NCIS Season 22, Episode 7 ‘Hardboiled‘ is a Nick Torres episode and an episode about the benefit of the doubt. At times, the episode feels like a condemnation of Torres, of how trusting he is, of how ready he was to see his own past in a woman who has clearly been playing him. But in the end, the episode ends up being proof that—even if you end up being wrong (which he actually wasn’t), it’s always better to lead with your heart.
Seven episodes in, however, this hour is when the show feels like it’s beginning to stall. It’s an entertaining episode, and the dynamics are still pretty spot on—it’s particularly great to see McGee and Jimmy’s whole referring mishap and how great Jessica and Jimmy balance each other out, but it feels like we haven’t gotten enough movement on the overarching storylines, and precious little from Kasie this season, and though it hasn’t gotten to the super frustrating point just yet, it is starting to feel overdue. The dynamics are indeed what makes this show work, but we still need the payoff too.
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NICK TORRES, THE MAN THAT YOU ARE
Nick Torres as a character doesn’t work because he’s all gruff and cocky, there are a gazillion characters like that on TV, he works because, at this point, we know that part is more act than anything else. We know that he’s a softie deep down and that the cool and confident Nick Torres is an act he puts on, one that really only fools the people who don’t know him very well. And the thing is, the people on this team know him very, very well. And no one knows him better—or understands how to reach him better, than Jessica Knight.
This is why it was good to see Jessica being the one to reassure him that being “too trusting” isn’t a bad thing and that leading with his heart is actually a strength, not a weakness. Torres should never be ashamed of being the guy who takes the risk and believes in a possible victim, even if he somehow gets burned. Because the possibility is that there’s a victim out there and he’s too cynical to believe them. And that’s just not Nick Torres. Because he’s been on the other side and he knows the pain of not being believed.
There are many, many layers to the character NCIS has built with Torres, but it feels like this episode is a good reminder that he is, deep down, a sensitive man with scars who would rather take a bullet for someone than let someone get hurt when he could do something about it. And that’s the kind of character that’s kind of hard to root against.
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SO MANY LOOSE ENDS
Let’s just keep a running list of the things the show has kind of put on the back burner so fast: McGee secretly investigating NCIS Deputy Director Gabriel LaRoche because he thinks LaRoche is a spy. Jessica Knight’s entire crisis or not a crisis about what it is that she wants and the reasons she came back to NCIS and how that ties to her relationship with Jimmy or lack thereof. Parker’s hallucinations while he was almost dying during the Season 21 finale and who Lily actually is. Carla Marino, who was set up as a recurring enemy for Parker. And that’s just the big things.
There’s also always a possibility the show will find a way to set up the upcoming NCIS: Tony and Ziva, which is set to premiere next year, something other than just having Tony show up for Ducky’s funeral or even a possible mention of NCIS: Sydney, which is also set to premiere next year. And again, we really have only seen Kasie in a backup capacity this season, and also what was the last time we checked in on her love life? We desperately need to do that, please, and thank you. Anyway, it feels like there’s a lot the show has to give us and the more episodes that go back the more we start feeling like if they don’t get to it soon we’re going to start running out of time.
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Things I think I think:
- Nick Torres, an expert at worst place/worst time.
- “Whenever Jimmy puts on those knee high socks he becomes a different man” sounds naughty, Jess. It truly does. I hope you understand that.
- Ok, but why does Nick have a picture of his younger self on his desk? Does everyone do that?
- If it’s not what it looks like, what IS IT?
- Don’t you just love how they show him the file before asking, too?
- McGee and Jimmy are kinda hilarious together, truly.
- Cast chemistry A+.
- I love when they let Jimmy just sound smart.
- They took her way too easily, sorry. It’s all very sus.
- Parker is really good at team management, I gotta say. He typically knows exactly how to redirect this bunch so they do exactly what he needs them to do.
- I’m not sure if I should thank Kasie for the information about the call or not.
- “Kids are resilient. It’s the parents that are fragile.” You got that right.
- Jess and Nick are killing me together. KILLING ME. I love their relationship so much.
- I believe her too. I believe her because there’s still too much of the episode left!
- You should both quit! No? Worth a try.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS Season 22, Episode 7 ‘Hardboiled’? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS airs Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.
Here are our NCIS reviews:
Is it too much to say I’m now expecting this show to try and answer what happened to Hetty this Season? All the spy themes this Verse is on so far this Season, (plus the fact that this episode was written by a longtime LA writer!), feels like anything I hear now these days pertaining to the Verse just feels like it’s gearing up for that epic announcement that I’ve been dreaming about all year.