Does Your Eyeball Unlock MTAC?

[pally]

 

The May 10 episode finds the NCIS crew continuing their manhunt for the escaped British spy who (presumably) shot Morrow (Alan Dale) in this week's episode, and who leaves one NCIS colleague fighting for his/her life in the penultimate installment. Could the person on life support be Tony? Glasberg won't say, but when asked if Tony's decision to leave NCIS is one that he makes on his own or is forced into, the executive producer notes: "It's a little bit of everything. There are outside influences. There are issues that come up. There are crossroads that he faces. It's, across the board, something that has a mammoth impact on him -- and understandably, would take that significant an impact to have him step away from his NCIS family."

 

tv guide

[secnarf]

Minor spoilers: http://tvline.com/2016/04/21/michael-weatherly-leaving-ncis-season-13-dinozzo-returns-goodbyes/

 

Also, I read elsewhere that people have been speculating that, not only will Tony leave go be with Ziva - which is a fairly common speculation - but that he will leave to go be with Ziva and their child whom Tony did not know existed until now. Just the idea of this happening makes me cringe.

 

At any rate, based on the comments from TPTB - "Tony is at a crossroads", "Tony has a decision to make", "Tony steps away from his NCIS family" - I think it's fairly safe to assume he doesn't die. Unless, of course, they have him leave and then die, which is terrible.

[pally]

 

Also, I read elsewhere that people have been speculating that, not only will Tony leave go be with Ziva - which is a fairly common speculation - but that he will leave to go be with Ziva and their child whom Tony did not know existed until now. Just the idea of this happening makes me cringe.

 

 

oh please no...that sounds like bad fanfiction.  

[Ohmo]

If Tony has a child with Ziva, I will throw up!

 

It's been confirmed that Cote is NOT returning.

 

NCIS: Cote de Pablo Not Returning for Michael Weatherly's Send-Off

[GHScorpiosRule]

If Tony has a child with Ziva, I will throw up!

It's been confirmed that Cote is NOT returning.

NCIS: Cote de Pablo Not Returning for Michael Weatherly's Send-Off

Oh thanks be to all the TV Gods!!!!!

I totally side-eyed one article I read where it said d that Ziva was responsible for the man Tony has become. Like, FUCK that BULLSHIT.

[secnarf]

“The relationship that Tony has with Ziva absolutely has an impact on his reason to depart at the end of the season,” he told the Hollywood Reporter last week. “Ziva is a huge part of who Tony is and at the at the end of the day, that comes into play. You'll have to wait and see how it unfolds but it's a part of the big story.”

That bit from Gary Glasberg makes me think Ziva will be discussed, if not actually appearing onscreen.

[Mama No Life]

The promo from last night and the video on the media thread both make it seem like Ziva will be discussed.  He can go to be with her without her being on screen.  Or she could be lying.  Or maybe she's in the NEXT to the last episode, instead of the last one. Who knows? But why bring her into the plot and promos if she doesn't factor in?

[Ohmo]

I'm now worried about Fornell.  I just watched Michael's Extra interview that aired tonight.  He said that there is death.  Then he paused and said, "sudden death."

Michael also said that he had a cryptic message for fans---that Tony will leave NCIS the way he entered it.  Then Extra showed a bunch of clips from Yankee White.  Make of that what you will.

If Fornell dies, I just... I can't...  I don't want to think about that.  Please no.

[pally]

They can't kill Fornell...they just can't. 

Wasn't Jimmy supposed to play a prominant roll in the outcome of this season?  Considering how little he has been in the show this year, he'll have to have a major step-up in the last couple of episodes

[Ohmo]

Gawd...Jimmy dying would be depressing, too.  He'd be leaving baby Victoria.  Ducky would be heartbroken.  That would be impetus for Tony to make a change, though.  He's always been close to Jimmy.

If those are my choices, though, I'd take losing Jimmy over losing Fornell.

Here's another thought...Ziva was mentioned in the promo.  Could GG be killing her off-screen?

[pally]

2 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Gawd...Jimmy dying would be depressing, too.  He'd be leaving baby Victoria.  Ducky would be heartbroken.  That would be impetus for Tony to make a change, though.  He's always been close to Jimmy.

