What I’m Watching: NCIS

NCIS: Season 7, Episode 16 “Mother’s Day” (B+)

Any glimpse of Gibbs’ past, or even his life, however brief, is always a good thing. The intersection of his first marriage and his active case makes for an interesting transformation in the way he works. The show scored a powerhouse actress, Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Gena Rowlands, to play the role of Gibbs’ former mother-in-law, which is quite impressive. This show isn’t usually about the big-name guests, the few of which usually do come from the same age bracket, and therefore it’s a treat when they pop up out of nowhere for a whole episode. It’s nice that Gibbs does still feel some kinship for her and that he takes steps to subvert the by-the-book definition of justice to protect her from a harsh sentence. It was very clever of him to get to her to confess without having her lawyer present to ensure that the case wouldn’t stick, and it was particularly delightful to hear it spoken by the continually present and obnoxious Margaret Hart, played by Rena Sofer. Every time she says “Mr. Gibbs” it makes my blood boil a bit, and it’s certainly jarring to see her casually coming into his living room and making herself at home. I enjoyed Ziva’s line from the first few minutes of the show, especially because it didn’t seem like something she would usually say: “every girl knows her ring size, just in case.” I loved the end-of-episode twist that Palmer’s fiancée is smoking hot, and she summed up the dumbfounded looks on the faces of Tony, Ziva, and McGee: “Jimmy loves me for my mind; isn’t he the cutest thing ever?”