S12.E09: Grounded

[FormerMod-a1]

While stuck at the Dulles airport due to inclement weather, DiNozzo, Bishop and her husband Jake work an NCIS case involving an elevated terrorist threat at Northeast airports during the Thanksgiving travel surge.

 

 

[NYGirl]

I really enjoyed tonight's episode.  It was riveting.  Welcome to the team Ellie.  I liked the way they all worked together with just the right amount of making us laugh.   I just wish they'd have showed Gibbs actually making the snow angel.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Loved this episode!

 

And I'm just so, so, so, so, happy that Jake is a good guy! So ADORBS! Though I don't like that blonde look Jamie's got going. And Boo, that we didn't get his native English accent.

 

And now of course I have to bitch about the airport. Like an airport like Dulles would have only that one, annoying person making all the announcements. Really, show? First it was Fairfax County as a rural bumfuck town last week, and tonight we have Dulles INTERNATIONAL airport having only one annoying twat making announcements? I wanted to pop her for her last line to Tony about only listening to only what the TSA say. I really, really was hoping she would have gotten injured in the cross-fire.

 

What?

 

And how adorable was Jake?

[CoyoteBlue]

Forget one announcer, there were only like, two hallways - one hallway and a bathroom nook. There were more electronics in that charging installation than people in the airport. And yet one Skype session could replace the security system of the whole airport.

 

(Holy crap, I was excited to see Jamie as Jake though!)

[MyAimIsTrue]

Loved all of the red herrings in the episode from a grumpy Calgary bound Edie McClurg to the stoner dude to the walking boot chick to the almost too chipper gate agent to even thinking Tony's father got caught up in another hare brained scheme.  Oh, and wondering if Jake was to be trusted.

 

The only thing that sort of side tracked me was a connection to Bogota out of Dulles as I believe such a flight would more than likely depart JFK or Miami instead.  Could be wrong, though.

[NYGirl]

OMG I totally forgot to shout out to Edie McGlurg!!  When she first was shown I yelled out her name to my daughter..who looked at me with a "huh" look!

 

I don't know who Jake is but he was awfully cute.  Tony was cute tonight too.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Every time I see Edie McClurg, no matter the role, I want her to exclaim that someone is a "righteous dude" a la Ferris Bueller.

[Linderhill]

I do think that the timing for this episode was kind of ironic since their predicting a major storm here in the DC area.  

 

I do have to agree that it was a poor representation of Dulles Airport.  Even the second Die Hard movie was better at showing the airport and they had a really big oops by showing a Pacific Bell pay phone bank.  Dulles is an odd airport in that the main gates are out away from the original terminal.  I don't know about Bogata but I do know they fly to Europe and Brazil from there.  

 

Aside from that I did enjoy the episode.  Smart Tony! competent Ellie (who is married to Midshipman Archie).  And we didnt have to suffer thru a visit from Senior!

[roseha]

I enjoyed this one a lot too, I love stories with snowbound backgrounds (the brief threat of a power blackout was intriguing to me also though I hate to go through them!) and I just loved Jamie Bamber's realization of Jake as a smart but adorable and slightly nerdy NSA attorney.  The relationship between him and Ellie was believable, his remarking on all the changes in her, her annoyance that he hadn't mentioned the chatter, yet still the trust there.

I tend to think of Tony as someone who would annoy me in real life, but MW always makes him so likeable (and ultimately competent) that I forget that thought.  By the way I did think of Tony's "Beer" observation before he voiced it, but maybe we were meant to.  I agree there were a lot of red herrings but I actually suspected the ultimate villain well ahead of time, and I am not usually good at that, still it it didn't bother me.  A really good one, even though I don't believe Gibbs would actually make a snow angel.  Heh.

Edited November 26, 2014 by roseha

[LakeGal]

I really enjoyed this episode.  It was like I was watching the Airport movie.  I liked Bishop's hubby and the interaction with Tony was enjoyable.  They didn't have any of them acting dumb this week.  I also guessed the hitman just because,,, I don't know it just seemed obvious.  But I really wanted to see Gibbs making a snow angel. 

[catray]

I love these types of episode. Of course, it's ludicrous that they would be able to screen that many people in such a short amount of time, but I don't care. Tony was awesome this episode (which has actually been pretty consistent this season) and really, everyone was great. I liked Tony's text at the end calling Tim "McTurkey." Love the bromance.

Love seeing Jamie Bamber as Jake. Smart, sweet, and adorkable. Although I hope it doesn't lead to any on-screen (or off-screen) angst for them, I did like that Elie and Jake are having to confront how this job has affected their relationship and how it is changing Ellie.

It would have been awesome to see Gibbs make a snow angel. What a tease!