If those are my choices, though, I'd take losing Jimmy over losing Fornell.

Here's another thought...Ziva was mentioned in the promo.  Could GG be killing her off-screen?

Killing off Ziva would almost be fun.  Can you imagine the reactions of the people still holding out hope she returns. But I would hope they wouldn't overshadow Tony's departure with that

[Julia]

I'd rather none of them die. If someone is being written off, though, I'd be on board with Bishop being offered Rota and leaving. 

[pally]

On 5/4/2016 at 7:59 PM, Ohmo said:

I'm now worried about Fornell.  I just watched Michael's Extra interview that aired tonight.  He said that there is death.  Then he paused and said, "sudden death."

Michael also said that he had a cryptic message for fans---that Tony will leave NCIS the way he entered it.  Then Extra showed a bunch of clips from Yankee White.  Make of that what you will.

If Fornell dies, I just... I can't...  I don't want to think about that.  Please no.

Leaving the way he came in....well that could mean Yankee White as the first official episode, harken back to Ice Queen the pilot episodes from Jag, or how he came to NCIS from Baltimore.  Right now I am choosing to believe he leaves to go to another agency or a new job.

[Ceindreadh]

Well, Tony said before that he got into NCIS because he 'smiled', so hopefully that means he'll be leaving with a smile as well!

Anybody remember what his very first scene on Yankee White was?  I seem to remember it was him and Gibbs at the airport trying to get their guns through security.

[pally]

2 minutes ago, Ceindreadh said:

Well, Tony said before that he got into NCIS because he 'smiled', so hopefully that means he'll be leaving with a smile as well!

Anybody remember what his very first scene on Yankee White was?  I seem to remember it was him and Gibbs at the airport trying to get their guns through security.

first one was him in the squad room calling Gibbs who was in the basement sanding the boat.  I like the idea of leaving with a smile.

[Goldmoon]

Just got afraid they will kill off ducky. He didn't look so good tonight.

[pennben]

So, we know the British guy is Tony's replacement.  Who is the woman supposed to replace or are we to imagine that she will simply be a fifth member of the team (I can't recall what was said in the announcement).  I mean they seem to be setting her up as Gibbs-like but I can't imagine him not leading the team and certainly don't think they would kill him off.  I'm guessing they aren't killing off Bishop, but it just seems odd that our four person team becomes a five person team, unless they are think Harmon might move along in a season or so?

Edited May 11, 2016 by pennben

[secnarf]

I wonder if they're testing out these two as potential new characters - as in, either could be the one that stays, depending on audience reaction.

Personally, I prefer the MI6 guy - Sarah Clarke's character just screams "traitor" at me with every scene. It would take quite a while for me to trust her. And the guy seems like he would fit in better as a Tony replacement.

[Julia]

He's certainly very pretty. At first I thought his accent was a bit shaky, but it turns out that's his actual accent, so I guess he's just not comfortable enough to use natural speech patterns yet.

She, unfortunately, strikes me as a retread of the Jamie Lee Curtis character (gnomic! insightful! likes people to know she's messing with their heads!), who I found grating despite the fact that she was played by Jamie Lee Curtis. I don't feel like that bodes well for me with that character. She wouldn't exactly make me miss Bishop, but it's not a character I think they write well.

These people need a few women in the writer's room. Badly.

[JackONeill]

We know there will be one slot to fill next season with Tony leaving. Yet, they have introduced two new characters. I wonder if they will actually hire both full time for next season, or was this some type of competition to see who did better, and whoever that is will get thr slot?

Or, I could see them hiring both BUT the woman will stay with the FBI and she will "fill in" for Fornell. So, in other words, she will be a part time player. And then they will bring in the MI6 guy to join the team at NCIS.

(Sorry - don't know the new people's names.)

[pennben]

If we are all being honest, the new guy was written as much more fun and much more like Tony.  The woman never really had a shot if it was a competition. I can't believe that is their plan to say...whoops, you guys liked him more than her, she gone...so I'm still trying to figure out where she fits in going forward.

So yes, I guess I can see her as a Fornell substitute from time to time, but boy howdy, I'll not be pleased if he dies.

