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NCIS's latest episode, titled The Helpers, could be the best one in quite some time. This episode manages to tick all the boxes by being very fast-paced, emotional, and personal. It even establishes a larger arc that will continue in the upcoming episodes while introducing a new nemesis, Raven.
After a gap of over one month, NCIS returned with the perfect episode, wasting no time getting to business. A complicated case, combined with some very relatable family issues, emotional talks, and a very rapidly escalating crisis, make this the best episode of this season.
NCIS review: Race against death
The show's opening scene depicts a worn-out Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) and Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) on the floor of their lab. This is an outstanding choice for an opening scene as it builds great intrigue in the viewer's mind.
From here, the show goes back to look at the circumstances that led to this point, and it was a very interesting unwinding.
The root of the major crisis was highly believable, and the timing was just not right. It arises on the very day Jimmy Palmer gets his daughter, Victoria, to work. Of course, her presence makes for some compelling drama, as the team attempts to conceal the fact that her father is dying in the next room.
Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) steps up to this occasion, delicately taking care of young Victoria and indulging her in various charades. At this point, it seems like Torres can do everything humanly possible inside the show.
Meanwhile, the story gets more complicated, and the team calls for help from a familiar figure, Dr Carol Wilson (Meredith Eaton).
Her intervention is helpful, but through some harrowing revelations, the plot gets more and more complicated from this point on, even involving a cult-leader-like figure, Raven. When they finally do get their hands on the antidote, it is nearly too late, but both the doctors still make it.
Moments before, however, Jimmy and Kasie admit to certain things as death nearly approached them. This includes Jimmy having visions of his dead wife.
However, the ending of the episode does not solve it "all." Instead, it hints at a bigger crisis, a more dangerous one, connected to today's case.
Technical aspects of the episode
Technically this episode of NCIS was as good as its intriguing storyline. It managed to outshine all other episodes in terms of how it looked and felt. The camera angles were perfect, and the transitions were very smooth. The editing set a nice pace for the episode, which was enough to keep viewers engaged over the one-hour duration.
Brian Dietzen was exceptional in simple words, and this was by far the best acting seen from him on this show. He was convincing as a doctor, a victim, and a father. His subtlety cannot be overstated.
Reasonover was also good, accompanying Dietzen on the same boat, but the latter shone brighter.
The script of this episode was better than what was seen from NCIS in a long, long time. Not only was it fast-paced, well-curated, and fascinating, but it struck every right chord and every right emotion time and again over the episode.
In certain scenes, the color stood out, but it was more or less similar. Other than that, the sound design was also very apt and subtle.
Fans will surely be eager for a new episode, especially after this sumptuous ride. The next episode of NCIS will be out on March 7.
