S15.E22: Two Steps Back

[enoughcats]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

My def of childish is selfish, entitled, self-centered, and irresponsible.

Those adjectives are more associated with a subset of adults IMO.

The jumping up and down, decorating her lab, the voice pitch all make me cringe.  But maybe what I really have grown to hate is the turning her working lab into an unsteril, overdecorated set.  They have shown techs in sterile clothes as they gather evidence.  Then they waste the effort by processing it in a lab with reused halloween decorations, sleeping bags on the floor, a huge dog, long black hair floating around, etc. Until last night, I hadn't recognized the ?Bratz dolls.  All that personal stuff belonged in her office; I do think she had an office off to the side, but the decorations.....even in a non crime lab, they would not have been where any analyses were run. Or heads would have rolled and contracts for future work voided. 

I'm especially sad for Agent Clayton, who probably will be nothing more than a footnote.  And I remain sad for Glasberg's unexpected and way too young death and the stories he was building up to tell.

Why did they have the poker game take up time at the beginning?  Surely not an homage to Castle?  And nobody there said goodbye to Abby? (Unless Ducky was there, but I just remember the five.) Leon should have at least hugged the woman he trusted enough to mentor his daughter after her Mother was murdered.  

[betsyboo]

16 hours ago, JessDVD said:

Halftime report:

Tony making Tim say "I love you too" is everything.

Flashbacks: this show was ten times better when Tony and Kate were on it. Mike Franks' death was an improvement. Paloma guy isn't wrong about death following Gibbs.

Loved that, too - seemed in character for both of them. I actually wondered if they would  shoehorn in a MW visit to boost the Bull finale.

14 hours ago, stonehaven said:

I know they were going for a tender moment at the end but I could not stop laughing at all the ways they kept Gibbs and Abby apart. It took me out of the series...

One cool thing, I loved that poker game...the chemistry between all of them was 400 times better than the rest of the cast...I really want a Gibbs/Fornell spin off....

Me, too X 2.

14 hours ago, enoughcats said:

Near death hospitalizations should involve the patient's family.  Abby has two brothers, or did, at least for some episodes.  Abby called her co-workers her family.  

In this story line, she chooses to abandon both for a co-worker she has known for, maybe, three years.  I could mutter on about her never seeing Tim's family grow up, about her abandoning her good deeds in D.C. 

AND - wasn't she still dating the park ranger? Whose name I forgot? What about the nuns???

14 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I think that was one of the loveliest things about the episode.  McGee and Abby have a long history.  If Gibbs were acting like he used to act around Abby, he would have probably sat there for a bit, and then asked McGee to remain.  I don't think Delilah would have cared in the slightest, and if anything, she would have likely encouraged Tim to remain at Abby's bedside.  Delilah knows that Tim loves her and the twins.  She also knows that Abby is important to Tim.

Agreed. I'm surprised we didn't see Delilah at the hospital, but two infants make that reasonable.

12 hours ago, slothgirl said:

I'm glad she's gone. I wish she was as bad-ass all along as she was in this episode. I couldn't stand infantile Abby and I LOVED her in the first couple of seasons when she'd wear cargo pants with heavy chains and talk in that deeper voice. As she regressed, her pitch also went up. Originally, there had been an idea of Abby as a potential love interest for Gibbs. As it became obvious that wasn't the way to go, it's almost like they had to change her entire character and demeanor to something more childish/childlike precious.

And whatever the backstage reasons, the whole MH and PP never in the same room controversy took me out of the story and show too much over the episodes... but this was especially ridiculous. It may have started over a dog, but it had to have blossomed into far more, unless Harmon is really the type who just won't ever back down once his back is up.

Agreed. As I watched this ep and her badass hardcore takedown of King, I actually said out loud to my empty living room: "Well where has that Abby been for 15 years?!?!"

10 hours ago, brgjoe said:

It was better than Tony's sendoff, but not by much.  I also agree the best part was the poker game.  Wish it had gone on a bit longer.

Still PO'ed that Reeves died.  Just like Dorneget, they dispatched him as soon as his character started to get more interesting. 

It was nice to have Tony checking in via phone.  I had hoped he would make a surprise appearance, but I kinda knew the odds wouldn't be good for that taking place. 

I actually enjoyed seeing Angry Abby though.  Much better than Infantile Abby we saw much of the last few seasons.  Also liked how she mentioned the names of those characters who were killed off in previous episodes.

 

I rewound the list of agents twice and was PEEVED they left off Paula. Then I heard her say "hero-friends" and thought - oh maybe Abby meant friends that died in the actual line of duty. THEN i remembered, NO, Paula DID blow up in the line of duty. Then I got mad all over again.

--------------------

I apologize for all the quote-posts. I could have probably quoted each of you for I agreed with something from everyone.

I couldn't even comment until this morning from the rage-induced blackout I suffered at 9:01.

I didn't get taken out of the story with the lack of Gibbs/Abs until the very end. It seemed likely to me that he would be out rounding up the shooter in rage. And then in the lab - he would have never done a big group hug. (I admit to full-on crying here.) I *do believe that Abby the character would be so wracked with survivor's guilt that she would give up everything to do what Reeves couldn't.

