NCIS Wouldn’t Be What It Is Today Without This Pivotal Season 7 Episode

With 22 seasons and counting, a number of episodes of NCIS stand out for his or her significance to the present, but it surely’s truthful to argue that there is one season 7 episode that set the present up for the long run. With NCIS originally debuting as a spinoff of JAG greater than 20 years in the past, it has lengthy since eclipsed its predecessor to develop into one of many longest-running community procedurals of all time.

Whereas NCIS season 23 has its work reduce out for it, as rankings have declined a bit lately, the present remains to be well-loved and the franchise goes robust. So robust, in truth, {that a} yr after the newest spinoff and first prequel, NCIS: Origins, began the story of a younger NIS agent Gibbs, the season-long arc format of the upcoming NCIS: Tony & Ziva is about to reinvent the franchise as soon as once more.

NCIS Season 7’s “Reality Or Penalties” Is One Of The Highest-Rated Episodes Ever

It is One Of Solely A Handful With An IMDb Ranking Of 9.0 Or Increased

Customized Picture by Ana Dumaraog

For a present heading into its twenty third season, there are of course some episodes that come extremely rated, and others which are universally agreed upon to be the weakest episodes throughout the collection. The highest-rated NCIS episode ever is actually a recent one: season 21, episode 2, “The Tales We Depart Behind.”

That episode was when the crew says goodbye to their beloved colleague, Ducky, after the passing of actor David McCallum. The story was good by itself, because the crew finishes one in every of Ducky’s unsolved circumstances, but it surely was extra-special and heartfelt because of the previous footage and flashback scenes sprinkled all through.

That is not the one standout episode of the collection, although. NCIS season 7, episode 1, “Reality or Penalties,” can be one of many best-rated episodes within the present’s complete run. Solely a handful of episodes are rated 9.0 or increased on IMDb, and “Reality or Penalties,” at 9.1, is one in every of them, tied for third place within the ranking rankings of NCIS episodes. Whereas “Reality or Penalties” is a superb episode general, it is particularly essential to the franchise as a complete.

Reality Or Penalties Is Thought-about A Turning Level For NCIS

The Workforce Actually Gelled

To many longtime followers, the season 7 opener is taken into account NCIS‘ true turning level. Whereas it was already going robust with seven seasons, “Reality or Penalties” is arguably the place the long-running procedural actually hit its stride and located itself tonally and when it comes to the make-up of the crew.

The episode is layered and tense, as Tony and McGee observe down the lacking Ziva in Somalia, the place she’s been kidnapped and tortured, and stage a rescue mission. The return of Ziva was an enormous second, however the episode additionally did a implausible job of ratcheting up the suspense as one of many few NCIS episodes the place it actually felt just like the characters could not make all of it out alive.

Greater than that, although, the episode actually confirmed the crew at its greatest and laid out what a very formidable group they’re. Because the crew struggles to proceed as typical in Ziva’s mysterious absence, every of their strengths and abilities is highlighted all through the episode, each within the current day and thru flashbacks.

“Reality or Penalties” is without doubt one of the most emotional NCIS episodes ever aired, because it lays out simply how far the crew will go to save lots of each other. Extra than simply work colleagues, the installment cements their real love and timeless loyalty for each other, even being keen to die for one another.

So most of the character relationships that grew to become the emotional core of the present and that followers grew to like had been effectively and actually established within the season 7 premiere. Whereas these parts had been at all times there, this episode marked a turning level for NCIS, reworking it from a profitable procedural right into a collection that has now lasted for effectively over twenty years.

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