Episode 23 of NCIS titled “Swan Song” is not an ordinary one. It delivered more than what we had expected. Full of emotions, darkness and nice story. Let us dig in!
TV Fanatic: The aptly-titled “Swan Song” began with Gibbs stoically standing in the rain, helplessly watching a body bag carted off. As promised, the victim was a major NCIS force.
Even as the story unfolded in reverse, with dots connected throughout the night, the identity of the person ins the bag and the toll this loss took on Gibbs were obvious.
NCIS doesn’t usually try methods such as having Mike (or the memories of Mike) talk to Gibbs throughout the case, hovering over his shoulder, as if he were really there.
For a time, of course, he was. But the Mike Franks we first saw last night spoke to Jethro from beyond the grave, shrouding the episode in both mystery and emotion.
If there were any doubts that Jethro’s mentor was the victim, they were cleared up during Duck’s autopsy. Gibbs was present, yet absent, like Mike in a different sense.
Perhaps the fact that it was so different made it all the more effective. Rather than having Franks killed as a shocker at the end, we were left wondering how and why.
It worked extremely well not only because many fans guessed Franks would be this week’s victim, but because it set up a terrific “Swan Song” for this great character.
Like the old dog he referenced, Franks knew his time had come, and he went out in style, picking a fight the Port-to-Port Killer never saw coming and nearly winning it.
Mike looked noticeably pale and unwell, not to mention noticeably older, in human form than in Gibbs’ mental images. You can’t help but wonder if he was gravely ill.
That may also explain how Gibbs lives with what happened going forward. Had he not called Mike, he would be alive today … or would he? Not if he were terminal.
Instead, perhaps Jethro gave his mentor a fitting sendoff, and in a tangential and unexpected way, found a lead in the case that has flummoxed him on many levels.
That doesn’t mean Mike’s murder was easy to stomach for Probie or anyone else.
The scene where the elevator opened and McGee was holding Abby just as Tony was with Ziva, and Tony telling them to “bring it in” for a group hug was powerful.
Given everything that’s gone on – and is still going on – viewers probably felt they needed a hug too. After all, the monster who did this to Franks is still on the loose.
Franks’ death became the latest chapter in the hunt for the P2P, who we now know by name (Jonas Cobb) and received a full bio on thanks to a one-eyed Trent Cort.
The shady CIA agent’s role filled in a number of blanks.
First, it explained the eyeball. It was his, which made sense, given the Company’s propensity for gaining access to everything. More importantly, it legitimized the P2P.
Making viewers fear Cobb on a show in which murderers are hunted every week is a difficult task, but Cort’s description and thoroughly disturbing videos did the job.
The P2P is a trained assassin, crafted by the CIA to do its “wet work” while remaining undercover as a run-of-the-mill serviceman. Only after his first kill, he went rogue.
After making a mockery of military hierarchy by slaying his first group of victims, the killer is now evolving, tracking the people tracking him. But Franks wasn’t a target.
Cobb was conducting “research” on Gibbs, both lurking inside NCIS and outside his home. Like Gibbs and Vance studying each other, the killer observes. He waits.
Interestingly, it was when Gibbs confronted Vance about their personal war that he gained the insight into why Cobb was outside his house – and where he went next.
Franks forced Cobb in a kill-or-be-killed situation, but he didn’t want Gibbs. He wants Barrett and her team, who ended up baited into a terrifying trap set by the P2P.
Despite widespread animosity for E.J. and the new guys, you couldn’t watch this and not feel awful. She walked right into this haunting, deadly trap and had no idea.
Will E.J. survive? It doesn’t look good, but Gibbs and Vance are on the same page now. Jethro’s running point, fueled by the demise of Mike Franks. It is ON next week.
Overall, we saw an exciting episode. I hope NCIS will deliver more episodes like this. Crossing my fingers!
You can check NCIS Season 8 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.
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