NCIS Season 11 (2013)
NCIS Season 11 originally aired between September 24th 2013 and May 13th 2014, opening with the team fragmented after Tony, Tim and Ziva handed in their badges at the end of Season 10 in protest of the investigation against their leader Gibbs. A bomb explosion kills SECNAV Clayton Jarvis, and it’s revealed NCIS are being targeted with Ziva next on their list, prompting a manhunt to find her in Israel led by Tony. We finally get the Tiva romance we’ve waited for, as it’s revealed since the last season they’ve become entwined, but this is cut short after she decides to stay behind and DiNozzo returns to the US brokenhearted.
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For a while the reassembled team operates without a fourth agent, but episode 9 ‘Gut Check’ leads them to work with NSA analyst Ellie Bishop after a bug makes its way into MTEC, and she becomes such an asset to their operation she’s placed on a temporary joint assignment before becoming an official agent in episode 12. It took me a while to warm to her because she brings a completely new dynamic to the series, but it’s this that gives the show a new freshness. I love how akin to Abby she is with her patterns and quirks, sitting on the floor surrounded by paperwork with snacks as her guiding power, and the fact she isn’t afraid to defy orders and do what she feels is right.
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This season deals with some very real and impactful situations affecting Marines, from sexual assault in the episode ‘Alleged’ to homelessness in the episode ‘Shooter’. I think the series is at its strongest when it explores these topics, dealing sensitively while capturing the range of emotions and reactions they exhibit. We get a double episode in the middle, ‘Crescent City pt 1 & 2’, which acts as an introduction the spin-off series NCIS: New Orleans, bringing them together with the core cast to solve a case.
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Half of Season 11 is consumed by the hunt for terrorist Benham Parsa, Bishop having specialised in his capture for many years, whilst Jimmy Palmer grapples with adoption and the hopes of becoming a father. There’s also a great story arc about coming to terms with disability, as Delilah learns to use a wheelchair after being caught in the explosion at the beginning of the season, and the different ways people treat her because of this.
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One of my favourite episodes was ‘Bulletproof’, where it’s revealed family members of Marine’s have been sending equipment out to support their loved ones, only for it to be faulty using damaged stock for profit. I thought it was very well executed and an interesting idea where the threat to military life is actually coming from home. Another episode I loved was ‘Devil’s Triad’, which sees Diane and Tobias’s romance rekindled to the distaste of their daughter, who is kidnapped later in the episode and rescued thanks to the quick thinking of Bishop.
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The final episode pays tribute to Gibbs senior, as Ralph Waite unexpectedly passed away during the filming of this season. I think it was a very beautiful way to close Season 11, with flashbacks to Leroy’s childhood as he comes to terms with losing his father and the whole team pay their respects. It doesn’t come without drama, as Leroy is targeted while vulnerable, but his agents solve the case in the end.
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The special features is loaded with behind-the-scenes content, giving an overview of Season 11 and the challenges faced, from Cote’s sudden departure and finding the right actress to play Ellie. There’s a video about Pauley and Michael’s contributions to the NCIS soundtrack, and mini documentaries about the still photography for the show and the background actors who bring each scene to life. There’s also a touching tribute to Ralph Waite with cast members sharing their stories of him.
