‘NCIS’ season 11, episode 8 review: The mystery of Michael Weatherly’s Tony (and of ‘Alibi’)
Tonight’s “NCIS” is one that we will admit to not being that excited to see really before it aired. “Alibi” looked on the surface to just be a pretty-boring hour by the show’s standards with a mystery of a soldier hiding something about his past, but still claiming that he had a good enough alibi to keep him innocent in a murder.
But, what we saw happen instead was one of the better standalone mysteries that we saw take place over the course of the season. The soldier in Sargent Dunne who was innocent thanks to an alibi was actually guilty of a very different sort of murder. They had to actually try to rely on the attorney for Dunne’s case in order to drop them enough of a hint to go on, while at the same time keeping her client-attorney privilege. It was a terrible situation to be in, since she had to do her part in order to help a murderer, while at the same time try to implicate him in a way that keeps her safe and not in trouble with the Bar.
This was a delicate tightrope and an interesting investigation, but one that we did eventually see the team figure it out. So from this standpoint alone, we had one of the more entertaining standalone cases of the season.
But when it comes to the rest of the episode, the big mystery was just what in the world was going on with Tony. Michael Weatherly’s character was exhibiting all sorts of strange behavior, and we were left in that position of detective ourselves. Did he have a new girlfriend, or was he hanging out with some new and very mysterious friends? Well as it turns out, it actually seems like he has been attending a men’s support group every week in order to deal with missing Ziva, and everything else going on with his life. This was a nice way to bring her spirit back into the show even without saying her name, and giving his character a little more dimension. (As for some of his “flirty” ways when it comes to the attorney, we see that as him just trying to cover up his pain.)
In the end, “Alibi” was the best “NCIS” episode since Ziva’s exit, and one that could set the stage for the debut of Emily Wickersham’s Bishop next week. Grade: A-.
What did you think about Tuesday’s “NCIS” episode? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below! If you want to read even more news when it comes to “NCIS,” our suggestion is to just head on over to the link here. We’ll have a preview posted there shortly!
Photo: CBS
marysue
November 14, 2013 @ 3:22 pm
I would have preferred a bit more direct dialogue with the characters actually mentioning Ziva and how they miss her and are trying to move on. It would feel more honest and open. All the post episodes have alluded to Tony and the others missing her but it feels flat somehow. Cote’s aka Ziva’s exit not only affected the characters in the fictitious storyline but in real life too. It has been recorded that everyone on the show and of course us fans were blindsided by her sudden decision to leave. That being said we’ll see how Emily Wickersham does next week. I still hope that they bring Diane Neal in for a few more episodes to help add a little Ziva type kick ass factor since “Bishop” is supposed to be more of an intellectual type. If both gals worked out I think it would bring a nice balance to the show.
Darlene Jackson
November 13, 2013 @ 4:20 pm
I really loved this episode…and am intrigued by Tony and his involvement in a support group for men. We have three men’s support groups at my church – yeah, I know some are laughing at the very thought of Tony needing, yet alone being in a support group, but the men at my church who are in them are actually the strongest people I know. They admit they need help in certain areas of their lives (to get unstuck, to move forward, to be better than they’ve been). I think that’s great and shows positive character growth that Tony has taken this step.