S19.E13: The Helpers

[thewhiteowl]

While investigating the death of an intruder at Quantico, Jimmy and Kasie are exposed to a deadly biotoxin, and the NCIS team calls on Doctor Carol Wilson for help as they race to find the antidote. Also, Torres tries to distract Jimmy’s daughter, who came to the office to spend the day with her dad.

[Poohpoohpooh]

I knew this would be a vanity project for Jimmy (as the actor Brian Dietzen co-wrote this ep), but it was even more soap opera-ish for him than I anticipated.

At least they gave my beloved Parker some fair development in this: at least 1 scene each of Parker being laidback, praising the team, aggressive to hurry and solve the case (when they needed the antidote), grossed out by the squished body twice, being comical when they broke in to the stinky mobile home. 

I was most moved by Kasie Hines. Which surprised me because she has only shown herself as comic relief (she has funny comedic delivery). I'm a newish viewer.

[stonehaven]

I thought this episode was a bit on the dull side and the whole toxin storyline was done years ago with Dinozzo and Kate as I recall....

Of course, I hate storylines like this but I will say I loved the underlying theme of Jimmy and his grief and the dream sequene. Other than that, it was okay....and Parker still rules!

[Kleav]

What did the note say at the end? My TV is apparently of insufficient def. 

[Poohpoohpooh]

13 minutes ago, Kleav said:

What did the note say at the end? My TV is apparently of insufficient def. 

Note says one word: "Nevermore".

Imo: zzz kinda lame. But I love an overarching storyline for Parker (and thems all the rest)

[buckboard]

I hate it when they spend multiple episodes tracking down the bad guy.  I can only hope it won't take the rest of the season. to capture him.

[preeya]

11 minutes ago, buckboard said:

I hate it when they spend multiple episodes tracking down the bad guy.  I can only hope it won't take the rest of the season. to capture him.

I hope it won't take the rest of the season and wind up in a cliffhanger.

Also, is this the season for kids on drama shows, because it seems like they are popping up everywhere.

[statsgirl]

Okayish episode. I liked the scenes between Jimmy and Victoria.

And Katrina Law got to bring out Nyssa Raatko again.

[DrScottie]

It's one thing to be exposed to a toxin when in the field, but as someone who worked in a research lab for a decade and a half, I was really disturbed that both a lead forensic scientist and a medical examiner would just sniff a flask of an unknown substance without testing it first or any use of biohazard protection to minimize any potential risk. These are two people who should honestly know better than that.  

[Chaos Theory]

I have been watch NCIS episodes off and on lately.   One of the things I complain about procedurals is what makes them so easy to watch.  You can skip half a season and it not really matter.  

Palmer episodes all have a general theme.  “Look on the bright side.”   I mean I kinda hated the show after they killed off  Fornell’s kid so bringing on Palmer’s kid maybe as a recurring might be fun.   You can nitpick all you want about Toxins but the episode had me for a brief moment wondering if the show would actually kill Palmer which was why it worked for me.  

NCIS will always be one of those shows that I can just not watch for months at a time but I do really enjoy the Palmer character and episodes.  

[HurricaneVal]

I liked that the Palmer/Torres friendship continued low key and behind the scenes all this time and now we see the payoff.  Uncle Nick!

[milkyaqua]

10 hours ago, DrScottie said:

It's one thing to be exposed to a toxin when in the field, but as someone who worked in a research lab for a decade and a half, I was really disturbed that both a lead forensic scientist and a medical examiner would just sniff a flask of an unknown substance without testing it first or any use of biohazard protection to minimize any potential risk. These are two people who should honestly know better than that.  

That was my thought but I do tend to let stuff like that slide when it comes to TV/movies.

I'm okay with the Raven story-line so long as they don't drag out for the rest of the season.

I did like seeing the scenes with Palmer and his kid and Nick and the kid (especially Nick since it cut down on his over Nickness which tends to need to be reigned in).  He was good with her.

[Daff]

Good to see Torres back to “normal” (sort of). I found the brooding rather tedious. So I really liked the scenes between him and Victoria. Did not expect Knight, on the other hand, to be so kid-awkward! I’ve never missed an episode of this show since the beginning, but I just can’t figure out how Palmer’s daughter got to be so old? For that matter, how old are McGee’s twins now?

[Kleav]

23 hours ago, Poohpoohpooh said:

Note says one word: "Nevermore".

