NCIS - Personal Day - Review: "Gibbs, what are you doing?"

Last Tuesday's NCIS saw the increasing tension between Gibbs and Tony come to a head, though whether it's been fully resolved remains to be seen.

The tension is caused by a case Gibbs brings to the team. A DEA agent named Mitchell is hunting down a drug lord named Benson Long and asks for NCIS' help. The thing is, Mitchell wants to turn one of Long's recent recruits, a Sergeant Cole Gleason, but Gleason didn't show up at a meeting with Mitchell. Therefore, he needs the team's help. They immediately ask for a warrant to search Long's house, but Gleason isn't there. Sadly, Gleason later turns up dead in an abandoned school where a drug rave took place. Meanwhile, Gibbs benches Tony and gives him Mitchell's DEA files to look over. It is then that Tony discovers Mitchell's full name: Luis Mitchell. Mitchell is the son of former NIS Agent Kurt Mitchell, who was the agent assigned to protect Gibbs' wife and daughter. Kurt was shot by Pedro Hernandez and the subsequent car crash killed Shannon and Kelly. Tony confronts Gibbs about this, saying Gibbs will do whatever he can to protect Luis Mitchell. However, Gibbs doesn't share Tony's concerns and thinks Tony should take care of his team. A later conversation between Ducky and Gibbs reveals that it is not about Mitchell at all, but rather about Tony.

Meanwhile, one of the fibers found on Gleason's body is matched to a rug from Afghanistan that was also found in Gleason's trunk. Long's cousin Roy just so happens to own a store full of these rugs. When Gibbs, McGee and Mitchell want to confront him, Roy pulls a gun on them. McGee quickly shoots him in the shoulder, but unfortunately Roy doesn't make it. Mitchell is mad at McGee, but Gibbs tells him he did good. Back at HQ, Tony is very inquisitive and asks McGee to what extent Gibbs was protecting Mitchell. McGee and Bishop sense something's up and Tony finally tells them about Mitchell's connection to Gibbs. However, the trio additionally discovers that Benson Long was the boss of Pedro Hernandez. This is obviously personal to both Gibbs and Mitchell, and Tony once again confronts Gibbs, asking if he's going to kill Benson like he killed Hernandez. Gibbs wants to get Long with evidence, but Tony reveals that Mitchell is waiting at Long's house. Gibbs attempts to talk him down before Long arrives, but Mitchell draws a gun on Long anyway. Long boasts about how he killed Gleason and Mitchell drops the gun. McGee and Tony come in to arrest Long after taping his confession of the murder. He will be put away with lawfully obtained evidence.

Afterwards, Tony again has a conversation with Gibbs before Gibbs takes a personal day to travel to California. Tony wants to talk about Iraq, but Gibbs turns the conversation to Tony instead. He asks why Tony turned down the opportunity to have his own team years ago. Tony wonders if Gibbs wants him to become the next Gibbs. Gibbs replies that his reason for joining NCIS never changed. After that, he joins Mitchell to finally spread the ashes of Mitchell's father. Also, Gibbs visits the house he used to live in with Shannon and Kelly, and finds a bird feeder that still has his family's signature on it.

This was an excellent episode after what I believed was an average premiere. I really loved the conversations and confrontations between Gibbs and Tony, and I think they show the great character development for both men. The acting from both Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly was very strong as well. I also enjoyed the case and think it was quite fast-paced. It's always a joy to see Robert Knepper in a villainous role and this was no exception. However, I really have no idea what to make of Gibbs' behavior. The conversations between him and the other characters were awesome, but I can't put my finger on what Gibbs said. On one hand, he seems like he's ready to give the job to Tony. However, I also get the feeling he doesn't want Tony to protect him. Ducky said that it wasn't really about Luis Mitchell, but rather about Anthony. Ducky also talked about Gibbs' new-found view on life, but I am not certain what view this is. Then there obviously was the personal connection to the case, Gibbs getting a new haircut and him visiting his old house. Did he do that because he is ready to move on from Shannon and Kelly, or because he wants to hold on to them till his end of days? All in all, I have no idea what Gibbs is doing and I think we've only just scratched the surface of what is going on with him. Let's hope future episodes will make it more clear.

What did you think of "Personal Day"? What do you make of Gibbs' behavior? Did you enjoy the conversations and confrontations between Tony and him? What was your opinion on the case? Did you guess it was personal to Gibbs? And lastly, what do you think of Gibbs' new haircut? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

Here is the promo for the next episode, "Incognito", in which McGee and Bishop go undercover:

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, Madam Secretary and Quantico. He also enjoys LOST, Arrow, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, Nikita, The Blacklist, Scorpion and How To Get Away With Murder.

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