Shameless in the Shallow end: I think Ellie needs a shirtless picture of Jake at her desk (from their holiday of course) that we can occasionally catch a glimpse.

[twoods]

NCIS is showing a healthy relationship on the show? Hopefully Jake doesn't die like Jackie did- I really liked him and how well him and Bishop interact with each other.

Loved competent Tony and Bishop. NCIS doing their thing even though they were separated was great and the storyline was suspenseful. This season continues to surprise me with how good it is.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I also loved what seemed to be a throwback to the Gibbs rule of always watch the watchers which could have been why he stopped on the bearded passport photo of the "doctor" and asked for Abby to clean it up, thus identifying the assassin.

[Sharpie66]

That was a really excellent episode, for all of the reasons stated above--competent Tony, adorable nerdy Bamber (Apollo as a bit of a dork--I love it!!), the Elle/Jake relationship being solid, Jake going into stammer-mode when confronted with the Gibbs' Stare, and Tony and Tim trying, unsuccessfully, to keep something from Gibbs. One of the my favorite things was the throwaway comments everyone else back at the Yard had about Senior missing his flight at the end, since they demonstrated how they all know Senior soooo well by now.

[Ohmo]

This episode kicked ass and took names!  LOVED Jake!  Loved that he obviously adores his wife.  Thought the whole "Excuse me" chivalry aspect was very endearing, and I agree with twoods about a healthy and, dare I say, HAPPY relationship!  Yeah!

 

Competent Tony was FANTASTIC, and I also loved how we saw his authority as SFA.  When Bishop and Tony were talking to Gibbs and she was trying to say something, Tony was obviously directing things.  He took the time to explain himself to her later, but in the moment, I very much enjoyed that he was asserting his authority as SFA and directing a probie.  Also loved him using the Beer joke.  Tony would completely do that!

 

Also, wave to my soap days.  Trent Dawson (the baddie air marshall) used to play Henry on ATWT.

 

Still missed Jamie's accent, but I can't have everything.

[JackONeill]

Good show.  Well-acted.  Interesting to see Ducky, Palmer & Abby called into "investigative" duty on the main floor.  I like to see everyone (and when I say that I mean EVERYONE) in the show, and interacting together, as opposed to it only being, for instance, Gibbs and Ducky in autopsy, or Tony and Abby in her lab.

My, they certainly are letting Gibbs be cheerful this season.  (Which I approve of!!!)

[camussie]

Great episode.  I love the Tony/Bishop dynamic.  Instead of UST we have mentor Tony & the probie who respects him and wants to learn from him.  It has really brought a refreshing dynamic to the show as has the evolving Tony/Tim "bromance."  They still razz each other but they clearly are friends.  I also really enjoyed the barbed comment by Gibbs about senior.  Senior isn't abusive by any means but he is pretty weak father and i like it when that is acknowledged versus people (hi Abby) expecting Tony to just suck it up.

[JessDVD]

Oh my word, it's like they have read my wish list and are granting each one. Stable relationship! Competent Tony! Non-dour Gibbs! Palmer not looking like an idiot! Abby who acts more or less her age! I might weep....

 

We laughed pretty hard at McGee's "Uh, guys, I'm still here" when Ellie and Jake were having a moment over the dead body in the bathroom.

[Autumn]

This was one of the best episodes in a long time.  It was suspenseful but It wasn't a completely outlandish plot.  The whole team was working together.  Jake turned out to be awesome.  Even the lady who was in charge of TSA was competent.

 

No one person was right about everything.  Bishop was right about something being wrong with the guy but it was Tony who realized that he was an impostor because he didn't get the beer joke about his name.  Tony is a better profiler that Kate ever was.  Jake was helpful but he left the heroics to the people with police training.  Gibbs wasn't being a total Grinch about the holidays.  Abby wasn't walking around dressed like a turkey or some other nonsense.  Tony has someone coming to visit him for the holiday.        

Edited November 26, 2014 by Autumn

[MyAimIsTrue]

Even the lady who was in charge of TSA was competent.

 

I liked her too and think the show is knocking it out of the park this season in terms of really good guest actors.

[roomtorome]

This is probably a polarizing comment but honestly, since Ziva is no longer a character on this show, it has become (for me) enjoyable again.  I always felt they somehow got caught up in some weird, unfortunate loop of nonsense when she was still on the team with the constant razor sharp attention on her.

 

This was fun and light - just the sort of thing I used to watch for before Ziva ate the show.  

[Ohmo]

CBS | NCIS (15.7 mil/2.4) slipped 13 percent and two tenths yet out-rated an original Voice telecast for the first time ever.

