S15.E13: Family Ties

[MyAimIsTrue]

After McGee and Torres visit the home of a high schooler who witnessed a hit and run, her parents, Christopher and Julie Bell, flee with their daughter, leaving NCIS in the lurch. Also, Vance’s daughter is arrested for shoplifting.

[honeydo7]

Here's my take on this story-line:

1) The girl & her parents are in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

2) The parents are long-wanted federal fugitives.

3) The girl's a Dreamer & her parents are Illegals.

4) Gibbs will call in favors to make sure this family's problems go away.

[MyAimIsTrue]

Andrea Zuckerman on the lam!

[Katy M]

OK, here's my takeaway.  You can commit a serious crime (joyriding, hit and run, vehicular manslaughter) and it all goes away if you were kidnapped as a baby.  Good to know.  And what makes Kayla think Mandy isn't going to shoplift again?  This was after she had decided to apply to college, so that hadn't changed. And, she already had two prior convictions.  this doesn't seem like something I would take the fall for.

[TVForever]

15 minutes ago, Katy M said:

OK, here's my takeaway.  You can commit a serious crime (joyriding, hit and run, vehicular manslaughter) and it all goes away if you were kidnapped as a baby.  Good to know.  And what makes Kayla think Mandy isn't going to shoplift again?  This was after she had decided to apply to college, so that hadn't changed. And, she already had two prior convictions.  this doesn't seem like something I would take the fall for.

And yes, there's PLENTY of trouble that a 17 -yo can still get into, even though she might not actually go to jail, especially if she ends up with a judge who decides to " make an example " of her. Vance really needs to teach his daughter some home truths about how the world really works.

[mythoughtis]

These storylines sucked. Genevieve loves the parents who kidnapped her as a baby... so we are going to let her choose to continue to live with them as a 15 year old because Dad is a ne’er do well. A ne’er do well that might have made something of his life if his daughter hadn’t disappeared, ‘ Parents’ who ran rather than have her face the music. And we are all supposed to clap our hands. Let’s explain this to parents in the real world whose children were kidnapped  by  noncustodial  exes, or ‘friends’. 

Vance’s daughter is taking the rap for a crime she didn’t commit for a ne’er do well friend- and he’s letting her do it.  

Edited January 24, 2018 by mythoughtis

[Katy M]

8 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

A ne’er do well that might have made something of his life if his daughter hadn’t disappeared,

I'm not condoning the kidnapping.  Not at all.  But, I doubt that but for his daughter being kidnapped, he would have turned out great.  He straight up admitted he never wondered what happened to her.  His first question was if they had money because he wanted to sue.  And he dropped that idea like a hot potato when told hat in order to do that he would have to take custody.  Sure, he hugged her at the end, but, he didn't wonder about her for 15 years.

[mythoughtis]

Katy M-

I didn’t like him either and, in real life, I’d hate for a child to have go live with someone that didn't want them and wouldn’t be a good parent.   However, I just can’t go with rewarding the parents who kidnapped a child because they wouldn’t be allowed to adopt.  

Edited January 24, 2018 by mythoughtis

[Katy M]

7 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Katy M-

I didn’t like him either and, in real life, I’d hate for a child to have go llive with someone that didn't want them and wouldn’t be a good parent.   However, I just can’t go with rewarding the parents who kidnapped a child because they wouldn’t be allowed to adopt.  

Oh, definitely.  They should go to jail.  I'm just saying, the father wasn't going to have been a better person had they not done that.  If they had offered him money way back when, they probably would have been allowed to adopt her, because there is more leeway with something like 100 year old arrest (obviously exaggerating) if the legal parent is sponsoring it.  Not that I'm really behind buying children, either, but in this case, definitely the least of 3 evils (kidnapping, staying with her father).

[stonehaven]

I kept wondering what the statute of limitations were on kidnapping? 

Also, when are we going to find out how or why Abby is leaving?

[KAOS Agent]

The father was in prison when they took the girl, so his life wasn't going to improve had she been stuck in foster care. More likely he would have signed away his rights because he didn't want the responsibility. The parents implied she would have been passed around in the system, but a healthy white infant would be very easily placed and adopted. That truly was a family of felons. Bio dad was in prison, adoptive parents were kidnappers and daughter was a car thief and party to homicide. She may not have been driving, but she helped cover it up by wiping the prints from the car. 

