I have watched since the pilot was a part of JAG. Any of the shows with Ralph Waite were good and he is missed as Gibb's dad. Every time they "killed off" someone I thought I wouldn't like the show any more but they proved me wrong. Any "new or replacement" characters have added something different. I really enjoy that I know so much more about the characters from year to year. The beauty of the re-runs is the ability to pick up on when something was first revealed or hinted at. No way I could pick only 5 favorite episodes.
One of my favorites is "Dead Man Walking" where there is a nuclear site investigator poisoned by a co-worker. The interaction between Ziva and that character is a lovely unwinding of feeling. I watch it every time it's on one of the ever-present marathons on USA.
2
This is the show I prefer to watch. It does not have zombies,vampires, outer planet people,etc. that the buzz shows have. The people in the show are professional, but human. I hate soapy shows like Quantico,Howto get away with murder,scandal, good wife. The shows know their audience is not stupid, and the plot lines are believeable. Too bad the hipsters/trendys will never give the show the awards they deserve.
3
Don't forget Charles Durning's wonderful performanceas the vet haunted by killing his friend
3
This is my favorite episode. Mr. Durning had an excellent performance. My other favorite is when Gibbs takes his Dad to see a German war buddy that saved his life while in the ear. That was great work by all though I would never be able to say NO to my Dad. That would of been the end of me !!!!
There are several episodes which were fabulous, especially for watching with a teenaged son - the two-parter dealing with PTSD was fantastic, as were one or two that honestly and painfully explored sexual assault in the military. These episodes provided great fodder for discussion of some difficult but important topics. My son doesn't really watch anymore, but we occasionally refer back to these episodes when we hear news stories about these issues.
1
The best episode has to be Truth or Consequences! Michael Weatherly brought his A game for this one. Shabbat Shalom & Shiva are a couple more excellent episodes and of course the Kill Ari arc.
3
Used to watch this with my very elderly mom (her favorite) and I enjoyed the gutsy 2 part end to Season 5 when Director Jenny Shepard is killed and Mike Franks disappears in a sensational gunfight in a rundown diner in the desert. In part 2, Mike Franks finds and kills the terrorist who killed Jenny while Gibbs hides Jenny's murder by burning down her mansion in Georgetown. The episodes with the Mike Franks character were aces.
2
never in a million years would i have thought
that this show would have lasted past season one.
flabbergasting: the tastes of the masses.
that this show would have lasted past season one.
flabbergasting: the tastes of the masses.
What do you prefer that is so much better then what the "masses" watch?
2
Yes Marnie, I'm sure you spend all of your spare time re-reading Proust.
4
One fun thing that they did in the first couple of seasons was sly references to other roles the actors had played. One of the team, I think it was Kate, asked Gibbs what Ducky was like when he was younger and he replied "Ilya Kuryakin". Another time, Mike Franks made a comment to Gibbs about catching Ted Bundy, which was one of Mark Harmon's early major TV roles.
2
@ Scientist.
I agree.
In Season 4 episode 12 there was a reference to an earlier film role of David McCallum. The episode begins with traffic lights flashing SOS. When Mr. McCallum as the medical examiner Dr. Mallard (aka Ducky) arrives to see the body he begins to talk about how SOS replaced CQD (come quickly distress). Mr. McCallum had played the wireless operator Harold McBride in the 1958 movie "A Night to Remember" about the sinking of the Titantic in 1912. It was one of the first times SOS was used.
I agree.
In Season 4 episode 12 there was a reference to an earlier film role of David McCallum. The episode begins with traffic lights flashing SOS. When Mr. McCallum as the medical examiner Dr. Mallard (aka Ducky) arrives to see the body he begins to talk about how SOS replaced CQD (come quickly distress). Mr. McCallum had played the wireless operator Harold McBride in the 1958 movie "A Night to Remember" about the sinking of the Titantic in 1912. It was one of the first times SOS was used.
1
I would also suggest Shabbat Shalom, in which Vance's wife and Ziva's father were assassinated. It was gut wrenching. On of the highest rated episodes of all time.
