S13.E24: Family First

[MyAimIsTrue]

The NCIS, FBI and MI6 teams continue the international manhunt for a spy who's targeting current and former agents. Anthony DiNozzo bids farewell to NCIS.

[Linderhill]

I'm already annoyed.

[secnarf]

As soon as they said there was a survivor, I knew it was a kid. But wow. A part of me still can't believe they went there. 

[Linderhill]

I'm even more annoyed now. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

I'm not annoyed. It's awesome. I'm glad they went there.

[mariah23]

It's the girl from Grandfathered!  

[Linderhill]

Its a cop out and cheapens the characters.

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 minute ago, Linderhill said:

Its a cop out and cheapens the characters.

I don't view it as such. The actress who played Ziva left, so they did the best they could given the situation in my opinion.

[Linderhill]

my issue is that it makes the episode all about her, just like the show always seemed to be when she was there. It should be about Tony, not her. 

[AntiBeeSpray]

1 minute ago, Linderhill said:

my issue is that it makes the episode all about her, just like the show always seemed to be when she was there. It should be about Tony, not her. 

I didn't view it in that way. Tony was concerned about her, since he loved and cared about her. That's where it ended with me. Nothing more.

[AimingforYoko]

Run Bishop, run! What am I saying, it's already too late. She's a female who sat at....the desk. Maybe it's time to burn that thing. It is a pretty remarkable run: Kate, Lee, now Ziva. Hell, Cassidy was only there for a few episodes and the Curse of the Desk got her too.

[ParadoxLost]

The problem I am having with this is that they used so much of Tony's last episode to prove to viewers that they can do NCIS without Tony.  Even the tag was the show goes on without him.

[JessDVD]

Thirteen years on this show and Tony's farewell is reduced to Ziva. I shouldn't be surprised.

[FormerMod-a1]

I'm sad to see Tony go, but excited for MW.  I'll check out his new show and hope it does well.

[HowdyTV]

I think this is also about growth for the character of Tony. He felt restless for a while without being able to say why. Now he knows. He was irritated that Ziva hadn't told him, yet by the end, understood why she didn't. "She knew me better than I know myself." But now he is ready, and even looking forward to it, along with Grandpa. I don't think it was too much about Ziva. If it was much less, you wouldn't  get why he was as upset as he was. Trying to juggle her loss with the knowledge he was a father.

[Callietwo]

I hated that this was all about Ziva.  Again.  It infuriates me that Ziva was pregnant with Tony's kid and she never felt that she needed to share that information with him.  It just makes me HATE Ziva and I mostly liked the character.  Infuriating!

[Linderhill]

Quote

Thirteen years on this show and Tony's farewell is reduced to Ziva. I shouldn't be surprised.

this is my problem too.  The kid was adorable but yeah, once again, Ziva eats up the show.  The plot reminds me of some fanfiction that's been posted. 

Edited May 18, 2016 by Linderhill

[NYGirl]

There were a hundred different ways to say our goodbyes to Tony yet they rewrote history and had to bring Ziva into it. 

[libad]

Certainly a better way to transition a character out of a show than to kill him off.

[MyAimIsTrue]

While I thought the child part was a bit over the top I really loved the episode and the send off.  MW's grief scene in the squad room was as fine a piece of acting as the show has ever had. 

[JessDVD]

OK, I read the other thread saying that Tali is Ziva's daughter, but I didn't get from it that it's TONY'S DAUGHTER TOO WHAT THE I JUST CAN'T EVEN. (We're in the middle of watching right now)

[pally]

His first scene at NCIS in Baltimore was showing him coming off the elevator.  Last scene going in the elevator.  MW said he would leave the way he came in

The whole cliche secret baby thing was handled a better than it could have been.  The little girl was awfully cute.
 

Now, I can see them keeping the Brit and making Tess a temporary Fornell... a character that comes and goes

[Packerbrewerbadger]

I hate that Ziva had Tony's child and never would have told him.  And now I hate Ziva.

[caci]

Another girl.  Really, are there ever boys born on this show?   Anyway,  I watched because it was Tony's last show, but it came off rather soap operish.  

[pally]

Gary Glasberg will be on  social media during the west coast viewing

Edited May 18, 2016 by pally

[Mama No Life]

Love or hate the story, MW acted the hell out of this.  His grief, at home and at work, reduced me to tears.

I kind of thought they were hinting that he belived  Ziva was alive and waiting for him in Paris. But I guess that's because I don't carry about framed pics in my bags, lol....

