Week 2 (Sept. 20th-26th)

NCIS: Truth or Consequence

Recap: The episode opens with a torturer, Saleem Ulman, saying "you will talk soon" then mixes a truth serum. Camera then moves to a bruised and beaten Tony. Tony is narrating throughout the show by using flashbacks. He brings the audience back to June and then tells his story up to present date, in Somalia. In June, the team works to "fill the empty chair" because of Ziva's departure. Tony and McGee find an agent they think is eligible and present her file to Gibbs, he disapproves. Back to current date Tony tells Saleem why he is there to kill him and also how he found him, through a shipment Saleem ordered. Saleem at this point very angry leaves the room and returns with a hooded prisoner. Saleem says "the first to talk will live, the other will die" and removes the hood. It's Ziva! Tony knocks Saleem to the ground and Saleem pulls out a gun. Tony explains to Saleem that there is a "wild card" and he will die. Saleem calls him a liar and is shot by a sniper, Gibbs, through the window.

Bones: The Bond in the Boot

Recap: A man with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist is shot to death in a parking lot. The killer cuts of the dead mans hand steals the briefcase then runs over his body. B&B arrive at the scene about two days later and find cats chowing away at the corps. The dead man entered the country, from Russia, with a diplomatic clearance. No one knew how he received a diplomatic clearance and because his suitcase was missing the case was to be treated as a national security threat. Paint samples on the dead body led the lab to James Bond's car. Upon arrival at the car B&B found a dead liquefying CIA member in the trunk and on him Bond's gun. Investigation led them to find the CIA analyst knew about the diamonds killed the Russian and stole and hide the briefcase. Later the Analyst was killed by the diamond cutter in order to find the briefcase which she never did. The team located the briefcase and inside was a USB drive.

Law & Order: Memo from the Darkside

Recap:Greg Tanner, a war veteran, was found dead in a university parking garage. On the body was a parking pass belonging to a student that Greg was staying with. Detectives searched where he was staying and found a military bag. Law Professor Kevin Franklin has ties to Tanner and is the prime suspect. Tanner felt that it was because of Franklin that he had to torture during interrogation while on duty. The torturing caused Tanner mental anguish and he felt that Franklin should pay for his mental illness. Tanner asked for Franklin to pay for his damage; however, Franklin disagreed and then killed him. During the prosecution Franklin claimed self defense and explained he only set in law what was allowed to be done during interrogations; He claimed the Bush Administration allowed it to be done not him.

Summary

All episodes this week were good, however; there was one that was better than the rest. In my opinion, NCIS was the best this week. As for the 4 arguments why this was the best episode:
1. The plot entailed twists: First, was a minor twist I was surprised to see McGee was the man lying on the ground. Another plot twist near the end of the episode Gibbs snipped Saleem.
2. Unexpected events happening to characters: In this episode the bruised and beaten Ziva, lived; Also Tony and McGee also captured and tortured.
3. A sense of suspense: Tony's flashbacks created a sense of suspense. where was he going with it? How did they locate Saleem?
4. The return of a familiar character: This is something that is not going to occur often because it would lose its affect if it did.
Favorite line:(NCIS) Tony said "Well, how was your summer?" I know not a creative line but the amusing part was how he said it, in the middle of being tortured.

An added note:
Growing up my mother didn't let me watch very much television. She always had me playing outside for some unknown reason and she use to tell me television was bad for me. Well, television isn't bad for you and it doesn't rot your brain. A relatively recent study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research states that there is no evidence of negative affect of television exposure of which I completely agree.