SEASON SEVEN EPISODE SEVEN

ENDGAME

Another episode to which I was not looking forward as a) it was a Vance-centric episode and with Vance not being one of my favourite characters I didn't think I'd really enjoy it and b) I happen to know thanks to someone on LJ that the 'baddie' in this episode was seen in one of the NCIS: LA episodes when Vance was in LA. Personally, this kind of trying to force people to watch the show never works with me, in fact it has the opposite effect on me. If SB goes on like this, it's one sure way to drive me further away from NCIS not closer to it. Let each show stand on its own, Mr. Brennan. Okay, having Vance in both if logical, but do NOT cross over story lines. That is very poor and just shows fear that LA isn't working.

Minor rant aside. Well, for the second week running I was more than pleasantly surprised by this episode and by how much I liked it. I really got involved with the storyline, had tears in my eyes at the end (yes, really), I cared about what happened and was really caught up in it. Plus, no one really annoyed me (DiNozzo marginally in his usual annoy-Nikki way, but the way that works for me). Nothing was over-done (for once they stopped before it got boring), there were some great team moments, some good banter, oodles of different ship moments, which though could be seen as friendship, depending on how you 'swing'. All in all to my mind an excellent episode.

There were a few niggles and the would-have-been-other-baddie came in wearing a neon sign declaring she wasn't what she seemed, but even that didn't really jar too much. And it also had a jolly good twist. One of my biggest problems was getting the names of the non-NCIS team correct. I'm so grateful for them putting them up on the screen when showing their pictures - not to mention also to EpGuides.com

We begin with two men running; one is Army, one is Navy and they are teasing one another. They come across an abandoned car and we see lots of medical stuff, including syringes around the place and then we see a body with a gun shot wound behind his ear.

At NCIS, DiNozzo is going through McGee's desk drawer and pulls out a 'Download Your Destiny' pack which he takes to his desk and puts the CD into his computer. I do not like this kind of thing, I never have and would have felt the same had it been McGee going through DiNozzo's drawers. Okay, so it wasn't locked and if I had a colleague like DiNozzo, I'm afraid I would keep my drawer locked and it's good continuity as we've seen him do it several times before. But I didn't like it; it's a step too far in teasing. Having said that, given how much I enjoyed the episode I could let it pass with little more than shaking my head - it didn't spoil DiNozzo for me for the episode.

Ziva also isn't impressed by DiNozzo going through McGee's drawer and tells him he shouldn't. She does, however, come over to DiNozzo once he puts the CD in and starts to listen to the enlightenment. Basically, it's a self-help CD. Ziva suggests that maybe it's DiNozzo who needs help, but he tells her he is already enlightened; he knows who he is. "I'm DiNozzo. Hear me roar."

Ziva: "Like an elephant?"

The whole rifling of the desk aside, it was a nice little scene. I do like to see DiNozzo happy to make fun of himself and take shots at himself and he walked into Ziva's comment. So that little exchange was good.

Gibbs arrives at that moment and tells them to grab their gear. There's an amusing little incident that I missed first time, when his coffee sloshes over the top of the cup, the lid wasn't on properly, onto his hand. There's a dead civilian doctor, found on Navy ground. He sees DiNozzo putting the CD back into McGee's drawer and tells him to get out of McGee's drawer. Then he asks where McGee is and tells DiNozzo to find him. DiNozzo comments that as McGee is late, he can get the coffee.

We then go to McGee at the coffee shop. He seems surprised by how many coffees the serving man has given him, but he tells McGee the order was called in. As McGee turns to go a girl asks if she can help him with it. He seems a tad taken aback and politely declines. However, a bag falls off his tray and she picks it up. She introduces herself as Amanda and he says he's Tim. At that moment his phone rings and he asks her if she'll get it out - why he didn't just let her hold the tray of coffee, I know not. That was the logical thing to do and for him to ask her to get his phone out of his trouser pocket was not McGee. It's DiNozzo asking about the coffee and his pastry. McGee then invites Amanda to join him for coffee one morning. She puts her number into his phone, on speed dial, and he finally goes.