Thank you!

[Poohbear617]

I am a really bad judge of how old kids are, but victoria was born in 2015 making her at most 7 years old.  The actress playing herlooked about 12 or 13 to me.  Anyone else?

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

I thought she was a victim Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome but was too lazy to look up when she was actually born, so thanks for providing that information.

The thing that seemed off to me was how peaceful she was with the idea that her dad could be dying right in front of her.  It didn't ring true for a kid that has recently lost her mother.

I did like the confirmation that Nick and Jimmy continue to be friends off-screen.  I don't need to see it or hear about it every episode, but its nice to occasionally see it.  I may have even been a little moved by Nick's nod to Jimmy that he would be there to look out for Victoria.

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by Mrs. Stanwyck
Proof reading is important.

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 minutes ago, Mrs. Stanwyck said:

The thing that seemed off to me was how peaceful she was with the idea that her dead could be dying right in front of her. 

Dead? Do you mean Dad?

[Mrs. Stanwyck]

Lol - yes - I just fixed it.

[Daff]

1 hour ago, Poohbear617 said:

I am a really bad judge of how old kids are, but victoria was born in 2015 making her at most 7 years old.  The actress playing herlooked about 12 or 13 to me.  Anyone else?

Exactly. I agree. Maybe they think the old audience has jumped ship and no one would notice. I still want to know how old McGee’s twins are, though. Just in case they show up next week as interns. 

[Grizzly]

This was a Jimmy forward show, which is never a bad thing. It was nice to see Breena again and to meet Victoria. But I feel the star was Nick. During Jimmy's speech, when they showed Nick fighting to not cry, that was good acting imo. Especially since I wasn't winning that battle. I missed having Ducky there. He would've been a comfort.

[mythoughtis]

It was good to see Jimmy getting closure with his wife.   I loved  seeing Dr Wilson again.  I like it when little people get cast in roles that have nothing to do with being little.   This is the the only show that I can remember seeing her in unfortunately.

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by mythoughtis

[Trey]

4 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

It was good to see Jimmy getting closure with his wife.   I loved  seeing Dr Wilson again.  I like it when little people get cast in roles that have nothing to do with being little.   This is the the only show that I can remember seeing her in unfortunately.

 

She was one of the stars of the reboot of MacGyver which, unfortunately, was cancelled last year.

[rr2911]

On 2/28/2022 at 10:52 PM, Kleav said:

What did the note say at the end? My TV is apparently of insufficient def. 

The note said "Nevermore" which is a reference to Edger Allen Poe's poem The Raven. 

[rr2911]

This episode was just ok for me.  To be honest, I thought Cassie was going to bite the dust which I wouldn't mind.  I just don't like her character.  She tries to be funny, but she isn't.

"Nevermore" is reference to Edger Allen Poe's poem The Raven

Jimmy's daughter is supposed to be 7 years old?  She looked older than that.

[Daff]

10 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

This is the the only show that I can remember seeing her in unfortunately.

Meredith Eaton has turned up everywhere, in tv and movies. In addition to having the Director role in the recent McGyver, she’s been semi regular in CSI. She’s appeared in other NCIS episodes and in House.  First time I remember seeing her was in Dharma and Greg, 2001 (very young there). She’s always a delight because she can deliver upbeat optimism and empathy as well as snarky authority. She’s done ominous and eerie in some paranormal (fiction), too. 

[MissLucas]

Phew, I'm glad I'm not the only one who struggled with Victoria's age. I love Jimmy and Kasie but that was too much muchness for me. Especially having Victoria around for all the drama. I just kept thinking of the years of therapy ahead; even with a good outcome. Bouncing back from a scenario like that - especially after having recently lost your mother in similar way - is just not realistic. I can normally handwave stuff like that - but not today. 

But I like how they kept Agent Knight struggling around kids. And giving Katrina Law some fight scenes is always a good thing.

[MDL]

Were Nick and Victoria also "locked in", but in a different sealed room( possible Kasie's office?) of the "lab complex"?

[MissLucas]

No, Nick and Victoria arrived after Mass Spec had initiated a lockdown of the lab. They were upstairs in the 'orange room' when that happened, but since Victoria was around when everyone started blabbing about lockdown and toxins in the lab *plot contrivance* she wanted to see her father and Parker sent her with Nick down to the lab. Which was understandable but keeping her around for the whole time made no sense, especially not when they had no idea what the toxin was and how it would affect Jimmy. It would have made much more sense to bring her to another room and let her communicate by video link, so that Jimmy or somebody monitoring his symptoms could cut the link before she sees him convulsing on the floor. Quite frankly Torres had the most stressful job in this episode.