Edited May 18, 2016 by Mama No Life

[JessDVD]

How old is this child? Two? Three? How many seasons has it been? And Tony is feeding this obviously not infant child, baby purees? I have a 10 month old who doesn't eat baby food anymore. Maybe they do food differently in Israel?

Edited May 18, 2016 by JessDVD

[Lee4U]

Keep the Brit!  Yes!  

I am glad they toned down Tony's silly antics the past few years and just knew they were drag up the character that ate the show  for years but at least she didn't appear in it herself.  Whew!  That is one character that made me flee the show for years - she drove me nuts (not the actress, the character) - 

Network is mucking up stuff like this as usual so I'm not surprised they went with this really cliched storyline.  I didn't expect much so it was fine and probably also the last time we see Tony's dad too - 

[stinkogingko]

They went full fanfic. You never go full fanfic.

More than a little rewriting of history--when did Ziva tell Abby she loved him? And presumptuous of Ziva to decide when Tony would be ready. But Weatherly had some great moments. And if Bull doesn't catch on I suspect Daddy DiNozzo will do some consulting for NCIS. 

[binky101]

I hate the whole "secret child" trope in romance novels, and NCIS deploying that particular chestnut is just -- no, I don't want it. Plenty of other ways they could have allowed DiNozzo to become an adult, or just more adult, but they had to make him an instant daddy. The interactions with Palmer were nice, if only to see Jimmy being an authority figure to some extent, but why did Ziva's ultimate end-all and be-all have to be motherhood? Other plot elements and resolutions were nice, though, especially Abby finally getting her big chance to shut down the elevator and say her private & emotional goodbye to Tony. Kort's end scene could have had more oomph, more screen time or at least more witty dialogue, but I suppose there's a new big bad or rogue bad waiting in the wings for next season and beyond.

[Watcher0363]

They should have crowd funded for a good cgi Ziva. Hell I would have contributed. Abby you need to break out the good Vous Deux mojo and de hell mouth that desk. I will call my shot now. RIP Bishop.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Watcher0363

[Mama No Life]

11 minutes ago, JessDVD said:

How old is this child? Two? Three? How many seasons has it been? And Tony is feeding this obviously not infant child, baby purees? I have a 10 month old who doesn't eat baby food anymore. Maybe they do food differently in Israel?

Or maybe he's been a dad for three minutes and doesn't know what the hell he's doing....

[Ohmo]

I think what we just saw was the Hollywood version of splitting the baby (and I don't mean Tali).  Glasberg made Tiva canon for those that shipped them, and he killed Ziva off for those of us who didn't like them.  As long as they keep Ziva deader than a door nail, I can live with it.  (I think that's likely given Cote's opinion of the series as of late.  During a recent Q and A for her film, the 33,  she didn't seem thrilled about the quality of the scripts when asked about NCIS.  An on-screen return seems unlikely.)  So whatever was between them is over and done with.  There can be no more because Ziva is dead.

I didn't think we were going to be lucky enough to escape unscathed anyway, so if it had to become canon, this was probably the best it was going to be for those of us who hated Tiva.  As soon as Orly said to bring in Tali, I knew that Glasberg was playing both sides of the fence.

The little girl was cute, and you can tell Michael's a dad even if Tony just became one.  I was sorry to see Kort go.  He was a good bad guy.

The finale could have been better, but it could have been worse, too.

[JessDVD]

Yeah, this would play off better if it weren't like the world's worst fanfic trope. I bet fanfiction.net has thousands of Tiva secret child entries and there is totally nothing wrong with fanfic but it really really should not be used as source material for the actual show.

By the way, when did Trent Kort become actually bad? I thought he was always supposed to be sort of ambiguous?

[pcta]

Tony's end had to revolve around Ziva.  But, while NCIS can exist without Tony for me it can't exist with the new characters they are bringing in.  So much love Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy and even Vance.  Bye, bye NCIS.

[Mama No Life]

One thing I didn't get was the whole "something happened in Gibbs' basement we didn't see coming"....what, they hugged?  Seemed rather anti-climactic to me, after 13 years together. But that's just me.

[JessDVD]

Just now, Mama No Life said:

Or maybe he's been a dad for three minutes and doesn't know what the hell he's doing....

I thought they had showed baby food in the luggage but now that I'm thinking about it, maybe I made that up. But still, Palmer was right there and has a kid older than that now, so might have said, you know, when (I can't remember his daughter's name) was that age, she was eating regular food.

