NCIS 14x17 "What Lies Above" Review

SPOILERS

I really enjoyed “What Lies Above”. It’s been a while since there was a McGee-centered episode, and since he’s probably my favorite character that was a nice change of pace. I’ve also been enjoying the fact that the past several episodes have all tied into the main characters significantly, whether it’s Jimmy on the ledge, Abby with the think tank, or Ellie and Kai Chen. I also liked the location of the apartment and the mentions of Tony, hints of earlier times. And I loved the shot at the very end with Kate and Ziva (the fish).

The episode seemed to be going in so many different directions, but I didn’t mind it. At first you were thinking someone was after Delilah’s hard drive, and that would have been interesting if there was something classified on there and it turned into a data hunt. I also would have liked it if there was something connected to Tony, not that he would ever be a bad guy keeping secrets, but maybe something with his father. Or even if it was Tim, perhaps he had something antique and it was a random robbery that was just a subplot.

However, the way it turned out, the mummy under the floorboards, a swallowed safety deposit key, and the treasure hunt with the missing diamonds, was enjoyable. A little bit of a mystery. I would have liked to actually have seen Delilah. McGee and Delilah are my current OTP for the show and I enjoy any drama between the two of them. I did like the “lie” versus “omission” argument that kept going on. Torres in particular had me laughing.

Torres and McGee look for one of the robbers.

The only downer for the episode was the continuing drama between Flemming and Vance. It just started to grate on my after a while. He’s not a politician, and even though she did keep the knowledge about almost solving the heist a secret until they figured it out, it was clear that Vance was uncomfortable with using the agency’s success as a stepping stone to a political career. I can see the very ending of the show having Vance leave and Gibbs take the director’s seat, but I don’t see that happening very soon. I can see Vance leaving, but Gibbs is still a man of action and will be as long as he can.

The title “What Lies Above” is apt. The opposite of “above” is “below” and “what lies below” is the mummy. There’s not much else to it; it was a good episode because it was so straightforward. No foreshadowing, no running subplots. A couple ways it could have gone, but I liked the way it did turn out.

9/10