 

TVLine

 

Bummed about the ratings, but I think the DWTS recap special and the upcoming holiday were factors.  Hopefully, the episode will get a good DVR bump.

[camussie]

This is probably a polarizing comment but honestly, since Ziva is no longer a character on this show, it has become (for me) enjoyable again.  I always felt they somehow got caught up in some weird, unfortunate loop of nonsense when she was still on the team with the constant razor sharp attention on her.

 

 

I think it is a combo of no more Ziva and a lot less Vance in addition to not near as much focus on Gibbs angst.  There is still a lot of focus on Gibbs and rightfully so because he is the lead but it is on him doing his job not on all he has lost.  Those last two seasons she was on (9-10) Gibbs, Vance, Ziva, were the angst triplets and it took up so much oxygen.  These last two seasons, especially this season, we don't have near as much as that.  That is why I really was glad that Vances cancer scare was a one and down.  

[Shadda2]

Really, really good episode.  I am enjoying this season so much I can't even believe it.  The writers even figured out how to write a couple that is a joy to watch and doesn't spend most of their time eviscerating each other.  See, they can do it.  Who in the world were they listening to that kept them writing Tony and Ziva the way they did? 

 

Love Jake, I do hope we see him again.  A lot.  It was really great that they didn't have him insist that he be allowed to be part of the investigation and yet he very naturally became a part of the investigation. 

 

Interagency cooperation without having to belittle each other or get into a huge turf war.  Who da thunk they could do that? 

 

Loved it, that's for sure.  Do wish we could have seen the snow angels though.  Everyone was front and center and everyone was competent and everyone was cooperative.  I was a little curious about why Tony didn't want Gibbs to know he was suspicious about the air marshal.  That didn't make sense to me, but perhaps I missed something.  If so, please let me know what it is.

[Julia]

I thought the snow angels were a great detail, especially coming right after Gibbs' epiphany about why he's not asking more from Bishop. Like, maybe it's occurred to him that he's ignoring the people around him because he's so obsessed with the people who are gone? Maybe, too, being reminded that Senior is missing Tony's adulthood now?

[pcta]

For me, my feelings for Bishop were best expressed by the TSA agent - "Adorable" said with sarcasm and a little exasperation. Thought Tony's character was great. Liked Palmer a lot tonight.

[CoyoteBlue]

Great episode.  I love the Tony/Bishop dynamic.  Instead of UST we have mentor Tony & the probie who respects him and wants to learn from him.  It has really brought a refreshing dynamic to the show as has the evolving Tony/Tim "bromance." 

 

I swear, this is the best team chemistry since the show began. No one is the buffoon, everyone has quirks that they can tease each other about, but it's friendly and light, no energy-sucking drah-mah! hogging up all the storylines. Functional relationships! Abby isn't a child! Tony is competent! Tony and Tim don't grate on each other! Bishop isn't a special snowflake! Gibbs is Gibbs!

[babs1226]

 

 

And we didnt have to suffer thru a visit from Senior!

hey now, Tony's dad may be a pain, but Robert Wagner is still sexy for a man his age.  He was a movie star, he was a television star (his series It Takes a Thief stands out for me).  I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a treat for me to see him :)  

[Sharpie66]

I think that Tony wanted to keep quiet the fact that he and Bishop had blown what he thought was an air marshall's cover, which could have been a rookie mistake if the guy was legit. But, if he had been legit, he would have handled Bishop confronting him in a more discreet fashion.

[Shadda2]

But didn't Gibbs already know they had blown the fake agents cover?  And you're right Beer's would have handled Bishop very differently if he had been a real agent worried about having his cover blown.

[Ohmo]

I don't have the episode playing at the moment, but I thought Tony wanted to wait to tell Gibbs until he had more information.  I thought he told Bishop something about not wanting to panic the terminal until he knew what they were dealing with.  I could be wrong though.  He seemed to have a specific reason for waiting to telll Gibbs and calling McGee, and it didn't appear to be entirely related to Bishop being a probie

[Betweenthisandthat]

Oh my word, it's like they have read my wish list and are granting each one. Stable relationship! Competent Tony! Non-dour Gibbs! Palmer not looking like an idiot! Abby who acts more or less her age! I might weep....

 

 

Some of these were on my wish list too and this might be why I'm enjoying this season a lot.  I have nothing new to add after I've read what everyone else had to say, but I enjoyed this episode as well.  I've loved this show for awhile, but there were always characters or relationships that annoyed me. Basically, these characters are so much less irritating than they used to be, and it's wonderful. Fingers crossed they can keep this up.

 

I actually found the Jake and Ellie marriage interesting to watch which is surprising because while I love Jamie Bamber the little we heard of Jake didn't interest me that much so it was a great idea to bring him into the foreground a bit and flesh him and Ellie out.  I hope we see him again this season.   