[rhys]

And the dead marine????

[Driad]

At some times and places, a child who was legally adopted was issued a birth certificate with the adoptive parents’ names listed as the birth parents.  Not sure about the time and place in the episode, but the certificate alone did not ring my “stolen baby” alarm.

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, stonehaven said:

I kept wondering what the statute of limitations were on kidnapping? 

I don't think any statute of limitations would apply because the crime was ongoing.  They were still kidnapping her.  But, I looked up the federal statute of limitations for kidnapping as I'm pretty sure they took her over state lines, and it's 7 years, but if the victim is under the age of 16 that 7 years clock starts ticking on the victim's 16th birthday.

[llewis823]

Has anyone else noticed that each episode since Torres and  Bishop posed as a couple, they flirt with each other? So I think the show may be hinting at a relationship for them in the future. I think that could be fodder for some fun situations. 

And speaking of the show dropping hints, as someone posted upthread, why haven't they dropped any about when/why/that Abby might be leaving?

[Chaos Theory]

Does it say something about me that I was actually hoping the show wouldn’t go with the obvious....yes Vance actually does have the perfect family stuff?

Also I watch too much “The Americans” and was hoping the kidnapping family were actually Russian spies.....not perfect family.   Plus really an ex con who is nice enough to let the girl stay with them.

The only part I truly enjoyed was the sweet moment between Torres and Bishop.

[Ohmo]

3 hours ago, llewis823 said:

Has anyone else noticed that each episode since Torres and  Bishop posed as a couple, they flirt with each other?

I don't want Torres and Bishop to become a couple, but their talk about their alter-egos reminded me of the NCIS version of Buck and Wanda from Bones.  I thought that was kind of fun.  Ditto what everyone has said about the storylines in this episode.  I didn't like the "committing a crime for the greater good" angle.

This episode also reminded me that it was so unnecessary to kill off Jackie Vance just so Ziva could have another  torturous, overly-melodramatic storyline.

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Killing of Jackie Vance was the biggest waste of a great character ever!  

[basiltherat]

I felt so sorry for the dead marine and his family (who we never met) but this was the story ALL ABOUT DAUGHTERS -- the daughter Vance has, the daughter Gibbs lost and the two daughters who, yeah, stole a car, ended up hitting and killing a serviceman, fleeing the scene of said crime and implicating the car owner for the crime.  But it was really about Vance and Gibbs so, sorry, Marine, you're just cannon fodder for the male angst.

[GHScorpiosRule]

zzzzzzzz...

Oh, I'm sorry. Was there an episode on last night?

[GalvDuck]

Was I the only one who thought they would have Abby test the DNA from saliva on the breathalyzer to determine who was the driver?  Were the girls able to think clearly enough to wipe the breathalyzer after wiping down all the other prints?  It seems they would have been so overwhelmed, they might have missed that.  

It's not so much about if Mandy will shoplift again.  I'm willing to bet she has made it a bad habit and has only been caught twice (three, technically).  

Pauley Perrette tweeted that she's doing little Abby throwbacks in every episode until she leaves.  In yesterday's episode, there was the crossed-arm elevator grab and then Abby did concert celebration hands (from episode 1) after finding the headphone clue.

Edited January 30, 2018 by GalvDuck

[Rambler]

Since it was blindingly obvious who the real shoplifter was going to be the second blonde girl showed up at Vance’s door, the only real mystery here was how in the world Jimmy managed to get glass shards in his eyes when he wears glasses. I was waiting for Gibbs to ask the obvious question and the humorous story behind it, but then nothing happened. I guess they just needed a filler scene to kill time, unless they are planning on having OSHA inspectors showing up at the lab next week.

[Katy M]

18 minutes ago, Rambler said:

the only real mystery here was how in the world Jimmy managed to get glass shards in his eyes when he wears glasses.

I must have totally zoned out during that part, because I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.  But, I wear glasses, and let me assure you, you can get things in your eyes.  It's probably harder, or rarer, but it just has to come in through the side.

[pally]

2 hours ago, Packerbrewerbadger said:

Killing of Jackie Vance was the biggest waste of a great character ever!  

and I can't believe they stayed in the same house where she was murdered.  They eat in that dining room every day...creepy

[Chaos Theory]

3 minutes ago, pally said:

and I can't believe they stayed in the same house where she was murdered.  They eat in that dining room every day...creepy

It’s not like the guy can’t afford to move.  Then again it is the house where his memories of his wife are.  Gibbs is still living in his family home.  It all really depends on the person.  I think I will give him a pass on that.   