[pally]

slight change of subject...speaking of Gibbs' basement...has Tim ever made a basement confessional?  

[JessDVD]

Lest I sound too complain-ish here, MW is totally hitting it out of the park. And seeing Tony as a dad is great, even if I would have preferred different circumstances.

Also, this is the first time ever that Senior didn't drive me bananas, so that's nice too!

Edited May 18, 2016 by JessDVD

[rur]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet that Tony's story wrapped up the same way Magnum's did. 

But they're both Bellisario shows, so . . .

[Linderhill]

7 minutes ago, JessDVD said:

Yeah, this would play off better if it weren't like the world's worst fanfic trope. I bet fanfiction.net has thousands of Tiva secret child entries and there is totally nothing wrong with fanfic but it really really should not be used as source material for the actual show.

check out fanfiction.net, the place is inundated with it.

[pcta]

Agreed that MW was outstanding.  Just wanted more of him and less of the NCIS Reboot Pilot.  But I'm just greedy.

[pally]

20 minutes ago, JessDVD said:

How old is this child? Two? Three? How many seasons has it been? And Tony is feeding this obviously not infant child, baby purees? I have a 10 month old who doesn't eat baby food anymore. Maybe they do food differently in Israel?

if we use TV time..baby was conceived in Sep 2013, born abound Jun 2014..so she should be just about 2

Edited May 18, 2016 by pally

[TigerLynx]

It's rough being a woman on this show.  They never get out alive.  One way or another, they all end up dead.  The guys OTOH have near misses and live to see another day.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Fuck you, Glasberg. FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU.

I was too pissed off to even get emotional with Michael's/Tony's good bye scenes.  

When did this show turn into a soap opera?

Ziva is just the most specialististist of snowflakes, isn't she? "It's not business. It is personal. It's Ziva." SHUT UP, McGee, and where's a good barf bag when you need one?

Of COURSE Ziva was pregnant. OF COURSE she wouldn't tell Tony. FUCKING INSULT to the character of Tony, that his last episode has to be ABOUT and REVOLVE around that piece of shit, Ziva. I see his love for her as a love from a victim of abuse; she insulted him, emasculated him, tried to kill him, reported him as a murderer in an official report after he had to kill Michael Rivkin, or be killed himself. But naaah, that was love. In its purest form!

It was the absolute worse, fucking way to write Weatherly's exit. Well, short of killing him. I'm not going to give Glasshit or the other writer any fucking credit for not going down that road, because one, Tony is a guy, and was a major character. This show only kills wimmins. Or men who aren't major characters.

And Tony and Ducky just shake hands? What the fuck ever.

And I'll end with: FUCK YOU, GLASBERG.Just, FUCK.YOU.

[scorpio1031]

11 minutes ago, rur said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet that Tony's story wrapped up the same way Magnum's did. 

But they're both Bellisario shows, so . . .

I noticed that as well, but I like the storyline there.  Here.....not so much.

[Linderhill]

1 minute ago, scorpio1031 said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned yet that Tony's story wrapped up the same way Magnum's did. 

But they're both Bellisario shows, so . . .

 

1 minute ago, scorpio1031 said:

I noticed that as well, but I like the storyline there.  Here.....not so much.

exactly, Magnums wife didn't eat up the show for way too many season.  She's the curse that keeps on giving.

[asuwur]

I agree that this was splitting the metaphorical baby (Sorry Tuli!) but he left that little bread crumb of the Paris pic for fans to fic the heck out of (and a rabbit hole for Tony to apparently go down). It brings Tony the Playboy to a jumping off place and I accept it for what it is....the cast acted their butts off (especially MW...pouring one out for my homie!) and it's still a LOT better than the hot steaming mess that Good Wife set sail with.

[Linderhill]

I do have to admit that it was marginally better than the Castle finale.  I think the only worse than that crapfest was the Sleepy Hollow finale.  Still annoyed.

[kat165]

I haven't watched NCIS since Mike Franks died. So, it's been a few seasons. At some points Michael Weatherly reminded me so much of Robert Wagner I felt like I was having flashbacks to Wagner's old series It Takes A Thief.  Very eerie. Getting Wagner to play DiNozzo's father has always been genius casting, even if I rarely liked a story he was featured in!

I teared up only because I'd once been a huge fan of the show. But did not like the Ziva tie-in although I didn't mind Ziva the character at all.  I didn't care for her storylines though & never like stories about terrorism or Hamas or her father.

The kid storyline was ridiculous. Weatherly deserved better.

Someone please give Tim a sandwich.