S18.E10: Watchdog

[thewhiteowl]

NCIS uncovers a secret dogfighting ring, which leads to an unexpected move by one of the team members.

[enoughcats]

Dog fighting ring?  I was just kidding, nobody needs to adopt a dog.

[nitrofishblue]

I think that Lucy is the same dog that is in the John Wick 2 & 3 movies. I say that because being a dog lover I recognized the color of the dog. I love the blue pit bulls. I have one in my home right now. 

On 3/14/2021 at 7:38 PM, enoughcats said:

Dog fighting ring?  I was just kidding, nobody needs to adopt a dog.

I have adopted a dog that had been used as a bait dog. I cried my eyes out when she passed in my arms from congestive heart failure.

[DavidWeis1]

Who else thought about Pauley Paurette’s claims about Harmon and his dog? Was there some code here that I missed?

I love dogs and would have gotten pissed pulling that cage out of the lake with the dogs in it, but is this really going to be the thing to take down Leroy Jethro Gibbs???? 

Everything seemed too easy — the old lady recanting, finding the pool cleaner, the steroids, etc. But at the end of the day, what were we supposed to think? Would the team so blatantly lie? And if Vance suspends Gibbs, shouldn’t he suspend the team for, oh, you know, lying?

Geez, what has happened to this show?  Yes, I know Jack left, Fornell’s daughter died, but Gibbs has been through worse.

[secnarf]

I hadn't seen any promos, so in the synopsis where it says "unexpected move by one of the team members", I didn't think it would refer to Gibbs assaulting someone. I mean, at this point, isn't that kind of...expected?

Of course he only faces consequences when it is part of the plot. And the IA cop or whoever that was is a huge dog lover so Gibbs does escape jail, as per TV logic.

[Dr.OO7]

I'm absolutely INSANE about dogs and I absolutely DESPISE people who abuse them (and all animals), so despite the unrealism, this time l, I have to say that I'm 100% on Gibbs' side. There's just something extra sick about the kind of person who would do that, and most of them aren't far from doing it to a person.

[Xeliou66]

I had mixed feelings about this episode - while it was compelling, it was also disturbing seeing everyone at NCIS lie for Gibbs, I guess because of real life events of law enforcement misconduct it was disturbing to me to see the protagonists and supposed heroes of the show lie to cover for another agent. That part disturbed me, and I think Vance should’ve suspended the whole team for lying, not just Gibbs. 

I can’t really blame Gibbs for snapping, he’s been through so much pain and tragedy that it’s only natural he would snap sooner or later, he really shouldn’t have been at work so soon after Emily Fornell’s death, Vance should’ve made him stay home. I did like seeing Gibbs’ compassion for animals in this episode, it’s been shown before and it’s one thing I like about Gibbs. And the guy Gibbs punched was lowlife scum of the earth, anyone who abuses animals is a piece of shit. So I didn’t really care about Gibbs snapping and punching the asswipe, what disturbed me was everyone being willing to lie for him. The whole “blue wall of silence” needs to be dismantled, and the show shouldn’t be promoting it. 

I also had trouble buying that the inspector investigating Gibbs would just drop it because he’s a dog lover. 

Glad Palmer was barely in the episode, he’s the most ethical person at NCIS and I’m glad he didn’t get roped into this mess. 

So I had very mixed feelings about this - I didn’t really blame Gibbs for snapping, but everyone lying about it was disturbing. And I’m sick of every episode having something very personal for the team, when can we just get a routine murder of the week with no major personal plot. 

[stonehaven]

Yeah, this really is a downer of a season. I was surprised that McGe would lie especially after Gibbs told him to tell the truth. I detest animal cruelty but am aghast that this is what sets Gibbs off. He's had members of his team die right in front of him, his office blown up, lovers killed, his family murdered and this? This is what does it?

I just want the old, fun..happier NCIS back and I don't think I'll get my wish...

On the plus side, the NCIS shout out in tonight's This is Us had me rolling..

[mommalib]

Gibbs is the classic example of an arrogant and entitled law enforcer. His actions put his team and Vance in a tough spot. And then to hear him say his only regret is that he didn't kill the guy? Seriously Gibbs? I get that his love for the dogs is supposed to be portrayed as admirable but that doesn't mean you get to just flip out and beat a guy senseless because of a hunch. What about the higher standard?  

And I feel like Vance didn't suspend the team because he understood the position that Gibbs put them in, he cares about Gibbs as well that's why he was trying to help him.

