This NCIS episode is filled with references to the idiom, “No good deed goes unpunished”. Our guess is that many viewers tuned in tonight because the previews indicated Robert Wagner would be back tonight as Tony’s Dad. He did return and added much to the show. We were not disappointed.

We liked that ‘No Good Deed’ involved an uncomplicated single-plot criminal case, peppered with multiple cases of personal relationships. It’s true the show featured the murder of a marine by an unknown person armed with a weapon. The weapon received more attention than the killer at first. That’s because the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) intentionally released this gun into the criminal world by informants who were assisting that federal agency. The show seemed pretty realistic as it dealt with the infamous ATF case of ‘Fast and Furious’, but that wasn’t the most interesting part.

Tonight, we saw the all too common effects of parents, i.e., Tony Sr., trying to move closer to their adult children. We saw the prospective problems of Tony DiNozzo, aka “Junior” navigating his life with his well-meaning dad who always seems to mess up. Also, Tony makes a big mistake when he partners on the investigation with his love interest, ATF agent Zoe Keats.

Some might consider it inappropriate for Tony Sr. to show up at the office uninvited, or to show up at Gibbs’ house, but when a team works as closely as this group, (or any NCIS team), the co-workers are tolerant and understanding of a parent as eccentric as Tony Sr. Gibbs worked his magic in helping Senior and Junior to reconcile their differences. In fact, Gibbs’ scene in his house fixing a sandwich for Tony Sr. was very touching indeed. So was the scene with Jimmy Palmer and Ducky during the autopsy of the young woman. For those who have younger children, the cameras often flashed photos of the dead young woman. Diane cringed, and felt this was overdone. Dave commented that perhaps the writers were attempting to communicate to viewers the terrible dangers of drug abuse. If that was the case, these scenes were effective.

It was true to life when Gibbs and his team finally arranged an undercover meeting with the former ATF informant who killed the marine, and mounted U.S. Park Police stumble upon McGee’s attempt to buy a gun from him. In real life, occasionally and unexpectedly, uniformed police officers who are just doing their jobs, do interrupt an undercover operation. That is one reason undercover agents always carried undercover driver’s licenses that match their undercover identities, and match the registration of their official undercover vehicles.

We are curious to know what you thought of the show, especially the previews for next week’s show when Special Agent Bishop shouts at Gibbs not to put her into danger in the field in Afghanistan. She says she is not equipped for it, and he says, “I’ve told you, I have your back.”

Be Blessed, Diane and David Munson