts of treason, but we do know that after Gibbs takes a shot in the shoulder, he fails to shoot the man’s son. Redemption anyone?
In honor of the 200th episode, we promised a drawing of three winners for our latest release “The Joshua Covenant”. After watching the show, we decided to choose four winners and they are: Rose McCauley, Joy Avery Melville, Deb Ragno, and Allison Wilson. Watch for our emails ladies as we’ll need your snail mail address to send you the thriller.
Stay tuned for more NCIS and justice commentary from us in the coming weeks.
Blessings,
Diane and David

Christian Music Website

Posted on by
Reply

We’ve recently discovered a Christian music website where we can get the latest news about artists and releases, as well as free downloads. Most releases of new music occur on Tuesdays, so the creator of the site named it http://NewReleaseTuesday.com. It is an especially great site for our kids as it has all the attractive features of social networking, yet Christian based. We valued it enough to have have our the release of “The Joshua Covenant” featured on the site. See it at http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/authorofthemonth.php. If you and your family enjoy Christian music, send this link to your kids and grandkids: http://newreleasetuesday.com They’ll be amazed that you discovered it.

http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/authorofthemonth.php

NCIS – Enemy on a Hill, Critique of Rerun

Posted on by
1

Last night’s episode was preempted in part due to the Florida primary results. It originally aired on October 11, 2011 and we’re enduring the reruns as we await next week’s 200th episode. Be sure to leave a comment on this blog if you want to be entered in the contest to win one of three copies of our latest release, “The Joshua Covenant”, in honor of the anniversary show on February 7th. Comments so far reveal some fans want to see Harm from JAG reappear. How cool would that be? Many want Kate to show up also. We suspect she will be there along with Gibbs’ first wife and daughter. Who else do you think might flicker past?
Here are fresh thoughts about last night’s show:
NCIS’ “Enemy on the Hill” was excellent, one of our favorites from this season.The plot was intricate, weaving in several suspects. Sometimes we think the NCIS writers have been reading our bios and thriller manuscripts. Why? For several reasons. First, when David was assigned as a Congressional Fellow in Washington, D.C., he had some of the same tasks and frequented the same halls of the Capitol as the Naval attaché. (Of course, David was never the bad guy…)
Secondly, CIA Agent Bo Rider in our newest thriller, “The Joshua Covenant” (now in stores and availabe for purchase on our website) discovers new family secrets just as Abby does. His world is rocked and he has no Gibbs to turn to, but Bo does find answers in unexpected places.
Okay, we mentioned last October that the woman whose picture is in Abby’s locket, is Pauley Perrette’s (Abby) real mother. She apparently died in 2002. Also, the actor who played her brother looks so much like her. He is Daniel Louis Rivas, Pauley’s former boyfriend in real life. Because so many people insisted they looked like brother and sister, she launched a Twitter campaign to get him on the show. On a side note, in “Confirming Justice” we explore a character who has need of an organ transplant as Abby’s brother donated a kidney last night. Another highlight of the show occurred when Ziva brought the surly commander to the interrogation room and they “mistakenly” show him into the room where his lobbyist pal is spilling his guts. Great writing! Stay tuned to our blog and to NCIS. Make it a great day!
Diane and David Munson

Critique of NCIS 1/24/12, “The Penelope Papers”

Posted on by
Reply

Like most of you, we look forward to new episodes of NCIS, instead of reruns. Last night’s show was a rerun from 10/04/11, about which we wrote a critique the next day. So here we are posting our rerun of that rerun. That episode featured Lily Tomlin as McGee’s grandmother Penelope. The title, “The Penelope Papers,” was our first clue of her importance. (Pentagon Papers, anyone? Ring a bell?)
In the real world of investigation, DiNozzo and the rest of the team would have checked the three calls made from the victim’s cell phone, immediately. But for the sake of prolonging the drama, it was well into the program before it was determined that just before his killing, the victim was talking to someone with an unlisted phone number. Guess who it belonged to? Timothy McGee’s Grandmother, Penelope. We also learned for the first time of Tim’s issues with his father, who he hasn’t talked to in seven years. Did that catch any of you by surprise?
Once again, the shows’ writers created a tale, giving insights into the teams’ fractured lives. We thought the “red pumps” reference for McGee as a child was over the top. On a final note, it would not be easy interrogating “Grandma,” if you were her grandson. Is Gibbs getting soft, letting McGee question Penelope? Her being involved in the mystery may be the impetus for Tim to reconcile with his father. That sounds like a good thing. Sometimes it is difficult to forgive, especially when hurt comes from family. Forgiveness is a gift God has provided for us. We are glad Tim McGee did not wait to call his father. He took the right step there.
More intrigue to look forward to in the coming weeks. If you enjoy our comments, and you haven’t signed up to receive them each Wednesday, via email, you can do so by providing your email address in the sign up, above on the right.