If I hadn't known that there was this ridic fued for whatever reason AND hadn't noticed they hadn't been in any scenes together all year, I would have completely bought that ending. Abby bugging out via note is completely believable to me and in character. Knowing the reason (or, that there IS a reason of some sort) made it all kinds of shady. I mean. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER PEOPLE. #45 - Clean up your own fucking messes!!

Here's what I want to know: With the understanding/caveat that yes, they're actors ... How hard was it for PP/MH to shoot those scenes alone?? How does MH emote while reading the letter (without his glasses)? How does PP look all sad and respectful across the street. HOW does MH fake-sign an 'I love you' to a soundstage about a woman he currently is not speaking to (or at least amicable with)????? And HOW uncomfortable must this set have been these last few weeks? Mother fudge. It makes me angry. and sad. And i didn't even like Abby!

Did anyone else notice that Gibbs had maybe 15 lines the total episode??

What did Torres say after Gibbs looked him the eyes to see if he needed sleep. I couldn't catch it.

[Clanstarling]

14 hours ago, stonehaven said:

One cool thing, I loved that poker game...the chemistry between all of them was 400 times better than the rest of the cast...I really want a Gibbs/Fornell spin off....

I loved it too. Those actors have natural chemistry. Maybe because they are the same generation.

11 hours ago, scorpio1031 said:

I still can’t believe all this because Mark Harmon has had a reputation for being extemely professional thru his whole career.

 

I don't have an opinion one way or another, but one thing I have learned in life is that you can't really know what is really going on when you only hear one point of view, even with people you know well. I have no idea what either of them are like in real life

But whatever happened, it deeply hurt this show for the audience. And made this finale less impactful than it should have been.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Clanstarling

[mythoughtis]

I never saw Abby as a love interest for Gibbs. McGhee- Yes. I was very disappointed with the episode where the crazy book fan wanted to kill Abby because of the way Tim wrote the character in his book. Abby put the brakes on any relationship with Tim at the end of the episode. 

She did change over the years- and not for the better. Characters like Tony, McGhee, Palmer- all matured as people and in the characters career path. Abby was shown as excellent in her field, but her emotional development went backwards. They took the Goth accents and made her a little girl playing dress up. 

As for the feud. Mark Harmon is a producer and, as such, should have been 1. Cognizant of liability issues concerning a dog that has already bit someone severely on the set. 2. Supportive of his cast. If Pauley was afraid of the dog, it should not have been on the set, and 3- enough of a professional to leave the dog home and have scenes with Pauley. 

I don’t blame Pauley one bit for refusing to be around the dog. 

[Gothish520]

17 minutes ago, betsyboo said:

Abby bugging out via note is completely believable to me and in character. 

Now see, I feel completely the opposite. The Abby I knew and liked would never have left without saying goodbye to everyone. She probably would have even bought them gifts. This Abby just seemed so depressed and almost devoid of emotion. Like life had beaten her down, and she was just over it all. I didn't buy it, any of it.

1 minute ago, mythoughtis said:

As for the feud. Mark Harmon is a producer and, as such, should have been 1. Cognizant of liability issues concerning a dog that has already bit someone severely on the set. 2. Supportive of his cast. If Pauley was afraid of the dog, it should not have been on the set, and 3- enough of a professional to leave the dog home and have scenes with Pauley. 

I don’t blame Pauley one bit for refusing to be around the dog. 

Agree 100%

[VinceW]

15 hours ago, slothgirl said:

...........This show has a long consistent history of pretending family doesn't exist even when we've been introduced to them except when it's DiNozzo or Gibbs Senior. There have been other times that family should have been present .. or at least FRIENDS from the "other side" (like Delilah and Jimmy Palmer's wife don't seem to have any friends of their own in times of joy, marriage, heartbreak, hospitalization, etc). There were more references to Abby's nun friends than to her brothers....

And whatever the backstage reasons, the whole MH and PP never in the same room controversy took me out of the story and show too much over the episodes... but this was especially ridiculous. It may have started over a dog, but it had to have blossomed into far more, unless Harmon is really the type who just won't ever back down once his back is up.

 

Well said. Delilah becoming a ghost this season makes no sense at all. Abby and Delilah had great chemistry, but she had no presence in Abby's send off episodes which was disappointing.

Edited May 9, 2018 by VinceW

[jzygayle]

19 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

The show never did know what to do with Reeves anyway.  All he was was hot and British and British and hot.

You say that like it's a bad thing. :D

[LuvMyShows]

19 hours ago, JessDVD said:

I wonder how much that size of apartment costs in that area of the country.

 

The show is set at the Navy Yard near the shores of the Anacostia River in Washington, DC.  IRL, that is where the NCIS headquarters used to be...it's now in Quantico, VA, about 45 miles away.  I live in the DC area, and the cost of her apartment depends on where it was located, which I don't think they told us.  If it was in DC itself, and if she supposedly has been living in it since she started at NCIS, then I would find it highly implausible, either in terms of renting or buying, since her salary would not have been high enough.  But many people who work in DC, live in the suburbs of Virginia or Maryland, and depending on where she lived, she could have bought a place of that size and torn down the interior walls (at least that's how the place looked to me).  I don't see how she could have plausibly found a place to rent that had that configuration of living space, especially years ago when "open concept" wasn't yet a thing.

 

17 hours ago, JessDVD said:

No problem. I think for me that moment hit a sore point because I never got over how back about 13 seasons ago, McGee still obviously had feelings for Abby and she wouldn't date him, but she would act insanely jealous and jerky when he was attracted to other women. So then he's glued to Abby's bedside and I'm like, go home to your wife and kids already, Tim. 

Yeah, if I were a wheelchair-bound wife with twin newborns, Tim's decision would not go over well, especially when they were throwing around a timeframe of months, not days.  And it's not like he could actually do something there that would make his presence vital to her recovery. 

But what I'm really puzzled about, is what was Abby planning to do with the the confession if Gibbs and the gang hadn't shown up?  Did I miss something?

[Katy M]

20 minutes ago, LuvMyShows said:

But what I'm really puzzled about, is what was Abby planning to do with the the confession if Gibbs and the gang hadn't shown up?  Did I miss something?

As someone in law enforcement, she would have known that that confession would be inadmissible anyways, so it was probably just for her own enjoyment.

[slothgirl]

55 minutes ago, Katy M said:

As someone in law enforcement, she would have known that that confession would be inadmissible anyways, so it was probably just for her own enjoyment.

They had evidence that led them to him in the 1st place, so she probably figured they didn't need it anyway

I was unclear on how much time had passed between the shooting and the big showdown... seems she got out of the hospital awfully fast. Where was her bullet wound?

I hate the tv trope of people getting shot in the chest or especially the shoulder and then going on with life within a couple of days with their arm in a sling. I read an article years ago, written by a doctor with the premise that tv isn't violent enough. The real-life effects of the types of injuries that people get in tv shows are seriously minimized and unrealistic. (as is the full recovery from heroic resuscitation of people whose hearts have completely stopped.)

[kassygreene]

Just now, slothgirl said:

They had evidence that led them to him in the 1st place, so she probably figured they didn't need it anyway

I was unclear on how much time had passed between the shooting and the big showdown... seems she got out of the hospital awfully fast. Where was her bullet wound?

I hate the tv trope of people getting shot in the chest or especially the shoulder and then going on with life within a couple of days with their arm in a sling. I read an article years ago, written by a doctor with the premise that tv isn't violent enough. The real-life effects of the types of injuries that people get in tv shows are seriously minimized and unrealistic. (as is the full recovery from heroic resuscitation of people whose hearts have completely stopped.)

I think the only time Show got this right was back in season 1, when Ari shot Gerald in the shoulder.  When next we saw him at the beginning of season 2, he was picking up a prescription for his far from healed injury.  Gerald (Gerard?) never did return to the series.

[GHScorpiosRule]

19 minutes ago, kassygreene said:

I think the only time Show got this right was back in season 1, when Ari shot Gerald in the shoulder.  When next we saw him at the beginning of season 2, he was picking up a prescription for his far from healed injury.  Gerald (Gerard?) never did return to the series.

Gerald. I miss Gerald.

[slothgirl]

19 minutes ago, kassygreene said:

I think the only time Show got this right was back in season 1, when Ari shot Gerald in the shoulder.  When next we saw him at the beginning of season 2, he was picking up a prescription for his far from healed injury.  Gerald (Gerard?) never did return to the series.

Probably a good thing he left NCIS... he would be dead by now. ;)

[Chaos Theory]

Honestly for the most part I found Abby to be charming.  If anyone I wanted toned down it was Tony.  If anyone was childish it was him.  Abby was eccentric and that was part of her charm.  If the whole  Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs thing annoyed you then well....  It kinda made me smile.  I think if anyone earned it it was was Abby.  

Edited May 9, 2018 by Chaos Theory

[eel2178]

39 minutes ago, slothgirl said:

I was unclear on how much time had passed between the shooting and the big showdown... seems she got out of the hospital awfully fast. Where was her bullet wound?

I hate the tv trope of people getting shot in the chest or especially the shoulder and then going on with life within a couple of days with their arm in a sling. I read an article years ago, written by a doctor with the premise that tv isn't violent enough. The real-life effects of the types of injuries that people get in tv shows are seriously minimized and unrealistic. (as is the full recovery from heroic resuscitation of people whose hearts have completely stopped.)

How badly the medical stuff  is done of TV is always one of my pet peeves.

They said she was shot it the left anterior chest, and she was discharged from the hospital two days after regaining consciousness, which is totally unrealistic. They also didn't explain why she was unconscious (blood loss? secondary head injury?) and why the next 48 hours were so critical.

In thirty years of working in health care, I have been through plenty of resuscitations and no one as ever announced, "We're losing her/him," yet they managed to get that cliché in before the first commercial.