My spider sense was immediately in full force at this point. There was something about this woman that just made my skin crawl. She was so forward and just so creepy. My feeling was McGee wasn't that taken with her at that point and the invitation for coffee was his way of getting away from her and being polite. I didn't know how it was going to end, well apart from badly as we know if McGee gets involved with a woman on the show (that isn't Abby) it always ends badly. I half thought she was going to turn into some kind of stalker and stalk him. But I knew she wasn't all she seemed.

At the scene we discover the dead man is Dr. Ellan Cirreux; he's divorced and has no children and has a practice in the States and in Paris. McGee arrives and Gibbs greets him with "Nice of you to join us, Tim." Ooops. McGee assures him it won't happen again and he goes to DiNozzo. DiNozzo immediately recognises something in McGee and says he knows he was with someone and starts to tease McGee and dig. A nice little exchange.

Ziva calls Gibbs over and tells him there are no prints except Cirreux's, but clearly he's been treating someone. Gibbs wonders why the person didn't just go to hospital.

Suddenly Vance appears and says it's because the patient didn't want to be recognised. They are surprised to see him and says he'd seen the PD report and recognised the method. Gibbs suggests copy cat and Vance says he wishes. Gibbs doesn't look happy that Vance has turned up.

Ducky is with the body, hears footsteps and starts to address Gibbs; but it's Vance. Ducky is very surprised to see Vance and lets him know. Vance asks him what he's found and addresses him as 'Doctor'. Ducky tells him that the killer shot Cirreux in such a way as to ensure a slow, tortuous death. He was then turned over and a second bullet put into his neck, severing the spinal cord. He says Vance has seen it before and Vance comments she always kills that way.

Gibbs appears and asks who 'she' is. She is Lee Wuan Kai, a North Korean operative. Vance tells them that she'd been in LA and had been badly wounded, but has escaped. She must have flagged Cirreux down and got him to help her. At this point, as I hadn't seen the whole episode, I did wonder how she knew he was a doctor. Vance says he's been after her for almost twenty years and knows her well. Then he looks up and sees her, or does he? As no one else does. He then tells Gibbs to find her and to use deadly force if necessary as she will.

In the squad room McGee is talking about Kai and sharing information and suddenly DiNozzo starts to add things, but nothing to do with killing, etc. And he says how beautiful she is and then says that Kai and Ziva are alike as they are both trained assassins. Ziva tells him he annoys her sometimes. DiNozzo questions the 'sometimes' and Ziva admits to 'often'. A nice little exchange; DiNozzo does know himself. DiNozzo also thinks that something must have happened between Vance and Kai.

McGee is looking at his phone and DiNozzo goes over and puts his arm around him (a DiNozzo/McGee moment) and again teases him about Amanda. He asks if she's a redhead and when McGee kind of reacts, DiNozzo says he's taking a leaf out of Gibbs's book. And we all know how Gibbs and redheads end, don't we? It's Another hint that all will not end well for Timmy. Ziva says she is sure Amanda is lovely and McGee thanks her. DiNozzo asks why Ziva is nice to McGee and not to him. McGee says it might be because DiNozzo had broken into his drawer and stole his CD. DiNozzo says he put it back. McGee then comments that DiNozzo mocked him publicly and DiNozzo says he always does. But McGee doesn't back down; he suggests that maybe the CD is working. At that moment he gets a hit and Ziva comes over, pushes DiNozzo out of the way and they look at McGee's screen. This was a really good scene; great sibling banter and nice to see DiNozzo having a go at himself. No edge, no nastiness, just a lot of fun.

We learn that Cirreux has a law suit pending against him. DiNozzo dismisses it, saying Cirreux's a doctor and that kind of thing is par for the course. McGee goes on to tell that it's been filed by Linda DeMarco who has accused Cirreux of sexual assault. He goes onto say DeMarco had threatened to kill Cirreux. DiNozzo comments that it might not have been Kai after all.

In Vance's office, Vance tells Gibbs he's going to put more agents on the case. Gibbs very quietly says that's fine, but adds Vance hasn't given him much time. Vance says he's had almost two decades. Gibbs says that Vance wants it to be Kai and that they don't have any proof; two gunshot wounds do not prove it was Kai. And then he tells Vance to keep talking; he wants to know it all.

