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