Since his questions were answered about the man who evaded and consumed his thoughts, Special Agent Gibbs (Mark Harmon) has settled back into normal procedures and, much to his staff's delight, is no longer pressing for Intel in relation to that case. After a bizarre report is made by the secretary of a Navel Captain (David Keith), NCIS hotshot Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) informs Gibbs and team profiler Cait Todd (Sasha Alexander) that her boss is being held captive in his office by his “computer." After further research, they discover a kidnapper has the man’s family and the team quickly swings into action. Once computer expert and scientist Abby (Pauly Perrette) hacks into the Captain’s computer, they manage to get him under video surveillance and a bug for his ear via a lunch delivery. As they scramble to learn the captor’s exact location, time quickly is running out for the victims’ safe rescue. From there, the fearless gang discovers the “perfect” fifties housewife, a ten-year-old cold case, the determination to clear a WWII heroes name, experiences déjà vu when seeing their mirror image in a police force (this is hilarious), and realizes one anothers’ strengths and weaknesses, accumulating in a twilight that’s anything but serene.

This time around things seem slightly less gruesome or perhaps just a bit more limited, albeit with many modern (mistaken) ideals thrown in. Every episode doesn’t always deal with a murder, instead sometimes topics deal with cold cases, fraud, or suicide. The murder scenes are still nauseating; bodies are shown burned beyond recognition, another was chained in a secluded room and left to die (we see the shriveled corpse). “Lt. Jane Doe” is moderately graphic both in the autopsy (which shows the victim cut open) and a conversation revolving around the crime (she was raped); references ask how DNA samples were found on a victim when the case appears to be cold. Homosexuality also enters the aforementioned episode and  “Conspiracy Theory” (which is a bit more visual; we see a same-sex kiss). “Terminal Leave," “Caught on Tape," “Bikini Wax," “Red Cell” and “Heart Break” each show cut open bodies; some audiences may be bothered by a dog being blown up (we see the body). “Hometown Hero” depicts a suicide scene (the wrists were cut). Ducky (David McCallum) is seen putting together a “human jigsaw puzzle” (three people were cut up and thrown into a barrel). In "The Meat Puzzle” a woman had her eyeballs ripped out (unseen) and mailed to an officer. A main character is shot in the head (we see their body, with blood splatters). “Forced Entry” is a bit explicit, being about rapist(s); a man enters a woman’s house and after attempting to rape her, is shot. The murder is also very graphic (his eyes were ripped out, we catch glimpses of his face), later we see (it’s fairly blurred) snippets and hear a video of the man having sex. “Pop Life” involves scantily dressed “dancers” at a club. Innuendo invades at various points (references to getting “laid,” affairs including teenagers, a transvestite, porn and unwed pregnancies), as do profanities (including bas****). Meant to be funny, McGee has a case of poison ivy and confides he may have gotten some on his privates.

Even with offensive “modern ideals, something about this show somehow doesn’t offend me nearly as much as others. In an “alarming” amount of time, my family has become addicted to this series. Considering it takes a really good synopsis to urge me to watch shows or films that are continuously heavy, it still doesn’t stop me from enjoying hints of tense mystery, something this series couldn’t have gotten any better. The fantastic humor and chemistry between the entire cast is unbeatable. Even by-the-books newcomer Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) is a wonderful addition, while he and Abby share not only a talent for computer cracking but sparks of the personal kind (they are so cute together!). Characters are more emotionally explored in relation to probing their human nature and each have an episode dedicated to a case, which somehow affects them, whether past or present. It was interesting to see the progress the character depth has made after seeing such tragedy as a part of their daily life. Gibbs is still one of the most complex characters who constantly urges his team to look beneath the surface in discovering the truth, giving them opportunities in proving themselves and while he’s often harsh, I cannot help but like him. Creator Donald P. Bellisario may best be remembered for the long-running JAG or such classic shows as Magnum P.I. As a viewer of the latter television show, I can see some similarities, despite the classic show being about a cheeky P.I. Magnum and Tony  are comparable, while Bellisario created similar characters in Ducky and the stout, loveable proper British Higgins; both are well-known for rambling on about various past life experiences. 

The comedic sparring, thoughtful scenes and excellent work ethics continue to another jaw-dropping finale, only this time there’s great sadness at the death of a beloved character. Where creators made their mistake in killing off a main character is the consistent humor, which leads right up to the death, making the finale all the harder to watch. Generally and disregarding the finale, most these episodes end on somber feelings, which is new this time around. Nearly all these forty-some minute episodes are complex and several deal with heartbreaking consequences -- one of my favorites was “Call of Silence” (particularly the emotional dance between Cait and the man they were helping). The cast is picture perfect yet again while newcomers and impressive guest stars (including Charles Durning) manage to make this show all the more entertaining. None of the guest stars put in as compelling a turn as youngster Abigail Breslin in what was one of her first roles. Her performance as a blind girl with peculiar abilities in distinguishing sounds is highly impressive not only for someone of her age but her acting was very mature and has since been taken note of.

A mildly confusing, but smart style of filmmaking takes precedence in the third or so episode. Filmmakers began showing a rapid black and white shot that is ultimately a sort of “preview” of an upcoming scene. It did become more “natural” and before the set concluded I rather liked it, but sadly almost always leads to a sudden, if not occasional incomplete conclusion. In viewing this, if there’s something I’ve learned its pay attention to details. Obscure clues lead to the perpetrators’ demise that if not caught would often result in viewers’ disappointment at the conclusion. Just as with anything, this won’t be to all viewers' liking and is certainly not appropriate for young audiences. Most the time, the humor offsets the tragedies but there are a number of episodes that remain disturbing, proving this isn’t without its emotional strengths.