A couple of weeks ago, NCIS gave us an episode that is now on my list of favorites for the entire 10 seasons this series has been on the air. Why, you ask? Because of two characters named Tony and McGee.
There are a lot of great relationships on NCIS and one that I’ve always loved from the beginning has been the Tony and Gibbs story. But theirs is a relationship that is hard to label as sometimes they act like father and son, sometimes like older brother and younger brother, sometimes like boss and subordinate, and sometimes just like friends. Every time we get to see the Gibbs and Tony interact together on screen, especially in one of those episodes where one or the other shares their innermost thoughts, I am happy as a clam.
But the other relationship that I’ve always enjoyed on NCIS has been that of Tony and McGee. Theirs has been a rocky relationship, but one that is easy to quantify. They are friends, partners and in some ways, I even like to think of them as brothers. We’ve seen them go through a lot of ups and downs but I’m hopeful that this season will bring them closer together.
The early years = fun
In the beginning, Tony took McGee under his wing and helped his Probie to become the agent that he is today. Of course the way that Tony did that was by usually teasing McGee relentlessly, but I’ve always been of the opinion that there are a couple of reasons for Tony’s incessant ribbing of his younger companion. First of all, I truly think that teasing is one way that Tony shows people that he loves them. Secondly, I like to think that always keeping McGee on his toes was one way that Tony trained his Probie and made sure that he could do his job, even under pressure.
The middle years = fighting
Once McGee began to come into his own as an agent and as a man, he understandably wasn’t as happy with Tony’s antics. I can’t say that I blame the guy, but at the same time it’s this period of their relationship that I think of as the darkest. Honestly I kind of hated how the writers portrayed them during some of these seasons and how they gave us a Tony who never seemed to let up on McGee and a McGee who snarled back viciously. It didn’t have the same amount of fun that the early seasons had and made me yearn for the bygone days.
The current years = friendship
I am so happy to see that Tony and McGee seem to have found a way to get past all those bad feelings from the past. They have moved forward into what looks like a real friendship and partnership and, as a fan, I find it once more a lot of fun to watch them together on screen. Nowadays they know how to give each other a hard time, but also know how to give each other support as well. Watching them act as each other’s wingmen was a treat, as was finding out that they had been lying about their whereabouts and had mostly been playing video games together.
My only hope now is that we get an episode where the Tony and McGee spend most of their time together. Heck, I’d even be happy to see them playing those video games they were trying to hide from everyone. In fact, I wouldn’t even mind it if we saw them get into some sort of big battle. Gibbs and Tony have had a few of those and if anything, it has made their bond stronger. I have a feeling the same thing would now happen with Tony and McGee.
So what do you think of Tony and McGee’s relationship over the years on NCIS? Do you like where it’s heading these days or were you happier with it something in its rocky past?
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
