Thank you so much for continuing to include Tony in your stories! I continue to be a fan of the show, but have to admit that I missed him terribly in Season 14...and will likely feel the same about the upcoming 15th season as well.
You captured Tony's ability to think on his feet and secretly share information with Gibbs perfectly. Remember Season 3's "Bait," when Tony let Gibbs know that Kody's mom was (we thought) dead, by saying that Agent Todd was on the case? (I love that episode, not so much for its storyline, but because it showed Tony's ability to take charge...and how his sometimes unconventional approaches generally worked brilliantly.)
This also brought back wonderful memories of Season 6's "Last Man Standing." The video conference between Tony, onboard the carrier, and Gibbs and McGee in MTAC, makes me laugh every time I see it, with Tony calling Gibbs "Pa," and talking about the chickens! :D
Thank you! I do like the new characters, but I miss Tony (and Ziva, and Jenny, and Kate...) It's been fun writing early-season stories, so I imagine I'm going to keep going:) And I was thinking about the video conference - Gibbs just rolls with it, leading me to believe that's not the first time that's happened...
I miss MW's portrayal of Tony. NCIS is not the same without its "very" special agent. It's missing its humor and heart. It seems that I'm not the only one who thinks so, as the ratings dropped for the entire season.
I think Season 14 had a ton of challenges. Had it been "just" the absence of Michael as Tony, the show would have still had a very different feel; for me, Tony was the glue that held the team together, his relationships and the way he interacted with each one kind of tailored to the other person...not to mention he'd been there since the backdoor pilot on "JAG." Still, Michael was very professional about his decision, giving the showrunner and writers plenty of time to not only work up a plausible exit arc for Tony, but to plan ahead for the next season(s) without him as well.
Sadly, though, they lost Gary Glasberg too...*and* had *three* new characters to introduce. Just as with the fictional team, the chemistry between the actors had to develop and, along with that, the audience's reaction to the "newbies" had to be considered. I could understand them featuring Quinn, Torres and Reeves a bit heavily in the first few episodes, to introduce them and gauge how the fans liked them...but, in my opinion, they carried that too far, extending it (especially with Quinn) all the way through- and they lost sight of the characters we've known and loved for years along the way. I, for one, noticed a distinct lack of Jimmy Palmer (the one meaty episode he had didn't, for me, make up him not being seen at all in five episodes, and being just a tiny blip on the radar in many others.) Because they seemed so focused on introducing the new people and getting us to accept them, I think they missed some terrific opportunities. Specifically, I think they could/should have featured an arc with McGee adjusting to his new role as Senior Field Agent- perhaps reflecting on how much responsibility the position carries, being concerned that he might not have what it takes to do the job...with perhaps some references to Tony along the way. Tony's absence created a huge hole...and I felt as if it became the elephant in the room that none of the established characters were allowed to acknowledge, except in rare and brief moments. Much of Tim's role on the team was defined by Tony over the years and having him just seamlessly step up into being the SFA seemed a bit implausible to me.
Whew! Sorry for the dissertation! As you might be able to tell, this is something to which I've devoted a little bit of thought. :D In short, I adored Tony...and there will always be a DiNozzo-shaped hole in the show for me with him gone.
Tony was my favorite character thanks to MW's portrayal. He imbued Tony with charm and his sense of humor made me laugh, his good looks didn't hurt either. I don't blame Michael for leaving to be the lead on his own show. In an interview he said that he probably had overstayed for 4 or 5 years, but that he was having fun. Tony should have been team leader years ago, he couldn't stay as Gibbs' SFA for ever. Personally, I didn't like the way Tony was treated by Gibbs. When he left for Mexico with a mere "you'll do". When he came back he didn't utter a word of praise, he just threw Tony's things on his old desk. The head slaps got old. They were cute when Tony was young, but they were humiliating by the time he was in his 40s. I also wasn't crazy about the way that Ziva and McGee always ganged up on Tony, they questioned his authority and disrespected him. Yes he teased them, but he was never cruel. For example, he would have never held a dinner party, invited the whole team and not invited Ziva like she did to him. I found it appalling during the episode "Dead Air" that they shut the sound off and left Tony without back-up for two hours. Anyone in law enforcement knows that you don't leave your partner without back-up because anything can happen at any time. Ziva and McGee should at the very least have been suspended, what they did was unprofessional. Therefore, in some respects I'm glad that Tony went off to better pastures, although I miss him on the show. I still watch it, but not as closely as on previous years.
First, a quick apology to ami_ven for the thread jack!
