Critic’s Ranking: 3 / 5.0
3
“Killer Intuition” delivered one of the crucial chaotic circumstances of the season, mixing serial killers, encrypted hitmen, and a facet of marital pressure served up over Coq au Vin.
NCIS Season 22 Episode 17 threw the group — and viewers — right into a tangled internet of poetic murders, authorities conspiracies, and simmering mistrust.
It did all of it whereas giving McGee a private stake that lastly pushed him out of the shadows and again into the highlight.
Common clients had been sipping espresso at an outside café when a SWAT-style takedown dropped in like a scene out of The Bourne Id.
Their goal? A quiet man named Paul Morton, who was simply making an attempt to take pleasure in his breakfast earlier than being arrested for the homicide of Commander Ryan Willis.
An older buyer named Flo thought that if she didn’t thoughts her Ps & Qs, SWAT may transfer on her subsequent. She anxiously handed the waitress an enormous tip with a whispered promise to not make hassle. Flo, I felt that in my bones.
It seems Morton is a hitman, however not simply any hitman. He’s received a pocket book of poetry with pages torn out and a fame for killing with poetic aptitude. Enter The Poet, NCIS’s latest serial killer.
Morton seems to be like your common middle-aged man — not engaging, not threatening, simply… there, which might be why he’s gotten away with a lot. However who employed him? That’s the million-dollar query — and the one which yanks McGee into the fray.
Cue the whiplash: McGee’s spouse, Delilah, walks into HQ with none aside from Deputy Director Gabriel Laroche. I had the identical response McGee did: “I’m sorry, Gabe?”
Let’s be sincere — McGee doesn’t purchase Laroche’s “I’m only a good man with an vital job” routine, and neither do I. Delilah does.
She thinks McGee’s mistrust of Laroche is knowledgeable drawback, not a private one. I disagree. This man performs chess whereas the group performs checkers — and never in a cool, Gibbs kind of manner.
We haven’t seen Delilah since NCIS Season 21 Episode 9, the place she was extra enthusiastic about house renovations than federal crimes. And now she’s all of a sudden “serving to” the group?
Kassie acts like Delilah’s been instrumental this entire time, however she hasn’t even earned Tactical Wallpaper standing. Let’s name it what it’s — McGee is simply married when it’s handy to the plot.
As for Morton, his subsequent goal is Chief Warrant Officer Ian Garza. Earlier than he can act, he recites traces from a poem by Alan Seeger: “I’ve a rendezvous with loss of life…”
After which, whereas in custody — in custody — he dies. Seems, he had tiny glass capsules embedded in his arms stuffed with a paralytic and an enzyme. Self-inflicted homicide by science. That’s dedication.
Jimmy buzzing nursery rhymes whereas engaged on Morton? Peak creep issue. However let’s not dwell — there’s one other goal on the market, and Morton didn’t act alone.
Jess reveals that each victims had ties to a Division of Vitality railcar named Atlas — sure, that’s an actual factor.
Atlas strikes spent nuclear gas throughout the nation a few instances a 12 months, and each Willis and Garza labored that element. That’s the connection. The kill checklist simply received deeper.
And right here comes Laroche once more, chiming in with the apparent: “We have to discover who employed him.” Wow. Insightful. Thank goodness he’s right here to maintain the group on observe.
Delilah, we study, is working in Cyber now. Laroche visited her workplace, which in some way led to some’s dinner together with his spouse, who’s apparently making Coq au Vin.
Earlier than this charming ceremonial dinner, we study that Delilah has constructed some customized encryption software program to assist crack the case. Helpful.
Morton used a hitman dealer — due to course he did. Her identify’s Gemma Wooden, and he or she runs a diamond enterprise. The plan? Fake Morton continues to be alive to attract her out.
Nick goes undercover — and by that, I imply he barge-rants his manner by the entrance door with all of the subtlety of a drunk moose. It’s laughable. If that is how NCIS handles covert ops, we’re doomed.
And Gemma? She flirts with him. Ew.
Even Jess’s flip as an irate pretend buyer threatening a Yelp assessment couldn’t save the scene. And the ring she used? The one from her pretend marriage to Nick on NCIS Season 22 Episode 11.
She stored it as a result of she likes having it. , as a substitute of shopping for herself one like a traditional grownup lady may.
Finally, they hyperlink Gemma to Carla Marino, an old-school mobster from Kansas Metropolis.
Carla’s identify has floated across the NCIS universe earlier than — she’s been tied to soiled dealings and arranged crime in previous episodes — so her presence provides some weight.
With 20 minutes left within the episode, I braced for impression. And yep — it received dumber.
The group raids Gemma’s place, finds a second hidden protected (naturally), and Delilah’s dinner turns right into a pasta-sauce emergency so McGee can sneak off to analyze Laroche’s recordsdata.
It seems that Laroche is on a top-secret safety board for Atlas. Why didn’t he inform anybody? As a result of it’s prime secret, duh.
Nonetheless, McGee doesn’t belief him, and he has some extent.
Laroche is the explanation Torres’s undercover op imploded final 12 months. The person’s shady, regardless of how properly he faucet dances by bureaucratic nonsense.
Finally, McGee pretends to be The Poet to lure out the newest hitwoman, who is much too bubbly to be plausible, and phases a pretend capturing with an actual bullet to avoid wasting Laroche’s life. Teamwork makes the dream work, apparently.
And in some way, Laroche comes out the opposite finish grateful for McGee’s assist. Vance is irritated however begrudgingly impressed when Parker reveals a Nexus Cartel tattoo on one of many would-be assassins.
The Nexus Cartel has popped up sometimes in NCIS lore as an elusive and harmful group, with ties to weapons smuggling and worldwide corruption.
As for Carla Marino? Nonetheless no solutions.
However Delilah traced a VPN node known as Nocturne again to a Division of Protection server — the identical identify McGee present in Laroche’s pocket book. Suspicious a lot?
Ultimately, McGee whispers a parting shot to Laroche: “I’m coming for you.” No peace. No forgiveness. Recreation on.
If “Killer Intuition” featured among the worst NCIS has to supply, it circled again with a setup worthy of the sequence. However what did you consider this late entry to NCIS Season 22?
Was McGee’s poetic justice satisfying, or did the convoluted plot go away you scratching your head?
Solid your vote in our episode ballot and share your ideas within the feedback beneath — let’s focus on!
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