NCIS: "Family First"

© by Gerald So | geraldso.blogspot.com | 11:00 P.M.

In the aftermath of an explosion at a safehouse in Tel Aviv, the team learned Ziva David had been killed. This left Tony DiNozzo feeling unmoored, but he found purpose when Mossad revealed he and Ziva had a daughter.

While Tony took the rest of the day off, the others, aided by FBI agent Tess Monroe (Sarah Clarke) and British SIS agent Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry), tracked down old nemesis Trent Cort. Another case in the books, Tony, realizing his priorities had changed, told Gibbs it would be his last.

I liked that the end of Ziva's arc tied into Tony's. I didn't initially believe she hadn't told Tony about their daughter because she wanted to raise the child herself and not disrupt Tony's life. It sounded like an excuse for the revelation's timing, but in Cote de Pablo's Season 11 departure episode, Ziva did rebuff Tony's willingness to leave NCIS to be with her.

I like Monroe and Reeves as potential new team members, but it's hard to imagine Tony won't be stepping off that elevator next season. Cheers and good luck, Michael Weatherly.