NCIS Season 7 Episode 1: "Truth or Consequences" Recap & Review

Episode Recap: Season Six of NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) hung viewers on the cliff with Mossad Liaison Officer Ziva David having left the team, deciding to stay in Israel as a result of "creative differences" with DiNozzo (a.k.a. Tony being forced to kill Ziva's Mossad Officer-slash-boyfriend Michael Rivkin after incriminating evidence pointed to either him or Ziva as withholding evidence vital to U.S. national security).

Ziva went on an "Aliyah"-a rite of forgiveness-in order to take down a larger terrorist cell Rivkin had been investigating (via Israeli Mossad Director Eli David's orders, which are illegal under foreign diplomacy). Presumably, she went undercover and the last scene from season six showed her captured, about to be tortured for information on NCIS by an English speaking terrorist somewhere in Somalia.

The new season begins with the story of how Ziva is freed from capture, although surprisingly at the beginning of the episode we find Tony in the very same dungeon and in just as horrible condition as Ziva was oh so many months ago. Ziva is nowhere to be found, but the very same terrorist is and dopes up Tony with a variation on the old "Truth Serum" gimmick. Tony is a tough fighter, providing snappy repartee even in this terrible situation, but even he can't resist the compelling chemicals for too long. Under a lengthy series of questions he begins to reveal the five W's and 1 H about his arrival in Somalia and his purpose there.

The mission is revealed through flashbacks during the entirety of this episode, one for every month between May and August (i.e. the "summer break" between seasons-Tony slyly hints towards it when he asks Ziva (still bound and horribly disheveled) what she's been doing all summer.

The rest of the team have been doing their NCIS thing during those months, with Tony and McGee somehow convincing team leader Special Agent Gibbs that it is time to start looking for a replacement for Ziva. He doesn't so much give his verbal approval, but let's them do it anyway. Of course the candidates for the third spot are all female (like Ziva and Sasha Alexander's Kate Todd) and of course this leads to a great montage of folly where Tony and Tim interview the prospective Probie agents, with Gibbs calling "strike one" after one tough looking candidate falls under the pressure of his' "final interview". Another asks too many questions, and a third who gives back on the snappy repartee and could have made it, just doesn't because Tony isn't hiring on that day. Three strikes and you're out, buddy.

Of course everyone begins to miss Ziva, wonders why no one can get in touch with her -"It's not normal" exclaims Tony, and he'd be right, except for the whole he killed her boyfriend thing (that tends to put a stop on texting and emailing friendships in general). Eventually the investigative itch gets to everyone including forensics specialist Abby Sciuto, and the pieces of the puzzle are put together. In a nice ironic twist, it is Saleem's addiction to Caf-Pow (Abby's own drink of choice over the years) is the clue that helps to giveaway the location of his terrorist camp.

That brings us back to the interrogation with Saleem and DiNozzo. Even though Saleem has the leverage, Tony gives as good as he gets. He still quotes from movies and he still manages to win some verbal repartee against his captor. Saleem, it turns out, was educated in America, having gone to Yale and probably hating his professors so much he had no choice but to become a terrorist. The damned American education system at work.

Early on we get a shot of a body on the floor, but it isn't until halfway through the show that viewers discover it's McGee, who is also captured. He is knocked out, but we learn he was mostly feigning it so that they could enact their super duper secret plan.

Tony seems to think that Ziva is dead, but Saleem brings her to the room, very much alive. Ziva almost skips a heartbeat when the bag is lifted over her head and she sees Tony in front of her. For someone who is about to be rescued, she doesn't seem too happy to see Tony. She would rather sacrifice herself than all of them die together. However, Tony has other ideas. See, the plan was to get caught after all , allowing for Gibbs to use his super-duper sniper skills and kill the terrorist for long-range. The cavalry arrives, and all four of them head back to D.C. The episode ends with a very emotional display as Director Vance leads a standing ovation by everyone at headquarters while Abby rushes an obviously still traumatized Ziva. Tony takes his seat at his desk in a nice touch to the end, almost foreshadowing the return to normal, or at least a desire for it.

We'll have to wait for next week to find out if Ziva sticks around and rejoins the Gibbs crew or not.

"Investigative" Analysis: I was surprised the "Ziva" gone storyline was wrapped up (mostly) in one episode since that's the sort of storyline you could stretch out. However, looking back on previous season cliffhangers, I should have known that would be the case. The cliffhanger from Seasons Four to Five was wrapped up in one episode as well. The opening episode was a tour-de-force performance for Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo, both for his interactions with Saleem but also for playing up his desire to find out the truth about Ziva's situation. The visual highlight was a slow motion sequence of office life happening all around him that accentuated that feeling. Cote de Pablo sneaks in at the end with some choice lines.

I continue to be pleased that the comedy hasn't gone away despite heavier storylines over the last four episodes of last season. There was the oogling session by "the boys" McGee and DiNozzo, a completely out-of-nowhere, awesomely awful rendition of Passover favorite tune "Chad-Gad-Ya" ("One Lonely Goat"), and even a lighter moment between Tony and Saleem discussing Yale sports-achievements, or the lack thereof.

Overall, you really couldn't get a better start to the season.