10
Also would add "Shiva" which also required a box of tissues. Not sure if it's coincidence or not but since Côte DePablo's departure the writing hasn't been as good. I think the episodes that had the Mossad storyline were some of the best including Enemies Foreign/Domestic ".
5
The problem NCIS has is a problem faced by most long running shows. Many of the characters are aging out of their roles. I enjoy Michael Weatherly and I'll miss Tony when he leaves the show, but it was getting painful seeing him act like an elderly frat boy. And that goes double for the character of Abbey. She actually acted more like an adult in the early shows than she does now. It seems with every passing season she becomes more infantile and it's become harder and harder to suspend disbelief. Ducky's assistant, Palmer, has also been getting sillier with every passing season. Just in case it sounds like all I'm doing is knocking the show - I actually enjoy it quite a bit. I just think it would be better if they would let some of these characters act their age.
9
Favorite, but probably not among best episodes (Christmas hokey): Silent Night (S6, Ep 11), w/Peter Coyote as a petty officer whose death certificate Ducky signed 17 yrs ago -- he's now blamed for 2 murders by the metro PD, but the NCIS gang have "that" feeling, and do their best to prove him innocent and reunite him w/his family. The Harmon/Coyote scenes are the best part, w/two famously low-key actors at their lowest and best.
6
Top 5 is tough, I would have gone with Call of Silence S2E7 with Charles Durning and Silent Night S6E11 with Peter Coyote
7
The very best episode of the series came in Season 2 and guest starred the incredible Mr Charles Durning: "Call of Silence". WWII Medal of Honor recipient believes he murdered his best friend on the battle field. The NCIS team work to prove he didn't. No episode has ever topped it, and after 13 seasons that's really saying something.
5
Yes, comfort food, which I used to enjoy. But for the last couple of years the writers have gone on vacation and the show is just, plain, boring. Time to put it out of its misery.
IMO they failed hard with the Ziva replacement. She was supposed to be a genius and they didn't deliver. The show became borign and dull.
6
I'm a fan of that show since 2010 and i'm happy it's now making a landmark with it's 300th episode.
1
SWAK is great, but where is Call of Honor? The Abby episode was great for the flashbcaks (fantastic young actress) but awful with the modern day sections. And shame, shame on you for not mentioning Ziva in your synopsis of Truth or Consequences. It was a rescue mission. Ziva was tied to the other chair, and the scene between them was stunning.
5
Never tiring.
I agree with Lucie M. The last years of the series have been marked by a sharp downturn in the quality of the writing and by the failure to develop a distinctive and/or entertaining persona for Ziva's replacement.
3
Another episode well worth remembering is season 2's "Call of Silence" featuring a brilliant guest performance by the late Charles Durning as an elderly man haunted by something that happened during a battle in the South Pacific in WWII. At the time it aired I knew nothing about Durning's own past and war experiences. It wasn't until he died and the Times ran one of the most fascinating obits I've ever read that I understood how this episode in some ways mirrored his own experiences. Watching it again, knowing more about Mr. Durning, the episode became even more moving and unforgettable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/movies/charles-durning-prolific-charac...
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/26/movies/charles-durning-prolific-charac...
6
The episode to which you refer was the first NCIS episode I ever watched. With tears in my eyes for the compassionate and respectful writing for Mr. Durning's character I was hooked. Thank you for the link to his obit. I wonder if the writers knew his background when they wrote this episode?
Another favorite episode is Requiem, with the best opening scene of all time (Tony running through the warehouse, shooting the bad guys as he ran, then diving straight off the pier to swim to the car holding Gbbs and Kelly's friend. Brilliant!)
Another favorite episode is Requiem, with the best opening scene of all time (Tony running through the warehouse, shooting the bad guys as he ran, then diving straight off the pier to swim to the car holding Gbbs and Kelly's friend. Brilliant!)
3
Agreed, I got the name of the episode wrong. it was incredibly moving.