For the past few years, NCIS has made a habit of returning with very intense episodes in the new year. In season 10 we had the outstanding "Shabbat Shalom", which killed off Eli David and Jackie Vance. Season 11's "Kill Chain" saw the return of Susanna Thompson as Hollis Mann and got back to the Parsa storyline, which in turn led to Delilah's paralysis. The first episode of 2015, "Check", is no different as we see the return of Sergei Mishnev and the death of someone close to Gibbs.
But the tone shifts about halfway through the episode, when the diner crime scene, which was staged, appears to be the exact same as the diner where Director Shepard was killed. A second crime scene mirrors the murder of Mike Franks, and the team deduces that somebody is recreating murders from Gibbs' past. When evidence points to Rebecca, Gibbs interrogates her but she claims she is being set up. Indeed, Abby learns her cellphone was bugged so the killer knew from texts between Rebecca and Diane that the former was going to see Gibbs. She tracks the bug down to Sergei Mishnev and finds a trailer that served as the last known location of one of his helpers. There, the team find pictures of Rebecca, showing that Sergei had been watching her for weeks.
At the trailer, Gibbs gets a call from Diane saying she wants to meet him in half an hour. The two meet at the top of a parking lot, but Diane says she didn't call Gibbs. The meeting is an ambush and while Gibbs attempts to get Diane to safety, it is too late. Sergei shoots Diane through the head the same way that Ari shot Kate. Sergei manages to get away, but Abby uses the virus that attacked NCIS in the season premiere to track him down to a hotel room. A somewhat rogue and vengeful Gibbs busts the room and finds Sergei. He starts hitting Sergei and almost strangles him until he is knocked out by one of Sergei's helpers. The team finds Gibbs, but Sergei has gotten away. Gibbs then gets an incoming call from Fornell.
Despite me hating Diane's death, this episode was near perfect. It was certainly the perfect way to come back from the holidays, even though it was also pretty shocking. It had everything an NCIS episode needs: humor, emotion, action and an interesting story. The shift in tone halfway through the episode worked fine for me. Also, recreating murders from Gibbs' past was a unique way to taunt Gibbs, and in turn it led to a great use of flashbacks. I also liked the sequence of scenes after Diane's death. Even though Gibbs might not have loved Diane, he has said that he likes her. Their relationship might have been strained, but they certainly had a mutual respect for each other. Diane's death was beautifully executed (no pun intended), as it obviously reminded me of Kate's death and yet had something unique. After all, she died in Gibbs' arms as Gibbs was trying to save her. Beautiful, but very sad.
Also, this episode give me a real Ari vibe that nobody on the team is safe. Diane's death, Gibbs being targeted and Sergei's words "This is only the beginning, my friend" are reminiscent of the episodes "Twilight" and "Kill Ari". I suddenly find myself wondering if anyone of the cast is leaving, something I haven't done in a long while. I don't expect anyone to leave, but then again we all know the sudden cast departure at the start of season 11. I really, really hope nobody is leaving though, and I'll be shocked to see if a regular cast member died at Sergei's hands, but after this episode I do have the feeling that nobody is safe.
A minor criticsm of this episode was the lack of Rebecca. We didn't see a lot of her and we didn't see her at all after Diane died. I would have liked to see her reaction to Diane's death. However, the scenes with Rebecca were very funny and we did learn a few things about Gibbs and Rebecca's marriage. I also liked the chemistry between Mark Harmon and Jeri Ryan, and I have no doubt Ryan will return down the road. She can't replace Diane, but hopefully she can provide some more hilarious moments. Besides, I can't help but wonder if perhaps something did happen between Gibbs and Rebecca during the night.
Something that still bugs me is Sergei's timing. I understand his need for revenge for Ari's death, but why wait nine years to get payback? That's still something that hasn't gotten a logical explanation. Also, is there anyone else who thinks that Sergei and Ari might be half-brothers? Sergei did say that Gibbs hurt his family, and Bishop said that Sergei had a Palestinan mother. So it seems very possible that Ari and Sergei are related.
A few side notes:
-Jimmy hits his limit! The autopsy gremlin refuses to cut open another friend, instead choosing to sit Diane's autopsy out. This is really sad but understandable, and it is good to see how all these autopsies affect him and Ducky. Jimmy seriously needs some happiness in his life. When is Breena due to give birth?
-This was the second time in less than a year that I have seen Melinda McGraw die. She also had a recurring role in the NBC series Crisis last year, and in the season finale her character, First Lady Julia Devore, was murdered. McGraw currently recurs on another NBC series, State of Affairs (which I also happen to watch), as Senator Kyle Green. I hope she won't bite the dust in that series too.
-Now that Diane has died, has Fornell become immune? Surely they can't make Emily an orphan, right? Poor little girl has lost her mother, she cannot lose her father as well.
-Speaking of Fornell, I did miss him in this episode but there might not have been enough time to incorporate him into the story. We will be seeing him next week though, so I'm sure we will hear how he deals with Diane's death.
-I also once again missed Vance, but the promo reveals he will be in next week's episode. Finally, because we have done seven episodes without him.
-Given Sergei's M.O., do you think he should die in the same way as Kate's killer, Jenny's killer or Mike's killer? I would personally like for a unique death, but I do hope Sergei's arc gets carried to the season finale.
What did you think of this episode? Did you love it like I did or did you find the shift in tone too radical? How do you feel about Diane's death? Will you miss her? And what do you think the fallout will be for Gibbs and Fornell? Fire away your thoughts and theories in the comments below.
The next episode airs January 13, and here is a first look promo:
