NCIS - Kill the Messenger - Review: "Hearbreaking news"

The promo for NCIS episode 12.02 "Kill the Messenger" revealed that one team member would get heartbreaking news. That honestly made a bit scared. But who got the news and what exactly was it?

First, a quick recap of the case of the week. A Navy Lieutenant is found dead in the park, in what seems to be a robbery gone wrong. When the team is on the crime scene, the phone of the deceased rings. Tony picks it up, and tells Gibbs it's the President... of the United States! The deceased was apparently a friend of POTUS and was on his way to a meeting with him. As the team digs into the case, their prime suspect is the Lt.'s wife, as they were in the middle of a separation trial. The Lt. had an affair with Courtney Reed, whose car was found in a river and is also presumed dead. However, it turns out Courtney actually survived, but went into hiding to get away from whoever is trying to kill her. She discovered a bug in the company's system she works at, which could possibly expose government secrets. As the company's boss tried to cover it up, Courtney went to the Lt. who in turn wanted to tell the President. He was killed before he could do so.

In the meantime, Vance spent the episode worrying about his health after the doctor spotted some spots on his lungs. It made him scared and he didn't want to tell his children. All signs were pointing to lung cancer, and Vance was prepared for the worst. At the end of the episode, it turned out to be sarcoidos, a disease that mimics lung cancer. So Vance is going to be perfectly all right and his children won't be orphans.

This was a great episode. I especially enjoyed Vance's storyline. Rocky Carroll nailed it in the various emotional moments with Ducky, Gibbs and Kayla. The end scene at the hospital was beautiful and I am very glad Vance is OK. I thought when he was talking about a violent death, it was an indication that he would suffer the same fate as his predecessor Jenny. Fortunately, he does not and his children won't be orphans. I also liked the nods to Jackie, you can see how her death affected the Vance family.

Side notes:
-Abby seems to be attracted to Park Police Sergeant Burt Moore. I wonder if he will return sometime, and whether Abby is still interested in dating.
-How funny was it that Tony called the President a wiseass?
-Also, how awkward was that moment when Tony saw a naked Delilah on McGee's phone? And how could Tony ever apologize to a not so pleased Delilah?
-Yes, that was Tony Gonzalez, Former NFL Player and Studio Analyst for “The NFL Today” guest starring. He had a few seconds of screen time as NCIS Special Agent Tony Francis.
-A plus for continuation from the season premiere: we see Sergei's photo in Gibbs' basement and on the #1 most wanted list. Also, Parsa gets thrown into the bin (where he belongs).
-Speaking of the basement, you really need to build another boat, Gibbs? What happened to the previous three (or four, I might have lost count)? That series-long mystery really needs to be resolved sometime.

What did you think of "Kill the Messenger"? Are you happy Vance is OK? Did you enjoy the heart-to-heart moments between him and Ducky, Gibbs and his daughter? Tell us what you thought in the comments below.

The next episode of NCIS airs this Tuesday at 8 pm on CBS. Watch the promo for the episode below, featuring a young Ducky.

About the Author - Daniel

Daniel is a Dutch university student studying Psychology. On SpoilerTV he is a reviewer of NCIS, The 100 and the upcoming shows Madam Secretary, Battle Creek and Odyssey. He also enjoys Arrow, NCIS: LA, Nikita and The Blacklist. Recently gotten into LOST which he really loves. He is excited for the new shows Stalker, Scorpion, NCIS: New Orleans and a bunch of others.

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