NCIS: Difference between revisions

Created by [[Donald P Bellisario]] and Don McGill, ''NCIS'' is a spinoff of ''[[JAG (TV)|JAG]]'' that leaped on the [[Forensic Drama]] bandwagon started by ''[[CSI (TV)|CSI]]'', with some traditional [[Crime and Punishment Series|Crime And Punishment]] and even a bit of [[Spy Drama]] thrown in for good measure. ''NCIS'' (''[[Department of Redundancy Department|Navy NCIS]]'' for its first season) depicts a team of investigators assigned to deal with criminal activity involving Navy personnel and Marines. That means that the entire gamut of crime -- from [[Serial Killer|Serial Killers]] to fraud to international espionage to Unauthorized Absences-- can turn up. This particular team is led by Leroy Jethro Gibbs, a retired Marine gunnery sergeant, and contains (surprise!) a rather colorful collection of detectives and lab workers. The series debuted in September 2003 and is still ongoing.

A spinoff series, ''[[NCIS Los Angeles]]'', premiered in 2009.

== Character tropes added [[NCIS (TV)/Characters|here]], please. ==

** In one episode, Gibbs is asked what Ducky looked like when he was younger. He responds, "Illya Kuryakin," who was David McCallum's character in ''[[The Man From UNCLE]]'' 40 years earlier.

** In the season eight double episode "Enemies Foreign/Domestic" Tony makes a reference to ''[[The West Wing (TV)|The West Wing]]'' by calling McGee "McBartlet". Both Mark Harmon and Michael O'Neill (who guest stars in these episodes) played secret service agents on the show.

** In the Season 9 episode "Newborn King", Jimmy Palmer, when explaining that his future Father-in-Law, Ed Slater, is visiting the NCIS building, he mentions that the first time he learned that Palmer was marrying his daughter, "[Ed Slater] laughed, and then he cried from laughing too hard". Ed Slater is played by Larry Miller, who himself used the phrase "I laughed, I cried" during his first [[Is This Thing Still On?]] moment as Principal Jindrake in the movie [[Max Keebles Big Move]].

* [[Alone With the Psycho]]: Usually resulting in a [[What Kept You?]]. Sometimes, it's been subverted, as the obvious person in danger isn't actually. In one case, an undercover Ziva {{spoiler|killed the guy before help arrived and moped for the rest of the episode}}. Also, this seems to happen to Abby about once a season.

* [[Backed By the Pentagon]]: It would seem so, but in spite of this the show has depicted some ethically dubious (and in some cases, outright criminal) acts committed by politicians and armed forces higher-ups...and NCIS personnel have not been exempt from this.

* [[Caught On Tape]]: The premise of the episode "Dead Reflection".

* [[Characterization Marches On]]: In the Pilot episode, which takes place on [[Air Force One]], Gibbs makes several references to the 1997 movie, ''[[Air Force One (Film)|Air Force One]]''. This contrasts with Tony later being the one who makes movie references.

* [[Continuity Nod]]: The show is quite good about referencing things that seem like one-time gags in later episodes, making the series [[Better On DVD]].

*** Abby's court outfit itself is a continuity nod as the original ''[[JAG (TV)|JAG]]'' episode featured a Navy lawyer telling her that in court she should wear a pastel colored suit, glasses and her hair down so it hides her tattoo.

* [[Contract On the Hitman]]: Tony and Ziva pretend to be a pair of married assassins in the beginning of the episode in order to find out who their target was. When its revealed that the couple was in fact the target, [[Hilarity Ensues]].

* [[Death in The Clouds]]: The pilot episode, "Yankee White", and "Jet Lag".

* [[Directed By Cast Member]]: Michael Weatherly directed season eight episode "One Last Score".

* [[Grievous Harm With a Body]]: In episode "Singled Out" Ziva threatened a guy who grabbed her ass that she'll rip his arm off and beat him to death with it.

* [[The Grim Reaper]]: In the fourth season finale "[[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|Angel of Death]]", Dr. Jeanne Benoît encounters [[Creepy Child|a little girl]] outside the hospital who [[Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane|may or may not be the Angel of Death]]. An odd example from a show usually so completely grounded in reality, especially since {{spoiler|it's heavily implied to the viewer that she really is the Angel of Death}}.

* [[Hannibal Lecture]]: Jerry, a witness in a murder investigation, points out several characters' psychological problems ({{spoiler|Abby doesn't admit she likes Tim because she's [[Married to The Job]] and doesn't want to risk him being The One and missing out; Gibbs shows that he misses his late wife by keeping his house better than a single man who's never home or locks his door should; Ziva most definitely has feelings for Tony}}), however it appears he's just really good at reading people and ''really'' bad at reading the atmosphere. He later atones by {{spoiler|helping Tony rig a surprise Christmas confetti bombardment}}.

