Hit and Run

Based on another person's review, I put off watching this episode, and almost chose to skip it all together. I'm glad I didn't skip it. It is a very well done episode. Is it the best in the series? No. But it definitely does not deserve a 1 star. Tony will always be a goof ball with corny jokes. That is the way he has always been in the series. I didn't find Ziva bossy at all. Assertive as she always is, but hardly bossy. I found the closure of the younger Abby story line to be acceptable, and in line with the message Gibbs was trying to convey, which is that we don't always get to see the outcome of our actions towards others. And I don't see any issue with showing an older Abbey going through a bit of a melt down due to similarities between the current case, and the connection it drew to her childhood case. Anyone who has watched a significant portion of the series knows that Abbey is not always a completely logic person. She has deep rooted emotions that she hides with a wall. It is not inconceivable to me that she would have difficulties functioning if that wall gets broken down, as this episode shows occurring.

It may not have been exactly what we were hoping for from an Abbey origins story. There are so many facets of her character that I was hoping would get explained and didn't. It is obviously difficult to make an origin's story of the series' most loved character. We have high expectations. If you take those high expectations out, and compare the episode to it's fellow episodes, it was a good story, and was told well.

Very weak writing....

Everything I didn't want in an Abby origin episode. They really needed to give this all important episode to a writer who understands the character(s) & this writer, in previous episodes, has failed at that.

We got idiot Tony where the humor was just dumb. A case that threw Abby when so many other events over the last 10 years that should have done so, didn't. Then the scenes that could have meant so much were avoided. Abby never found the girl? Even later in life? The bowling nuns made no appearance. Add to that the inevitably stupid line meant to feed a certain group of shippers. Plus we were also stuck with Daddy Gibbs (again) & a Ziva that was bossy to the point where it looked like she was team lead & not Gibbs. Add to all of this, a final scene that was, most likely, supposed to be a balm to the many fans who so wanted to see how Abby got to NCIS & met Gibbs. Yet it, too, seemed to fall far short of the mark. Harmon and Perrette have wonderful chemistry together, as do all of the core four cast members, but are woefully under-utilized in this soap-opera-like incarnation of NCIS.

After having been so excited for this episode, the one and only bright spot was the actress casted as young Abby. She was wonderful - spot on with body language. Unfortunately overall, though longtime fans of the show, the character & the wonderful, amazing actress who portrays this quirky character were let down by this episode.

When I saw this episode was centered around Abby, i almost knew it was going to be a weaker episode, but I didn't think it was going to be absolutely obnoxious. It is absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable that someone who acts the way that she does would work for a character like Gibbs. She is extremely unbalanced and way too emotional to be working around death, and family members dying. The way she acts towards her coworkers is either hyperactive and nosey, or in this episode, just plain rude and unprofessional. The acting is so over the top, it takes away from the other amazing actors of the show. I just couldn't find her story to be captivating at all because of how unrealistic her character is. It might be her acting has gotten almost predictable, and she has just worn out her welcome. Definitely the worst episode I've seen so far in an otherwise fantastic series.

One of the writers must be a fan of the movie Repo Man! The driver in the opening scene "Lester" is played by Cy Richardson who played the character "Lite" in Repo Man. Then they panned in on the pine tree air freshener which triggered Abby's memory. Nice easter egg for Repo Man fans! Boo that it took 15 years for someone to comment on this.