I would have enjoyed the story a lot more if his daughter wasn’t so damn perfect though.  You know if she had some teenage shoplifting  bad crowd hanging angst.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[betsyboo]

1 hour ago, Rambler said:

Since it was blindingly obvious who the real shoplifter was going to be the second blonde girl showed up at Vance’s door, the only real mystery here was how in the world Jimmy managed to get glass shards in his eyes when he wears glasses. I was waiting for Gibbs to ask the obvious question and the humorous story behind it, but then nothing happened. I guess they just needed a filler scene to kill time, unless they are planning on having OSHA inspectors showing up at the lab next week.

me, too!!!!

[secnarf]

17 hours ago, Driad said:

At some times and places, a child who was legally adopted was issued a birth certificate with the adoptive parents’ names listed as the birth parents.  Not sure about the time and place in the episode, but the certificate alone did not ring my “stolen baby” alarm.

Well, they stated it was not a real birth certificate (did not match the appearance/formatting for the state) and had been falsified...I think it was more than just the names on there.

9 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Does it say something about me that I was actually hoping the show wouldn’t go with the obvious....yes Vance actually does have the perfect family stuff?

Also I watch too much “The Americans” and was hoping the kidnapping family were actually Russian spies.....not perfect family.   Plus really an ex con who is nice enough to let the girl stay with them.

The only part I truly enjoyed was the sweet moment between Torres and Bishop.

I do not watch The Americans but also was hoping the family were Russian spies/sleeper agents.

[eel2178]

19 hours ago, stonehaven said:

I kept wondering what the statute of limitations were on kidnapping? 

How is it possible that in 15 years Gibbs and Abby are the only ones who noticed that the parents both had blue eyes and their daughter had brown eyes?

[MissLucas]

38 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

How is it possible that in 15 years Gibbs and Abby are the only ones who noticed that the parents both had blue eyes and their daughter had brown eyes?

Well, I never cared to check if the eye color of my friends and their kids (or parents) were biologically feasible. You've got to have suspicious mind to do that, he! And Abby said that it's rare but possible.

This was really a filler episode with some questionable ethics all around. And yeah, there's a flirting vibe around Bishop and Torres. Apparently Bishop's not allowed to stay single for more than a couple of months. Of course if they drag this out like Tiva it will take them years to become an item. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, eel2178 said:

How is it possible that in 15 years Gibbs and Abby are the only ones who noticed that the parents both had blue eyes and their daughter had brown eyes?

They might have figured she was adopted.  It would be rude to ask.  Or that mom had an affair.  I don't know that I would automatically assume genetic impossibility equals kidnapping.  

 

57 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

And Abby said that it's rare but possible.

Is it, though?  I was always taught that blue eyes are recessive.  so, if you have blue eyes, you have 2 blue eye genes and that's all you have to pass on.  

[minamurray78]

"It was foggy. We thought we hit a deer. We couldn't find anything".

That is not a valid excuse at all. You think you hit something but cant find it, call 911.

It was a total hit and run, both should be charged, not to mention, stealing a car. 

I'm not even going to go in deep with the kidnapping story line. So dad signs a few papers and that's it? Just because the girl knew all about it and wanted to stay with them doesn't undo the crime. Perhaps if they had approach bio dad while he was in jail right after the mother had died, and work out an agreement with him directly to make them the girl's guardians, they wouldn't have had to spend all their lives lying and looking over their shoulders.

Edited January 25, 2018 by minamurray78

[Katy M]

35 minutes ago, minamurray78 said:

"It was foggy. We thought we hit a deer. We couldn't find anything".

That is not a valid excuse at all. You think you hit something but cant find it, call 911.

It was a total hit and run, both should be charged, not to mention, stealing a car. 

It's also not a valid excuse because if it's too foggy for you to see, you should not be driving.  And I don't remember ages being mentioned, but someone else on this thread said they were 15.  If so, that means not only did they steal the car, drive it in unsafe conditions, and kill someone, they did it all without a driver's license.

36 minutes ago, minamurray78 said:

Perhaps if they had approach bio dad while he was in jail right after the mother had died, and work out an agreement with him directly to make them the girl's guardians, they wouldn't have had to spend all their lives lying and looking over their shoulders.

