Tony DiNozzo: Competent Agent, Frat Boy or something else?

[webbgirl]

After 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?

Comments

[webbgirl.livejournal.com]

That's an interesting thought. He needs someone with Tony's goofiness to counter his hard-assedness? I'll have to ponder that as I go back and rewatch more episodes.

Nope. Not obsessed at all! :D

[twoweevils.livejournal.com]

I wish I could think of something intelligent to add to this discussion, but I'm hopped up on pain meds and you and captain_tiv have pretty much summed up a lot of my thinking on Tony.

I do agree that, in many ways, Tony is giving Gibbs what he needs to lead the team when he's goofing off. Because imagine this: Tony is Special Agent StraightandNarrow. He toes the line and does everything perfectly and is never caught short. He is the perfect blend of experience and instinct. Where does that leave the rest of the team? If Tony's the perfect agent and Teacher's Pet, where's the room for anyone else to make their mark? If Tony is stripped of his goofiness, why do they need Gibbs around? I think the idea is to lend balance to the group.

That said, I also think the writers are incapable of giving up a cheap laugh and will play that for all it's worth. So. Fucking. Annoying. Just like they have to drag Ziva into everything. There was absolutely no reason for her to tag along with Gibbs in Agent Afloat. *mutter* I want to like her but they're making me pissed off.

Also, I agree with what captain_tiv said about there being no real need for Tony to stand up to Gibbs or openly oppose him. Much as I hate the analogy, Gibbs is the leader of Tony's pack and there can be only one.

Plus (now the codeine's talking) Tony just loves Gibbs so much that he just turns into a spaz sometimes. And I'm sure that he challenges Gibbs in other ways when they're alone. *goes to happy place*

M.

[webbgirl.livejournal.com]

The cheap laugh thing is one of the points that's been bugging me lately. Yes, the humor of the show and how the characters relate are one of the strong suits of the show overall. However, I feel like Tony is constantly getting sacrificed as a character to make the laugh.

I like your happy place. *g* I should go find some fluffy fanfic. Maybe that will help me feel better. :D

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

There's a story on fanfiction.net called Rapids. I like that one. It's not fluffy, but I do love how they portray Gibbs and Tony.

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

There's also Until Innocent on fanfiction.net. I like that one a lot too.