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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

S01.E08: Ghosts

paigow

By paigow
in State Of Affairs [V]

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paigow

paigow

Jack Dawkins is kidnapped from a Panamanian prison and held for ransom. Meanwhile, Charlie returns to Langley to coordinate an operation; the D.C. bomb squad removes a suspicious backpack in front of the Washington Monument; and Nick is put through a number of tests.

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ottoDbusdriver

ottoDbusdriver

(edited)

It's pretty sad that no one even finds this show exciting enough to snark about it in a timely manner -- the show aired over 18 hours ago.

 

Best thing I can say about this episode was the actor that plays Jack Dawkins - yum!

 

There sure isn't much else good going on because it's all pretty damn confusing -- I'll try and summarize:

 

  • FARC rebels from Colombia abduct Jack Dawkins from Panamanian prison to hold for ransom (back in Episode 4 he was captured by the Panamanians when they were trying to retrieve the small pox samples from the former CIA lab)
  • Nick Vera is somewhere in Yemen auditioning as a wheeler-dealer financial black market dude to the lieutenant of the guy they tried to assassinate last week (I think) 
  • The President and the First Husband get pissy with each other and somehow the First Husband is in cahoots with Senator Kyle Green and is getting intel from her on who killed his son (like the First Husband can ditch his Secret Service detail like that -- I don't think so)
  • Someone (probably Kyle Green) gets the Krieg group to kill FARC rebels holding Hawkins and fly Hawkins back to Washington independent of the PDB groups plans (in order to try and embarrass the President)
  • Charleston Chew can't give up being the boss of the PDB group, still orders folks around
  • Maureen quits as the President's PDB after screwing up a brief
  • The President's Chief of Staff is "working the back channels" with one of Senator Green's staffers, and by "working the back channels" I'm pretty sure he's sleeping with her.
  • Charleston Chew is back as the President's PDB briefer (wow, big surprise there)
  • Some college coed was identified using vein patterns on the back of her hand (WTF ? Is that even a thing that is more accurate than fingerprinting) holding a backpack with the Ar Rissalah symbol in a picture at the Hoover Dam and is determined to do "big things".

 

It's all so damn boring -- watching Nick Vera grade gems was worse than watching paint dry.

Edited by ottoDbusdriver
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saber5055

saber5055

(edited)

 

Agreed. But better than 2 hours of Geraldo & Trump.

Sticking needles in my eye is better than one minute of Geraldo and Trump.

 

Thanks, as always, for your recap, Otto. My takeaway was more detail-oriented: The camera angle clearly showed there was no coffee in the cup POTUS (*drink*) was drinking from, just like there is never anything in those paper cups everyone on this show carries around. What happened to the days before Starbuck's, when people just went to work and worked w/o drinking coffee. And what happened to the props department putting some tea or cola in the cup. She was fake-drinking nothing, she could fake-drink flat cola.

 

 

like the First Husband can ditch his Secret Service detail like that -- I don't think so

Sure he can, since POTUS *drink* walks around Arlington Cemetery and the hospital with no SS guys following or with her. You'd think the show could hire a couple of unpaid extras to wear black suits and stand in the background or something.

 

First Husband is a real bitch. "I want to talk to my WIFE' with emphasis on The Little Woman. Hubby has a real problem with wifey having a paying job and him, not so much.

 

Nick can grade and evaluate every gem ever produced without a jeweler's loupe. Impressive. He needs to hire on at Harry Winston.

 

Jack's captors were the stupidest bunch ever. First, they fall for the "piranha-in-the-river" gag, then the leader tells his men to "go catch a peccary" when it's pitch black night and raining. Like peccaries are just standing around, waiting to be caught. Good luck catching one in daylight when you actually are prepared to catch a wild hog. What a bunch of dumb-asses.

 

I thought Jack escaped by himself and took off into the woods, to be tracked by Charleston by the bright red beacon he gives off on radar. This after he took time to draw a "V" in the beach sand as a signal to Charleston. But he really was liberated by the Krieg group? I'm so confused. (Not that it matters.)

Edited by saber5055
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mandigirl

mandigirl

 

Someone (probably Kyle Green) gets the Krieg group to kill FARC rebels holding Hawkins and fly Hawkins back to Washington independent of the PDB groups plans (in order to try and embarrass the President)

This was probably the most confusing part to me, because in the end, only the President, the CIA and the special ops team knew about the rescue, so no political impact for Kyle. Then, it also seemed like the mercenaries wanted to use it as an audition for President-- not sure how it could be both! Confusing. 

 

So, I'm convinced there's actually a good, interesting show in here somewhere. I saw it most clearly last week which was mainly outside of D.C. This week, back to the D.C. blahs.  At this point, I have a pretty good grasp on what's working and what isn't so far (atleast IMO).

 

ISN'T:

  • The whole 'briefing' thing is boring as heck and also confusing.
  • The White House politics (Kyle, the Chief of Staff) is for the most part beyond boring
  • I couldn't care less about what the President's husband is up to
  • The one briefer's drinking problem; the other briefer's puppy love for Mo.
  • Charlie commanding every special op that comes through the door.

 

IS WORKING:

  • Nick Vera. Like pretty much all the time. Even his more boring scenes are more interesting than the scenes with the briefers.
  • Nick (and even Charlie) traipsing around the world tracking down terrorists. Surprisingly entertaining.
  • For the most part, the Mo-Charlie friendship.
  • For the most part, the President- Charlie relationship.
  • The far more interesting side-characters, like James Remar's character and the hacker from a few episodes ago. 

 

I hope the showrunners keep working up the good aspects-- there isn't really a decent regular cable show like this since 24. I loved 24 and this is far, far from that right now but it has the potential to be (for lack of a better comparison) a grittier, more serious take on Covert Affairs which could actually be entertaining.  

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Netfoot

Netfoot

Some college coed was identified using vein patterns on the back of her hand (WTF ? Is that even a thing that is more accurate than fingerprinting).

 

I don't see why vein patterns couldn't be a thing.  I once saw a murderer identified by "lip prints" left on a blowgun. And that was decades ago!

 

I hope everyone now understands why you never tag anybody's faces on online media.  We can't get rid of the Gestapo, but we don't have to make it easy for them.

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Dowel Jones

Dowel Jones

I will give Maureen props for her post-briefing line: "I just wanted to get the band back together."   The band...The Band.....THE BAAAAND"  (Maureen starts running in place, then  does cartwheels the CIA office, followed by hot James Brown soundtrack).

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saber5055

saber5055

 

I don't see why vein patterns couldn't be a thing.

Now all the terrorists have been alerted to wear extra-long sleeves. Or even ... gasp! ... gloves!

 

My hands are not the youngest, but I am hard-pressed to see any veins on the back of my hands. When I was a 20-something college student, I'm POSITIVE there were no veins showing. Go figure ... this show might be making something up? Shocking!

 

I do like how Charleston always calls POTUS *drink* "Ma'am." I think that's cool.

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dr pepper

dr pepper

I'd like to see everyone's speculations on the First Mole storyline.

 

I think the senator thinks she's exploiting a typical case of "ivory tower academic idealist appalled by the actions of real world pragmatist". never guessing that he has a deeper agenda and is collecting as much information from her as he;s providing. And what's the game? Not sure, but i'm hoping he turns out to be an old fashioned leftwing revolutionary who wants to take down all sides.

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saber5055

saber5055

 

I'd like to see everyone's speculations on the First Mole storyline.

Wow, Dr. Pepper, that hurts my head. You mean I have to actually think deep thoughts about this show? I wouldn't even know what happened each week if it weren't for Otto's recaps. Still, I watch ...

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