Power Down

"Dinosaurs" like Gibbs and others of our generation know this episode is full of holes and technical flaws, but that's the fun of it!

Mimeograph machines that work without special fluid (it normally dries up after months of non-use, let alone 'years') and makes copies using a plain paper "master" (not specialized mimeo masters, that also dried up when past their "best buy" date, yet still produces the normal blue colored copy?!! Or Polaroid film that makes an instantly viewable print (instead of 60-second wait to develop) that doesn't need that stick of goop rolled over it to set the picture (not to mention outdated film seldom made good prints)!! That's just for starters. Many other goofs and flaws but again, that was the fun.

Episode also highlighted difference between the two generations in a pleasant non-confrontational way. Don't get me wrong, couldn't live now without my microwave and laptop (but I still resist/grumble cellphone usage).

Power Down is pure escapism as long as you don't get bogged down in the details.

A fine premise and underlying commentary on the evolution of Police Procedural tv shows. Back in the Golden days of TV, there was dogged police work as well as traditional gumshoes to solve crimes and it was fun to follow along. In the 21st Century, technology took over almost to a propaganda extent -the human factor is still there of course, but the shortcuts of special effects and fancy optical displays substitute for Sherlock Holmes' power of deduction. And don't forget, the gore that once was left to drive-in movies crept in and took over all the CSI/Bones style whodunits. (Of course David McCallum indulges here in mandatory blood & guts with a victim's corpse, a far cry from his derring-do as spy Illya Kuryakin four decades earlier.)

A local power shortage is the obvious gimmick to give our NCIS team the opportunity to work in older tried & true methods, and it's a pleasure to watch. As far as propaganda is concerned, IMDBers have been trained to look for goofs, inaccuracies and other trivialities -as if that's all that movies and tv shows are about. How about a remedial course in Artistic License?

I've just rewatched this episode because I have remembered something and wanted to refresh my memory. Overall it was a nice story, how the team had struggled to figure things the old fashion way when technology wasn't as advanced as it was today or will I say as when this episode played of. But one teeny tiny thing bothered me is how in the end when the power got back on and everything just magically started up and the team just happily type away as if there were no interruption. Desktop computers does not start up automatically, You have to power it up manually and wait a few minutes for everything to get sorted. Or is this just the magic of TV? Any way other than that it was okay.

Spoilers, What spoilers? This series is so old I think most people that's interested in these type of series would have seen it by now.