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

Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Over here from the newsletter.

Everyone's said just about everything. :-)

Remember in One Shot, One Kill, when Tony found out Gibbs hadn't worn his vest? "I'm going to kill him", I think is the quote. Tony was pissed and I got the feeling Gibbs heard about it. The thing is, Tony will only ever chew Gibbs out in private. He won't do it in front of anyone else, because Gibbs is the boss. You don't rag on the boss and possibly undermine his authority. Gotta remember he attended a military academy for his high school. He learned this young. His comment to Gibbs comparing him to Captain Ahab was just the two of them (yeah, they were on the stairs, but they were also speaking quietly). As Gibbs' second, he has to set the tone for the others. He's got to jump higher and react faster than anyone else.

Oh! And in Agent Afloat, when Gibbs was on the transport plane, the captain told Tony something about "I've got a man on that plane!" Tony responded with, "So do I." When it's just the two of them, when the rest of the team isn't there, they do come across as feeling fairly equal to each other. No question of who's in charge, but they relate to each other far differently on their own than they do with the rest of the team at hand.

Tony has many, many masks and I would dearly love to see more about where they originated and if he's completely aware of why he uses them. He is, by far, the most complex character on the show.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

You can almost hear Gibbs saying, "I'm the boss. When I'm not in the room, Tony's the boss. Got it?"

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Exactly. Oh! Remember the one during the Mustache Episodes, where McGee objects to Tony calling him "Probie" and Gibbs reminds McGee of what *his* first boss still calls him after 16 years? *That* was very telling.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

:)

Oh!!!

How's this for a theory --

Mike Franks is VERY serious. Gibbs was more like Tony back in the day, so maybe Gibbs was the comic relief for the team then? When Mike left and gave Gibbs the job of team leader, he ended up being more serious and then he hired Tony who easily stepped into the job that Gibbs once had.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

This makes a great deal of sense. Ducky blames Boone for Gibbs' change, but I suspect it just sped the process. Gibbs and Tony *do* pretty much have the same sense of humor.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

Something major could turn Tony into a more Gibbs-like persona as well. There are a couple of episodes coming up that could do that for Tony.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

There are spoilers for an ep that references Chicago (trying to avoid spoiling anyone who doesn't want to be). I wonder if Tony will be the one mentioned. *That* could be fascinating.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

For this, I'd love to be spoiled! :)

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

SPOILERS HO!!!!!!






MORE SPOILERS!!!!!!!



I can't remember the name of the ep, but it's one of the next two or three new ones. Vance has to go back to Chicago where he was once a boxer. He takes a member of the team with him. Supposedly, in this ep we're going to get some info on Tony's life in recent months. I'm thinking it's going to relate to how he handled Jenny's death and his transfer. I'm HOPING Vance takes Tony with him. I think that could be some fascinating interaction there, given Vance isn't all that sold on Tony as an agent.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

I'd love to know why Tony left Peoria and Philly and how Gibbs recruited him from Baltimore.

Re: Tony's like an ogre, I mean onion... :-)

[tejas.livejournal.com]

Same here. There's *lots* of things I'd love to know. I wonder if we ever will.