NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 7 ‘Breathless‘ is a very emotional Blue-centric hour, one that gives Mavournee Hazel a chance to showcase her range as an actress, and that makes the character much more compelling. And no, it doesn’t give us all the pieces of the puzzle regarding the one character on this show we still know the least about, but it does give us enough to know we want to keep learning about her.
On a show that has an ensemble cast of six, with four of those characters paired off into “ships,” the two hardest characters to connect with were always going to be Doc Roy and Blue because without the shipping aspect, it’s harder for the show to give us the information we need, and generally harder to write stories about them that would make fans connect. But NCIS: Sydney has done a superb job at focusing not just on their budding ships, but on Blue and Doc Roy, to the point that it’s hard to play favorites with this group of six. Or, at least, if you’re playing favorites, it’s because of personal preferences, not because the show hasn’t given you a chance to like a character.
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FLY, BLUEBIRD, FLY
There’s a particularly poignant moment in NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 7 ‘Breathless,’ when Doc Roy sees through Blue and asks about why she’s relating to Nova. Who put you in that cage, Bluebird? As with DeShawn last week, this episode doesn’t give us the answers, but the show has done a great job of at least letting us know what questions we should be asking about these characters, and that’s what an effective procedural does.
We still don’t know all that much about Blue, and all we learned in this episode are things that, perhaps, we could have already guessed through context clues. But it’s not the same to get context clues as it is to see Mavournee Hazel embody the character as we get the reveals. This is how we fall in love with Blue even more, how she becomes more than just the girl in the lab, and how she becomes real to us. And what a great job she and the show have done.
MORE: Check out our interview with Olivia Swann if you want some teases about where the season is going.
ONCE AGAIN, A TEAM
NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 7 ‘Breathless’ also does a great job at grounding Blue in someone else, Doc Roy, and at grounding everything that’s happening on a team aspect. Doesn’t mean the team has to know everything or be involved in everything, but there’s truly no “I” in team in NCIS: Sydney. There’s always someone looking out for you, or multiple someones. Even if they’re looking out for you in different ways.
The best procedurals are always the ones that can ground their story in found family, and this show has managed to do that superbly in just fifteen episodes. Imagine what they can do by the end of season 3. What they can do with another season. I cannot wait to find out.
MORE: Our review of NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 6 is here!
Things I think I think:
- The DeShawn and Evie bits with him wanting to be a singer and then the karaoke machine were kinda funny in a good way this episode. Not that I ever don’t like their interactions, but after such a charged episode last time, it was good to see them back to light banter.
- Mackie and J.D.’s Earmworm thing was also very them. The show sure has the banter between the partnerships down.
- This episode also feels like it got the fandom surrounding music stars very well.
- I did think the dad was kinda obvious from the beginning.
- Doc Roy always being the one to reach out to Blue hits me right in the feels.
- Nova helping Blue in the end was very nice, though.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Sydney Season 2, Episode 7 ‘Breathless’? Share with us in the comments below! And if you have your own opinion on the show, leave a review/rating on our NCIS: Sydney hub!
NCIS: Sydney airs Fridays at 8/7c on CBS.
