When a thief was found murdered in the home of Marine sergeant, McGee and Delilah suddenly found themselves at odds with each other during their joint pursuit of a would-be terrorist.
Enter Tony with his all-knowing romantic advice.
In response to NCIS Season 12 Episode 18, TV Fanatic panelists David Taylor, Tanya Moat, Christine Orlando, Kathleen Wiedel and Douglas Wolfe debate Tony's advice and the terrorist's effectiveness, among other things.
Maybe you have some answers for these questions. Let's go!
How would you describe this episode, in a few words or a sentence?
David: The Long Hello.
Tanya: The Relationship Test.
Christine: Long Distance Terror and Romance.
Kathleen: Sleepless in D.C.
Doug: Chase but don't chase.
Was there any part of Tony’s romance advice to McGee that seemed true?
David: The bit about women wanting the illusion of being chased seemed plausible, but I suppose I should defer to our female panelists. Unfortunately, as we all saw, when Tony put theory into practice, the outcome was not successful.
Tanya: As much as I adore Tony, I don't know if I would ever take relationship advice from him. He really doesn't have a great track record. :) With that said, he was right to tell McGee to give Delilah the space to respond on her own timeframe versus peppering her with more voicemails and texts.
Christine: Perhaps Tony has endured enough failed relationships to have learn something from them. I loved it when he told McGee, “Breathing room, Tim. Breathe with me.” McGee did need to step back and take a breath before he made things worse.
Kathleen: I'm with Christine. Despite the fact that Tony hasn't had much luck in the romance department, I think his advice to McGee was spot-on. The billion texts and calls that McGee was sending to Delilah bordered on that "Overly-Attached Girlfriend" meme.
Doug: I'm glad you guys chimed in on this. Frankly I wouldn't trust Tony for romantic advice at all -- but he seems to have nailed it on this one.
Here's a thought: when someone doesn't respond to you after two texts or phone calls.....nah. I'd have been slightly panicking too. So maybe don't take advice from me either.
Did the terrorist seem particularly terrifying? (Apart from the murder that is)
David: No, it was more "creepy" than "terrifying." It bore a close resemblance to a scene in NCIS Season 8 Episode 10 where a man received a DVD showing someone in his house even as the recipient slept.
Tanya: The videos he made were definitely creepy and certainly terrified me because they were reminiscent of the Manson Family videos. But he lost a lot of his creepiness when he became somewhat obsessed or crushing on Delilah.
Christine: What was terrifying was how he stalked his victims and the way he was escalating. Creepy did end up becoming murder pretty fast.
Kathleen: He seemed more creeper than terrorist. I wonder if he didn't go the more traditional terrorist route because he enjoyed sneaking through people's houses and going through their underwear drawers.
Doug: When I saw him brushing his teeth with someone else's toothbrush, the sinister atmosphere evaporated and I laughed. "Look kids......SSSSPOOKY!"
What was your favorite scene?
David: For me, it's a tie. I liked "stop....Giiiibbsssss....come baaaaaack....." That reminded me of Gene Wilder's deadpan "Help....police....murder" from "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." However, I also liked Gibbs' response to the measuring contest--"We're bigger!" SCHOOLED!!!!!
Tanya: I liked how Tim and Delilah finally got their chance to give one another a proper hello. I've always been more of a McAbby fan than I ever was a Tiva fan, but I like Tim and Delilah together. I'm glad she's back in the States and looking forward to seeing more of her.
Christine: David took my first two so I’m going to go with the husband and wife arguing over their online friends list. I thought their back and forth as he suspected she was cheating was pretty funny, “Body’s a temple. Looks like the congregation’s growing. “
Kathleen: I can't help it. I loved that MTAC scene David mentioned. Vance was just so unbelievably unimpressed with Mr. Homeland Security!
Doug: I'll confess to being a romantic softy. Although I really enjoyed the arguments between Tim and Delilah, I especially liked Tim's answer to her comment about their need for better communication. That kiss he gave her said so much: he loved her, he was extremely worried about her in that situation (despite his cool demeanor), and "let's start over."
Mark Harmon has been all over our TV screens since the mid-1970s but long before he was our beloved Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS he was Fielding Carlyle on the prime time sudser Flamingo Road.
We know him now as Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods and Jesse Stone and who doesn't remember him as '80s icon Magnum P.I? But did you know that Tom Selleck was once Jed Andrews on The Young & the Restless?
The Crazy Ones are over and we'll never forget her as Buffy the Vampire Slayer but did you know that Sarah Michelle Gellar was once Erica Kane's long lost daughter on All My Children?
Long before we knew his as mystery writer Richard Castle or Captain Mal on Firefly he was Joey Buchanan, who slept with his mom's arch enemy on One Life to Live.
You may know her now as the most dynamic and dangerous First lady on Scandal, but if you were a fan of NBC's soap Another World, you may have noticed Bellamy as Dr. Courtney Evans.
Claire Dunphy is the mom who makes us laugh (and sometimes cry) on Modern Family but Julie Bowen had a long career before becoming one of the Dunphys. As a matter of fact she started out on the ABC soap Loving in the early 1990s.
Long before we knew him as Anthony DiNozzo on CBS' hit show NCIS, Michael was known as the Preppy Killer on Guilding Light. In the mid-'90s he was also Cooper Alden on The City (formerly Loving).
We couldn't imagine The Good Wife without Diane Lockhart, one of our favorite kick-ass attorneys. But did you know that some of Christine's first roles on TV were Beverly Tucker on Another World and Jewel Maniscalo on All My Children?
