NCIS: Sydney Season 3, Episode 14 ‘Death Card’ presents as a somewhat light episode and ends up being anything but. Instead, the hour ends with the suggestion that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of this particular foe, and all things considered, that’s a pretty fun—if somewhat scary—proposition.
In the middle, the hour leans into the things that work really well for the show, Mackey and JD’s partnership and unshakable trust, and the reestablishing of the dynamics between Evie and DeShawn, which still work pretty well after whatever detour we took with Evie and Trigger. That has yet to be properly explored, but even Mackey sees something is going on now, so I assume we won’t get out of this season without digging into it.
All three existing NCIS shows work very well these days; they just all do so in very, very different ways. NCIS: Sydney, however, is the one out of the three that works the most like an old-time procedural in that the dynamics are at the center, and a lot of what works about those dynamics is our investment in not just the family aspect, but the possible romantic connotations. And I’m not going to lie; I love having a show like this one to watch and dissect.
MORE: Is NCIS: Sydney going there with Mackey and JD?
THE FOUNDATION IS TRUST
There’s a moment near the end of this episode that exemplifies what makes Mackey and JD’s partnership so special, and why their dynamic feels like a good throwback to procedural couples of old. As the two face off against the man they think is the mastermind behind it, JD, with the help of Trigger, figures out what the actual plan is. He and Mackey both have their hands raised. It looks like a gun is being drawn. Then, JD runs into the line of fire.
He does so because he doesn’t want Mackey to have to carry the burden of shooting an unarmed man, but he also does so because he trusts his partner implicitly. And Mackey doesn’t shoot for exactly the same reason. He doesn’t have time to think; he reacts. She doesn’t have time to think; she reacts. And that automatic reaction for both of them ends with the outcome they both need.
It’s hard to understate the level of trust that was shown in that moment, from both of them. And it’s the thing that makes the frankly obvious sexual tension between them sometimes feel like just the icing on the cake. There’s so much more there than attraction, even if neither of them would dare name it yet. But there is an attraction. This isn’t just a platonic connection. They care for each other, and they trust each other. More than they could have ever thought they would. More than they trust anyone else in the world.
At this point, they know it too. Or at least suspect it. So, what do you do with that? The good news is, there’s still the rest of Season 3 and all of Season 4, at the very least, for us to find out.
MORE: What did Mavournee Hazel tell us about Blue?
NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES
In many ways, ‘Death Card’ is also about re-establishing that no matter what’s going on with Evie and Trigger, which we don’t even get a clear answer about yet—Evie’s partner is DeShawn, and that won’t change. And though their dynamic isn’t what JD and Mackey’s is, both because the two are so much more guarded and because they are just two different people, that doesn’t mean it’s not important to them. Perhaps too important right now.
JD and Mackey might not be ready to take the next step, but at least they’re not afraid to accept the obvious: they are each other’s person. Evie and DeShawn can’t even do that. And yet, when you see them out on the field, when you see the way they act when they can’t stop and think, it’s obvious.
But, for someone like Evie, who has so much baggage, this is just too much to accept. There are easier options. Trigger is easier. And for someone like DeShawn, whose past we also have yet to truly explore, caring about Evie as more than a partner means opening up in a way he doesn’t feel able to. At least not yet.
Will they get there? I think so, but if this season has made anything clear, it’s that their journey won’t be as straightforward or easy. I still believe this is where the journey ends, though. We just have to strap in for a bumpy ride.
MORE: Here’s how to watch every NCIS show in order!
Things I think I think:
- Look, anything is better than a lost kid.
- So, what you’re saying is JD is good at interrogation?
- But do you guys really need popcorn for it?
- Mackey and Blue are 100% not looking at that interrogation the same way, lol.
- I love when Mackey calls JD Jim. Feels like she’s the only one who does.
- “We’re cops, not avengers.”
- The tarot cards thing is creepy, I’ll admit.
- How long has it been that Trigger is back?
- Mackey’s knowing look at Evie and Trigger, lol.
- JD’s “that I saw coming a mile away” about his partner was cute.
- Yeah, these sailors were giving we’re into each other.
- Fleet week here too, and now NCIS and Sydney are not on the same timeline!! Gah, it would have been fun.
- I swear, I thought Blue and Trigger made more sense. But okay, let’s give Blue a girlfriend then.
- All fun and games until you go after JD, lady.
- “No. You were manipulated.”
- Doctor was giving shady, what can I say?
- Why did only JD and Mackey go?
- “There are no bruises on the wall in the mind.” Deep.
- Mackey, you remember too many details about your partner.
- And this he mentioned, like in the Pilot.
- Now Evie and DeShawn just take off, without communicating with anyone!
- “I pushed Sam to love me. He wasn’t ready.” And of couuurse, it’s Evie who has to take this one.
- The way Mackey trusts JD, man.
- “Damn, D. You’re a bloody avenger!”
- Of course, JD had a one-liner ready.
- “You’ve done worse.”/”I’ll take that.”
- Did she really escape?
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Sydney Season 3, Episode 14 ‘Death Card’? 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 Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.