I agree with much of what you've said here. Tony's character was infused, I think, with Michael's own wit and charm. I saw something Jesse Stern posted a number of years ago in which he said that Michael was the only cast member routinely permitted to ad lib. He cited specifically Tony saying to Saleem Ulman in "Truth or Consequences," "Say, can I get a glass of Chardonnay or something?" and also, from "South by Southwest," Tony's comment, "Oh no. Sheriff, I think he lost a contact," when his horse just turns in circles after he mounts up. Michael understood Tony, and I think the writers missed the mark when, over a number of seasons, he was portrayed a little more than the class clown and the butt of the joke.
With respect to Gibbs, I didn't judge him too harshly for his, "You'll do" commentsince, coming from Gibbs, that could be considered high praise. I did, however, wince, when Gibbs returned for good and just put Tony's stuff on his desk. Ouch! From my perspective, I think Gibbs truly respected and cared for Tony...but we needed more confirmation of that, such as when Gibbs told Senior, in "Flesh and Blood," that Tony was "the young agent [he'd] ever worked with." As for the heads slaps, I think they became synonymous with Gibbs (and with Tony in particular)...and they were something a lot of fans liked, so they continued. I do think they were used to great effect in both "SWAK" and "Frame Up."
I wholeheartedly agree with regard to the attitudes of Ziva and Tim and their questioning of Tony's authority...and also despised the implications of "Boxed In" and "Dead Air." The first was simply cruel, while the second, as you point out, could have had an horrific outcome (though I did enjoy Michael's portrayal of Tony dealing with his strained vocal cords!)
Going forward, I think Wilmer Valderama's Torres could be a good source of the humor that's so much a part of the team...but I will still continue to miss Tony terribly. He really was the heart of the team in my opinion...and you're right: his good looks didn't hurt a bit!
(Please excuse any typos; it's early here, and I'm only just now getting to my second cup of coffee! :D)
I used to do theater, most people who do comedy well are quite intelligent. Timing and ad libbing are innate and are quite hard to teach. Having watched quite a few of Michael's interviews, I think that he's quite intelligent and well educated. It's hard to leave the #1 show worldwide. Having a steady gig nd a good paycheck is quite difficult for over 90% of actors, but Tony should have moved on years before he finally left. The character had grown beyond his position. As for Gibbs, I like Mark Harmon and he does a great job portraying Gibbs, but his character can be a total self-involved jacka$$. IMO, he's a good man and agent, but a terrible manager. Gibbs never got over the deaths of his "girls" and is in a perpetual state of anger. He lashes out at people, particularly at Tony. He is in dire need of therapy. It's thanks to him that Ziva and McGee disrespected Tony. I recall one instance when he gave the lead to McGee. That's not how the chain of command goes. If the team leader is unavailable, then the SFA is in charge, not the junior agent. He constantly undermined Tony's authority, and as we already discussed, the consequences were in full effect when Tony was left in charge while Gibbs "retired" to Mexico. All of these inconsistencies I blame on the writers. As I said, I'll continue to watch NCIS, but not with the same enthusiasm as when MW was on the show.
Fans don't like change and Tony was one of the most popular characters of the show. If one goes by the two main fan fiction sites, he may even have been the most popular, as there are more fan fics written with him as the main focus than any other character. The show hired three people to replace Tony, although Quinn won't be around this coming season. As you said, Tony was the glue of the show. IMO, he was also the heart and the one who provided a much needed dose of humor. Torres and Reeves are good additions, but like when one loses a loved one, they'll never replace Tony. As for Jimmy, with three new characters they had to introduce to the audience, they didn't have much time for him. I hope that the focus will be spread more equally this season. We'll see.
One thing did tick me off about last season. When McGee got married, they couldn't have Tony skype for a couple of minutes? Tim and Delilah are living in Tony's old apt., for goodness sake!!! The audience would have loved seeing Tony and MW could have taped the segment in NY (where Bull is shot). I'm sure that he would have loved to have done it. It was a wasted opportunity.
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MidwestDreamer Sat 26 Aug 2017 09:09AM UTC
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ami_ven Sun 27 Aug 2017 02:33AM UTC
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Beawild Sun 27 Aug 2017 04:41AM UTC
Last Edited Sun 27 Aug 2017 04:41AM UTC
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MidwestDreamer Sun 27 Aug 2017 10:07AM UTC
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Beawild Mon 28 Aug 2017 07:13AM UTC
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MidwestDreamer Mon 28 Aug 2017 09:15AM UTC
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