And the Award for Best Director goes to...

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And the Award for Best Director goes to...

One of the least appreciated jobs on NCIS has to be Director. Sure, you get power, a sweet office, and you get to boss around one of the toughest men in the fictional world. But the way the show is written, you're kind of painted as the jerk interfering with the way Jethro does his job best--getting it done.

We've seen three distinct styles of director now. So I thought I'd review some pros and cons about each and figure out who, in the final analysis, did the best job.

First, we saw Morrow. He had the gravelly voice and crusty demeanor you'd expect from the director of, say, a Naval Criminal Investigative Service. He was no-nonsense, goal-oriented, and for some reason was always in the cool movie-theater room. He was kind of like a bad father-he wasn't around much, was sort of nasty when he was, and ended up leaving to go get something better. Still, he did a good job, and let's not forget he was played by Alan Dale-major pros.

Then we got to know Jenny Shepard. And we got to love her. She had a special place in Jethro's heart, which means she of course has a special place in ours. Now I know most people would say no contest, she is the best. And rightly so-she handled her love for Gibbs, workplace sexual tension, and a terminal illness she kept secret with a steeliness that only Jethro could match. She was around more than Morrow, and she was much easier on the eyes. Plus, she went down taking out a bunch of Russian assassins in a diner-she's clearly earning more than the sympathy vote here.

Now we're getting to know Vance. And my first instinct was that there was no way he could hope to live up to Shepard. At the very least, there's no chance of him getting cozy with Jethro. But more than that, he just didn't have that certain something that made you smile whenever Jenny came on the screen. He felt kind of like Morrow-fine, but nothing more. And then we got to know a little more about him. He keeps a very nicely stocked bar in his office, and isn't afraid to use it. He understood Jethro's commitment to Mike Franks, and gave him enough leeway to help his friend and mentor out. And he didn't do a bad job handling an assassin he shot in the chest pointing a gun at him.

Shepard is the obvious choice, but I think we should all give Vance a chance. And regardless of who we think is best, hats off to the gents and lady who keep the office running and keep the jerks from the FBI off of the NCIS' turf.

jon
Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:03:50 +0000

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