NCIS - Truth or Consequences

I have never been a fan of mid-series flashback and/or series update episodes where they catch you up on who all of the characters are and why they are the way they are. Usually, they come in the season premier as a tool forced upon the producers by the networks as they try to re-claim viewers that have faded off or acquire new fans. The problem with it is that they never really work and come across very awkwardly, particularly to loyal viewers, who experience them as an annoyance.

One of the few exceptions to this, however, is the NCIS episode Truth or Consequences - the opening show of season seven (rebroadcast aired early this evening on USA). There is a little awkwardness as they attempt to showcase who all of the characters are, but the fact that it is coming from an interrogation makes it more natural as part of the story.

In the end though, it is one of the best shows in the entirety of the series as it cleverly walks through a simple case with a major twist while flipping through the complex replacement process for agent Ziva David. All this occurs through the storytelling of a captive Tony, estranged from Ziva due to the events of the final few season six episodes, who went to Africa to track down a terrorist. The back-tracking of the team's search for Ziva is perfectly played out and the surprise ending is absolutely fitting for a series that has always done well in creating thrilling and dramatic moments.

There have been episodes where the team members show how much they trust or are loyal they are to another, but I think this one tops them all in displaying how they will go to the end of the earth for each other.