S16.E04: Third Wheel

[thewhiteowl]

Gibbs’ quiet vacation at his remote cabin is interrupted by a surprise visit from Tobias Fornell and Navy Captain Phillip Brooks, as well as a call from NCIS asking for his help locating a robber hiding in the woods near him.

[enoughcats]

3 hours ago, thewhiteowl said:

Gibbs’ quiet vacation at his remote cabin is interrupted by a surprise visit from Tobias Fornell and Navy Captain Phillip Brooks,

Sounds like an excellent pilot for a new show.

Where are Jessica Fletcher's writers when we need them?

Edited October 13, 2018 by enoughcats

[Katy M]

I find it hard to believe that Gibbs would allow singing and drinking on a manhunt. And, it was so beyond obvious that the fisherwoman wasn't just fishing.

McGee: Gibbs would have killed you.  Palmer:  Yeah, you're a lot nicer.  That part actually made me smile.  Probably the most McGee has done in ages.

[stonehaven]

So Gibbs singing at the end? The only thing I liked about the episode....and completely NOT in character with him....Still, hoping for a Fornell/Gibbs PI show.

[JackONeill]

Bizarre episode. I think they let the part-time writers write that one.

Stiil, it wasn’t all bad.

I don’t know where they’re going with Jack.

It’s taken McGee this long to grow a set of balls???

[david gideon]

It was a bit bizarre, and I thought the one with the weird neighbors in the cul de sac was kind of strange too. At least this one had a Emily Rose from a Haven...nice seeing her again.

[mertensia]

I knew it was the fisherwoman right away, since she pronounced the fish crappie, not croppie, which is how I have always heard it. And I don't even fish.

[JackONeill]

6 hours ago, mertensia said:

I knew it was the fisherwoman right away, since she pronounced the fish crappie, not croppie, which is how I have always heard it. And I don't even fish.

And the other thing (and not to  e sexist) but she was too gosh-darned good-looking to be fishing. (Not that attractive women can’t fish!)

[preeya]

Not good at all. Gibbs was on vaca, the writers were also.

[GHScorpiosRule]

11 hours ago, JackONeill said:

Bizarre episode. I think they let the part-time writers write that one.

Stiil, it wasn’t all bad.

I don’t know where they’re going with Jack.

It’s taken McGee this long to grow a set of balls???

Hated it. For thrusting that idiot Phil from last season into an episode I was lead to believe would be about Gibbs and Fornell; that nonsense with Jack’s “friend” who kept rolling and bugging her eyes out, to the predictable killer.

Just like last week, with McGee’s idiocy of never having met reality fame whores stars(he did in season three and wasn’t the idiotic ass) and acting like he was a desperate single, McGee also found his balls in “Chained” when Gibbs told him to tell that deputy Secretary of State Department to “Stick it” and that she was wasting the Agency’s time demanding answers when they were trying to locate Tony and cut her off the feed. And everyone in MTAC clapped and cheered.

8 hours ago, mertensia said:

I knew it was the fisherwoman right away, since she pronounced the fish crappie, not croppie, which is how I have always heard it. And I don't even fish.

I knew it was her from the moment she showed up. Show has gotten so predictable and lazy.

And it didn’t help that the song Phil kept singing made me think of JAWS because Brody, Hooper and Quint were singing it while hunting for the bastard.

[thewhiteowl]

I did not need more Phil. As comic relief, the comedy wasn't there for me. The rest was alright.

[enoughcats]

11 hours ago, JackONeill said:

It’s taken McGee this long to grow a set of balls???

This was a poor rehash of McGee in the Ziva-Tony time when McG's car was being held hostage by a car repair place and he came back after a case and over the phone became assertive.  I remember that well.  Maybe the writers need to have watched this show, because they've forgotten that McG. 

12 hours ago, JackONeill said:

I don’t know where they’re going with Jack.

The interaction  between Jack and her frenemy (or whatever niche she crawled out of ) was terrible.  Mature women don't act that way in a business situation.   Maybe drunk on their posteriors, but probably not even then. Any tolerance that Jack had earned in her interactions with Vance disappeared.

43 minutes ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

McGee also found his balls in “Chained” when Gibbs told him to tell that deputy Secretary of State Department to “Stick it”

Did that lead to the car thing?  Funny I find it easier to recall a situation that might have happened with me, rather than something that is Washingtonian in its creation.

[Trey]

I spent the whole episode thinking Phil was the doctor, played by Jon Cryer, who bonded with Gibbs a couple of seasons ago.  I had to look up Phil Brooks.  I liked the three of them at the cabin and on the hunt.  That was the best part of the episode for me.

I like Jack well enough but that was such a stupid story with her former best friend, or frenemy, as enoughcats called her.  It was so pointless.  We already know Jack has been through hell; trying now to give her an 'interesting' backstory is just unnecessary.

[Kelda Feegle]

That was awful. Just woeful. Words fail me.

[GHScorpiosRule]

49 minutes ago, enoughcats said:

This was a poor rehash of McGee in the Ziva-Tony time when McG's car was being held hostage by a car repair place and he came back after a case and over the phone became assertive.  I remember that well.  Maybe the writers need to have watched this show, because they've forgotten that McG. 

<snip>

Did that lead to the car thing?  Funny I find it easier to recall a situation that might have happened with me, rather than something that is Washingtonian in its creation.

No. “Chained” was in Season Two. Ziva showed up in Season three.

[LuvMyShows]

10 hours ago, enoughcats said:

The interaction  between Jack and her frenemy (or whatever niche she crawled out of ) was terrible.  Mature women don't act that way in a business situation.  

I agree.  

22 hours ago, JackONeill said:

It’s taken McGee this long to grow a set of balls???

