Leroy Jethro Gibbs, will you be back next season? The ending of tonight’s show leaves us wondering in shock. Will you be with the “Lost Boys” in “Neverland”, a place in the minds of children? NCIS writers of the three-episode arc used metaphors from Peter Pan, written by the Scottish writer, J.M. Barrie in the early nineteenth century. But there is nothing child-like in the schemes of the terrorists on display in NCIS, evildoers who are entrapping young minds to commit crimes against humanity.

It’s like we’ve stumbled into some strange land, where the bad guys speak in coded phrases, and we have to figure out the truth with our hands tied behind our backs. Unfortunately, this is the “Brave New World” we live in. We found it tricky recalling facts and characters from the previous two shows. So when Joanna Teague, Agent Dorneget’s mother and CIA officer, joins the team to find her son’s killer, we listened closely to all the clues and connections. We find Officer Teague (played by Mimi Rogers) to be Ziva-like, ready to do whatever is necessary to stop the bad guys. Still, some twists and turns were hard to follow. In the real world where NCIS agents sometimes take circuitous routes to their homes, after being in trials or other events where criminals have seen them in their cars, they would never take a witness or victim to their home. Yet Gibbs took Luke to his home. Was that awkward move designed to further the plot? This is not the first time Gibbs has done so. With the knowledge Luke has of the terrorists, it would have been smarter to have him ensconced in a safe house that couldn’t be traced.

That being said, this is our take on the show: Agent Gibbs, DiNozzo, Director Vance, are the old men sitting on a bench (per Sadiq Samar) and have no clue how to prevent the growing unrest of restless young people who are alienated from society. For example, Officer Teague asks Luke what kind of ice cream he likes. She mentions chocolate chip and Gibbs votes for rum raisin. Luke sits there clueless, listening to music on his earbuds. This illustrates the wide gulf between the generations. We think that’s why the Grand Canyon was targeted as well, to show this huge gap between those trying to stop terrorism and those who are intent on violence.

Turns out the terrorists are using the creepy music to direct the young kids who are their pawns. So we learn why Luke has his ears glued to these buds. The new generation agent Timothy McGee is the hero, because not only does he play the video game, he wins. As a result, he discovers a flood of clues as to the next targets. In the end, Agent Gibbs gets hurt by the kid he’s trying to help, despite Mike Franks shouting to his subconscious mind that Luke is trouble. “Who will save you,” Mike demands of Gibbs. Who indeed? The final act of desperation in Iraq continues the show until next season.

It was such a wild night, it’s time for us to enjoy a bowl of ice cream. What flavor do you like? What do you think of tonight’s show and how it ended? See you next season, if not before!

Be Blessed, Diane and David Munson