Edited May 11, 2016 by pennben

[Ohmo]

Michael Weatherly Previews NCIS Exit: With Farmhouse Inferno, 'The Fuse Has Been Lit' for DiNozzo's Send-off

This is a long article, and I only have had time to skim it.  There could potentially be a spoiler hiding in what I missed, so the link's going in here just to be safe.

[Ceindreadh]

It's been a while since I watched, but has Tony just gone back to his S1 hairstyle in those pics?

[Ohmo]

It's confirmed.  CBS This Morning just aired a clip of the finale.  Tony's going off to look for Ziva.  He and Senior have a scene where they discuss that they don't know whether  she is alive or dead.  That is the thrust of the scene, and Tony is visibly concerned.

Blech, blech, blech, barf, barf, barf.

[GHScorpiosRule]

54 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

It's confirmed.  CBS This Morning just aired a clip of the finale.  Tony's going off to look for Ziva.  He and Senior have a scene where they discuss that they don't know whether  she is alive or dead.  That is the thrust of the scene, and Tony is visibly concerned.

Blech, blech, blech, barf, barf, barf.

 

UGH. GROSS. BLECH.

REALLY Glasberg? This is how you exit Tony? FUCK YOU.

[pennben]

I assume that's not the final scene. No way they'd spoil the whole thing.  I agree Tony deserved his own exit, but I'm still going to be angry if she's dead. Honestly, at this point, I'm thinking she's dead and he decides to move on. And I agree, they damn well should have left her out of this.

Edited May 17, 2016 by pennben

[secnarf]

18 minutes ago, pennben said:

I assume that's not the final scene. No way they'd spoil the whole thing.  I agree Tony deserved his own exit, but I'm still going to be angry if she's dead. Honestly, at this point, I'm thinking she's dead and he decides to move on. And I agree, they damn well should have left her out of this.

I agree - MW was on The Late Show last night, and he said his exit "feels like forever" - I don't think he could say that if he was going off to look for Ziva who may or may not be alive. They also showed a clip that looked like it picked up in the bullpen right where the last episode left off, and that's when Tony says he has to go look for her.

[Ohmo]

21 minutes ago, pennben said:

I assume that's not the final scene. No way they'd spoil the whole thing.  I agree Tony deserved his own exit, but I'm still going to be angry if she's dead. Honestly, at this point, I'm thinking she's dead and he decides to move on. And I agree, they damn well should have left her out of this.

I don't think the scene that CBS This Morning showed is the final scene.  Senior and Tony are in Tony's apartment.  There is evidence of moving or packing.  Tony tosses a piece of clothing (or something like that) into a cardboard box.

The intro that Gayle King said before they introduced Michael and the clip was (paraphrased) along the lines of "Tony's going off to find/look for his love interest Ziva David."  Since CBS is the network upon which NCIS airs, it would seem to me that it wouldn't be worded that way unless CBS wanted it to be.

Sounds to me as if canon is about to be established, which greatly disappoints me.  Oh well, at least I was spared from having to watch anything on-screen.

[JessDVD]

CBS must be operating under the "tell, don't show" method of storytelling if they're using the phrase "love interest". Virtual boxes of chocolate handed out to anyone who can show me a moment in televised NCIS history where Tony and Ziva were actually portrayed as love interests, and not, I don't know, coworkers with a weird and inappropriate sexual tension, one of whom treated the other terribly and the show clearly wanted us to think that was cool, or something like that. And I'm not counting their kiss because of Ziva's "You are loved" cop-out line.

[pennben]

So, we can't count anything that might be something, because you deem it as nothing?:)  I mean, come on, I felt like it was there even if you hated it.  And yes, it was under the radar. Regardless, I'm still hoping they don't kill off Ziva now, that would disappoint me.  

I'm also still hoping for a great exit for Tony.

