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NCIS - Neverland (Season Finale) - Review: "Will Gibbs die?"

May 21, 2015

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NCIS closed its twelfth season last week with a finale that left one of the main characters being left for dead on the street.

Following the deadly bombing in Cairo that killed Dorneget, his mother, CIA Officer Joanna Teague, joins the NCIS investigation since she is a Middle Eastern expert, despite Gibbs' concerns. Joanna goes to see her son's body, and asks Ducky to pull out a piece of shrapnel from his body. The shrapnel is made of titanium ball bearings, and since most of that comes from Russia, Gibbs and Teague start there. It turns out that the titanium was imported by an aerospace company named Bianca Aviation, which is owned by a Roger Dietz. Tony and Bishop talk to Roger, who is acting nervous. He later admits to selling the titanium to Sadiq Samar. Also, Gibbs sits down in interrogation with Rousseau, who taunts Gibbs and makes a comment about missing the afternoon tour in Arizona. Moments later, McGee calls Gibbs to inform him that there was another explosion at the Grand Canyon, which killed a park ranger and left some hikers wounded. Tour buses were supposed to arrive in the Canyon as well, but luckily they were running late. Meanwhile, Bishop finds a phone number in Dietz' phone records that was traced to a burner phone found near a college campus. Tony and Bishop ask around at the campus, but a young teenage boy quickly runs away. The boy later goes to a trailer, where he meets with Sadiq.

In the meantime, Gibbs does his best to trust Luke despite concerns from Teague and Mike Franks, who is once again returning as Gibbs' conscience. Mike warns Gibbs that Luke might be playing him and also asks him how many lives he has saved for everyone that Gibbs lost. Mike also asks Gibbs who is gonna save him. McGee learns that The Calling communicates via music and Abby determines there are morse codes embedded in the songs. French Commissioner Girard, whose life Dorneget saved, found a video game from The Calling and asks McGee to play the game. At Gibbs' house, the teenage boy from campus comes up and takes Luke with him, leaving the social worker with a head injury. Teague is able to locate Sadiq's trailer, and tortures him for information on where to find Luke. It turns out Luke has been taken to Zakho, Iraq and the team is too late to stop it. Luke was taken, because he was in custody and as such, has all the information about the team. Later, the team also learns the name of The Calling's leader: an Englishman named Daniel Budd, who was the same man Dorneget saw in Cairo just before the bombs went off.

Gibbs, Tony and Teague head to Zakho in Iraq and find their way to a market where some Western teens were dropped off. They spot a girl in sneakers and chase after her. In DC, Vance talks to Sadiq, who tells him that age is the enemy of enlightened youth. Also, McGee is still playing the game and wins. His prize is a series of various locations, including tourist destinations and naval bases, that are the next targets for The Calling. Vance storms in and somehow believes The Calling is targeting the Supreme Court Justices, who are on a retreat in the Appalachians, and orders McGee to put it on lockdown. In Zakho, Gibbs confronts the girl while Tony gets a call from Daniel, who is watching them from a window above and also talks about age and a generation gap. The girl walks away from Gibbs, at which point he sees the teenage boy from campus. His name is called out, and when Gibbs turns around, he sees Luke standing there. Luke shoots Gibbs in his leg and after he gets up, Luke subsequently shoots him in the chest.

If you've read my review of the penultimate episode, you already knew that I was not pleased with yet another Gibbs-centric finale. And indeed, this finale was not what I was hoping for. First of all, it was lacking the tension that the previous episodes or previous finales had. Sure, there was another bombing in the Grand Canyon and a new attack seems imminent, but still I didn't feel the urgency of the matter. The episode was as much about preventing another attack as it was about finding out if Luke could be trusted. Anohter thing this episode lacked in was answers. Other than some blah-blah at age being an enemy, we still have no idea what The Calling's motives are. I will be extremely disappointed if they are killing people just because they're aging. Unless they found a fountain of youth, they too will become old. I also wonder why they have their basis is in Iraq. Would it not be smarter to work from another country that isn't already full of terrorists? Lastly, the cliffhanger failed to impress me and it's one I saw coming from miles. Again, I wrote in my last review I'd be mad if the cliffhanger turns out to be Gibbs getting shot. I suppose it should have shocked me that a teenage boy shot an American NCIS agent, but somehow it didn't. I would like to know why they are coming after Gibbs in the first place. And answering the question in the title of this review, we all know that Gibbs, of course, is not going to die. Why end on such a cliffhanger when we already know the outcome?

Despite my criticisms, there were still some enjoyable moments throughout the episode. I think Teague worked well, and we saw the right balance between emotional moments and her determination to stop The Calling. The bad guys of The Calling are intriguing, from Matthew Rousseau to Sadiq Samar and Daniel Budd. All three now how to taunt the team and the actors play their part very well. Like McGee, I'm still trying to understand the power structure of The Calling so I'm looking forward to learning much more about the group next season. I also hope they will answer most of the aforementioned questions. One thing I'm curious about: how did Vance know that the Supreme Court Justices were the next target? I hope to get various answers in the season premiere. All in all, this was not the best finale NCIS has had.