50 minutes ago, kassygreene said:

I think the only time Show got this right was back in season 1, when Ari shot Gerald in the shoulder.  When next we saw him at the beginning of season 2, he was picking up a prescription for his far from healed injury.  Gerald (Gerard?) never did return to the series.

Actually, it was season 3 when he was picking up his meds. 

[kassygreene]

Right, the two-part opener for season 3, dealing with the immediate aftermath of Kate's murder.  

I liked Pancho Demmings (Gerald).  Met him at an NCIS convention, and he was great.

[Ms Lark]

22 hours ago, JessDVD said:

McGee, you are married and it is inappropriate for you to sit at the bedside of a woman who is neither blood family nor your wife.

Only if your name is Mike and you call your wife "Mother."

[Ohmo]

11 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

Now see, I feel completely the opposite.

Word, Word, followed by more word.  The note really bugged me.  Abby hugs everybody, and she's going to leave NCIS and Gibbs and not hug him good-bye?  Everything that was done in that episode in terms of the blocking and positioning of Abby and Gibbs might have well come with subtitles that read "We have to do this because Mark and Pauley no longer wish to share scenes together."  The note and the fact that she was standing across the street was a "You have got to be kidding me with these two" moment for me because I found it completely absurd.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Ohmo

[betsyboo]

8 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

Now see, I feel completely the opposite. The Abby I knew and liked would never have left without saying goodbye to everyone. She probably would have even bought them gifts. This Abby just seemed so depressed and almost devoid of emotion. Like life had beaten her down, and she was just over it all. I didn't buy it, any of it.

 

50 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

Word, Word, followed my more word.  The note really bugged me.  Abby hugs everybody, and she's going to leave NCIS and Gibbs and not hug him good-bye?  Everything that was done in that episode in terms of the blocking and positioning of Abby and Gibbs might have well come with subtitles that read "We have to do this because Mark and Pauley no longer wish to share scenes together."  The note and the fact that she was standing across the street was a "You have got to be kidding me with these two" moment for me because I found it completely absurd.

I see both your points. And I def agree @Ohmo that the blocking screamed “AWKWARD!”  But IMO while Abby def became his surrogate daughter and she treated him like a father - I could still see her chickening out of having to tell “dad” she was leaving. I was in a somewhat similar situation (note—not *nearly as long, or *nearly as close in terms of a relationship) and I was scared to death to tell my mentor that I was up and moving and completely changing professions. Oh well. YMMV. I guess it doesn’t matter if any of us believed it since we know there is a reason they didn’t shoot the scene together. 

[Gothish520]

2 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Honestly for the most part I found Abby to be charming.  If anyone I wanted toned down it was Tony.  If anyone was childish it was him.  Abby was eccentric and that was part of her charm.  If the whole  Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs thing annoyed you then well....  It kinda made me smile.  I think if anyone earned it it was was Abby.  

I always liked her too, even at her most hyper. And I totally agree about Tony...he was really kind of a douche. He had his moments, but I often found myself thinking "Omg you jerk!"

[roamyn]

As someone so eloquently sang, “F*k this shit, I’m out.”

[JessDVD]

5 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

 

 

Yeah, if I were a wheelchair-bound wife with twin newborns, Tim's decision would not go over well, especially when they were throwing around a timeframe of months, not days.  And it's not like he could actually do something there that would make his presence vital to her recovery. 

 

Yes, that was what I meant. (I could have worded it better, but that's what I meant :) ) I'm not wheelchair-bound, nor have I ever had twins, but I would have been royally peeved if Mr. DVD had decided to camp out at the bedside of a friend of his, while we had new baby/babies at home. (I'd probably be even more annoyed if it were a woman who I knew he had dated and continued to have feelings for after but you all can decide if I'd be excessively jealous there) Of course, be there, spend some time there, but McGee's saying he was going to stay there and not go home, I still think is inappropriate.

[ForReal]

I believe there was an episode where Gibbs was flirting with death (only one?) and he was imagining the team in his basement talking to him. McGee and Abby were a couple and had a baby, as I recall, although none of it was real. I kind of liked them together.

The other woman in the poker game was the shrink friend of the surgeon played by John Cryer, who saved Gibbs' life (another time), and he's the one who introduced her to Gibbs.

As mentioned many times, the lack of any scenes together between Abby and Gibbs took away from my enjoyment of the story. Even though I have always liked Abby, I can't say I was sad to see her go because I really wasn't feeling much at all. Except maybe glad that she was going for a good reason -- to do good in the world.

Edited May 10, 2018 by ForReal

[slothgirl]

56 minutes ago, JessDVD said:

Yes, that was what I meant. (I could have worded it better, but that's what I meant :) ) I'm not wheelchair-bound, nor have I ever had twins, but I would have been royally peeved if Mr. DVD had decided to camp out at the bedside of a friend of his, while we had new baby/babies at home. (I'd probably be even more annoyed if it were a woman who I knew he had dated and continued to have feelings for after but you all can decide if I'd be excessively jealous there) Of course, be there, spend some time there, but McGee's saying he was going to stay there and not go home, I still think is inappropriate.

I think we'll all just have to agree to disagree on this one. People usually have strongly held views on this type of thing as I've discovered through the years of being a woman with platonic male friends.

