NCIS Season 24, Episode 1 Review: The Prodigal Son Returns

NCIS Season 24, Episode 1 ‘Wayward Son’ brings back Tony DiNozzo in a way that feels satisfying within the context of NCIS, but that’s actually kind of nonsensical if you consider the journey he went on during NCIS: Tony & Ziva. It never really made much sense that Tony and Ziva, after what happened, would send Tali to boarding school. But that they’re now content to live apart, and Ziva also left her language school to do nothing but work at a random language school, just stretches belief.

Despite that, of course, the parts with Tony and the NCIS team work, because Tony has always been a character who works within the context of this show. The issue is that, especially considering how permanent his return is, the show is going to have to find a way to smooth out the incongruities when it comes to his family life sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it won’t just be longtime fans or people who tuned in to NCIS: Tony & Ziva who’ll have a problem.

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TONY IS BACK. NOW BRING BACK ZIVA

The easy solution, of course, is to bring back Ziva at some point. It’s anything but seamless; their reasoning for even being in the US is still iffy, but it at least solves the biggest problem of their separation. And if the show can throw in a hidden reason for them to actually be here that they’re not telling us at this point, I’ll gladly take it. I like when things fit.

Selfishly, though, I’m very interested in how Ziva would fit in with this new team. It was already very interesting to see Tony relate to all of them, and Tony is the easier character because he’s using humor as a defense mechanism at all times. Ziva and Jessica? The untapped potential. Even Ziva and Parker are very interesting to me. And also, I’d pay to see Tony’s reaction to some of these interactions.

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SURPRISINGLY GOOD FIT

The Ziva elephant in the room aside, Tony does fit very well with this team. It’s no surprise that his scenes with McGee are a highlight of the episode, but I was personally a little shocked at how much I enjoyed his dynamic with Parker. It’s not at all like his dynamic with Gibbs, because Parker has never been like Gibbs, but it works in the same way that worked. And I want more of it.

It’ll also be interesting to see how everyone relates to Boss Tony going forward, because that’s a Tony we haven’t gotten to see within the context of this team, even if we did get to see on NCIS: Tony & Ziva. There, however, he was working with people whom he met from scratch. He didn’t have to establish a new persona to be the boss; he was just the boss. Here he’s got an uphill climb, particularly when it comes to McGee.

And that, well, that just makes this whole thing even more interesting.

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PARENTHOOD

I admit I felt very old seeing Tony and McGee bond over parenthood (and missed Ziva a lot), but I think the show got out of the mess they made with Matteo about as well as they could, considering they made Tim’s long-lost son a wanted man for half an episode. We’ll likely get to see a lot more of McGee and Mateo trying to build this relationship during the season, and Tony will probably have some advice. I can’t say I’m not looking forward to it.

But once again, it’ll be a lost opportunity if that doesn’t come with a look at Tali, and the show using her and her relationship with Tony as a mirror for McGee and Matteo. And for that to work, just Tony saying things about his daughter or his fiancée doesn’t work. We need to see them.

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Things I think I think:

• Tony? You’re telling me it was Tony who got shot? That’s how you bring back Tony?
• Okay, Matteo running off is about the best outcome here.
• WITH MICHAEL WEATHERLY, the credits say. He’s staying.
• The mix-up with the office is old-style NCIS funny.
• I miss Claudette. Can we bring her back for an episode at least?
• Boris!!!! He can come back too.
• “My replacement is handsome and smart.”
• He has indeed been around for a while at this point.
• “Agent Pretty Eyes.” Tony, stop flirting.
• “One more son than I knew about.” I hope you called Ziva to share the gossip.
• McGee has a point, there’s a lot you haven’t shared, Tony.
• But fine, that hug kinda got me. Gah. I don’t want to like this, because Ziva is not here!
• No, Torres, you cannot get in there.
• “Hopefully we have a lower body count.”
• So Tali is in boarding school and Tony and Ziva are…fine with that? Sorry, it just does not compute.
• And Ziva is working at a language institution? She had her own language school!
• Not one part of this makes sense for them.
• “A little helicopter parenting”? You’re too far away for that!
• “The older I get, the more I feel someone up there is really looking out for us.”
• Why is LaRoche still a thing?
• Catching up Jimmy was kinda hilarious. Too bad Jimmy had nothing to do this episode.
• I mean, Tony is allowed to grow up.
• “I’ve changed Tim. Accept the new me.”
• So, is LaRoche just going to fire everyone?
• Are you telling me Tony was at the funeral and we didn’t get to see that? Was Ziva there?
• “If you got fired Nick, I would really miss the view.”
• Look, it does sound like Die Hard 3.
• “In moments like this I really miss having a team. That’s why I borrowed one.”
• “Parenthood. Best thing that ever happened to you. And the scariest.”
• He was the first choice?
• Okay, I cannot process Director Tony.
• I mean, I see Ziva saying yes. That’s the only part of this that doesn’t actually sound off.
• Wait what, indeed.

Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS Season 24, Episode 1 ‘Wayward Son’? Share with us in the comments below.

NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS.