NCIS season 18 premiere: A new mystery all about Gibbs, Fornell
NCIS premiere video – Want an even deeper look into the NCIS season 18 premiere? Then be sure to check out our video at the bottom of this article where we talk all about the events of tonight’s long awaited premiere! Be sure to subscribe to Matt & Jess on YouTube so you don’t miss any of our NCIS videos all season long– and you can catch some videos you may have missed via our show playlist.
Were there a number of noteworthy events in “Sturgeon Season”? Absolutely, but we feel that most of the discussion will revolve around what we saw at the start of the episode. There was a sneak peek out there previously of McGee being shot while chasing down a plane, but what was not included was the reveal that the shooter was none other than … Gibbs! Why would he do that? It’s clear that Gibbs didn’t do this to kill McGee (he’s more than capable of being a better shot), but he wanted to stop him from doing something. This was the only way that he’d stand down, or so it seems and whatever Gibbs has going on is worth shooting at someone that’s more then just a co-worker to him.
All of this does circle back to the end of the episode (set in the past), where Fornell uncovered a fascinating symbol on a key-chain (not to mention the dead body, which he may or may not be responsible for) — a horse head. It’s the same horse-head symbol visible in the opening minutes on the tail of the plane! Throughout much of the premiere, Fornell and Gibbs teamed up, with some slip-ups along the way, to find those responsible for putting Emily’s life on the line. Alas, the kingpin has not been fully located as of yet. Instead, their journey tonight led them to a doctor’s office and some other locales, stuffed full of some fantastic banter between the old friends. We’ve truly missed Mark Harmon and Joe Spano working together, they play off each other in such a fun way.
While the Gibbs/Fornell mystery is being set aside for another date (at least a couple of weeks, based on Fornell’s final message to Gibbs before bolting with a dead body in his car), the case-of-the-week plot began with a memorable premise: What happens when a dead body disappears from the morgue? It’s not often you see Palmer get a spotlight so early in the season (not that we’re complaining since we love us some Jimmy!), though we’re sure the character would’ve preferred a humdrum day at the office rather than seeing Special Agent Tyler, a part of the night crew, get herself roped into a crisis situation involving money and her daughter being taken. The joy in this story, beyond the daughter being okay, was largely seeing Torres take on the action-hero role again … and of course listening to the team amidst the case speculate about Gibbs and his obvious sturgeon fishing fibs.
This story with Gibbs and Fornell is what showrunners Steven D. Binder and Frank Cardea recently spoke to us about — a chance to still have the familiar procedural elements mixed in with the larger plot.
The NCIS season 18 premiere executed a rare feat — being able to give you a larger mystery in the present while delivering entertaining stuff in the past. It’s stepping to the side of the pandemic for the time being, and for a lot of people looking for escapism from that we are sure they appreciate that. We have our mystery of the week, and also some clear clues that Fornell may be going off the deep end (or even worse). Over all we got everything we’ve been waiting for and it was all well worth the wait!
Related News – Be sure to get some other NCIS insight, including a preview for what lies ahead in the 400th episode
What did you think about the events of the NCIS season 18 premiere?
Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Also, remember to stick around if you do want some other updates. (Photo: CBS.)
This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.