TV Review: NCIS - "Blow Back" - Page 2

Visibly shaken, DiNozzo barges into the director’s office while an assistant is tending to the Director’s broken bra strap. The ensuing conversation can only be described as titillating. Getting down to business, DiNozzo informs Shepard of his discovery. Shepard is curious as to why this man was not identified earlier than now (a keen bit of foreshadowing noted). DiNozzo expresses his fear for having lied to him. Gibbs is brought into the discussion, making the scene more awkward than the broken bra strap. Shepard asks Gibbs to call off Ziva and McGee and he toys with her. She loses her temper and directly orders Gibbs. In the meantime, Ziva and McGee are hot on the hunt. They just begin to apprehend Harrow when they are called off by Gibbs and ordered to only follow, but not approach him.

Back at NCIS, Gibbs and Shepard have a spirited discussion of Shepard’s use of DiNozzo. Gibbs brings up the distant past with Shepard and Paris, prompting the Director, in a beautifully choreographed scene of sexual tension, to pull rank on Gibbs. DiNozzo is monitoring the bidding on Ares, identifying an Irish national as one the bidders. Tony expresses his regret to Gibbs for having lied to him. Gibbs is equivocal. Ziva and McGee have their cover blown and set out on a foot chase with Harrow, who runs up a set of stairs, experiences a myocardial infarction, and promptly dies. The Director proves unimpressed with the loss of her most valuable intelligence asset.

Shepard completely loses her shit with her staff, an experience only intensified by Gibbs’ insolent chiding. Gibbs suspects that Shepard’s interest in Harrow has nothing to do with Ares. Ziva and DiNozzo are dispatched to Harrow’s house to recover anything that may look like Ares. Gibbs approaches the Director for some answers regarding this entire case. Shepard reveals that in the past she knew La Grenouille (Armand Assante) and that something personal is amiss. Ziva and DiNozzo return with the goods to NCIS headquarters and Abby and McGee find Ares among all of the stuff. The team determines when and where Harrow was supposed to meet La Grenouille (with highest bidder for the Ares program) and then realize they no longer have Harrow to make the meeting. NCIS is in need of a certain late-sixties English gentleman.

Article Author: C. Michael Bailey

Arkansas son C. Michael Bailey has been in hiding since he revealed his family's abolitionist position prior to the War Between the States. He is a Senior Reviewer for All About Jazz and publisher of the webblog Kultur. Michael’s day job is spent as a clinical data analyst.
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