Yep, that's what I said. Bio dad only wanted money.  He totally would have signed his rights away and recommended adoption by them if they slipped him some cash.

[LuvMyShows]

Insider rant, here...early in the episode one of them mentioned the "tri-state area".  That is the term most famously used for NY, NJ, and Conn, which is def not where this show takes place.  Nobody in the "DMV" (District of Columbia, MD, and VA) would ever call it the tri-state area (yes, I know that DC is not a state).  And if they were talking about VA, MD, and WV, that's still not called the tri-state area.

[AuntieL]

Tri-state is also used for the PA-NJ-DE borders (around the Delaware river). Still not Virginia or Maryland though. 

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, LuvMyShows said:

Insider rant, here...early in the episode one of them mentioned the "tri-state area".  That is the term most famously used for NY, NJ, and Conn, which is def not where this show takes place.  Nobody in the "DMV" (District of Columbia, MD, and VA) would ever call it the tri-state area (yes, I know that DC is not a state).  And if they were talking about VA, MD, and WV, that's still not called the tri-state area.

 

1 hour ago, AuntieL said:

Tri-state is also used for the PA-NJ-DE borders (around the Delaware river). Still not Virginia or Maryland though. 

Yeah, I’ve vented my spleen about the egregious mistakes this show makes for a show that’s supposed to be set in the DC Metropolitan Area, which is the correct phrase to use.????

[Katy M]

8 hours ago, AuntieL said:

Tri-state is also used for the PA-NJ-DE borders (around the Delaware river). Still not Virginia or Maryland though. 

It's also used for VT-NH-MA.

[enoughcats]

12 hours ago, Katy M said:

they were 15.

The blond friend was 18 and that would have been reported and maybe kicked in the "three strikes" law.

Miss Vance was 17 and that's why it wouldn't go on her record.

Speaking of minor stuff: whatever happened to the apparently very competent house keeper that Leon Vance hired?  With that housekeeper, there wouldn't have Vance referring to his daughter as a latchkey kid.

[Katy M]

11 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

The blond friend was 18 and that would have been reported and maybe kicked in the "three strikes" law.

Miss Vance was 17 and that's why it wouldn't go on her record.

Speaking of minor stuff: whatever happened to the apparently very competent house keeper that Leon Vance hired?  With that housekeeper, there wouldn't have Vance referring to his daughter as a latchkey kid.

I was talking about the joyriders/murderers.

[GalvDuck]

22 hours ago, Rambler said:

Since it was blindingly obvious who the real shoplifter was going to be the second blonde girl showed up at Vance’s door, the only real mystery here was how in the world Jimmy managed to get glass shards in his eyes when he wears glasses. I was waiting for Gibbs to ask the obvious question and the humorous story behind it, but then nothing happened. I guess they just needed a filler scene to kill time, unless they are planning on having OSHA inspectors showing up at the lab next week.

 

22 hours ago, Katy M said:

I must have totally zoned out during that part, because I honestly have no idea what you're talking about.  But, I wear glasses, and let me assure you, you can get things in your eyes.  It's probably harder, or rarer, but it just has to come in through the side.

The shards of glass were embedded in the decedent's wounds.  So, of all things, why wasn't Jimmy concerned about bodily fluid exposure in addition to the glass in his eye?  There had to have been some blood on the glass if it was in a wound.  Of course, he couldn't see it and then he washed it out of his eyes so there was no glass to examine for blood.  But...yeah, that was totally overlooked.  

[HurricaneVal]

With all the father/daughter stuff going on, I half expected Emily Fornell to pop up with a C-plot problem for Gibbs to solve.

[llewis823]

On 1/24/2018 at 7:17 PM, Katy M said:

On 1/24/2018 at 6:18 PM, MissLucas said:

And Abby said that it's rare but possible.

Is it, though?  I was always taught that blue eyes are recessive.  so, if you have blue eyes, you have 2 blue eye genes and that's all you have to pass on.  

I mean who are we to doubt Abby? However, this is one of the few science lessons I learned that has stuck with me since 4th grade (and I'm 53 now).  Brown eyed people can have the Bb gene and therefore have a brown-eyed or blue-eyed baby but blue eyed people only have the bb gene and can therefore only have a blue-eyed baby.