Edited May 17, 2016 by pennben

[JessDVD]

I know, critical... I will totally admit my dislike for Ziva as a character and my violent dislike for the entire Tiva concept. But there are a million ways they could have done that farewell other than a pat "You are loved". I mean, even if they didn't want to go straight to "I love you", they could have had her say something like "You know I care deeply for you Tony, and I wish things for us had worked out differently". (They didn't say something like that, right? I tried to block most of that episode out, along with the entire 2 seasons before it) 

I always felt like CBS was trying to say that Tony/Ziva are love interests, but the show never really bore that out. Mostly I saw Ziva treating Tony like crap, and the show being all TEEHEE ISN'T THAT FUNNY. And then such gems as when Tony & Jeanne were together and Ziva's all "why won't you teeeeeell me" and we're supposed to think that Tony is totally unfair and then the thing with Ziva and Rivkin and Tony's all "what the hell is going on here" and we're supposed to think that Tony is totally unfair... yeah, did I mention that I've never much cared for Ziva?

Anyway, I fear I may be veering straight off topic here, so I'll go back to the chat about the clip from tonight's ep and say that I am really really hoping that it's just the promo monkeys and that bit will be a brief blip in what will otherwise be a spectacular sendoff for Tony.

Edited May 17, 2016 by JessDVD

[stuckin60s]

I am very disappointed if this becomes a Ziva/Tony ending.  It should be that he has decided to make something more of his life.  Expand, get a day job, a wife, a family.  Not just I am going to go and look for her.  She has been gone awhile.  I still don't like Bishop

[pennben]

All I'm going to say is that I want a wonderful Tony exit.

Also, I feel like I deserve a 'virtual box of chocolates' for other reasons:)

Here's to tonight!

[pally]

I am hoping that they are foreshadowing a Ziva thing only to surprise us at the end.  Looking for Ziva wouldn't be a permanant departure.  In the CBS sneak peeks whenTony is packing the last thing we are left with is the doorbell.  I just have a Gibbsian gut feeling that its not his ride to the airport

[GHScorpiosRule]

And Tony got FUCKED.

[Ohmo]

GHScorpiosRule, you gotta watch your blood pressure (and didn't you tell me you were working on swearing less?) :)

Seriously, did you really think we were gonna get away scot-free with no bruises?  The concept of Tiva has been ridden down the center lane for years.  That's just how it is.  Ziva has always been the most extra specialist most wonderful thing ever, but guess what?  She's DEAD.  D-E-A-D.  If I must be forced to accept Tiva as canon, retroactive is the way to go, with a death to ensure that it's over.

Yes, ideally it would have been nice for Ziva to have taken a long walk off a short pier years ago, but we were never going to be fortunate enough to have no mention of her when it came to Tony.   I don't think that's realistic.  At least Tali was cute collateral damage.

[GHScorpiosRule]

@Ohmo, I wouldn't put it past this show to one day, down the line, give us the story line, that ZOMG!!! Ziva didn't die at all! It was Tali's nanny or a friend who was watching Tali, and that since she didn't know who was after her, Tali was better off being with Tony, while she hunted down the assassins herself. That Kort wasn't working alone after all!

No, I expected Ziva mentions, but I FUCKING WANTED Tony's departure to be about HIM, his career, that had nothing to do with that twat. But what can I expect from a show that fucking killed TomFucking!Morrow as an afterthought, and didn't give me us any follow through, or how his murder affected at least, the original agents who knew him and worked under his directorship?

[Ohmo]

2 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

@Ohmo, I wouldn't put it past this show to one day, down the line, give us the story line, that ZOMG!!! Ziva didn't die at all! It was Tali's nanny or a friend who was watching Tali, and that since she didn't know who was after her, Tali was better off being with Tony, while she hunted down the assassins herself. That Kort wasn't working alone after all!

You're right, that always could happen.  However, we've just ended S13, and I don't anticipate us getting another set of showrunners.  I really do think that GG did this to put a bow on the whole Tiva debate and be done with it.  The pro-Tiva fans receive canon recognition and Tali and the anti-Tiva fans get a dead Ziva and the Tiva recognition is retroactive and limited to old clips.  This is one piece of canon that I don't think that Gary's likely to touch because it ends a chapter that was never truly his.  Look at the show from this point forward. Clayton, Bishop, and Tess are all his creations.  Tiva was something he had to deal with, which he has done.  I now expect him to move on from that.

[Julia]

I'm super uncomfortable with the gendered language attacking Ziva. I mostly didn't mind Ziva, but she was a character with a lot of obnoxious qualities. Yes, those obnoxious qualities played out in her interactions with or around men. And yes, the actor who played Ziva was a woman.