I told guys up front that my best friend was a man and an ex-boyfriend. My intimate relationship with him was in the early 80's and brief. We were far too much alike to be a couple. We exacerbated each other's moodiness and other psycological "baggage" stuff. At this point , and for the last few DECADES, he's like a brother to me (and the thought of a sexual romance with him now carries the same "ick" factor that sleeping with a sibling would). If my friend was dying, my current SO would totally understand my need to be at the side of someone who's been my best friend since I was 25 (I am now almost 60). If he had a best friend that just happened to be female, I'd understand if he had to be there. If an opposite sex best friend was a problem, it would have been a problem all along, and I've never (in her all too brief appearances) gotten ANY sense that Delilah felt in any way threatened or insecure about Abby.. in fact, Abby was a huge help to her in the pregnancy. The primary objection to McG staying at Abby's side seems to be that she is the opposite sex.... which in MY world, is not a good reason. YMMV

Edited May 10, 2018 by slothgirl

[Jeopardy15]

Quote

The show never did know what to do with Reeves anyway.  All he was was hot and British and British and hot.

That was my favorite thing about Reeves. And his accent. ???

[slothgirl]

7 minutes ago, Jeopardy15 said:

That was my favorite thing about Reeves. And his accent. ???

Did we mention that he is hot?

;)

[enoughcats]

Could Reeves have been brought in to supplement the graying of Gibbs?  

[WendyM]

I thought Sean Murray knocked it out of the park. I believed that he was heartbroken over Abby's situation and I didn't question why he was there. The Gibbs thing? I'm just bummed my longtime boyfriend Mark Harmon might not be a good guy after all. (Kinda sorta kidding but not really.) I did enjoy Abby going old school (aka seasons 1 and 2). Even her voice was normal! And I could watch that poker game every week.

[rainbowrockgal]

Didn't Criminal Minds also kill off the hot Black British agent recently too? Sad...love those accents!

Edited May 10, 2018 by rainbowrockgal

[LuvMyShows]

59 minutes ago, slothgirl said:

The primary objection to McG staying at Abby's side seems to be that she is the opposite sex.... which in MY world, is not a good reason. YMMV

Not my primary objection.  I would have the same objection if it was for a male.  It's the concept of abandoning (yes, that is what it would be, if it went for long) his spouse and children, especially a spouse who is paralyzed from the waist down and has two newborn/toddlers (not sure which at this point), in order to perform no particular healing activity at the bedside. 

[Driad]

Re Abby's apartment -- Abby goes/went bowling with nuns. The number of nuns is declining (at least in the US), so maybe they need less space. Given the architecture, might her place be formerly part of the convent?

[kazza]

2 hours ago, JessDVD said:

Yes, that was what I meant. (I could have worded it better, but that's what I meant :) ) I'm not wheelchair-bound, nor have I ever had twins, but I would have been royally peeved if Mr. DVD had decided to camp out at the bedside of a friend of his, while we had new baby/babies at home. (I'd probably be even more annoyed if it were a woman who I knew he had dated and continued to have feelings for after but you all can decide if I'd be excessively jealous there) Of course, be there, spend some time there, but McGee's saying he was going to stay there and not go home, I still think is inappropriate.

I'd be right there with you on this if it were me, but I'm more inclined to give McGee a pass here. Gibbs and his crew go through intense, extraordinary experiences together, much more than everyday coworkers. McGee would probably do the same for Gibbs, Tony, or Ducky.

I'm also inclined to think Delilah, coming from a similar world, would appreciate the special closeness they have. 

[slothgirl]

3 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Not my primary objection.  I would have the same objection if it was for a male.  It's the concept of abandoning (yes, that is what it would be, if it went for long) his spouse and children, especially a spouse who is paralyzed from the waist down and has two newborn/toddlers (not sure which at this point), in order to perform no particular healing activity at the bedside. 

A couple of days dealing with the potential loss of a dear friend is not what I'd call "abandonment". I can't imagine Delilah has no resources for help. It's not like she's never been alone with her own kids before and they knew before the twins were even born that she'd have to care for them while in a wheelchair. They would have been stupid not to have things set up so that she could do so. McGee isn't always able to get home. I admit I haven't watched consistently this season.. how old are the twins now? Because there's a lot of difference between a newborn and a toddler in the level of physical agility needed to care for them.

I think it would be out of character for Delilah to do anything other than encourage Tim to stay at Abby's side if that's what he needed. I can't for a minute see her complaining that she is alone with her children and being disabled, it's just too much for her. I can't imagine her ever saying ANYTHING is too much for her just because she's paralyzed. They had her going out in the field on ops and stings for pete's sake.

Whether you or I would accept it is irrelevant. It's completely in character for them all for this to be the way they acted, and IMO, it's in character for Delilah to be ok with it.

Edited May 10, 2018 by slothgirl

[scorpio1031]

4 hours ago, Jeopardy15 said:

That was my favorite thing about Reeves. And his accent. ???