Gibbs plays it very well here, the psychology is perfect. Had he been angry with Vance or showed his displeasure Vance would have closed down, but to be 'okay, if that's what you want, you're the Director' kind of thing and in his low voice, it really got Vance to open up.

Vance does. Seventeen years ago he was involved in the US Peace Keeping in Yugoslavia. Someone took a shot at a local politician and Kai was the shooter. In turn Vance shot her in the chest; she should have been dead, but she wasn't. She put a bullet into Vance and two into Vance's partner. Then as he was on the ground just waiting for her to finish it, he felt the gun against his neck. But nothing happened. She didn't kill him; she vanished. His partner, however, was killed and you can see Vance, even all these years later, has survivor's guilt. Gibbs wants something solid, but that's just the point; there is nothing. Kai is known as 'the phantom'. Gibbs's phone then rings and he tells Vance it isn't a lead on Kai.

McGee and DiNozzo are going towards a house and again McGee has his phone out and DiNozzo is talking about sex text and when McGee says Amanda wants to see him that night, but he knows he'll be working, DiNozzo tells him not to tell her that and goes on about what McGee should tell her and more importantly should do. He's trying to make McGee behave like him - no, Tony, that's not how Tim is. Again though, a nice exchange.

They get to the house and call to Linda DeMarco to open up. Then they hear the sound of a gun being cocked and dive for the ground as a bullet comes through her door. With guns in hand they call out they are Federal Agents. She opens the door and realises they are indeed what they say they are. They tell her to put the gun on the ground and she puts down a shot gun. DiNozzo asks her if she thinks she's Sarah Pallin. McGee cuffs her.

Back at NCIS she is in the squad room (still cuffed) and Gibbs, McGee and DiNozzo are all looking at her. Her alibi checks out and Gibbs tells them to call Metro and uncuff her. She goes. DiNozzo tells McGee to call Metro; McGee says DiNozzo should and DiNozzo says he will - but McGee will have to uncuff DeMarco. He then adds that it must be McGee's destiny to uncuff her. I was really hoping this was going to be the last reference to the whole 'destiny' thing, but I feared that as they so often do, TPTB would over-play it. Again a really good little scene between them. Really good banter and fun. And for DiNozzo/McGee fen, they almost seemed to be some mild flirtation going on between them.

We then go to Autopsy where Ducky tells Gibbs that apart from Cirreux evidence of too much Bordeaux and cigarettes, Cirreux was actually in reasonably good health. He shows Gibbs what he found on Cirreux's body: a piece of black hair, tied in a bow around the ring finger. It would show the DNA of the killer and clearly the person left it there deliberately. He's already sent a piece to Abby and they go over to the 'speaker' phone to talk to Abby. She confirms that the hair belonged to Kai. Gibbs leaves.

Vance is looking at picture of the family and Jackie Vance comes in to tell him dinner is ready. He says he's not hungry. And he tells her she has other things to worry about than him not wanting dinner. The kids are at a friend's house for movies and popcorn. He asks why they don't do that and she says because he's never home. And the fact that for once he is home early makes her think something is up. And he mentions his dead partner; she reminds him she is his partner. So clearly Vance's whole 'get home to have dinner with the family, etc.' idea that he had in the beginning and mentioned more than once (especially during Knock-Out) has changed and he's discovered being director of NCIS is not a 9:00 - 5:00 job. That's good to see.

His home phone rings. It's Kai. She asks if he's happy to hear from her. He tells her all the law enforcement agents are looking for her; she says she only has eyes for him. Meanwhile he uses his mobile phone and texts Gibbs to let him know.

Gibbs gets out of the lift and calls to McGee to trace the call to Vance's land line. He tells DiNozzo to get someone over to Vance's. DiNozzo says it's rush hour and Ziva says that's exactly what Kai had planned. She gets her stuff and Gibbs tosses the car keys to her. McGee is still working on the trace, land lines are a lot slower. But finally he traces it and tells Gibbs she is outside Vance's house (Vance's middle name is James).

