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NCIS – North Korean assassins and self-help tapes

- Season 7, Episode 7 - "Endgame"

NCIS-Endgame s07e07

How exciting, right? A lady friend for McGee, and one who has no problem with the hours he needs to work — she’s available for a night of passion whenever he has the time. Definitely an exciting development, and one that was a long time coming.

Not only that, but the old sparks of jealousy from Abby were visible when she learned of Amanda (Lindy Booth, AJ from The Philanthropist). I’ve never really understood that relationship. Yes, I believe Abby and McGee slept together once upon a time, and they’re definitely close friends, but there was never anything romantic between them, then or now. Funny how she asked McGee about Eric (Barrett Foa) from the LA office — correct me if I’m wrong though, NCIS: LA watchers … didn’t Abby already go out west?

But then Amanda started smelling a little hinky. I hadn’t realized the whole “I never said where I worked” thing, but she definitely didn’t feel right. Sure enough, she turned out to be some South African assassin hired by the North Koreans to take out Kai ((Kelly Hu) … yeah, sure. That wasn’t a weird twist, and it didn’t leave me scratching my head a bit. Although it was a slightly bigger stretch that NCIS was handling this case in the first place, as far as jurisdiction goes.

I was excited when I caught preview pictures from the episode, and saw that Vance (Rocky Carroll) would be involved in the case. I enjoy peeling back the many layers of Director Vance, and I’m impatiently awaiting Gibbs’ investigating his past. But the problem with some of his mysteries are that, while they have the potential for intrigue, they never get quite enough clarity to make any sense.

His partner got killed by Kai, and then something happened in California, and ever since he got back to Washington he’s been experiencing something a bunch of times.… It would even be one thing if the holes were part of an ongoing case. But with Kai dead at the hands of Vance’s wife Jackie (Paula Newsome), that whole tale has come to a close. So what’s Vance been suffering from? And why didn’t Kai kill him way back when? Because she was already reforming, some 18 years ago? Come on — where’s the close of that loop?

It’s easy enough to say that none of this really matters, that we’re supposed to see Vance as an enigma. But I think he’s meant to be one that we’re due to have unraveled for us. And yet I continue to feel as if we’re moving further and further away from any real progress on where Vance has come from. How could the Kai incident tie into the broader question of what skeletons are hanging in his closet? And if it doesn’t, why would it be introduced as a one-off story in the midst of all of this continuing mystery? Mystery that continues to go unaddressed!

I know none off this is so significant, certainly not as much as McGee’s love life. But I care because I’m actually interested in this. As opposed to Jenny and La Grenouille, Vance has caught my fancy, even though I sincerely disliked him at first. So what say we get moving in a forward motion, huh?

Photo Credit: CBS

Categories: | Episode Reviews | General | NCIS | TV Shows |

2 Responses to “NCIS – North Korean assassins and self-help tapes”

November 10, 2009 at 11:59 PM

Abby hasn’t gone out to LA yet. She helped with a case, but it was all done virtually. I believe the episode she goes to LA is this month though.

I loved the McGee and Abby bit. I would like to see them get together. They seem perfect for each other.

November 11, 2009 at 11:09 AM

Maybe; it’s always felt a bit forced to me (their romantic side, not their friendship). I can’t imagine McGee being able to take that much weird, though.

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