I actually thought that the chemistry between Reeves and Torres was great - always trying to one up each other.  I also liked how he would pop up from the “international desk” with info.  There was still a lot of story to tell.

And of course, he was hot and British and looked great in those suits:) And that accent..???

[lh25]

On 5/8/2018 at 6:55 PM, DoctorK said:

Bull shit.I have been at the bedside of close friends (one of whom was terminal) I was neither their spouse or relative, I was a friend doing my best to support my friend.

I agree,  I am closer to some of my friends, both genders, then some members of my blood family.  We are going through a family thing right now with my mother, and I'm getting WAY more help and support from her friends then her sister or my brother.  Not that they are bad people, they just don't have the knowledge to help with some of what needs to be done.

[lh25]

On 5/8/2018 at 7:18 PM, enoughcats said:

In this story line, she chooses to abandon both for a co-worker she has known for, maybe, three years.  I could mutter on about her never seeing Tim's family grow up, about her abandoning her good deeds in D.C.  

Instead, she's gone.  According to her, it was her choice.  I'm not sure she has the qualifications and the money to emigrate into England without a job lined up.  No, must not throw monkey wrenches near the large electromagnet that apparently has already attracted and destroyed so many other story lines.

I see it less as her doing this for Reeves exactly, more that her motivation is because he died saving her.

[Katy M]

10 minutes ago, lh25 said:

I see it less as her doing this for Reeves exactly, more that her motivation is because he died saving her.

I agree.  Survivor's guilt is an extremely strong emotion.

[LuvMyShows]

10 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Not my primary objection.  I would have the same objection if it was for a male.  It's the concept of abandoning (yes, that is what it would be, if it went for long) 

 

7 hours ago, slothgirl said:

A couple of days dealing with the potential loss of a dear friend is not what I'd call "abandonment".

Just wanted to be clear about what I did say, versus what I did not say.  I do not consider "a couple of days" to be "long", especially since in the show, I believe they specifically mentioned the word "months" to Tim when he said he wasn't going to leave.

[Emma9]

Was surprised no one mentioned looking into Mikel Mawher or Chip as suspects. King was also someone I considered, but what was his motive? Simple revenge, or he thought he'd never be able to escape and carry out his 'duty' while she was still alive to hunt him down?

Abby...what's there to say? Between knowing about the actress and not turning off spoiler-promos quick enough, there wasn't much left to react to in the episode itself, especially given that this last season in particular has worn away at so much of the feeling I used to have for this show.

I did laugh at her final weapon being Caf-Pow.

 

On 5/8/2018 at 8:28 PM, JessDVD said:

Flashbacks: this show was ten times better when Tony and Kate were on it.

 

Yup. Such a small cast the first couple of seasons compared to now, but it worked.

 

On 5/8/2018 at 9:59 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

TONY!!!!!! I still miss him. And I love that 99.999% of the flashback clips featured Tony!

I liked that too, but was disappointed that both the Tony and Kate flashbacks were about them and Gibbs, not them and Abby.

 

On 5/8/2018 at 10:03 PM, Katy M said:

I was ready to be annoyed by her not saying goodbye to Gibbs when he wasn't in the room with everyone else, but I was actually fine with the letter and the wave.  Sometimes those you are closest to are the hardest to actually say goodbye to.

Irony is, I would have loved that scene. The signing was always their thing, and I could buy that neither of them could go through with a real goodbye. If it weren't preceded by an entire season of bullcrap excuses for them not to interact.

 

On 5/8/2018 at 10:18 PM, enoughcats said:

Near death hospitalizations should involve the patient's family.  Abby has two brothers, or did, at least for some episodes.  Abby called her co-workers her family.  

In this story line, she chooses to abandon both for a co-worker she has known for, maybe, three years.  I could mutter on about her never seeing Tim's family grow up, about her abandoning her good deeds in D.C.

I wondered why her brothers didn't get even a mention. And yeah - her wanting to honor Clay? Taking a leave to set up the foundation? Absolutely. She's done lots of charity work before; Habitat for Humanity, victim's rights work, etc. But central to the character was how damn good she is at her job - quirks or no quirks, she does a hell of a lot of good in her role as a scientist and she knows it. I doubt Clay would want her to give that up.

I actually expected them to go through with killing her because there was no way her leaving with no prior setup would make sense. Silly me for expecting sense.

 

On 5/9/2018 at 7:03 AM, Kelda Feegle said:

Such a brief sighting of Fornell, sigh.

I was happy when I saw him because he's also got a long history with Abby, and thought they'd get at least a brief goodbye moment. The poker game just made me wonder if Borin ever got in on one of those.

 

22 hours ago, betsyboo said:

I rewound the list of agents twice and was PEEVED they left off Paula. Then I heard her say "hero-friends" and thought - oh maybe Abby meant friends that died in the actual line of duty. THEN i remembered, NO, Paula DID blow up in the line of duty. Then I got mad all over again.

I thought of her too and got irked, but I guess in retrospect she wasn't that much on Abby's radar while she was alive; just one of many agents who've gone down, like Pacci or even Michelle. It was the field agents who really got hit by Paula's death.

