{ NCIS, 6x13, Broken Bird. }

[delga]

David McCallum is a powerhouse.

This episode is completely different to things we've seen before on the show, and it was so delicately handled. From Ducky's guilt, to Jethro's frustration, to Jordan's affection and Ziva's patience, there were a lot of things not being said in this episode. Also, the re-emergence of Kort (which I'd been waiting for, though I didn't think it would be like this) was an interesting touch in the middle of an emotional character piece.

Parts of the episode that especially touched me: the very end; the scene where Jethro takes the films to Ducky, and the latter shakes all through the narrative about the bird. As I said above, McCallum is a powerhouse. He played all of his scenes with this edge of defensiveness and guilt-infused sadness. There was a hint of desperation in there, too, in his unwillingness to confess openly to Jethro the events, and in those rambling monologues as he tried to ward off the inevitable questions. McCallum made me cry in that last scene, and I was nervous for Ducky throughout the episode. The narrative structure* was different to what we've seen before in this show, especially in the scene where Jethro reads Ducky's file and we get Ducky's voice-over (which segues into a conversation with Jordan). I thought that was a very effective way of (a) beginning to tell the audience what was going on in Ducky's mind and (b) subtly indicating the distance between these two friends, where one is leaning on (I'm guessing) a lover, and the other is having to look up information in the background.

I'm biased when it comes to Jordan Hampton because I'm very fond of Torri Higginson, the actress who plays her; but I was particularly fond of the way in which she was re-introduced, and I was fond of how her relationship with Ducky wasn't made into a joke (in the grand tradition of the show). I also liked the scene when she returns to the house and sees Jethro exiting: how quickly Jethro adjusts to the new information, and how kindly he is with her. I also liked how that set up the phone conversation between the two of them: their shared affection for Ducky leads each one to trust the other so that when Ducky disappears, Jordan does't hesitate to call Jethro. Mostly I liked that it didn't feel forced. Plus, you know, Torri Higginson omg.

Kort! Understandably, not much happens with Kort; most of it is ominous foreshadowing/set-up work for an arc. But I did like seeing him on (what I like to think of as Tobias') bench and then later, again, in Gibbs' basement. Obviously Kort is setting up more of Vance's story, and the file he hands Jethro reminds me of the one Vance shredded at the very end of season 5. What I like about Kort is that he is the guy who does things for himself; his involvement in the La Grenouille/Jenny plot was one of my favourite parts of that arc because his moral compass was so dubious, and so keyed into his viewpoint of the world. He's very self-serving and that, naturally, is something that will come back and stab Jethro in the back eventually. I don't find Kort threatening, but he does evoke a sense of foreboding which elicits glee in me. I am all for stirring the pot.

Finally: Ziva David. It was interesting to me that in an episode that was so much about Ducky (and, necessarily, Jethro, as he was the one who was trying to implement a 'fix'), Ziva had a handful of scenes where she was acting deliberately on her own - by which I mean, instead of it being Ducky; Jethro; (Jordan) || Tony; Ziva; McGee || Abby; Palmer there were whole instances where Ziva didn't belong to the 'group' she is usually assigned to. The first time I noticed this was when she's the one who chases after Mosuma Daoub, and she was the one who made assumptions about Daoub's ethnic roots. Then, later, she visits the Afghani Embassy to see Jethro, and their body language is in sync. In the absence of Ducky, Jethro speaks quite candidly and openly to Ziva. It occurs to me that this would not have been possible with DiNozzo or McGee because of the way that they look up to Jethro; Ziva's relationship with Jethro has always been more complex. Ziva plays Jethro's subordinate but more often than not she is his equal, and the relationship between the two of them has been this way ever since Kill Ari (though it becomes more explicit in Silver War and then later in episodes such as Dead Man Walking). Initially it struck me as an odd choice to have Ziva be singled out that way in this episode, even if it served the plot (shenanigans in the Middle East) and then I thought about the peculiarities of the Jethro&Ziva relationship and it made a lot of sense to me.

But that's only a small portion of the episode. A lot of different things happen here (including a discussion of Mrs Mallard's Alzheimer's - the actress passed away at the beginning of December, hence her not reappearing - but in a way that worked better, because it highlighted a sense of alienation in Ducky's life) and the episode could have been a bit choppy, but instead each part moved seamlessly into the next, and the tenderness was offset by small slices of humour that juxtaposed in way that didn't shake you from the story, but rather carried you with it.

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*) It turns out the director was James Whitmore Jr. who has previously directed some of my favourite episodes, including a fair few character showcases. Notable episode credits include: Lt. Jane Doe (another Ducky-centric episode); Kill Ari Pt.2 (Ziva kills her brother); Jeopardy (suspect dies in elevator on Ziva's watch); Grace Period (PAULA CASSIDY); Recoil (Ziva's PTSD).

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The lighter parts of the episode: McGee's regression to adolescence (?) was a little bit ham-fisted (in the way that it was supposed to be a referent to the A-plot) but was also endearing. Abby's line about being surprised he started off with a Mac was so funny to me (the NCIS team work on Dells, lol, so I think there were some product-placement issues) and McGee's initial excitement at the arrival of the box was wonderfully played. "Goody!" I admit it: I laughed, and DiNozzo's reponse ("Who says 'goody'?") was spot on. Speaking of Tony: there were a lot of McBastardisations this week! (McEggHead is one of my favourites; I love when he reaches to stroke McGee's head, lols.) I also liked his inoperative Gibbs Clock. The rapport between him and McGee didn't in any way detract from or diminish the A-plot, and I'm all for that kind of humour-break.

Jimmy Palmer kind of broke my heart a little bit. Firstly because that conversation/argument he initially had with Ducky about getting lost/failing his test was such a father-son moment, where Ducky's disappointment was so parental. And secondly because of all the ways he tried to deal with Ducky's absence: the way he catalogued Ducky's injuries when talking to Abby, the way he tried to talk to the corpse, the way he wanted every thing to be perfect for Ducky's return. And lastly: the way he'd looked up the information in Ducky's absence.

Abby's demeanour at the hospital was wonderful and I don't think it uncharitable; she was obviously distressed and controlling herself tightly. I thought that scene was funny and sensitively done - with Abby's somewhat humorous emotionally-defensive position balancing out Jimmy's frenetic distress.

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This is easily one of my favourite episodes. I can't believe there's not another episode until the end of the month!