Meanwhile Vance is still talking to Kai, telling her he promises to take care of her if she gives herself up. She says she can't and mentions the various other countries they've crossed one another in and she also mentions LA.

Meanwhile Jackie is taking something out to the outside bin and sees the car with Kai in it and she begins to walk towards it calling out can she help.

Gibbs texts Vance to tell him Kai is outside and Vance goes to the dresser and gets a gun from a box that's on a fairly high shelf. I did like this little detail that the gun Vance keeps in the house is kept relatively securely out of easy reach of the children. He goes out with his gun in hand, tells Jackie to get down, she doesn't; she just stands there, which I have to say was really stupid of her, he points towards the car, but Kai drives away. He and Jackie hug.

The next scene is a little later and we have Ziva pulling curtains and Gibbs telling Vance Ziva will stay the night. Vance refuses and tells Ziva to leave. Gibbs then says the family can go to a safe house. Again Vance refuses saying he'll protect his own; he'll send Jackie and the kids away. Except, Jackie isn't having any of it and gives him a pep talk and ends by telling him she's staying. So Vance agrees to two agents at all times and vehicle escort. Gibbs leaves.

At NCIS we discover the car Kai used was stolen and the owner is missing. He was a pilot. Gibbs tells DiNozzo to tell Abby to get fingerprints from the plane, it looks as if they've found out how Kai got to DC. And he assumes said pilot will be found dead. DiNozzo cracks a joke about him having been Kai-jacked, and when McGee asks if DiNozzo had really said that, DiNozzo admits he's already regretting it. Yet again, superb writing with the McGee-DiNozzo banter and individual lines. During this scene, there was a wee Gibbs/McGee moment when Gibbs leans over McGee to look at something on McGee's screen.

We then see McGee and Amanda outside a restaurant; she is not that happy and is even less happy when he says he only has fifteen minutes, but she comes round a bit. He suggests they go for a walk; she asks if they could get something to go, McGee asks what, she jokingly says garlic bread and talks about having dessert later - she really was making my skin crawl. She says she has a paper to write and asks him to call her when he finally finishes work and she'll go to his place. Talk about overly forward!

McGee, in different clothes, goes into the squad room. DiNozzo, who is behind Ziva's desk, asks if he went home. McGee says only for an hour; DiNozzo says he's been there all night talking to agents and McGee goes home for an hour. He then again teases McGee about Amanda and makes film reference and also comments about his middle-aged world. Ziva says he's jealous and DiNozzo agrees he is, adding there's nothing wrong with being jealous. And he adds he's proud of McGee. Ziva wants to meet Amanda to make sure she's good enough for McGee. McGee says she is. Gibbs arrives at that point and tells them all to go to the conference room.

I really liked this scene and the three-way banter and how concerned/pleased in their own ways DiNozzo and Ziva were for McGee. It showed just how close the three are, how it's more than just colleagues; it's deep and close friendship. It was a good little scene.

In the conference room we come face to face with Agent Chad Dunham (whom we've hitherto only seen on the screen in MTAC). He is flirting with Ziva and she seems to be enjoying it and is flirting back. He welcomes her home, she thanks him for helping in the mission to rescue her and he says any time. DiNozzo really does not like the fact they are flirting with one another and draws attention to himself. Gibbs arrives with Kai's file and we learn Dunham had first hand experience of her. She was the best.

Dunham explains that in the early 80s an upper level minister began to train orphan girls were to kill for the cause. They fed them and housed them. Gave them a kind of life. DiNozzo, not wanting to let Dunham have the floor for too long, again getting in on the act says he's done some research and he's discovered Kai was brainwashed; she started off innocent, but when the other cracked, she didn't. Ziva says that's why in Hebrew she would have been called 'the bull'; she was stubborn. DiNozzo adds that Ziva should know.

Dunham also tells them that a Pak Su Ji is in the area, he's a retired old guard had been involved from day one, and is now a permanent attachment to the UN and he thinks it's more likely in fact that Kai is there to kill him and not Vance. DiNozzo has been in touch with the CIA and has learnt that Kai isn't as reliable as she once was. There was a lot of eye contact going on in this scene and DiNozzo's 'dislike' of the flirting was blatant. A wonderful scene for DiNozzo/Ziva fen.