Be Blessed,
Diane and David

Contest – Win your copy of “The Joshua Covenant”

Posted on by
12

The 200th episode (“Life Before His Eyes”) of NCIS airs on February 7 on CBS, featuring many people from Gibbs’ past. Between now and February 6, 2012, leave a comment here on the blog as to who you’d like to see reappear on that show. On February 8th, we will have a drawing from the comments and give away three copies of “The Joshua Covenant.” If you win, we will request a mailing address where your winning copy should be sent.
If you’ve watched most of the previous episodes, “Life Before His Eyes” should be a real treat for you. Don’t miss it.
If you want to get our critique of each week’s episode of NCIS via email, click here for the blog, and then click on the subscription bar at the top of the right hand border.
Be Blessed, Diane and David

Critique of 1/17/12 NCIS episode – “Nature of the Beast” (Rerun)

Posted on by
Reply

This was a replay of a 2011 episode, which began with Tony in a hospital room, thinking he shot another agent. The only problem was he couldn’t remember anything. After bringing in Kate’s sister, “Dr. Shrink”, Gibbs dropped a bloodied gold badge onto the bed. Tony freaked out. Did he kill another agent? All Tony knew was: “I had orders.” What were those orders and who issued them? Soon, the microchip caper came into focus as bits of Tony’s memory returned. The new Sec/Nav had showed Tony a photo and gave him orders to “take care of it.” Mark Harmon, playing Leroy Jethro Gibbs, hit his stride last night by protecting Tony’s back and getting into Clayton Jarvis’ face, just in time to see another Marine die on the sidewalk, his wrist slit open in the same place as Agent Levin’s. Oooh. Another microchip.
We finally found out what those chips were for—to open cyber-intel about terrorists and their twisted activities. In his golf outfit, Jarvis acted particularly sinister towards Tony. Tony was pure Tony when he pulled out one of Gibbs’ rules, number 36. “If you feel like you’re being played, you are.” Jarvis spat a rule of his own, number 2. “I own you.” When David was a federal agent and Diane a federal prosecutor, sometimes we had go forward with cases where we wished for stronger evidence. The beauty of our criminal justice system is that we put the evidence out for the judge/jury to decide. When you merge the criminal justice system with politics, power can erode confidence. Jarvis was a brilliant metaphor for that erosion, especially when he met with the head of a secret intelligence-gathering group, Phantom 8, who commented that Tony was more inept than he thought. Hmmm. A fake FBI agent dubbed Stratton, also one of the phantoms, walked into Tony’s hospital room with a plan to kill him. The doctor thwarted his scheme and did the right thing by calling Gibbs, who pressed Tony to remember his orders and who was in the photo.
The writers of the show led us to wonder if E.J. Barrett had removed Levin’s chip for personal gain. Through the expert use of flashbacks, Tony reached out to E.J., convincing her that he could help her. Of course, the two agents go right to Gibbs, which was a smart move. McGee et. al. used stealth to try to discover who was in the photo, with one of them asking Ziva, “What if the guy in the photo is Ray?” Another flashback showed Tony, Cade, and E.J. in an alley, all brought there by a text, which none of them sent. Shots flew out. Bang, bang, bang! Three agents drop. Cade didn’t make it. E.J. disappeared and Tony showed up with a head injury at the hospital, saved by his bullet-proof vest, only “He never saw it coming.” Turned out, Cade was in the photo and Tony had to convince E.J. to lure Cade back to D.C. For his part, David survived several shootouts and much danger in his career. We are thankful God protected him each time. Maybe that shootout is why Tony has finally begun asking deeper questions, even walking into a church in a recent show. In last night’s final scene, Stratton and his “boss” auction off the microchips to terrorists. Will they get away with being traitors? The conclusion to this puzzle aired on January 3, 2012, under the title “Housekeeping”. See our blog of that date for our fun critique.
Great stuff, with the writers using techniques we’ve used in creating our thrillers. (If you liked this episode, you’d also enjoy our latest, “The Joshua Covenant,” where CIA Agent Bo Rider is accused of being a mole.) To receive our weekly critique on NCIS and other news events via email, enter your address and click the link on the right at the top of our blog.
Be Blessed,
Diane and David