 

On 5/9/2018 at 10:58 AM, slothgirl said:

I'm guessing it had something to do with the plan for the character transitioning from Abby being a potential love interest for Gibbs (the original plan for the character) to a replacement daughter for Gibbs.

 

On 5/9/2018 at 11:06 AM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Say what? I never read this or heard this. I never thought Abby would be a potential love interest for Gibbs. eww. I did think, in the JAG backdoor pilot, that something would happen with Tony and Abby, when he asked her about getting some results more quickly, and when she asked what would she get? Tony mentioned dinner at some place, and there was this big grin on her face, and I think she said "Excellent!" or something. The point is, that scene was very flirty.

Everyone's mileage will always vary on that. I shipped them, when I still cared enough to. Some may ew because of the age difference, but there were plenty of exchanges in the early seasons that would've been gross if they were supposed to have father/daughterly feelings toward each other. Not going to hijack the thread with a list, but Witch Hunt alone...

And yup, in the backdoor pilot, and for that matter Yankee White, Tony took the Gibbs role in Abby's lab. Also in Yankee White, they were clearly hinting at Gibbs and Kate becoming a thing. It was after those episodes that the two pairings started to reverse.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Emma9

[Ohmo]

23 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

I loved it too. Those actors have natural chemistry. Maybe because they are the same generation.

I don't have an opinion one way or another, but one thing I have learned in life is that you can't really know what is really going on when you only hear one point of view, even with people you know well. I have no idea what either of them are like in real life

But whatever happened, it deeply hurt this show for the audience. And made this finale less impactful than it should have been.

Clanstarling, this is terrific advice.  It's logical, rational, adult, and I know I should agree with this.  I actually do agree with this.  However, I also agree with WendyM's text in bold

12 hours ago, WendyM said:

I thought Sean Murray knocked it out of the park. I believed that he was heartbroken over Abby's situation and I didn't question why he was there. The Gibbs thing? I'm just bummed my longtime boyfriend Mark Harmon might not be a good guy after all. (Kinda sorta kidding but not really.) I did enjoy Abby going old school (aka seasons 1 and 2). Even her voice was normal! And I could watch that poker game every week.

Both things can be true.  I can logically and rationally know that Clanstarling is right.  I can know that I should be the adult here.  But, you know what?  I don't feel like it.  Why should I when those two couldn't manage to do it?  Mark Harmon KNOWS the profile he has with women.  I'm not interested in dating him.  I don't particularly care about his marriage to Pam, his kids, or any of that.  He can have all the personal privacy that he wants.  I'm not impinging on any of that.

And just in case you think I'm leaving Pauley out of this, I'm not.  I'm blasting them both because I don't know which of them is deserving of the blast.  I love Abby and Pauley's portrayal of her.  However, let's be factual here.  This is the role that put her on the map.  This is the role that made anyone care at all about the causes that she cares about.  If she wouldn't have been Abby, no one outside of her circle of friends and family would have cared what she thought or did.   Also, for someone who preaches no hate and tolerance all over her Twitter account, she didn't seem too interested in compromising either.  Tolerance means that sometimes one must deal with situations that one might not wish to.  That's why "like" is a different word from "tolerate."

I'm tired of this crap.  We've seen it on The Good Wife, on Castle, and now on NCIS.  I know this won't happen because the networks never do seem to want to ruffle the feathers of talent, but someone from CBS should have met with both of them and "spoken truth to power" when it comes to doing their JOB!  I don't begrudge either one of them their fame, money, or any of that, but I'm way tired of hearing that fans don't know them and therefore WE"RE the ones who have to deal.  As irrational and non-adult as this sounds, I don't care.  Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette were involved in a situation that did me wrong as a fan, and that ticks me off!

[welnoc]

12 hours ago, LuvMyShows said:

Not my primary objection.  I would have the same objection if it was for a male.  It's the concept of abandoning (yes, that is what it would be, if it went for long) his spouse and children, especially a spouse who is paralyzed from the waist down and has two newborn/toddlers (not sure which at this point), in order to perform no particular healing activity at the bedside. 

Just because McGee said he was not leaving her side didn't mean that he actually meant it. The man was facing the loss of a very dear friend and full of emotions. People generally do make exaggerated claims in those kinds of situations. Once things became clearer, I'm sure McGee would have stepped back a little, if only to allow other close friends to do their bit as well. McGee is not that selfish.

My main objection to Gibbs & McGee in the hospital room was the fact they're not actual family. I thought most hospitals were pretty strict about things like that. I guess I have to chalk it up to artistic licence.

[slothgirl]

1 hour ago, welnoc said:

Just because McGee said he was not leaving her side didn't mean that he actually meant it. The man was facing the loss of a very dear friend and full of emotions. People generally do make exaggerated claims in those kinds of situations. Once things became clearer, I'm sure McGee would have stepped back a little, if only to allow other close friends to do their bit as well. McGee is not that selfish.

