NCIS: Spider and the Fly (2010)
Season 8, Episode 1
10/10
"'Will you walk into my parlor?' said the Spider to the Fly."
22 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
As I previously watched Psycho a few weeks ago for English, we learned about this poem by Mary Howitt being referenced in the movie. It was about walking into a trap without even noticing.

The title of the episode hints us that someone would be walking into a trap but we are anxious to find out as minimal spoilers were given beforehand or the episode being far from predictable.

So, Ten out of ten? YES, IT'S EXCELLENT! And no, I didn't just give that rating because I'm a fan - it was truly quality entertainment worth spending an hour watching.

The plot is picking up from what the Season Finale of Season 7 left off and came with major expectations from the fans and new viewers of maintaining their place on top of the TV tree. It begins with a recap of what has happened last season to give us an insight of the previous events.

Before I start on the positives, I will just comment on the negatives first. The only weak moments of the episode, I must say is when they go to the site of 'helicopter crash' where they find two bodies linked back to Reynosa drug cartel.

Yes, Brian Dietzen was fantastic having more camera time in his adorable roll of Jimmy Palmer but the team seemed so tense and professional. The office may I also say seemed quite boring without the regular team (who McGee was currently in Canada and Ziva in Miami) in the first minutes of the episode but that soon changes.

As for the positives, there are so many! I would like to explain them all but I will be just be brief, being weary of the one thousand word or less limit.

The newfound reignited father-son relationship between the Gibbs' is shown throughout the episode by wonderful acting and a brilliant script. The extreme measures that we observes from Leroy Jethro Gibbs to protect his father like spending more time with him and reassigning agents for his dad; just show how much he loves his father and now finally displaying it.

The humor is subtly used throughout the episode to make light of serious situation and to keep us in a generally captivated mood. This is shown in the scene when McGee is Canada and DiNozzo is joking around, Abby seeking advice from a security guard and the banter between Tony + Ziva.

The amount of locations throughout the episode keeps us on our feet from being in the car park to the safe house, then we go Gibbs house and NCIS headquarters. You can see that there was various locations to create an effective excitement throughout the episode.

I must say I compliment the cast and crew on NCIS for doing a exquisite job in transition between scenes and shots as it remained fast-paced but it all went well to sink in properly.

The use of subtle things done within the episode, really opens the door to future story-lines that could excite many viewers. These include Tony 'IM'ing his father, Vance mysterious contact with Director David (Ziva's Dad)and Ziva's light-weighted messaging to someone from Miami.

The appearance of the characters is very well done to, all wearing clothing that is true to their personality and quite uniquely stylish. Also Sean Murray who plays Tim McGee is looking fantastic since his weight-loss lately.

As I am a 'Tiva' (Tony and Ziva pairing) fan, I especially loved the moment they had where they had flirtatious banter. The chemistry and humor between them was nailed down perfectly with developing a better relationship between the characters since previous seasons.

The plot in general was fantastic and provided many shocks and twists that were unexpected. Such as Alejandro killing his own sister, Ziva + McGee being in Miami and Canada, etc.

As for the key moment? I began to cry a little during the end when Alejandro killed his own sister, she had become likable somehow and the words she spoke originating from the Spider and the Fly poem made more sense and were somewhat powerful. Off I Go by Greg Laswell, The last song played in the last few minutes was wonderful and fit the mood perfectly, I loved it.

So, Maybe it doesn't compare to other season finales such as Season 5's 'Bury Your Dead' and 7's 'Truth or Consequences', but it is a definite must see all fans and all new viewers, to not only have an insight of one of the character's past but see how the team work effectively together to get out of tricky situations like these.

If this episode is what Season 8 has to come, I think this season has potential to be the best yet. It's funny, it's romantic, it's action- packed, it's thrilling, it's incredible, it's different, it's unique... IT'S THE BEST YET!
10 out of 14 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

Recently Viewed