EPISODE RANKINGS: SEASON SIX

1. Heartland, an excellent plot with excellent acting all round.
2. Nine Lives, an excellent Fornell plot differing from traditional Fornell episodes.
3. Capitol Offence, a very good plot and sub plot with interesting relationships shown.
4. Bounce, reversal of roles which makes Gibbs proud. Tony hasn't been used to being in charge for a while.
5. Cloak, a very good and paced episode as Gibbs and the team attempt to corner Lee.
6. Deliverance, a very good episode involving Mike Franks and Gibbs' history.
7. Aliyah, a very good ending to the season in which Ziva loses trust in everyone.
8. Semper Fidelis, a very nicely paced episode with the Ziva and Tony feud ultimately in Rivkins death.
9. Last Man Standing, we finally find out what and why Gibbs team was split in a good episode.
10. Dead Reckoning, first episode involving Trent Kort in the main firing line, good episode.
11. Collateral Damage, good engaging episode.
12. Caged, Who would have thought McGee would grow a pair in a women's prison.
13. Dagger, a good ending to the Mole in NCIS storyline.
14. Knockout, the first Vance oriented episode was good.
15. Broken Bird, Ducky's history is slightly confusing but great acting anyway.
16. Agent Afloat, a good episode reminiscing of the Season 1 days.
17. Toxic, a good episode involving Abby when she changed jobs rather suspiciously.
18. Legend (Part 2), a good introduction to the spin-off, but this is NCIS not the spin-off. First ever episode without Ducky.
19. South by Southwest, a good episode, slightly overdone ending but decent.
20. Love and War, a decent plot episode, but Tony is extremely weak in his acts against McGee.
21. Hide and Seek, decent episode similar to "Lost and Found".
22. Road Kill, a decent episode with good air guitar scenes.
23. Murder 2.0, interesting enough but occasionally confusing.
24. Legend (Part 1), decent plot, poorly executed in terms of pace (boring).
25. Silent Night, decent plot somewhat ruined by Abby with some cringing scenes.

"RULE FIFTY-ONE": WHAT I EXPECTED VS. WHAT I GOT

• I expected more Mike Franks. Of course, I have absolutely no problems with how it played out, but with the mystery, I thought he would come out of hiding a little earlier. Franks was part of the plot throughout the entire episode, with references to his missing whereabouts. There are some unanswered questions with Franks.
• There was the quote that the finale would be shocking. I don't think it was overly shocking. There were no deaths of loved characters. Nor did any of the main cast members find them in imminent danger. While the ending was somewhat unexpected, it was more tame than outright shock.
• I expected scenarios which would be out of the blue. I certainly got this. Jackson Gibbs actually appearing was out of the blue, there was no warning. Franks losing his finger, completely unexpected. Most would have thought he'd have died before that was going to happen.
• Michael Weatherly had said that the finale would be tragic. While indeed it was sad at many times, I wouldn't call it tragic. It perhaps would have been tragic had Jackson Gibbs actually died. Other than that, there was no where near the tragedy level that "Twilight" or "Judgement Day" brought.
• Less Vance, while this wasn't a big thing, after "Patriot Down" I perceived the Vance-Gibbs relationship resolved at least for another season. But they stepped up another level, with a bit of deceit and honesty, by both sides. But contrary to last season, they are both on the same side now.
• Gibbs and his non Gibbs decisions. I think a quote that was said was Gibbs would make decisions that normal Gibbs wouldn't make. While his tone and decisions aren't what we fans are used to, I don't think many of the decisions were non-Gibbs. There were some sad moments for Gibbs and I didn't expect the flashback with Shannon and Franks.
• Finally, I thought M. Allison Hart would have more of a role to play in the finale, but she didn't. She only appeared in two scenes, which I thought was a good use of her character.
• I also expected that most of my expectations wouldn't be correct. One of NCIS's great strength's is its ability to surprise and go along unexpected paths. This, I believe, happened in this episode.
  

MCGEE IN SEASON FIVE

WHERE TO NOW FOR MIKE FRANKS