NCIS season 14 episode 17 review: McGee and diamond danger

NCIS season 14 to date has done a good jog of balancing out some of its character stories with its case-of-the-week format, but for this past episode entitled “What Lies Above,” they took a few risks. Not only that, but with the character of Tim McGee they left himself in a precarious position.

The #1 lesson that came through in this episode was rather simple, and it is as simple as “don’t live in a place once occupied by a serial killer.” Eventually, someone is going to do their part to get a diamond stash, and that involves coming in and looking for a secret in your floorboard. The entire story to figure out precisely what was going on here proved to be entertaining, perhaps more so thanks to the fact that the story was so tied to one of the main characters. If anyone had a want to get all of this resolved, it was a guy who just wanted to ensure that his home was safe and that Delilah didn’t have to worry about anything after her return from Dubai. Few characters are as conveniently absent from situations as Delilah.

The issue that we had with most of this story was the mere fact that Tim seemed intent for most of the hour on trying to hide what was going on from Delilah, even though the two should be at the point in their relationship now where secrets don’t need to exist anymore. While McGee wasn’t being nefarious by any means, it just felt like there had to be a better way to clue her in without running the risk of someone else telling her the truth about what happened. Is that something that you really want to run the risk of? We’re not sure that you do.

It was nice to see McGee have the spotlight for a significant stretch of time, just as it was nice to hear the name Tony be referenced, even if we didn’t see him in the flesh. Cheers to the writers for at the very least not acting like the character vanished off the face of the Earth.

No politics for Vance

Not only does Leon hate politicians, but apparently the mere thought of him running is something that makes him more than upset. His relationship with Jenna Flemming was one of the more interesting stories to follow this season, but it may already be falling apart after Vance more or less insulted her profession to her face. We considered for a while that he may be leaving and Gibbs may be taking his place, but that doesn’t appear to be what’s in the cards now.

Even if it’s just one or two times a year, we hope that Mary Stuart Masterson still finds her way back to the show. She has a really great chemistry with the characters and it was nice to have a fun foil for Leon. Let’s just hope that there is still some room to navigate and explore with these characters once he starts to make amends for what he said.

Overall

“What Lies Above” was fun at times, frustrating for McGee at others, but always solid entertainment. It’s not one we’d put into the top five of the season, but it’s always nice to check in on Tim’s family life. Grade: B.

To preview further what’s coming on NCIS season 14, head over here!

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