[stonehaven]

Don't know what else to say but I loved it..and glad to see Edie Mclurg...as a WKRP fan, I just want one more "Oh Herb" out of her...

[kassygreene]

A very good episode, in fact I think it meets the divvying up of lines that would make it an ensemble episode.  Jake is totes adorbs.

 

Also totes adorbs:  any major US airport on the night before Thanksgiving that isn't crammed full of irritated passengers, especially cranky, whiny kids.

 

Also totes adorbs:  the idea that "chatter" changes with events, AND can be tracked in real time AND be passed on to all agencies In Real Time.

 

Also totes adorbs:  that experienced business travellers would mouth off to armed security in any US airport - it's a fast way to get detained.

 

Also totes adorbs:  that NCIS can get from the Navy Yard (Anacostia) to a motel (totes bonus: a motel, not a hotel!) near Dulles, process the scene, and be back in the Navy Yard in two or three hours but Dulles itself is too snowed in for first responders to respond firstly.  

 

Also totes adorbs:  that the passengers waiting for their outbound flights would be so bored that they'd crowd around the gate of an incoming flight.

 

Most especially totes adorbs:  that an incoming international flight would de-plane passengers straight into the terminal.  Even before 911 you had to go through customs & immigration, and that would have been the perfect place to intercept and detain the two Columbian agents and their charge.

 

But for all my cranky whining (and I'm not traveling this weekend), I still enjoyed the hell out of this episode.  As others observed above, no drama, no petty one-upsmanship, no relentlessly un-professional conduct.  I'd watch this again.

[brgjoe]

Yep, picking a few nits aside, I also thought this was another good episode.

 

I liked Bishop's husband.  He appeared pretty much how I pictured what her husband would look like.  Btw, is it just me but was anyone occasionally seeing a little Christopher Reeve in his look?  Especially with those glasses he had on.  I also liked it that they didn't make him just as quirky (or even MORE quirky) than Bishop was when she first appeared on the show.  I thought they a very good casting decision with him -- I hope he comes back.

 

It hit all the right notes with me.  Everyone was intelligent, competent, and had sprinkled in just the right about of humor for me.  I liked it when Bishop and her hubby were bantering back and forth and then McGee chimes in on the phone saying (paraphrasing),  "You do realize I can still hear you, right?"   I also wrongly predicted who the "bad guy" was.  I was sure it was Boot Cast lady.  So, there goes my profiling career.  :)

 

And I may be in the minority, but I wouldn't have minded an appearance by Daddy DiNozzo.  I think he would have mixed in well with some of the passengers they featured in the show.  But the episode was fine as it was, really. 

 

Like others, really digging this season so far.

[Linderhill]

 

hey now, Tony's dad may be a pain, but Robert Wagner is still sexy for a man his age.  He was a movie star, he was a television star (his series It Takes a Thief stands out for me).  I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a treat for me to see him :)

It's not Robert Wagner that I mind (I loved It Takes A Thief when I used to be able to catch it in syndication, I also loved "Switch" but hated that Hart to Hart with a passion), its Senior that is the major annoyance.  His character just can't learn from his mistakes.  And he keeps. coming. back. over. and. over.  The first episode was his best but the following ones I could have done without.

[itsmeyousee]

Pretty late in chatting about this ep but i loved it. Everything just clicked perfectly even Senior being annoying and we didn't even see him LOL. I liked meeting Bishops husband and it was good to see that they are both adjusting to her new job. Not just him but Bishop also has to adjust to the fact that they can't talk like they used to, it was all done with such normalcy no massive angst about it , thank goodness. Another happy marriage on NCIS wow LOL

 

I have liked Bishop from the start but what i am really loving is her relationship with Tony. He is her mentor , Tony is who she is learning everything from and to me it should be that way. I always found it annoying that Kate and Ziva acted like they didn't need to learn anything from Tony when clearly as we were watching they were, they had to. Neither of them knew how to investigate anything which is why they had to be teamed up with Tony but it was never recognised. I get why it was different with McGee because he already hero worshiped Gibbs, so Gibbs would get the credit for everything but the girls were annoyingly smug for no reason i could see. I just love that Tony is the guy Bishop looks to.

[Dr.OO7]

Much like the predecessor, I've been reading for a while before finally deciding to join the website and post.

Just when you thought Jamie Bamber couldn't get any sexier, he puts on a pair of glasses. Yowza. If only that had been the only thing he was wearing.

I've loved his "adorkable" characterization of Jake. It was rather amusing to see him be so squeamish with the dead body after Bamber spent several years playing a cop on LOUK.