Lots to chew on here! I'm here by way of the newsletter. I'm often bemoaning much the same stuff as you. I think the problem is MW's comic talents are so good the producers want to use them excessively, which means Tony can never grow up. And it's also true that when I rewatched the first 5 seasons in order recently, I was aware that S4 was slower and less buzzy because Tony was more serious. I WANT him to be shown in a more competent light but if it goes too much that way then we seem to lose some of the spark he brings.
I do think Gibbs's management style inherently causes some of the problems. He's always "Dad" so the "kids" always have to be kids. There's no room for them to grow up - he almost doesn't LET there be room for them to grow up.
I LOVE the moments when Tony stands up to Gibbs best - and there have been several of them but they're so tiny. There was that ep where Gibbs goes off with his old CO (who is hallucinating) and calls Tony and Tony is all "Where the hell are you?" and sounds very pissed. There's the gorgeous scene in "Cloak" where Gibbs admits its his plan and Tony is furious and says "Well that's much worse". There's Tony standing up to Gibbs when Gibbs returns from Mexico - saying these are his people now and he doesn't sit on the sidelines when his people are in trouble. I also love that scene in the plane when they've got that captured arms dealer and Tony is doing all the talking and Gibbs is just watching and saying things every so often and seems SO amused by Tony. And Tony isn't making faces or letting Gibbs take the lead - the two seem to be genuinely enjoying the show they're putting on.
But there are so few glimpses of that. I so wish we could see competent!Tony and standing up to Gibbs!Tony more often as he's electrifying and sometimes I think Gibbs NEEDS someone to stand up to him. Jenny was a weak director who let their past interfere too much with her ability to command him so he walked all over her. He's even walking all over Vance. He might say he never wants the top job but he IS de facto Director as far as I can see.
I think the humour is just too juvenile sometimes - Tony is more grown up in S1 and S2 than he is in S6 - he seems to get more silly as the years pass. And yet we still see those tantalising glimpses of another Tony underneath.
But the actor turned 40 last year - I don't know how old Tony is supposed to be but there has to come a time when the whole frat boy thing will just seem very uncomfortable and weird, surely?
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ninetydegrees
no subject
on 2009-01-29 08:43 am (UTC)I do think Gibbs's management style inherently causes some of the problems. He's always "Dad" so the "kids" always have to be kids. There's no room for them to grow up - he almost doesn't LET there be room for them to grow up.
I LOVE the moments when Tony stands up to Gibbs best - and there have been several of them but they're so tiny. There was that ep where Gibbs goes off with his old CO (who is hallucinating) and calls Tony and Tony is all "Where the hell are you?" and sounds very pissed. There's the gorgeous scene in "Cloak" where Gibbs admits its his plan and Tony is furious and says "Well that's much worse". There's Tony standing up to Gibbs when Gibbs returns from Mexico - saying these are his people now and he doesn't sit on the sidelines when his people are in trouble.
I also love that scene in the plane when they've got that captured arms dealer and Tony is doing all the talking and Gibbs is just watching and saying things every so often and seems SO amused by Tony. And Tony isn't making faces or letting Gibbs take the lead - the two seem to be genuinely enjoying the show they're putting on.
But there are so few glimpses of that. I so wish we could see competent!Tony and standing up to Gibbs!Tony more often as he's electrifying and sometimes I think Gibbs NEEDS someone to stand up to him. Jenny was a weak director who let their past interfere too much with her ability to command him so he walked all over her. He's even walking all over Vance. He might say he never wants the top job but he IS de facto Director as far as I can see.
I think the humour is just too juvenile sometimes - Tony is more grown up in S1 and S2 than he is in S6 - he seems to get more silly as the years pass. And yet we still see those tantalising glimpses of another Tony underneath.
But the actor turned 40 last year - I don't know how old Tony is supposed to be but there has to come a time when the whole frat boy thing will just seem very uncomfortable and weird, surely?