The scene with that guy on the big screen talking to McGee about using a nicer tone of voice (WTAF?) was some of the worst writing/acting I have ever seen on this show.

22 hours ago, stonehaven said:

So Gibbs singing at the end? The only thing I liked about the episode....and completely NOT in character with him....

It put me in mind of an episode that opened with seeing Gibbs in bed with someone, and he was being very light-hearted and silly and smiley, and I knew right away that it was either a dream or a memory, because he is not like that...and I was right.

10 hours ago, Trey said:

  I liked the three of them at the cabin and on the hunt. 

I liked them too.  Maybe in the Gibbs & Fornell PI show, he can be the office manager or something like that.

[HurricaneVal]

Who the hell is Phil?

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 minute ago, HurricaneVal said:

Who the hell is Phil?

The guy who faked his death last season and supposedly an old friend of Gibbs. One we’d nevet heard of or seen before. His wife was the one who wanted him dead or something. Susan Walters played the wife. Show had opened up with his funeral.

[slothgirl]

On 10/13/2018 at 2:26 PM, enoughcats said:

Sounds like an excellent pilot for a new show.

Gibbes and Fornell really need a spin off. They don't need Phil though.

On 10/16/2018 at 9:00 PM, Katy M said:

I find it hard to believe that Gibbs would allow singing and drinking on a manhunt.

No kidding... that was super weird. It would have made more sense if they hadn't known they were on a manhunt for a living criminal, but thought they were just looking for something that fell out of the plane.

On 10/17/2018 at 1:33 AM, mertensia said:

I knew it was the fisherwoman right away, since she pronounced the fish crappie, not croppie, which is how I have always heard it. And I don't even fish.

My SC relatives who fished a lot pronounced it crappie.

[twoods]

I thought the bit with Torres dancing while Bishop was trying not to bust out laughing was hilarious. I couldn’t stop laughing and love these little bits between the characters that are light and fun.

The case was okay but next week’s episode looks better. 

[brgjoe]

Yeah, it was a strange episode.  Good to see Fornell back.  Wish it was just him and Gibb's at the cabin.  Could really do without Bill or Phil or Dill or whatever his name is.  But you knew when they said the guy (or later on we discover both of them) jumped out of plane, you knew that he/they would show up not too far from Gibbs' cabin.  And that fisherwoman would be turn out to be evil fisherwoman.

Didn't care for Jack and her friend(?) either.  I still really don't care much about Jack.  And I didn't need to deal with their past. 

Only thing that saved it for me was Gibbs/Fornell.  And "Third Wheel" was aptly named.  They didn't need that other guy to be there. 

[laredhead]

The writers could have deleted the entire Jack/friend bit and the show would have been much better.  It added nothing, but filled space for a so-so episode.  Gibbs and Fornell could have carried 90% of the show on their own and it would have been better - IMVHO.

[Driad]

Maybe someone should found a Scouts organization for seniors.

I learned this at camp long ago:

Indicate the route to my habitual abode.
I am fatigued and I desire to retire.
I had an alcoholic bev'rage sixty minutes ago,
And it affected my cerebellum.
Wherever my peregrinations shall lead me,
Terra firms or the salt sea air,
I am constantly audibly chanting this melody,
Indicate the route to my habitual abode.

[scruffy73]

On 10/18/2018 at 5:08 PM, slothgirl said:

Gibbes and Fornell really need a spin off. They don't need Phil though.

No kidding... that was super weird. It would have made more sense if they hadn't known they were on a manhunt for a living criminal, but thought they were just looking for something that fell out of the plane.

My SC relatives who fished a lot pronounced it crappie.

We say crappie like happy too

[Clanstarling]

I'm usually pretty easy - but I agree. This was a crappy episode.

I had no memory of Phil. He annoyed the hell out of me. We don't see enough of Fornell, so I hated that he had to share the stage - and hated the jealousy angle.

There wasn't a lot of plot to hang a hat on, and most of it was overtaken by the odd dynamics at work and in the country.

Though I liked the dance (Valderrama sure can move), I couldn't help but think how workplace inappropriate it was.

So that's all I have, scattered thoughts for a scattered episode.

[twoods]

8 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

 

Though I liked the dance (Valderrama sure can move), I couldn't help but think how workplace inappropriate it was.

I still remember seeing him 15 years ago at a salsa club in Miami and couldn’t stop staring because he was so good. He has aged well because he looks pretty much the same, except he’s bulked up. His character has grown on me the past few seasons. 

[Clanstarling]

7 hours ago, twoods said:

I still remember seeing him 15 years ago at a salsa club in Miami and couldn’t stop staring because he was so good. He has aged well because he looks pretty much the same, except he’s bulked up. His character has grown on me the past few seasons. 

>envy<

[welnoc]

On 10/17/2018 at 1:33 AM, mertensia said:

I knew it was the fisherwoman right away, since she pronounced the fish crappie, not croppie, which is how I have always heard it. And I don't even fish.

Both are acceptable pronunciations according to wikipedia.  I have always heard it pronounced as crappie.

[ForReal]

I found myself quite annoyed by the agents sitting around doing nothing just because Gibbs was away. Don't they have enough work to do? I kinda cringed at Torres dancing in front of Bishop; unpopular opinion here, but I find Torres cringeworthy most of the time.

The situation with Jack and her friend was just weird. The whole episode was weird. The only parts I really liked were with Fornell.

[UnikornRainbowz]

Can NCIS have one episode already where the case is NOT CONNECTED to the CHARACTERS at all!!!!!!!

[GHScorpiosRule]

13 hours ago, UnikornRainbowz said:

Can NCIS have one episode already where the case is NOT CONNECTED to the CHARACTERS at all!!!!!!!

Check out Season One.