Leroy Jethro Gibbs is guilty.
And someone is trying to prove it.
I hope you didn’t miss a moment of NCIS last night. You didn’t sneeze or go for a drink. If you did then you missed Gibbs, as we have never seen him. He is experiencing a situation outside of his control. And he isn’t confiding in his team.
Mark Harmon is intense playing a tormented Gibbs. He shows the storm brewing just beneath the surface, a hurricane that Gibbs is trying to control. But things are out of his hands. His past is the catalyst for his future.
Those nearest to him, Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) and Dr. ‘Ducky’ Mallard (David McCallum) know he was involved in the shooting of drug runner Pedro Hernandez 20 years ago.
“Patriot Down” takes Gibbs deeper down the rabbit hole. He evoked rule ’51’ to Abby. ‘If it seems like someone is out to get you, they probably are.’
Gibbs’ involvement in shooting the dealer who murdered his wife and daughter is closer to being known. But now others are dying and the winds are blowing toward Mexico.
Agent Lara Macy was murdered in a brutal way. Her throat was slashed with an army issue knife and her body burned. Macy was the former head of the Los Angeles division of NCIS. Before that she was a Military Police Officer at Camp Pendleton where Gibbs was stationed. Coincidence? Not hardly.
If you saw “Legend” the premier episode of NCIS Los Angeles, you’ll recall Macy had been the officer in charge of a case involving a Marine Gunnery Sergeant. The Sergeant had killed the drug dealer who murdered his family. Deciding the shooting was justified she buried the evidence. Now Macy is dead and the evidence is coming to light. But who is responsible for it?
M. Allison Hart is still at NCIS and her client is still Colonel Merton Bell. Bell has more than a grudge against Gibbs for having him arrested in Mexico. Ms. Hart calls Colonel Bell a ‘patriot’. Among Bell’s legion is former Army Ranger, Lt. Amos Dean.
A person who knew what they were doing murdered Macy with a special army knife. Another coincidence? Not really.
Macy’s last case involved young Petty Officer Kaylen Burrows. Kaylen was raped and Macy traveled from France to Norfolk to investigate the crime. The team tracks down the suspects, a well-connected wealthy businessman and his son. Gibbs believing they had something to do with Macy’s death loses control during the interrogation. He nearly put the man through the interrogation room window. Very un-Gibbs.
When he realizes that everything leads back to Mexico Gibbs calls to leave a message for friend and mentor Mike Franks. 20 years ago Agent Franks carelessly left a file out for Gibbs to see. It had information on the man who killed his family. Gibbs leaves the message, rule ’44’. He hopes Franks receives it.
In the final minutes of the episode Gibbs is riding along a Mexican beach on horseback. He looks like a bandit whether to hide his features or because he just looks cool doesn’t matter. He finds a building burnt to the ground. Frank’s home possibly? Then he finds a dead body.
Dean gets the drop on him. He tells Gibbs it isn’t Franks lying dead but Col. Bell. What? Hart’s ‘patriot’ is down? So where is Franks and his family and what will happen to Gibbs? People that are close to him seem to be dying.
Were you concerned the dead member of the team would be Abby, Tim McGee or Tony DiNozzo? The contract negotiations are still pending. Come on, you had it in the back of your minds too, just for a moment.
I can’t wait till next week and yet I can, you know? Once the last minute unfolds then I have to wait till September for the next new episode. At least there are repeats and speculation to sustain me. And the contract negotiations will add suspense. Don’t touch that dial. We aren’t done yet.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
