NCIS and "Very" Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo

Hey everyone! Hope y’all had a great week of watching Grey’s Anatomy. This week we’ll be looking at a show that is wayyy different that Grey’s. This show has been airing since 2003, was the spinoff series of JAG, and follows the story of a team of criminal investigators…. Any guesses? YOU GOT IT! We are diving into NCIS this week! 

NCIS is co-directed by Donald P Bellisario and Don McGill and has been airing for 20 years now. As the original show continued to gain popularity, they decided to create shows for different NCIS units across the country. There are now NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, and NCIS: Hawaii (See more info here). Periodically there are crossover events between some of the four shows.

For a period of time in my childhood I was set on being a special agent for the government and I am pretty sure that this was because I was being influenced by NCIS. The show follows Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his team at the Naval Criminal Investigative Services office. Throughout the 20 seasons of NCIS, Special Agent Gibbs’ team changes slightly every couple of seasons, however, for most of the show Special Agents Dinozzo and McGee are two of Gibbs right hand men.  

When I first started with the series I felt that the most interesting characters were the quite, intense and loyal leader Gibbs and Miss Abby Sciuto, the team’s forensics specialist as both seemed to have some interesting backstories that would need to be revealed.   However, after a season or two, my attention was drawn to Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo, who at first I dismissed as the eye candy comic relief of the team. As the show progressed, many clues as to why Tony behaved as mostly nonchalant, chauvinistic playboy came to light and a much more complex, deeply loyal and loving character was revealed.  

Season 3 marked the beginning of many revelations about Tony as a new main character, Ziva David, was introduced.   It was apparent at the beginning that there would be some interesting interactions between these two characters who seemed to be polar opposites with Tony’s flippant attitude and Ziva’s intensely serious perspective of life as a Mossad officer.   The usual playful interaction of these two in the squad room on a daily basis was in stark contrast to the deeply personal connection that they would end up with.   In my opinion, the beginning of Season 7 was the point of no return for this couple.   Tony’s personal aguish over disappointing Ziva and her sudden departure from the team as a result, showed viewers how deeply he actual cared about Ziva.   What he admitted in front of her under the influence of a truth serum while being tortured and interrogated on a mission to find out why Ziva had disappeared many months before was one of my very favorite Tony moments!  You will have to watch to find out more!  Just be prepared, their relationship is definitely NOT a smooth little love story! 

I hope that this brief description of what awaits you in the world of NCIS will draw you into and make you another true fan, or remind you what you’ve been missing and entice you to return to their little world at the Washington Navy Yard!