* [[Jerk With a Heart of Gold]]: Tony, although [[Your Mileage May Vary|depending on your mileage]], he skirts into [[Jerkass]] territory.

* [[Locked in A Freezer|Locked In A Shipping Crate]]: Tony and Ziva in "Boxed In", to capitalize on the [[UST]].

* [[Locking MacGyver in The Store Cupboard]]: In one episode, a panicking suspect tries to run, leaving behind his high-powered hunting rifle, right next to Gibbs, the ''Marine Corps sniper''. Not that that would have been bright to do that under any circumstances, but still. It should be noted that it was ''very'' highly insinuated that Gibbs let the suspect go so that he would have an excuse to shoot him in the ass. Cue Tony and McGee wondering, "You don't think he did that on purpose...?" "No...no, of course not," and Gibbs just doing a badass walk with a huge smile on his face.

* [[Long List]]: Ducky's list of interests when he joined [[Face Book]].

* [[The Missus and The Ex]]: Played With. When Tony's [[Intrepid Reporter|ex-fiance comes to the team for a story]], Tony tries his hardest to keep Wendy and Ziva from being alone. He isn't worried about them fighting but the possible personal information Wendy has on him.

* [[Needle in A Stack of Needles]]: Ziva describes the task of finding a stolen defense system in a room full of computers as "looking for a needle in a needlestack". {{spoiler|It was on what looked like an obsolete laptop with a suspiciously fast boot-up time; the guts were state-of-the-art.}}

* [[Never Give the Captain A Straight Answer]]:

* [[New Powers As the Plot Demands]]: Abby, who completely alone can process forensic evidence for the whole building or has a relationship with someone with the required speciality. However, several episodes have featured her showing stress or fatigue from the demands of her job, so this isn't completely a [[God Mode Sue]] situation.

* [[Once Killed a Man With A Noodle Implement]]: Ziva David boasted that she can kill a man with a paperclip. And from the episode "Jet Lag":

* [[Only Known By Their Nickname]]: "Ducky", whose real name is Donald Mallard. About the only person who calls him "Dr. Mallard" are his assistants, while his mother is the only person to consistently call him "Donald".

* [[Person As Verb]]: Tony, frequently.

** "Legend" is a pilot for ''[[NCIS Los Angeles]]''.

** ''NCIS'' itself was born from the ''[[JAG (TV)|JAG]]'' two-parter "Ice Queen/Meltdown".

* [[A Riddle Wrapped in A Mystery Inside An Enigma]]: Tony refers to Abby in the season 8 episode "Two-Faced" as "A paradox wrapped in an oxymoron, smothered in contradictions in terms."

* [[Shipper On Deck]]: In "Singled Out", the team was playing with software showing what children of two people would look like. McGee uses Ziva and Tony for the basis to show them a grumpy little devil of a kid, then the two simultaneously say "Do the Director and Gibbs" and Abby compliments the result saying that Gibbs and Director make nice "Gibblets".

** Several to other [[Donald P Bellisario]] shows:

*** In one episode the team finds a massive collection of lunchboxes in a murdered officer's bedroom, which included ''Airwolf'', and ''[[Magnum PI]]''-themed boxes, and presumably other Bellisario creations. And when Tony must provide an alibi for his evening, he says he was home watching ''Magnum PI'', and describes the specific episode.

** Gibbs shares a middle name (Jethro) with Admiral Chegwidden from ''NCIS''' parent series, ''[[JAG (TV)|JAG]]''.

*** Normally, the team is not familiar with most of Tony's movie references. However, when he [[Speed (Film)|loops a video feed to save a room of hostages]], everyone calls him out afterwards when he tries to take credit, knowing which movie he stole the tactic from.

** One episode involved the murderer using the Marine sentry removal technique (described in The Five Fingers example above) to kill the victim...while she was [[Out With a Bang|having sex with him.]]

* [[Spin-Off]]: Of ''[[JAG (TV)|JAG]]'', with its own spin-off, and yes, [[NCIS Los Angeles|it's being troped]].

* [[Talking to The Dead]]: Mostly Ducky, as he says it "helps to reciprocate"; other characters have been known to do it as well.

* [[Tap On the Head]]: Subverted.

* [[Ten Minute Retirement]]: Gibbs in Season 4.

* [[Therapy Is for The Weak]]: Their initial attitude towards seeing a therapist, though eventually the team gets some long overdue therapy. It . . . seems to help. [[Bunny Ears Lawyer|A little.]] [[Dysfunction Junction|Very little.]] See below.

'''Tony [impersonates [[Sidney Poitier]]]''': [[In the Heat of The Night|They call you Mr. Tibbs?]] }}

* [[Trojan Horse]]: [[Exactly What It Says On the Tin|"Trojan]] [[Captain Obvious|Horse."]]

* [[Working With the Ex]]: Seasons three through five had Director Jenny Shepard and Special Agent Gibbs, who had formerly been lovers.