Sometimes things never go as one plans. Tonight, we arrived home ten minutes after the NCIS show began, and we discovered that our DVR was turned off. However, the “After Hours” episode was easy to follow. Plus, it was refreshing to watch a show featuring less blood and guts that gives us a glimpse of the NCIS team’s lives after they leave the office.

The pace in solving tonight’s case is less frenetic and slower, which is more realistic as to how federal agents investigate crimes. Mark Harmon, our favorite special agent with NCIS, gives his team a break when he orders his agents to head home after a shooting occurs. He follows his own advice and goes home, cooks a TV dinner, and turns on a Western. However, he can’t tear his eyes from the case file. Seconds later, he is spreading out crime photos in his basement. Ellie Bishop shows up, and tells Gibbs she is concerned about how the victim died. Things don’t add up. We saw Gibbs’ humble leadership, as he takes Bishop and heads for the diner.

What do you suppose Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, played so expertly by Michael Weatherly, is up to? He has a date, and it’s a hoot when he stages his apartment, setting out a “Frank Sinatra hat,” a photo of him with a German Shepard (when we all know he has no pet), and hides his dirty dishes. It is fun having an inside look at his life “after hours”, which we haven’t seen in a long time. Turns out, all his planning is short circuited because all he can think about are the holes in the shooter’s story.

And let’s not forget Agent Timothy McGee. He and his girlfriend Delilah have a wonderful dinner planned. She spent two hours cooking chicken, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, and salad. But wait, Tim turns his plate into a crime scene, with carrot slices for wheels on his “corn cob cars”. Delilah is upset at first by his pre-occupation with his job, but once she hears the body was moved, she jumps in to help him. Abbey doesn’t quit either, doing her thing in slippers and pajamas.

The bottom line is this episode shows the dedication of men and women all around the country who toil for justice. They work hard with few accolades, and it is our opinion this is one of the reasons for showing the agents giving up their lives to solve the case. It was really nice to have the whole team putting their heads together without bickering. Because we all know Tony will be leaving soon. So enjoy these upcoming episodes. Mark Harmon just signed with CBS for another two seasons, and that is also something to cheer about!

Be Blessed, Diane and David Munson