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