(527-word review) Honestly, this episode came out of nowhere. I wasn't expecting something like this. Part of me had the thought of whether it'll be related to the significant "story shift," so to speak, that I'm aware happens at the end of this season, while at the same time, feeling like it wouldn't be/it'll only be the finale. In that sense, it's not farfetched to say that I'd been expecting this to be a better-than-usual episode, at least subconsciously.
Still, it went beyond anything I could've ever imagined/expected. It was an effective change in the routine of no stakes or sense of "something more" regarding shows like this, and even though nothing came of it in the end, going the extra mile of doing the routine change was sufficient. Doing that may be more common nowadays in shows like this. I don't know. If so, it seems better to go with the 99% of the time "mundane," run-of-the-mill route. That way, the 1% that's beyond that hits harder instead of switching up the formula too much.
Most of the character moments were great, and the humorous tone with some of them was just as great. We got to see Gibbs be the most exasperated he's been, stemming from Abby's initial non-answers/unhelpful answers, vagueness with her replies/whatever else you'd call it, and Ducky's stories/ramblings. Every moment with Abby and Ducky was great; Gibbs is exasperation central. We got more Gibbs slaps; the final one was endearing. And Olivia Burnette's (Sarah Lowell) acting at the end was good, as was Mariette Hartley's (Hanna Lowell) acting; her voice was also distinctive and compelling.
The cinematography by William Webb was also very decent; that arc shot of Tony right before the title sequence was great: but in particular, the scenes at the hospital; that entire set was good, especially the blue lighting throughout the episode. I'll admit: I'm not knowledgeable about everyone involved with TV/film productions and their duties, yet I think the production designer (Robert J. Bacon), set decorator (Lynn Wolverton-Parker), and art director (Linda A. King) deserve some credit alongside him regarding what I'm talking about.
But what stood out the most was the emotional beats concerning Tony and Caitlin; their scenes together elevated this episode so much. It brought me back to the seventeenth episode: the stakeout scene with them in the car. That instance made me wonder if there was a bigger purpose for it.
Now, we got the scenes in this episode, which were way more hard-hitting and "obvious." The stakeout scene, possibly/most likely, but the scenes in this episode, without a doubt, were done/written with the season finale in mind 100%. If you know, you know, and I'm not ready.
So, in case it's not obvious, I loved this episode: I thought it was this season's best. So far. There is one left. I'm expecting it to be just as good as this one, especially considering what I know about it: the underlying story (not the procedural, episodic norm) and the significant cliffhanger event that happens at the end, while also dreading it a bit because of the latter.
