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webbgirlAfter watching the past couple of seasons of NCIS in rapid succession, I had this post forming on Tony's character and his growth, or lack thereof. I kept debating on whether to actually post it or not, then I saw a couple of spoilers for upcoming episodes In the upcoming episode Knockout (6.18) we're promised more info on Tony's background. The writers (or producers can't remember which) also promised that we'll get lots of angsty info in the season finale on Tony. I'm personally hoping for some background that shows us why he reverts to the frat boy mentality and womanizer when things get too 'real' or uncomfortable for him.
Anyway, my post is more about Tony as a good agent than it is about other stuff. Through all the seasons of NCIS we get glimpses of Tony being a really good investigator and having great instincts. Unfortunately, these moments tend to be eclipsed by his goofing around or his attempts to show off for Gibbs.
I'm going to lose my Gibbs/DiNozzo slasher card for this, but I think that him being around Gibbs is the problem. I also think this is somewhat intentional on the writers parts. When we see Tony in charge of a situation (rather than following Gibbs' lead) we get to see his analytical skills and leadership capabilities.
This is even evidenced in "Bait" when Tony has to take over when Gibbs ends up in the classroom with the kid. We also see it in "In The Zone" when Tony and Nikki (sp?) go to Baghdad. Once they're in Baghdad, Tony was the epitome of a seasoned investigator.
Back to "Bait" though. One of the things this episode highlighted for me was Tony's willingness to stand up to Jenny when he professionally disagreed with her. He stood up to her in a way I don't think we've ever seen him stand up to Gibbs. I don't think it was out of a lack of respect, but it felt more like him claiming his place as 'Senior Field Agent'. It demonstrated it clearer than all of the times he's spouted the words to Ziva and McGee.
Question is, why has Tony never been able to stand up to Gibbs the way he stood up to Jenny? When Gibbs returned to NCIS and essentially brushed Tony back into his place, Tony bowed back into his spot and deferred to Gibbs. I know that they showed the awkwardness of the transition, but I felt like it was mostly played for laughs. Though, I found the part of him turning down his own team for the sake of watching out for Gibbs heartbreaking. Again though, he was able to be honest with Jenny about it. I think if he'd been dealing with Gibbs in a similar situation he would have just played it off and made a joke.
My fondest desire for this season is that we finally get to really see Tony coming into his own, even when he's around Gibbs. And that we get to see some honest acknowledgment that he's not just the comic relief. I think it would be a natural outgrowth of what happened with Jeanne and Jenny. Situations like that are either going to break someone or make them stronger in the long run. I'd love to watch the process of the latter with Tony.
Any thoughts or comments from everyone else on this?
Anyway, my post is more about Tony as a good agent than it is about other stuff. Through all the seasons of NCIS we get glimpses of Tony being a really good investigator and having great instincts. Unfortunately, these moments tend to be eclipsed by his goofing around or his attempts to show off for Gibbs.
I'm going to lose my Gibbs/DiNozzo slasher card for this, but I think that him being around Gibbs is the problem. I also think this is somewhat intentional on the writers parts. When we see Tony in charge of a situation (rather than following Gibbs' lead) we get to see his analytical skills and leadership capabilities.
This is even evidenced in "Bait" when Tony has to take over when Gibbs ends up in the classroom with the kid. We also see it in "In The Zone" when Tony and Nikki (sp?) go to Baghdad. Once they're in Baghdad, Tony was the epitome of a seasoned investigator.
Back to "Bait" though. One of the things this episode highlighted for me was Tony's willingness to stand up to Jenny when he professionally disagreed with her. He stood up to her in a way I don't think we've ever seen him stand up to Gibbs. I don't think it was out of a lack of respect, but it felt more like him claiming his place as 'Senior Field Agent'. It demonstrated it clearer than all of the times he's spouted the words to Ziva and McGee.
Question is, why has Tony never been able to stand up to Gibbs the way he stood up to Jenny? When Gibbs returned to NCIS and essentially brushed Tony back into his place, Tony bowed back into his spot and deferred to Gibbs. I know that they showed the awkwardness of the transition, but I felt like it was mostly played for laughs. Though, I found the part of him turning down his own team for the sake of watching out for Gibbs heartbreaking. Again though, he was able to be honest with Jenny about it. I think if he'd been dealing with Gibbs in a similar situation he would have just played it off and made a joke.
My fondest desire for this season is that we finally get to really see Tony coming into his own, even when he's around Gibbs. And that we get to see some honest acknowledgment that he's not just the comic relief. I think it would be a natural outgrowth of what happened with Jeanne and Jenny. Situations like that are either going to break someone or make them stronger in the long run. I'd love to watch the process of the latter with Tony.
Any thoughts or comments from everyone else on this?
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on 2009-01-28 06:39 pm (UTC)I think we're dealing with multiple layers of a relationship between Gibbs and Tony. Notice how Gibbs will sort-of protect Tony from anyone? Notice how Tony will get between Gibbs and others (although he loves to be the one to push people around himself) when Gibbs goes on a tirade?
When Kate died, Tony was the ONLY one who was brave enough to try to piss Gibbs off. He was the only one who got it that Gibbs wasn't himself during that time. When Tony got the plague, Gibbs had a guard in handcuffs and was holding a gun on a scientist. When the scientist told Gibbs that there was a 15% chance of Tony surviving, he was absolutely scared to death.
I think Tony also has to walk a very fine line. He probably is the equal to Gibbs when it comes to investigating, but there are two probies on the team. Gibbs is always serious. Tony can be serious, he can be the frat boy. I think part of his behavior is his trying to bridge that gap between the probies and Gibbs.
There's an "equalness" between Gibbs and Tony that isn't shared by any other agents. There's also an 'understanding' that you can see in a lot of episodes that these two are on the same frequency. There have been times when Tony has sort-of stood up to Gibbs, but what if he did it whole-heartedly? What would happen to team cohesion and the hierarchy of command? What would happen to the probies? I think Tony's protective nature wouldn't allow him to do that.
Now for a plot idea -- I think things have happened to Tony in the past when he was with the police department where he couldn't trust the people he worked with. Maybe his life was in danger from his fellow cops. Along came Gibbs, and he proved that he could be trusted. Something happened, and Tony and Gibbs end up owing each other their lives. Maybe that's one of the reasons Gibbs brought Tony into the NCIS, and maybe that's why Tony accepted. Tony didn't get that job just because he smiled. Perhaps that beginning is why Tony doesn't challenge Gibbs openly?