Critique of NCIS 1-10-12, A Desperate Man

Posted on by
Reply

In the latest episode of NCIS, who do you think was the “desperate” man? The Metro PD detective, whose wife was murdered, was the first one to roar on the scene, seemingly out of control. Then there was his wife Mya’s former colleague who had gone rogue, selling secrets to America’s enemies. Finally, CIA officer Ray Cruz, Ziva’s erstwhile boyfriend, stumbled back into the special agent’s life; however, after he stood her up, she was having none of him and avoided all his phone calls. So he started calling her team, even Gibbs. When he plunged to one knee in front of a horde of gawkers, he seemed frankly, out of his mind. The sparkling diamond notwithstanding, Ziva sensed it too, ordering him to “Get up!”
The plot served up a few twists, but David wasn’t swayed by any of them. After Ziva’s confession to Tony how Ray had left her waiting at the restaurant three long and painful hours, David knew then that the CIA officer was the killer. The only question to David was why. Abby performed brilliantly in detecting the fatal shots had come from a rooftop. Ziva rightfully concluded Mya was not the target.
Ziva, a former Mossad officer, is used to bloodshed. When Ray said he’d asked for a desk job and his dark side was over, Ziva blinked. Was he being for real? Could she indeed make a life with him? She so wanted a husband and something permanent, that she said yes. What was it like for Ziva to finally agree to Ray’s proposal of marriage only to find that he’d killed the Lt. Commander and the terrorist? She socked him right in the nose. Many of you can relate to being disappointed by someone they care about. We think that’s why NCIS is so popular. They deal with real-life issues through the agents’ eyes and nineteen million fans can relate. (Kind of like our novels, right!)
Our final thoughts. If we’d have written this show, the ending would have been more realistic. David had several cases involving the CIA and in all of them, the defendants eventually walked. Ziva and Tony should not have told the detective the name of the killer. The CIA officer can never be tried, as he’d reveal too many secrets that would damage national security. We would have had them pin it on the terrorist who is now dead. That way the husband feels there is justice. The way it was written, Ray will demand a trial, and demand certain Top Secret documents for his defense. The CIA would refuse to furnish the documents, which would require the Federal prosecutor to dismiss the case. Is that justice? What do you think?
Once again, as a reminder, we are planning some fun things on this NewsWrap in coming days, so sharpen your NCIS memories and stay tuned.
Be Blessed,
Diane and David

Pirates detained by the “real” NCIS

Posted on by
Reply

Here is the proof that NCIS, the most watched show on CBS, is a real agency. Too many viewers think it is a fictional creation for their entertainment. Like the fictional Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I was a Special Agent with Naval Investigative Service, which is now called Naval Criminal Investigative Service. That is why Diane and I write critiques (on this blog each Wednesday) of the show and news that occurs in the real world about the real NCIS.
In real life, NCIS Special Agents are “afloat,” an in house term indicating the agent is at sea, usually with an aircraft carrier group. Yesterday, (Friday, January 6, 2012) while Iran’s leadership was threatening the U.S. to keep the carrier USS John C. Stennis out of the Straight of Hormuz, the Defense Department announced the Stennis group had rescued thirteen Iranian fishermen, whose Iranian flagged vessel was seized by pirates in the Arabian Sea. The arrest resulted when an SH-60S Seahawk helicopter (you’ve seen Tony and Ziva on them) flew from the deck of the guided-missile destroyer, USS Kidd and detected a small skiff tied to the Iranian fishing vessel, emitting an emergency beacon. The Kidd is one of the ships escorting the USS Stennis.
The announcement about the thirteen recued fishermen and the fifteen arrested pirates was made by Special Agent Josh Schminky, the real version of the fictional Tony DiNozzo aboard the USS Kidd. The pirates will now be identified and interrogated by NCIS, prior to deciding where they will be prosecuted.
On some days chance circumstances occur that reflect positively on our military and the NCIS, and therefore, on whomever is our president. Even Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast called the rescue and arrests a “humanitarian and positive” act. Was it a “chance circumstance”, or is it possible the current Administration has enlisted the writers of NCIS to improve our international image? Will we see something similar on a future episode of NCIS, or was what we just witnessed an episode pulled from the shelf?
What do you think?

NCIS critque of 1/3/12 – “Housekeeping”

Posted on by
1

While this first episode of the New Year was called “Housekeeping,” we’ve dubbed it “Cold Leftovers.” Just as we’ve been eating Holiday remnants, it seems the writers also cleaned out their fridge, lumping together odd chunks of this and that, tossing together a casserole from last year’s leftovers. Yuck! The main meal they served tasted bland. Mark Harmon playing Gibbs was seriously off his game with E.J. Barrett stalking into the picture again.
Her return to end the microchip caper resembled tepid milk toast and we hope the sneaky federal agent is out of Tony’s life for good. Yet this episode placed SecNav in a bad light and he arranged a car for E.J., so she may return. She did provide Tony with food for thought when she lobbed this zinger: “Ziva cares about you.” That got Tony’s mental gears turning. Just as he set a tantalizing tidbit before Ziva, sharing how he was glad she was “in his life,” she received a telephone call after eight long weeks from her Ray. Remember the CIA agent who was called to Tel Aviv and handed her an empty box as a promise for their future to come?
There were a few spicy appetizers to pick from. The female witness with red hair holding a cat to match was so like witnesses to a crime. She couldn’t remember if the SUV was blue, green, or gold. Diane got a hoot out of her as Diane is a firm lover of cats, big and small. David laughed when Ziva told this witness not to call the dead Captain’s wife until she could ascertain “what car she drives and what kind of shot she is.” The unkempt condition of the safe house, with its old pizza box, was a metaphor for Tony and E.J.’s lives since they’d last seen each other.
Finally the dessert offered up tasted rich and yummy. As the microchip fiend closed in on Tony and E.J., sending off a shoulder-fired missile, David knew instantly that Sec/Nav had been used to supply the wrong location for the safe house. That carefully crafted plot twist was as good as any dark chocolate tart whipped up by an executive chef.
We would love to hear how you rate last night’s show. Don’t be surprised if CI-Ray appears next week in person and puts Ziva into a tailspin. Will she seek Gibbs’ advice on marriage? What will he tell her? Enquiring minds want to know!
Be Blessed,
Diane and David