She's currently the executive producer for Devious Maids and we all remember Eva from Desperate Housewives but she once played a Brenda Barrett look-a-like on General Hospital and graced the screen of The Young and the Restless as Isabella Brana Williams.
We all know Ed as the cranky but lovable Jay Pritchett on Modern Family and no one's going to forget him as Al Bundy from Married with Children but did you that he started out on the soaps. He was once on All My Children in the '70s and then played Lenny on Another World in the early '80s.
Halle Berry has been all over the big screen from James Bond's Die Another Day to the X-Men: Days of Future Past. TV Fanatics have been fascinated by her portrayal of Molly Woods on Extant but do you remember her from her six episodes as Debbie Porter on the night-time sudser Knots Landing?
Who doesn't love the Haley's antics on Modern Family but Sarah's been in the business since she was four-years-old. She started off on Another World as Rain Wolfe, later played Karen on All My Children, Alison McDermott Stewart (#4?) on As the World Turns and Heather on Once Life to Live.
Who hasn't seen Mariska as Detective Olivia Benson on Law & Order: SVU and some fans may remember her as Dr. Greene's girlfriend Cynthia Hooper on ER but did you know that way back in 1988 she played Carly Fixx on the primetime sudser Falcon Crest?
We are having such fun watching Cam Gigandet as the sexy Roy Raydor on the CBS summer hit Reckless but observant fans might remember him as Kevin Volchok on The O.C. and Daniel Romalotti from The Young and the Restless.
Fans have adored this Supernatural hottie for years and although many remember him as Jason Teague on Smallville and C.J from Dawson's Creek, soap fans will always know him as Eric Brady from Days of Our Lives.
Long before we knew him as Stefan on The Vampire Diaries, PFC Logan Atwater on Army Wives or even Tommy Callahan on Everwood, Paul Wesley started out as Sean McKinnon on Another World and then Max Nickerson on Guiding Light.
We love her as Hanna Marin on Pretty Little Liars but long before that, she could be seen as Jack and Jennifer's beloved daughter Abigail Devereaux on Days of Our Lives.
Seamus is now half of our favorite bromance as Det. Kevin Ryan on Castle but before he started solving murders, he diagnosed patients as Dr. Ian Devlin on General Hospital.
Where would Castle be without his mother to keep him grounded? But long before Susan Sullivan played Martha Rodgers, Broadway Diva, she was a star on the '80s night time soap Falcon Crest and before that she could be seen as Lenore Moore Curtin Delaney on Another World.
Long before we knew her as Capt. Victoria (Iron) Gates on Castle or even as First Lady Sherry Palmer on 24, she spent some time in the mid-'80s as Debbie on General Hospital.
Hayden starred on two daytime soaps at a very young age. She was Sarah Victoria "Flash" Roberts from 1994-1997 on One Life to Live and Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light from 1998-2000.
Like his Nashville co-star, Jackson started on a soap as Lucky Spencer (Luke and Laura's son!) on General Hospital in 1996 and ran on and off in the role until 2011.
Long before appearing on The Following the six degrees of Kevin Bacon began when he played Todd Adamson on Search for Tomorrow and TJ "Tim" Werner on Guiding Light from 1981-82.
Long before he was Dawson's dad on Dawson's Creek or Henry Allen on The Flash (or Barry, for that matter), Shipp was a soap STAR. He started out on As the World Turns but became THE GUY on Guiding Light, Kelly Nelson (in a dual role, he also played Victor Lazlo) from 1980-84. He did, indeed, cross paths with Kevin Bacon's Tim Werner. Six degrees, people!
Before Private Practice, Murder in the First or his turn on The Good Wife, Diggs shared his megawatt smile on The Guiding Light as music mogul Sugar Hill in 1997.
Nick and Sharon are celebating 25 years on The Young and the Restless. Guess who was his first Sharon?! Monica Potter orginated the role in 1994. She shared with Craig Ferguson that she got fired because she was "terrible" and had to dance around in a bikini with a fake tan. Soaps are hard!
Back in the early 90s Janney plaid Ginger, one of the Spaulding's maids on Guiding Light. She has always had a way of tickling the funny bone making her current turn as Bonnie on Mom just perfect for her!
Can McGee and Delilah make their relationship work?
David: I think so. I kind of like the idea of having her nearby and seeing more collaboration between NCIS and DoD.
Tanya: Yes, I think they can, especially now that she's coming back to DC. If she had needed to stay overseas, I'm less sure, but they seemed to be in a good place by the end of the show.
Christine: Not that she’s back in D.C., yes but long distance can only be sustained for so long. However I did have a question when Rafi told Tim that Delilah made sure they had separate rooms. Why did she have to “make sure?” Wouldn’t that have been a given if nothing was going on between them. That seemed like a red flag but hopefully I’m just paranoid.
Kathleen: In regards to Rafi, I think he was bordering on sexual harassment at best. Every time he put his hand on Delilah, all I could do was wish I could yell through the TV for him to stop touching her! She looked so incredibly uncomfortable every time. All that said, McGee really needs to work on his insecurities if he hopes to have a successful relationship with Delilah.
Doug: I think Kathleen's right about Rafi. That's why I referred to him as a "walking hormone" in my review: the man was more than incompetent -- he was just a nasty piece of business looking to spread his DNA wherever he could.
I think Tim and Delilah will do well -- but despite that kiss at the end, they really are going to have to work on their communication.
Thanks for reading. And be sure to come back next week when we do this again for NCIS Season 12 Episode 19!
