Fall TV Prediction: The Return of 'NCIS'!

'NCIS' really heated up last season with its 'Season of Secrets', where a great many thing with the manin characters, such as Jethro Gibbs, (*played by Mark Harmon), Agent Magee (aka 'Probie'), Special Officer Zeeta David (*played by Cote DePablo), and even smart-aleck senior agent Tony Denozo, who has kept quite a few secrets of his own. But, before we start getting into all of these secrets, the main one that we need to examine in this article is their current investigation into 'The Frog' and Director Shephard's fascination with wanting to catch him as well as other connecting information that has been left behind to make us wonder about this mysterious character.

For the last few seasons, we have seen Shephard and Gibbs exchange a lot of banter over their past history as well as following department procedures (which we all know he is lousy at!), and there were times more often than not that you could see that sparkle of romance that has been trying to rekindle lest the two characters even know about it. Now, Shephard (*played with great emphasis by Lauren Holly), has went almost to the point of fanaticism when it comes to finding this arms dealer and will do anything it takes to keep him from getting his hands on any more weaponry to sell to those that would be considered enemies of the United States....even if it means committing murder to make sure that he cannot hurt anyone else. The last that we know of Shephard's whereabouts, she was last in Paris attending a conference, where she went into talks with The Frog's second-in-command, who it turns out is an undercover agent of the CIA, who has been doing everything in their power to make sure that NCIS is not allowed into their jurisdiction in this case. She has also went to Russia to meet with an old and dying Russian general who may have held the location of the arm dealer's whereabouts, as well as trusting him from being a contact of her father's, a highly-decorated colonel in the Marines. But, to her surprise, she doesn't learn of the suspect's location, but rather something else that has come up. The general, upon his deathbed, told the director that he had seen her father, who has been dead for nearly five years, and he was standing in front of him in the hospital three weeks before she had arrived alive! There was also an innuendo that her father may have had dealings with The Frog, and that he may have also been working for him!

There are yet still other tidbits of information that also connect to the enigmatic Frog that is making this case even that much more dangerous. For starters, Tony has acquired a new girlfriend, Shawn, who is a prominent doctor at a local area hospital. But, what Tony did not know was the consequences of having his new girlfriend, as she does not know that he has been undercover for several weeks at the director's order to try to dig up any information about the Frog's network and anything that he may be trying to get his hands on, such as the Top Secret project known as 'Aries', a prototype weapons system that, if it falls into the wrong hands, could mean that the world will never be safe again. But, here's the real clincher...Shawn is the daughter of the same man that he and his team are seeking, and right now he is sitting in his limousine, not knowing if the man knows his identity or not! If he does, there is a good chance that Tony will have to decide which side he is on, and whether or not love is worth the price of his life!

Then, we cannot rule out the possibilty of forensic expert, Dr. Mallard (*a.k.a 'Ducky', played with zeal by David McCallum of 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' fame), who was involved in a sting operation not too long ago with the Frog, posing as a delivery man of the Aries project to him, who turns out to be a traitor to his country and a well-respected scientist. If 'The Frog' has made the good doctor, there is a good chance that Ducky made have painted a large target on his back, and could place him in even greater danger! The sick sad thing is that Ducky almost admired him!

Now, before I can give my prediction, I must look to The Frog himself, (*played with great coolness by master actor Armand Assante), who may be more intelligent than he appears. Here's what we do know:

1) The Frog is a master of espionage and keeping his affairs in the shadows. Every time that Gibbs and his team have attempted to get close to him, he has evaded any form of capture and has been on the loose since.

2) If he has made anyone that was working undercover during this case, everyone is at risk, and with the resources that he has at his disposal, which could include to the deepest levels of our own CIA, no one is safe!

3) The Frog has already stated in the season ender that he will use anything at his disposal, including his daughter, if it will get those who are chasing him off of his trail. He is not afraid to kill, and he could give the order on any of them at a moment's notice.

4) His interest in Director Shepard is slightly unnatural, as he seems to be doing anything and everything to goad her on in attempting to catch him. What is his reasoning? Why is he so fascinated with the NCIS team that he is willing to risk his discovery in order to keep his little game going, and the others know that it will be a hard time sticking anything on him as he cannot be touched easily?

Here is what I think: In order for them to get the arms dealer out of the market, a few choice things have to happen. First, Jethro is going to have to get a tight reign on his former lover, as since this case has began, she has let her emotions be the drive behind her actions. In this respect, Jethro will have his work cut out for him, as if he doesn't find a way to cool the fire that is burning within her for revenge, it could very well end up getting her killed. Also, Tony has a decision to make. If he stays with Shawn, not only does he not have the protection of NCIS he is also dating someone that is connected to a felon that is looking to destroy America. They have already bought an apartment together, and it would not surpise me that even though the two have been in nesting talks during this time that he does not end up getting killed by the father. But, there is also the chance that he could live. In keeping with The Frog's normal mode of operations, he may let Tony go in exchange for information on his bosses' activities. Or, he may merely keep him as a hostage and possibly use him as a mole by thretening the safety of Shawn. At this junction, it could go either way.

There is also the possibility of the team getting some extra help from the outside, say from Israeli Intelligence, whom Officer David has been meeting with unknown to Gibbs, as she had used them in her own personal pursuit of a known terrorist that was still in America that was hiding here to avoid arrest and capture. If she continues with this connection, it will remain to be seen if the Mossad will actually step in and lend a hand, as they stand to lose also if Aries is ever used. Unless Gibbs or David can find some way around the beauracracy, The Frog may very well and easily get away.

Here is what I fear: If Tony gets killed, that means that the character will be gone forever and the introduction of a new character either during the current season or the beginning of the next one will happen if the series continues. This is what happened when Officer David was introduced, after Kate, another fellow agent, was murdered by David's brother, Ari, a leader of a terrorist cell here in America that was connected to Al-Quaeda. It was after this that yet another character was gone and a new one came in. Then, of course, we cannot forget about the Director. With the Director being in her current state of mind, she is prone to do anything. Will Jethro help her get her revenge, or will he force her to play it by the book? One thing is certain. The Director has already made herself known in the pursuit of this criminal and that tends to gain more eyes upon you than you would really want when you are working something like this. It's not even going like an investigation for Shepard, but more like a 'black operation', barely giving Gibbs any reasoning behind her motives for doing things such as Tony going undercover to get as close to The Frog as he could.

So, what do I think will happen? I do have a theory. This type of storyline has been used in a lot of series in the past as well as in movies, where a central character has been placed in a very extremely sticky situation and will often more times than not get themselves killed. It usually means that the writers were tired of Lauren Holly's role and are looking to take the series in a different direction. But, we may lose more than one, with the next possibility of Tony. Who knows what will happen next? The real fact I think remains is not if they will catch 'Le Ronoui' or not, but who will end up being the casualties when they catch him?