[Clanstarling]

On 1/23/2018 at 6:01 PM, Katy M said:

OK, here's my takeaway.  You can commit a serious crime (joyriding, hit and run, vehicular manslaughter) and it all goes away if you were kidnapped as a baby.  Good to know.  And what makes Kayla think Mandy isn't going to shoplift again?  This was after she had decided to apply to college, so that hadn't changed. And, she already had two prior convictions.  this doesn't seem like something I would take the fall for.

Yeah, I was waiting for some follow up and consequences for the death of the marine. But apparently "accidental" covers it.

 

 

1 hour ago, llewis823 said:

I mean who are we to doubt Abby? However, this is one of the few science lessons I learned that has stuck with me since 4th grade (and I'm 53 now).  Brown eyed people can have the Bb gene and therefore have a brown-eyed or blue-eyed baby but blue eyed people only have the bb gene and can therefore only have a blue-eyed baby.

I put my money on the scientific article @MissLucas gave us the link to. It's a dull read, but very in depth and once you get to the end of it, it explains how yes, it can happen. It's one of those things we were taught that was more complicated than the simplified version we learned in school.

 

On 1/24/2018 at 10:41 AM, GalvDuck said:

Was I the one who thought they would have Abby test the DNA from saliva on the breathalyzer to determine who was the driver?  Were the girls able to think clearly enough to wipe the breathalyzer after wiping down all the other prints?  It seems they would have been so overwhelmed, they might have missed that.  

Now that you mention it - it seems a bit much that the whim to go on a joyride would survive all the barriers to getting the car started. Grab the keys to a normal car for a joyride, sure. But grab the keys, car won't start, dig through the car (if there's some kind of audio instruction) to find the breathalyzer (which is not in plain sight), seems like they'd lose the desire for a spontaneous ride.

[eel2178]

5 hours ago, llewis823 said:

I mean who are we to doubt Abby? However, this is one of the few science lessons I learned that has stuck with me since 4th grade (and I'm 53 now).  Brown eyed people can have the Bb gene and therefore have a brown-eyed or blue-eyed baby but blue eyed people only have the bb gene and can therefore only have a blue-eyed baby.

I'm the anomaly. My parents both had blue eyes, and my eyes are green. 

[Lisa418722]

44 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

I'm the anomaly. My parents both had blue eyes, and my eyes are green. 

My dad had brown eyes, mom has blue eyes and I have green/hazel eyes.  But so did my grandfather, so it just skipped a generation.
I know when Gibbs said to send the picture to Abby, that the girl was stolen. Didn't know how he figured it out, but I knew that was what was happening.
What ever happened to the guy that was hit?  I'm guessing he won't get any justice.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Lisa418722

[mommalib]

I wonder if they are going to ever bring tat woman back for Vance. The one he was dating last year I forget her name.

[enoughcats]

I was wondering if I had just imagined that Vance had a son. 

[Clanstarling]

28 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

I was wondering if I had just imagined that Vance had a son. 

Nope. He has a son, younger than the daughter, I believe.

[Driad]

What happened to Vance's toothpicks?  Is he limiting deforestation?

[twoods]

On 1/26/2018 at 1:28 PM, mommalib said:

I wonder if they are going to ever bring tat woman back for Vance. The one he was dating last year I forget her name.

Was she corrupt? Or am I confusing her with the other character she plays on Blindspot. 

I do like that Vance's daughter didn't turn out to be the one shoplifting. There are enough "kids rebelling against their law enforcement parents" on TV, and we had Tim's annoying sister who fit that character.

Edited January 28, 2018 by twoods

[Chaos Theory]

On 1/26/2018 at 7:39 AM, llewis823 said:

I mean who are we to doubt Abby? However, this is one of the few science lessons I learned that has stuck with me since 4th grade (and I'm 53 now).  Brown eyed people can have the Bb gene and therefore have a brown-eyed or blue-eyed baby but blue eyed people only have the bb gene and can therefore only have a blue-eyed baby.

Most of my family has brown eyes.  I have blue eyes. It’s a running joke that I inherited every recessive genes in my family Gene pool.    I thought that figuring the kid wasn’t there’s by eye color was a short cut but not something that is fundamentally untrue.  Brown eyed parents can have blue eye kids but if both parents are blue eyes their kids are more then likely going to have blue eyes or maybe even green if that is somewhere in the gene pool but not brown.