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.
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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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Beawild Thu 31 Aug 2017 01:12AM UTC
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