We then have another bathroom scene - but this time it's DiNozzo going into the ladies. I know a lot of people didn't like the Ziva going into the men's room scenes and feel she was out of line, well my feeling is if she was then so was DiNozzo. IMHO, either both are okay or neither. Ziva is fixing her ponytail and DiNozzo walks along checking all the cubicles are empty before talking to her. He says it's in her blood; she's thinking how she'd get him; once he's found there's no one in the ladies, he locks the door. He says she's dangerous.

She then, quite deliberately, lets him think she assumes he's talking about getting Dunham. He reacts to that and wonders why she'd want Dunham; he thought they were talking about Su Ji. She says he's a Texan and she likes Texas and says he cleans up nice; he says not that nice. And she accuses him of playing 'big brother'; but he needn't worry as Dunham is a nomad and she's had enough of that kind of person in her life. She came to NCIS to settle down and have a home, the last thing she needs is a Chad Dunham. He moves a lot nearer to her and they are very close. She then says, getting back to 'getting him', she finds brute force interesting. DiNozzo then asks if she's talking about Su Ji or Texas Longhorn. She just looks him up and down, smiles and leaves him fake laughing.

Wow! Talk about a sizzling scene. This was really, really so full of DiNozzo/Ziva, a great scene for DiNozzo/Ziva fans. But it was just about still at the level where, if you take the 'big brother' comment it could be seen as friendship and DiNozzo concern for her, worrying and looking out for her. However, I do have to say that during this scene and the previous one I really, really saw DiNozzo/Ziva canon with them both being interested in one another at the same time. But eye of the beholder, etc.

We then go to Abby's lab and McGee is there; he wonders why she is looking at a slug from an LA case file and she says that Kai had used a different bullet there. He asks if she's done the ballistics on this case and she says she doesn't have the report yet. He is about to go and she says how happy he looks and it suits him and asks if he has anything to tell her. He tells her he's seeing someone and she hugs him and says she did know but hoped he'd tell her and how happy she is for him. But she is clearly not. She then talks about Eric from the LA office and how she hasn't met him, but McGee has and she's only been to California once to a cousin's wedding when she was six and she babbles about that for a moment or two before McGee says he has to go and for her to call him when she has the report. She repeats how happy she is and he goes.

Oh, another lovely scene where once again we get the consistent Abby over how she doesn't like to see 'her' men with anyone else. She was not happy for McGee, that much was blatantly (to me) clear. She still wants him. A wonderful Abby/McGee scene.

Gibbs wants Vance to contact the North Koreans and tell them Kai might be there to kill one of their own and he tells Vance about Su Ji being in town. Vance asks why the Koreans would listen and then wonders just that Kai's game is. She had him (and Jackie) dead to rights; she could have killed him outside his house, but didn't. Why? Gibbs asks about the relationship between them, Vance says he's the enemy, Gibbs gently questions that saying that Vance has been the constant. Ziva then arrives and tells Vance to put the TV on; Su Ji has been shot by a sniper and is on his way to the hospital for an operation. Vance picks up the phone and Gibbs leaves.

In the squad room they are all looking at the TV when Vance appears. Su Ji is in surgery. Gibbs asks for details of the shooting; nothing was left behind. DiNozzo comment that Kai isn't the best as Su Ji is still alive. They are wondering for whom she is working. There's a call from the State Department; North Korean have a message for Vance.

Gibbs and Vance are in MTAC talking to a woman from the State Department who tells them Kai is not operating under orders and that North Korea will aid in the hunt for Kai and then she'll be prosecuted by them to the full extent of both Korean and US law.

Back in the squad room DiNozzo is holding a piece of pizza and also taking about Kai and how she is dangling the killings in front of Vance's face. "Here I am, Director, I shot another one." McGee suggests she's trying to impress Vance; Ziva appears and says there's nothing impressive about killing someone.