And with that, I conclude my last review of this season of NCIS. Thank you all for sticking with me and reading my reviews! I also want to thank those that leave a comment behind, it's always so much fun interacting with other fans! We have had some great discussions and I'm looking forward to more of that in season 13. I will probably write a season review of season 12 later this Summer so be sure to look for that somewhere in June, July or August.

However, besides being curious how you feel about this episode, I am also curious what you think about my reviews. Do you like it the way they are, or is there something you don't like? Are you fine with the content the way it is, or is there something missing for you? If there are things that you don't like or things you would like to see, feel free to tell me! Any tips and suggestions are welcome in the comment section.

What did you think of the twelfth season finale? Are you as critical of the episode as I am? What did you think about Joanna Teague as Dorneget's mother? Were you shocked that Luke betrayed Gibbs and shot him? How do you feel about the cliffhanger? And what do you think The Calling's motives are for killing people all over the world? I would love to hear your thoughts and theories in the comments below.

About the Author - Daniel van der Veer
Daniel van der Veer is a Dutch university student studying Psychology. On SpoilerTV he is a reviewer of NCIS, The 100, Stalker, Madam Secretary and the upcoming show American Odyssey. He also enjoys LOST, Arrow, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Nikita, The Blacklist, Scorpion and How To Get Away With Murder.
Recent Reviews by Daniel van der Veer (All Reviews)

23 comments:

  1. First off let me just say that I like your reviews. You give a more detailed play-by-play of the episode than most critics I read followed by your own assessment. As for the episode itself; The only shocking image was seeing a young child gun down Gibbs. However, when it said "to be continued..." I thought "he'll live". My only hope is we'll see less Gibbs while he'll recuperate and more of Tony's leadership and command capability.

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  2. Thanks, that's really kind of you to say!


    Of course Gibbs will live. It would be good to see him take a step back for a while during which Tony could temporarily take over. However, I don't think it's going to happen. My guess is he'll be up and running pretty soon. Gary and the writers probably won't give Gibbs less screen time, unless Mark would want it.

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  3. With all due respect, shouldn't it be "NCIS (Season finale)-Neverland instead of "NCIS-Neverland (season finale)? After all, while many here would indeed watch at least a pilot for "NCIS-Neverland,"
    The series itself doesn't exist as yet. It's confusing.

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  4. Actually that's just a standard title format our site uses. It's like this: Show Name - Episode Title - Review: "Optional Tagline". If you look at other reviews, this is the format you will see. The only thing I did is add (Season Finale) behind the episode title to make clear that's what we're talking about, and you might see that in other reviews or other articles as well.

    Is it really that confusing? I think it's pretty clear that we are talking about a review of an existing show. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to tell me.

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  5. The title of NCIS episode 12x24 (also season finale) is "Neverland". There is no NCIS: Neverland series or pilot, only NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans... I hope you understand now ;)

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  6. I highly doubt Gibbs will be killed off unless the show was ending... Gibbs makes the show IMO and killing him off... well, it just wouldn't hold the ratings it does now IMO

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  7. I 100% agree. I am certain they won't kill Gibbs off.

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  8. I think you're expecting too much from the episode. I agree, there are many answers to questions and the tension wasn't as high as the two previous episodes but it was a natural progression in the story arc and a good place to have a cliffhanger.I'm not sure how they could have morphed the previous two episodes to end on one of the other team members like McGee or Denozo but I can't wait for the resolution of the season finale. It can't come soon enough.

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  9. I think you also missed that both NCIS and the CIA are being played here. You didn't mention that at all. They reference that Luke was "allowed" to be taken into custody in order to gain intelligence on NCIS in order for them to be targets, literally, in the case of this last episode.

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  10. Overall this episode wasn't so great and intense as episode 23. I expected a little bit more in the finale. Mimi Rogers did a great job.

    I think that the idea of Gibbs being shot, by a kid he trust, was very good. Recently I watched episode 3x07 "Honor Code" and Gibbs ironically told Jenny: "I get along with kids so well, because when they lie, they don't have the guile to get away with it". So I can easily understand why he trusted Luke.
    But this event is not for the cliffhanger, because it's obvious Gibbs will survive! There's no cliffhanger if we already know the outcome! In fact, judging from recent seasons pattern, in the premiere, they will kill/arrest Daniel and destroy The Calling group. The second episode will revolve around Gibbs recovery, maybe Tony will lead the team. Then in episode 3 they will be back to normal... I'am OK whit that, but some people I talk to, were saying NCIS is boring in that aspect.

    There was also a lot of criticism on several forums, that Gibbs being shot is an old, unoriginal and not interesting plot. I strongly disagree, because the only time I remember him being shot is in episode 9x14 "Life Before His Eyes". But that event wasn't about if Gibbs will survive or not.

    I'm very happy that NCIS why is renewed for another season in which they will hit 300th episodes. Congratulations to cast, producers, directors, writers and other crew for being #1 drama for 6 years. I hope they continue to make awesome television!

    Daniel, as for your reviews, I think they're very well written and I have no complaints at all. I hope we will continue interacting next season...

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  11. Ana Flávia da CruzMay 25, 2015 at 8:33 PM

    I remember Gibbs being shot back in season 1 episode 9.
    And then there was that time when he was in a bombing attack and lost his memory for a while, but I think it wasn't a season finale.
    Gibbs-centric finales are a bit overused, but there's not much a procedural can do to impress us after 12 seasons.

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  12. Maybe you're right and I was expecting too much. I understand that not every finale can be as awesome as the finale of season 2, 3, 5 or 9, which were all unique in its own way. Still, it is because of these finales that I have high expectations. Again, I get that not every finale can (and should) be like them, but I at least expect to be surprised. I saw the cliffhanger coming from the promo so that wasn't going to happen sadly.

    But you're right that it was a natural progression of the story arc. The only problem I have with that is the sudden attention shift to Gibbs. The Calling is suddenly interested in shooting down Gibbs, and I'd like to know why. I am looking forward to the resolution as well though!

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  13. Thanks Glonger for the kind words! It's always fun reading your comments and hearing your thoughts about the episode.

    It's ironic that this is the second time this season Gibbs has trusted a kid and ended up being betrayed. The first one was the little sociopath from Parental Guidance Suggested. Gibbs is always good with children but I wonder if these two incidents will change the way Gibbs deals with children in the future. Probably not though.

    Yeah, the show tends to wrap up season finale cliffhanger pretty quickly. In some cases I'm fine with that (e.g. Reynosa cartel), in others I think it could have stretched out a bit more (e.g. season 9 premiere). But if the cliffhanger is really big, they take multiple episodes to resolve it and put things back to normal (seasons 7 and 10). Maybe they take a few episodes next season, maybe they don't. Let's see what they make of it.

    Maybe Gibbs hasn't been shot too often (though also in season 1 in the shoulder by Ari), but I understand it feels old and unoriginal. It's nearly always Gibbs that gets put in harm's way. Anyway, this idea was a unique one indeed.

    I'm looking forward to season 13 and I'm curious to see what they have in store for the 300th episode. I wasn't a fan of episode 200 so I hope it will be better than that.

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  14. Has anyone thought of the possibility that the Gibbs shooting was staged so that Luke can completely infiltrate the Calling & get the info the team needs. Gibbs goes in hiding & all is revealed at the end of next season episode one or two.... just thinking....

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  15. I was just looking to see if this was the finale (I never watch them when the actually air) and happened across your review. Your comment about "how did Vance know the Supreme Court was a target" - how did you miss that? "Old men who sit on benches - set I their ways" what else would they be referring to? Random old men on benches?

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  16. I have considered that option as well, but in the last scene when Gibbs is shot, you see a part of his belly. So I recon he did not wear a bulletproof vest.

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  17. I first saw NCIS almost 10 years ago on Slovenian TV and I'am a big fan since then. But I found this site in the beginning of season 12 and I started commenting sometimes in the middle of this season. Thank you and the same, is always fun to read yours and other fans comments. I don'z know how how much is happening on this site in summer, but I will be around waiting for fall...
    BTW: Yes, he was also shot by Ari. I didn't watch season 1 in years, so I forgot about that, sorry...

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  18. Yes, he was also shot by Ari in episode 1x16 "Bête Noire". I didn't watch season 1 in years, so I forgot about that, sorry...

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  19. There is not much happning in Summer besides Summer shows, so I'm not sure what other shows you watch. However, I will be publishing a season review of NCIS season 12 somewhere between June and August.

    It's been a while since I've seen season 1 as well. Bête Noire was probably the best episode of that season.

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  20. I think your review is spot on. Personally I am sick of Gibb arcs and was really hoping for a McGee one for once. I will continue to be faithful and watch the show, it is the only one I watch but I do believe Gibbs will be fine and I found the finale a let down. The ep when Dornie died was much more tense and exciting (even tho we pretty much guessed it was Dornie going down thanks to GG) it was done well. All in all the season was very good and better than a few in the past.

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  21. I heard that Sadiq was saying that, but I didn't know he was referring to the Supreme Court.

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  22. Thank you! I too found the finale a let down and the penultimate episode was better. I agree that the season was very good and better than e.g. season 11.

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  23. I wondered the same thing. I got it right away during the episode.

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