[scorpio1031]

2 hours ago, DavidWeis1 said:

Who else thought about Pauley Paurette’s claims about Harmon and his dog? 

🙋‍♀️

[enoughcats]

9 hours ago, mommalib said:

His actions put his team

When he tossed his coworker off his back, she didn't land well (OK, maybe her stunt double didn't land well), but doing that was workplace violence.

In agreement on the remembrance of Abby, such that I wondered if this were a script left over from several years ago.  But there was another dog script, the shot German Shepherd, which Abby went on and on about (and which had me wondering about the dog hair getting into every nook and cranny of her supposedly clean lab). So Cassie has the same problem with this dog.  

The cynic in me wonders if someone as warped as Gibbs has become would be allowed to adopt a dog that was bred for fighting.  Those muscles didn't get that massive by sniffing butterflies on a romp through the park. When someone says "I'm sorry I didn't kill him", believe him.

[Kelda Feegle]

So many things that I am not ok with in this episode. Lucy is gorgeous though.

[preeya]

13 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

That part disturbed me, and I think Vance should’ve suspended the whole team for lying, not just Gibbs. 

In the TV world of NCIS just how is "suspended" defined?  A day, week, month, forever??? What are the consequences?

[eel21788]

4 hours ago, enoughcats said:

there was another dog script, the shot German Shepherd, which Abby went on and on about (and which had me wondering about the dog hair getting into every nook and cranny of her supposedly clean lab). So Cassie has the same problem with this dog.  

In Kasie's defense, she did have the dog confined. She didn't get free  run of the lab the way Abby did with Jethro (who has been MIA now for many, many years. Will we ever find out what McGee did with him?)

[basiltherat]

I tuned in late for this episode (shows how little it's appointment TV lately) just in time to see Gibbs launch himself at the guy and throw Bishop off his back.  I had no idea that it was over dogs.  After all these years and all the things that he's seen, he chooses to die on the hill of pit bulls ??!!   This seemed like more of a commercial for pit bulls than a real story about characters we know.  As any Judge Judy watcher will know, they are a dangerous breed and, if you want homeowners insurance to pay for any damage the creatures do, they will up your rates or out-and-out deny you coverage.  The guy wasn't any more scum of the earth for killing and abusing dogs than for doing the same to humans.  Gibbs hasn't gone this postal since his family was murdered.  

Anybody else expecting M(A)lison to show up as his lawyer?

[deemac]

4 hours ago, enoughcats said:

 

The cynic in me wonders if someone as warped as Gibbs has become would be allowed to adopt a dog that was bred for fighting.  Those muscles didn't get that massive by sniffing butterflies on a romp through the park. When someone says "I'm sorry I didn't kill him", believe him.

My pit mixes chase butterflies, they snuggle with the cats and have always had super muscles just from play wrestling

[MissLucas]

Well, that did not make a lot of sense. First why was the case of the shot dogs not handed to whatever law enforcement branch is actually responsible? I'm not an expert on the issue but I'm pretty sure it's not NCIS.

And how did Torres and Bishop know what exactly McGee had testified? Was Coyle actually telling them? Or giving McGee time to brief them? Again, not an expert but I don't think that's how you handle an investigation. I also don't think you can just bury an investigation like that.

Yes, the suspect was a scumbag - but I don't see how that makes him worse than any of the other scumbags they had to deal with over the years. Gibbs lost it not because dude was a scumbag but because Gibbs suffers from acute toxic masculinity. Instead of staying home and dealing with his grief and his recent losses he had to insist on returning to his job. He was not fit for duty and he added sleep deprivation to his already messed up state of mind and then he lost it. That it happened with a dog killer was just a manipulative move of the writers.

I hate it when shows pull the dog card in order to manipulate the audience. And this show has a track record for doing that - I still haven't forgotten the episode where Abby bullied McGee in adopting a dog and everybody acting as if that was okay and sweet. 

@Xeliou66 is right - Palmer not being part of this mess was the one good thing about this episode.

[Grizzly]

Where's a fun, Halloween episode when we need one?

[immortalfrieza]

22 hours ago, stonehaven said:

Yeah, this really is a downer of a season. I was surprised that McGe would lie especially after Gibbs told him to tell the truth. I detest animal cruelty but am aghast that this is what sets Gibbs off. He's had members of his team die right in front of him, his office blown up, lovers killed, his family murdered and this? This is what does it?

To be fair to Gibbs he HAS flipped out when members of his team die, family murdered, and lovers killed before. What's different about this one is that Gibbs always knew definitively that whoever did it did it before he went ballistic on them. This time he just walks up to a suspect on the word of a woman he doesn't know and doesn't just rough him up a little trying to arrest him, Gibbs beat the holy hell out of him without yet even having any proof that the guy had even done it!

[enoughcats]

Now Mrs. Mark Harmon is in line to appear in four episodes starting next month.  You may recognize her name as having been Mindy in Mork and Mindy. I didn't recognize the more mature woman

Pam Dauber, come on down;You may be the next one to disappoint long time fans on NCIS - something's not right this season

[mertensia]

10 hours ago, deemac said:

My pit mixes chase butterflies, they snuggle with the cats and have always had super muscles just from play wrestling

I was coming home from work one morning years ago when a new resident of my apartment complex came by walking his at least part pit bull. The dog had this aloof majestic walk and ignored me as the guy and I said hello. About ten feet beyond me the dog stopped, turned, walked back to me and shoved his head in my hands. I petted him and said hello while his owner stood by looking mortified.  Then he abruptly turned and continued on his way. 

[HurricaneVal]

On 3/17/2021 at 11:16 AM, basiltherat said:

Anybody else expecting M(A)lison to show up as his lawyer?

<raises hand>  Me!

I was actually a little disappointed.

 

20 hours ago, Grizzly said:

Where's a fun, Halloween episode when we need one?

No.  Kidding.

 

------------

This was a hard episode for me to watch, and I'll be giving it a hard pass on any reruns.  For some reason, I am extra empathetic when it comes to animals dying or being abused.  I feel sad, of course, when people die or are abused--I'm not a monster!--but when it comes to animals, I just can't deal with it on my screens.  Old Yeller?  Won't watch it.  In fact, I won't watch any movies featuring animals because they always die in the end.   I am very conflicted about Cujo and Pet Sematary.  And forget about those Sarah McLachlan or Eric McCormack ASPCA commercials they run during daytime and late night TV, I have to mute them or turn them off.  This worries me so much that when I watch Paw Patrol with my granddaughter, I brace myself for the possibility of Mayor Humdinger turning evil and mowing down Zuma, Rubble, Skye et al in a fit of displaced rage and overcompensation.

 

[Ebau]

On 3/17/2021 at 10:21 AM, deemac said:

My pit mixes chase butterflies, they snuggle with the cats and have always had super muscles just from play wrestling

And they're awfully darn cute, too! I raised Rotties for years, during the time when their reputation was at its worst. They were all sweet, lovable, friendly dogs (all 7 of them) and none ever hurt another dog or human being. I miss my babies *sniff*. 

[Grizzly]

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

This was a hard episode for me to watch, and I'll be giving it a hard pass on any reruns.  For some reason, I am extra empathetic when it comes to animals dying or being abused.  I feel sad, of course, when people die or are abused--I'm not a monster!--but when it comes to animals, I just can't deal with it on my screens.  Old Yeller?  Won't watch it.  In fact, I won't watch any movies featuring animals because they always die in the end.   I am very conflicted about Cujo and Pet Sematary.  And forget about those Sarah McLachlan or Eric McCormack ASPCA commercials they run during daytime and late night TV, I have to mute them or turn them off. 

When I saw "dogfighting" in the synopsis, I told my husband we weren't watching this episode.

[laredhead]

I wonder if the dog in the final scene was actually Harmon's dog?  He and the dog certainly were comfortable with each other.  This will be one I do not rewatch in the future because of my intense dislike of animal cruelty, even fictional story lines about it. 

[nitrofishblue]

1 hour ago, laredhead said:

I wonder if the dog in the final scene was actually Harmon's dog?  He and the dog certainly were comfortable with each other.  This will be one I do not rewatch in the future because of my intense dislike of animal cruelty, even fictional story lines about it. 

In an earlier post, I stated that I thought the dog Lucy was the dog that was in the John Wick 2 an 3 movies. I remember the coat color of the dog because it is my favorite. My current foster dog has the same color.

[Grrarrggh]

On 3/17/2021 at 12:08 PM, preeya said:

In the TV world of NCIS just how is "suspended" defined?  A day, week, month, forever??? What are the consequences?

NCIS is becoming more and more fictional by the series. They act as if they're the only agents in all of NOVA, Vance treats them like they're his equals instead of him being the boss, no way would Cassie/Abbie and Jimmy/Ducky only work with this single team. 