My main objection to Gibbs & McGee in the hospital room was the fact they're not actual family. I thought most hospitals were pretty strict about things like that. I guess I have to chalk it up to artistic licence.

and badges.

unless they didn't need no stinkin' badges

Seriously though, Abby was under protection once they realized she was deliberately targeted. McGee was there partly in a capacity to protect as guard. A similar case could be made for Gibbs. Although they wouldn't have prevented her brothers from going in, since she seems to have been released from the hospital in unrealistically record time, maybe they didn't have time to get there.

[enoughcats]

18 minutes ago, slothgirl said:

maybe they didn't have time to get there.

Didn't one have  a job at a pet store in DC?

[slothgirl]

1 minute ago, enoughcats said:

Didn't one have  a job at a pet store in DC?

Did she ever tell him that she was his sister? I can't remember

I'm really not ever interested in the family lives of these people except when it's Gibbs ex's. Unlike most everyone, I LOVED Diane. I found Fornells family to be more entertaining than Abby's, and he's only a guest character himself!

[Ohmo]

12 hours ago, slothgirl said:

A couple of days dealing with the potential loss of a dear friend is not what I'd call "abandonment"

"Abandonment" is also a very strong word here,  Even if, let's say, that Abby were in a persistent coma for months and had been moved to a long-term care facility, I still think Delilah would have no issue with Tim going to sit and be with Abby a couple of times a week.  Now, Delilah may not be down with Tim doing that every day, but to take a shift twice a week, even for months is not something I think Delilah would have an objection to.  Sitting with Abby also does not mean that Tim won't also fulfill his family and husband obligations to Delilah and the twins.  He loves them.  If Delilah felt that Abby was an emotional threat to her relationship with Tim, we would have likely seen that manifest itself before now.

Edited May 10, 2018 by Ohmo

[lh25]

2 hours ago, welnoc said:

My main objection to Gibbs & McGee in the hospital room was the fact they're not actual family. I thought most hospitals were pretty strict about things like that. I guess I have to chalk it up to artistic licence.

Not always.  My mom was recently in ICU for 10 days, and she could have anyone visit that she agreed to.  Limited to 2 at a time during visiting hours, 1 at a time the rest of the day.

Edited May 10, 2018 by lh25
It's better if words have all their letters...

[MyAimIsTrue]

Hey guys, please stop beating the should McGee have stayed or not dead horse.  Agree to disagree and move on.

[eel2178]

18 hours ago, ForReal said:

I believe there was an episode where Gibbs was flirting with death (only one?) and he was imagining the team in his basement talking to him. McGee and Abby were a couple and had a baby, as I recall, although none of it was real. I kind of liked them together.

Abby and McGee were a couple, but it was DiNozzo and Kate who had a baby.

[Clanstarling]

6 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Clanstarling, this is terrific advice.  It's logical, rational, adult, and I know I should agree with this.  I actually do agree with this.  However, I also agree with WendyM's text in bold

Both things can be true.  I can logically and rationally know that Clanstarling is right.  I can know that I should be the adult here.  But, you know what?  I don't feel like it.  Why should I when those two couldn't manage to do it?  Mark Harmon KNOWS the profile he has with women.  I'm not interested in dating him.  I don't particularly care about his marriage to Pam, his kids, or any of that.  He can have all the personal privacy that he wants.  I'm not impinging on any of that.

And just in case you think I'm leaving Pauley out of this, I'm not.  I'm blasting them both because I don't know which of them is deserving of the blast.  I love Abby and Pauley's portrayal of her.  However, let's be factual here.  This is the role that put her on the map.  This is the role that made anyone care at all about the causes that she cares about.  If she wouldn't have been Abby, no one outside of her circle of friends and family would have cared what she thought or did.   Also, for someone who preaches no hate and tolerance all over her Twitter account, she didn't seem too interested in compromising either.  Tolerance means that sometimes one must deal with situations that one might not wish to.  That's why "like" is a different word from "tolerate."

I'm tired of this crap.  We've seen it on The Good Wife, on Castle, and now on NCIS.  I know this won't happen because the networks never do seem to want to ruffle the feathers of talent, but someone from CBS should have met with both of them and "spoken truth to power" when it comes to doing their JOB!  I don't begrudge either one of them their fame, money, or any of that, but I'm way tired of hearing that fans don't know them and therefore WE"RE the ones who have to deal.  As irrational and non-adult as this sounds, I don't care.  Mark Harmon and Pauley Perrette were involved in a situation that did me wrong as a fan, and that ticks me off!

Thank you. But to be fair to you, and everyone who is upset, it's not that hard for me to be so "adult" about it because I've never been invested in Abby, and actively disliked the father/daughter stuff. (my own issues). I did, however, not like that it became a sort of negative Easter egg with each episode (spot the missing Gibbs/Abby moment) - and then in this episode, the scenes where they obviously were not filming together just destroyed the emotional impact. The only truly emotional moment I felt, because of it, was the morgue before they were getting started on Reeves' autopsy.

I couldn't find the posts regarding the barking dog, but wanted to point out that if the stories are true, that dog could have been used either to support Pauley, or as a sarcastic "so long."

Edited May 10, 2018 by Clanstarling

[enoughcats]

And the barking dog didn't get a credit at the end of the show (I slomo checked.)