Suddenly Amanda arrives; McGee is stunned, but DiNozzo told reception to bring her up. McGee introduces her to DiNozzo and Ziva and DiNozzo offers her a piece of pizza. She accepts, but then he says McGee should take her for a tour. McGee, however, says he'll take her back down as they are really busy. Ziva says they look good together and maybe it was meant to be. DiNozzo does not agree - nor do I.

In the lift Amanda asks if she'd embarrassed him and says how nice DiNozzo and Ziva are, McGee agrees and calls them his friends; she suggests maybe they could all go out together one evening. She also gently presses McGee and tries to find out what they are working on. They kiss and agree to meet at the coffee shop the next day and she goes. McGee is not a happy bunny.

My spider sense was not just tingling now it was crawling. This was one very, very troubling girl. It wasn't just the pushy, forward over the top way she behaved, it was more. I was now thinking that in some way she was tied in with Kai, maybe working with her. She wasn't just a stalker; she was dangerous.

Vance is in the car with two agents on the way home. He settles back into his seat and sees an envelope with his name on it. He opens it and there's a picture of Kai as a young girl holding a gun and on it in red capital letters was WHY? He gets a call to tell him Su Ji has died.

Abby has called Gibbs down and tells him she has the tox report on Su Ji and also Cirreux, adding how they both contracted late-in-life hand, foot and mouth virus, which is common in children, but not in adults. He asks if that's all she has; she says no and tells him how the wounds hadn't killed Su Ji; he died from a massive heart attack after surgery. It had been caused by the bullets being dipped in poison. 'Belt and braces' job. Gibbs comments "Never trust a beautiful woman." Abby asks what he's hiding and he produces a Caf-Pow!. She thanks him but says it's too late; so he brings out the other thing he's been hiding; a caffeine-free Caf-Pow! She says he's an enabler and tells him she loves him for it. He pats her face with both hands and leaves. A lovely scene for Gibbs/Abby fen and for Gibbs & Abby fen.

Amanda arrives at the coffee shop to find an angry McGee. He wants to know how come she knew where he worked. She said he told her; he says he didn't, he never does tell people. Then she pulls out a gun and in a South African accent demands to know where Kai is and if he doesn't tell her, she'll . . . Clearly 'kill you' was going to follow. However, at that moment she is shot dead and falls into McGee's arms. He looks up and there is Kai; the next second she has vanished. The killer has saved McGee's life.

McGee is with Gibbs and Vance who tell him Amanda's real name was Juliet Tippon, she was born in South Africa and had worked for the government before going off on her own. She's been hired by the North Koreans to kill Kai, as it appears they were concerned Kai would go to NCIS and tell what she knew. Amanda was going to kill McGee; Kai saved his life. Vance then shows Gibbs the photo from his car.

A very dejected McGee is telling DiNozzo he's going to join a monastery. Gibbs arrives and tells them to connect Cirreux and Su Ji. The poison was new; they were two targets from different worlds; both older men; neither had kids, but both had hand, foot and mouth virus, meaning they must have been in contact with children at some point. Gibbs suddenly runs off leaving three bemused people. DiNozzo say he hates it when Gibbs does that. McGee says it' totally unsatisfying. Very nicely done.

Gibbs and Vance are in Abby's lab. Gibbs is asking Vance about how Kai and the other children would have been recruited and trained and by whom. Vance tells him all kinds of people were involved. Gibbs then tells Abby to highlight one of the girls and says it's Kai. I recent picture of Kai shows the likeness. Then Abby show them a younger Cirreux and Su Ji. It appears Kai is murdering the men who turned her into a killer.

We then go to Autopsy; it's evening as the lights are dimmed Ducky has a bottle of scotch on his desk. With him is Gibbs who shows him the picture Kai left for Vance. They are sitting really close and as they start to talk they lean closer (squees happily). Gibbs asks about Kai and the past. Ducky says that Cirreux robbed Kai of her childhood and that she saw Su Ji as the father figure, the puppet master, Frankenstein. He explains how for Kai, Cirreux and Su Ji represented parental figures.

Gibbs then asks how she sees Vance. Ducky explains how all Kai's life she has been pursued by one man. Not physically or sexually, but mentally. Vance chased her, courted her even. She's never had a real relationship, she doesn't know that it is like to love or to be loved and Ducky fears she'll turn to Vance for help, as in her mind he has been her partner throughout the years.