The thing that's missing here is that practically every woman for over a decade of this show, other than Jackie Vance and McGee's grandmother, had to be dipped for the same ticks.

All the women in this world use sex to control men. All the women in this world go off the rails when their sexual/territorial instincts take over their ability to function professionally in their jobs. Most of them also shave their eyebrows and draw them back on with sharpie (not that that's relevant but it's kind of weird). Even manic pixie dream genius Bishop has started sexually oversharing and dragging her love life into her job, although she appears to have used the sharpie on existing eyebrows.

We've seen that same ball of toxic misogynist stereotypes with tits over and over and over again. I think I rant about it every other week. And yes, I'm pretty sure whoever on the essentially all male writing and producing team are obsessively making meat puppets out of the girls who wouldn't date them in high school think of their precious archetype as a 'twat.'

But she's not a woman. Her words don't come out of the mind of a woman. She's not formed by the sensibilities of a woman. She doesn't think like a woman. And if we need a body part to reduce her to, I think the sublimely trans-gender 'asshole' works just fine.

JMO.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Julia
commas help

[camussie]

Ziva using sex to control men doesn't even rank to me when it comes to her bad qualities.  I would say accusing Tony of murder in an official report, attacking him when he was already injured, and joining the team under false pretenses and still being welcomed back with open despite all of that are all  much more problematic and those would be problematic whether she was a woman or a man.   That said I agree there is a better way to criticize her than using gender laden insults.  

[Ohmo]

Early (and teeny) spoiler about NCIS/Fornell

Quote

Having had to lay a foundation for Michael Weatherly's season-ending sendoff, showrunner Gary Glasberg is "super-eager to reset, to move on and move forward ... and get back to the lightness and the mystery that NCIS is known for." And doing so might involve a couple of newer faces, in Sarah Clarke's FBI agent Tess Monroe and Duane Henry's MI-6 agent Clayton Reeves, either (or both) of whom could become series regulars. ("That's the next thing we're going to have to figure out," Glasberg said at finale time.) As for a near-casualty of Trent Kort's reign of terror, Glasberg plans to have Fornell's recuperation play out in real time, versus the usual TV quick fix: "To actually see him have to work towards it, and the frustration of that, is exciting for us."

2016 Fall TV Scoop: Babies, Deaths and More

[MissLucas]

Well, we have one new regular and it's not Sarah Clarke or Duane Henry but Fez.

[Ohmo]

Wilmer Valderrama Joins NCIS as Season 14 Series Regular

TVLine's article.  The way I read the article, it sounds like Duane Henry and/or Sarah Clarke might stay as recurring characters.

[pally]

sounds like he may be the new team member since he is an actual NCIS person.  Tess I've always seen as the go-to FBI person while Fornell is on the disabled list.  I never could figure out a role for Clayton.  A liaison  to a unit designed primarily for investigating crime from intelligence gather organizations didn't even make sense for the Ziva role.

[camussie]

So basically all that time they spent trying out the new characters was for naught. I just wish we had the time we wasted on them in the last episode to focus more on Tony's exit.  

[HurricaneVal]

What?  Was Pauley Shore unavailable?

[Ohmo]

NCIS: Mary Stuart Masterson to Recur, Bond With... — See Photos

Edited October 21, 2016 by Ohmo
link was broken

[secnarf]

Mild spoilers for Jan 24th's episode: http://tvline.com/2016/12/23/ncis-season-14-episode-14-photo-jimmy-palmer-ledge/

Sounds like we will at least get a Jimmy-centric episode after so many without him!

A big reveal about Jimmy in a episode in which he jumps onto a ledge to try to talk someone down. Should be interesting.

[betsyboo]

Season finale description, from TV Line, via CBS release:

Quote

TUESDAY, MAY 9
NCIS: The stress of McGee’s imminent wedding takes its toll as Delilah is rushed to the hospital. Also, Gibbs’ team travels out to sea after a young, healthy Petty Officer aboard a Navy destroyer dies in his sleep.

[sinkwriter]

They better not kill off Delilah. Can at least one character have a happy, healthy, lasting relationship? Sheesh.