I guess the reason they aged Victoria was that a younger child would not have understood what was going on and so we could not have had all those great dialogues with wise beyond her years Victoria. Reality is harsher - I know of a well-meaning teacher who tried to shrink a girl that age  whose father suffered from terminal cancer. She told the girl that her father was in pain and that death would come as a blessing. All the answer the teacher got was 'I don't care - I want my Dad'.

[12catcrazy]

7 hours ago, MissLucas said:

 

But I like how they kept Agent Knight struggling around kids. And giving Katrina Law some fight scenes is always a good thing.

Does Katrina Law have a martial arts background?   Was that really her doing that fight scene - if so, she has some awesome moves! 

[MissLucas]

11 minutes ago, 12catcrazy said:

Does Katrina Law have a martial arts background?   Was that really her doing that fight scene - if so, she has some awesome moves! 

Yes, she has a black belt in karate. She also was in the first two seasons of Spartacus and quite a few episodes of Arrow - always in parts that require lots of fight choreography. And that's only the shows I've watched. I'm really glad she got a regular gig on the show after a brief stint at H50.

[Kleav]

23 hours ago, rr2911 said:

Edger Allen

Edgar Allan

[LuvMyShows]

On 3/3/2022 at 6:41 AM, MissLucas said:

Especially having Victoria around for all the drama. I just kept thinking of the years of therapy ahead; even with a good outcome. Bouncing back from a scenario like that - especially after having recently lost your mother in similar way - is just not realistic. I can normally handwave stuff like that - but not today. 

Yep to all this.   

On 3/3/2022 at 12:58 PM, MissLucas said:

I guess the reason they aged Victoria was that a younger child would not have understood what was going on and so we could not have had all those great dialogues with wise beyond her years Victoria. Reality is harsher...

I'm not wild about the wise-beyond-their-years trope.  There's also the really-great-kid trope, and we saw what happened to poor Emily Fornell!

[LuvMyShows]

23 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

I'm not wild about the wise-beyond-their-years trope.  There's also the really-great-kid trope, and we saw what happened to poor Emily Fornell!

Quoting myself because I just remembered about the boy who moved in across from Gibbs, who was also a really-great-kid...or was he a wise-beyond-their-years kid?  Hard to tell the difference, since that appears to be all that this show knows how to do for kids!  I guess the writers are just waiting to determine that Delilah and McGee's twins are old enough.  Maybe they'll go with the fish-out-of-water trope for the kids.  Will there be angst because the kid(s) aren't super-brainy and the parents must accept that?  Or will it be that the kid(s) are really into sports and Tim can't relate?  Or will the kid(s) be peace-niks and not approve of Tim's job?  The possibilities are endless! 

[Rambler]

It was hilarious how they stuffed the episode so full of Jimmy/Casey drama that they had to move the investigation part of the plot along at warp speed. They were like "Oh yeah, it's 3/4ths of the way through the episode and we have an actual case that needs to be solved. I know! We'll have McGee say 'We cross-referenced the whatchamacallit with the gobbledygook and that got us the exact location of the terrorist's hideout.' Then the dimwit terrorist they left at the hideout will point out the hidden map that conveniently has all the target locations. Of course the terrorists who are planting the toxin are going to bring the scientist who has the antidote along with them for no apparent reason so that everything can be wrapped up in about five minutes. Now we have time for the conclusion of our Jimmy/Casey drama along with the final Dun-Dun-Dunnn moment. Yay!"

[stonehaven]

This is clearly a random observation and I had no idea where to put it. I am wondering if the writers have a fascination with chess...as they replaced Bishop with Knight.....I'll see myself out!

[kaygeeret]

So glad to not have any more gripping about replacing Gibbs.....

The show is the same and moves along the same and there is a reasonable amount of angst, etc.

Everyone is replaceable.

And I really like Gary Cole - so bias raises it's head.

 

 

 

[M.CoatesworthHay]

Random observation: I found it weird that in a TV universe where the pandemic is real, and hospital patients can have only one visitor, people are just walking around maskless in a hospital.