This really was a lovely scene for Gibbs/Duck fen as they could barely have got closer and they didn't need to almost be in one another's laps given the big, empty room. Really, really lovely.

Vance gets home and calls out to Jackie; there is no answer. He also wants to know where the agents are. Suddenly Jackie appears, she looks troubled and scared. He then sees two bodies on the ground, he pulls out his gun, and Kai appears behind Jackie. She tells him she waited until the children had left the house and that the agents are only drugged. He says she's changing, she says not enough. He tells her to let Jackie go, but she won't for the moment and says Jackie is lucky to have him. He says he knows what she's done and why she killed Cirreux and Su Ji. She says he cannot possibly imagine what her life has been like. He mentions McGee and how she saved him; she says he didn't deserve to die. She says she died thirty years ago.

She pushes Jackie out of the way and they hold their guns on one another. She tells him she's counting on him to do what he did before and shows him the scar from the bullet he put in her chest all those years ago. She should have died then; she is already dead. She says she can't stop. He says he'll help her and she tells him he has helped her over the years. But now he has to finish it.

She lowers her gun and waits. Whether he'd have pulled the trigger, I don't know. I actually doubt it, not under the circumstances not in effect 'cold blood'. However, there is a shot from behind her; Jackie has taken the gun from the box in the dresser and has shot Kai. They embrace. . One thing did occur to me, how come Jackie managed to just kill Kai and not her hubby? As with McGee when Kai shot Amanda, it was a straight on shot and we know Gibbs killed Michelle via the same kind of thing, i.e. to kill her person behind her. And we saw that in this case Kai was bleeding on her front.

Outside as the body is being taken away and the area tidied we hear a voice over from McGee's self help CD. It's going on about how we are what we choose and how we should never allow our fears to set the frontier of destruction. "Destiny can't be changed, but it can be challenged. Every man is born s many men and dies as a single one." During this, Ziva is talking to Jackie, McGee is walking with Ducky and Gibbs is looking at a picture - it appears to be pre-Kai introduction to the life that destroys her. A smiling girl. He sighs, no doubt at the waste.

OVERALL

I really did not expect to like this episode so much, but I really did. I found it interesting and gripping.

The twist at the end as to why Kai killed Su Ji and Cirreux was excellent; I hadn't guessed that.

Amanda was clearly not 'right', but it was well built up and although signalled as clear as day, nonetheless worked well. She was a truly unpleasant girl even when she was meant to be being 'nice'.

All the characters were 'there' and 'there'; they were all very much in character as I love to see them. There was some wonderful scenes and exchanges and some great banter and despite the relative darkness of the case, some touches of humour.

A nice lot of ships for various pairings: Gibbs/Ducky, Gibbs/McGee, Gibbs/Vance, DiNozzo/McGee, DiNozzo/Ziva, Abby/McGee, Leon/Jackie *g*

Nothing for once was overdone; well nothing that much. The only thing that was were the constant references to LA.

Minor irks.

- No Jimmy.
- Jackie not getting down when she sees her husband with gun in hand.
- The fact we had two straight on shots where there was someone (McGee and Vance) behind the person being killed, and yet the bullets amazingly didn't go through Amanda and Kai and kill/injure McGee and Vance. Not, I hasten to add that I want either of them to be killed/injured, but it was a slight 'issue'.
- The constant references to LA. That was being rammed down our throats.

Best scenes:

- In the squad room re: McGee knowing DiNozzo had 'stolen' his CD.
- The first Gibbs and Vance in Vance's office.
- McGee, DiNozzo and Ziva in the squad room pre-conference room.
- DiNozzo and Ziva in the ladies.
- Abby and McGee when she tells him how happy she is.
- Abby and McGee when she's telling him how 'happy' she is for him.
- Gibbs and Ducky in Autopsy discussing Kai and her past and Vance.
- The final scene in the Vance house.

Ship of the week:

DiNozzo/Ziva

Character of the week:

Vance

Actor/Actress of the week:

Rocky Carroll

Storyline: 9.50

Enjoyment: 9.50

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