They should have at least gotten rid of Gibbs years ago. There's no chance he'd still be working at NCIS in an even remotely normal world.

[M.CoatesworthHay]

On 3/16/2021 at 10:33 PM, stonehaven said:

I detest animal cruelty but am aghast that this is what sets Gibbs off. He's had members of his team die right in front of him, his office blown up, lovers killed, his family murdered and this? This is what does it?

I got the feeling this was more of a Mark Harmon Loves Pitbulls And Dogfighting Is Terrible PSA episode than anything else. I was also reminded of the on-set incident that Pauley Perrette talked about. 

[Sake614]

For the first time ever, I turned off the show and deleted it from my TiVo. I will not watch anything that involves animals being injured, and certainly not dog fighting. 

[RobertDeSneero]

On 3/17/2021 at 1:16 PM, basiltherat said:

I tuned in late for this episode (shows how little it's appointment TV lately) just in time to see Gibbs launch himself at the guy and throw Bishop off his back.  I had no idea that it was over dogs.  After all these years and all the things that he's seen, he chooses to die on the hill of pit bulls ??!!   

I've always thought there's something a bit weird about people who seem to care more about dogs than people.

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/20/2021 at 11:36 PM, M.CoatesworthHay said:

I got the feeling this was more of a Mark Harmon Loves Pitbulls And Dogfighting Is Terrible PSA episode than anything else. I was also reminded of the on-set incident that Pauley Perrette talked about. 

Amen.  It also seemed like one more f-u to Pauley, like when Gibbs kissed Kasie the way he used to kiss Abby (but it just looked creepy when he kissed Casie because the Gibbs character didn't/doesn't have the same relationship with Kasie that he had with Abby).  This episode was almost enough to have me stop watching the show for those reasons but also because the team was idiotic enough to lie so ridiculously, and how Gibbs expressed his wish that he had killed the guy.  Actually, now that I am typing that last sentence -- and this may sound weird -- but it almost cheapens Shannon's and Kelly's lives that he would have gone to such lengths as to kill their killer, but he was also willing to go to the same lengths to kill someone who kills dogs.

[Bliss]

On 3/23/2021 at 7:15 AM, RobertDeSneero said:

I've always thought there's something a bit weird about people who seem to care more about dogs than people.

Call me weird. I'd consider it a compliment.

I've had several dogs - all beautiful souls - and not one of them lied to me, robbed me, raped me, or beat me up... just to mention a few of abusive "people" tactics. The only they ever did, unintentionally hurting me, was die.

Dogs are our experience of unconditional love - not many people come even close. Even me.

[nitrofishblue]

10 hours ago, Bliss said:

Call me weird. I'd consider it a compliment.

I've had several dogs - all beautiful souls - and not one of them lied to me, robbed me, raped me, or beat me up... just to mention a few of abusive "people" tactics. The only they ever did, unintentionally hurting me, was die.

Dogs are our experience of unconditional love - not many people come even close. Even me.

You and I are on the same wave length.  I have been a volunteer at the local SPCA for 19 years. During this time I have fostered three dogs that were all rescued from abusive situations. I ended up adopting all my fosters. They only broke my heart when they crossed the bridge. For ten years I took pictures of the shelter dogs that were posted online which helped getting them adopted. My best friends were also spca volunteers. We shared the love for the dogs, best thing ever.

[UnikornRainbowz]

I am obviously in the minority but I tune in for a show not reality. That punch and fight with Gibbs and the scumbag was sooooooo satisfying. I wish he had killed him too. Just no sympathy for him.

Edited February 16, 2022 by UnikornRainbowz

[CheshireCat]

I hadn't seen this or the couple of episodes afterwards when they aired but caught a rerun... I think given what Gibbs had just been through, his reaction makes sense. What I think makes the least sense is Vance's reaction. Sure, Gibbs used unnecessary force and a suspension may be in order but indefinitely? It's not like Gibbs beat up a guy for no reason and I'm pretty sure that the majority of the public would not be outraged by the brutality but the dog drowning/abuse. There's a reason we get these tear-jerking commercials about rescue animals and the shelter animals before the Super Bowl.

I think to make the suspension plausible, they would have needed something else than Gibbs beating up someone who'd drowned eight dogs, shot three others and killed two and been abusing them.

ETA: Completely forgot but another thought I had was that as a country with a severe drug problem, maybe whoever took over the investigation (I didn't catch it properly), they should still have arrested the guy for steroids?