NCIS Review: Rule 91 (Season 18 Episode 16)
So that happened…
Bishop and Gibbs face major life decisions on NCIS Season 18 Episode 16, “Rule 91.”
NCIS Season 18 has been a mixed bag, but the series chooses a “go big or go home” mantra for its season finale.
We appreciate the show trying something new, but we’ve got issues with the execution.
We feel like these major surprises have not been truly earned. Dropping a few lines into the previous episode does not equal a proper storyline foundation.
If we’re being honest, we’ve felt a bit betrayed by this season of NCIS. It’s like it’s going through the TV series version of a mid-life crisis.
NCIS, obviously nearing the end of its run, has inexplicably decided to have its characters act completely against type and unfortunately, longtime fans are the real victims of the show’s whiplash storytelling.
Over the last few episodes, various team members have been discussing the change in Bishop. She’s clearly going through something, as she’s seen shooting bad guys with expert marksmanship while sliding across the floor like John Wick.
Recently, Emily Wickersham’s tapped into an undercurrent of danger that’s made Bishop even more fascinating. “Rule 91” finds her reaching her limit when she’s accused of leaking a classified NSA file.
She admits to the leak because she didn’t believe in what the NSA was doing. Of course, she’s lying to everyone, as she’s really disappearing to do covert ops with Odette.
Apparently, she needs to be a disgraced agent to make everything work.
As if that isn’t enough shock for a season finale, Gibbs and Marcie realize that the serial killer they’re after knows, and is watching them.
“Rule 91” ends with Gibbs in his new boat, heading for the site of another possible murder, when it suddenly explodes. For just a moment we think the worst, but then Gibbs is seen swimming away.
While all these elements certainly make for a shocking season finale, we’re also left wondering what storyline gymnastics NCIS will use to explain all this next season.
That being said, we hope we get to see undercover Bishop in action.
It’s refreshing to see such a long-running series take big swings 18 seasons in. However, those big moves have to make sense in the context of the show.
Ellie’s sudden shift into Jason Bourne and Gibbs throwing away his life’s work doesn’t make sense.
The bright spot of this episode is Katrina Law’s Agent Knight, who pitches in when the team is suddenly down two members. There’s no official announcement on whether Law will become a series regular, but it certainly seems like that’s where her character is headed.
Despite the serious loss she’s dealing with, Knight doesn’t hesitate to jump right into the case. Her light-hearted, almost comical way of interrogating suspects is a welcome moment of levity in a packed episode.
These last few episodes have been short on answers, so we should’ve been prepared for the series to force them all into the finale. With how much time NCIS wasted on non-important stories this season, there has been more than enough time for proper pacing.
We’re ready for things to reset, and get back to something a little more familiar in Season 19.
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What did you think of the season finale of NCIS? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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NCIS will return for Season 19, moving to Mondays at 9/8c on CBS.
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Stephanie Holland
Stephanie Holland is a nerdy lover of Star Wars, Disney, Doctor Who, Arrowverse, Star Trek and WWE. Is living the dream of turning a lifelong obsession with TV into an actual job. Still waiting for a reboot of the '80s classic Small Wonder.
One thought on “NCIS Review: Rule 91 (Season 18 Episode 16)”
One of the most inaccurate episodes of any police shows on today, which is difficult to achieve. The gun cash they found on this episode was non-assault rifles, because they did not have selector switches, so they only switch from SEMI- automatic to safety. Most news reports claim that these type of rifles are military level rifles, but they are nothing more than hunting rifles that are made to look intimidating, because they are black. A majority of rifles and pistols are semi- automatic. These are one of the most non-deadly rifles made because of their caliber being so small. The bullies are tiny compared to most hunting rifles. Please research this, if you do not know about guns, because you are being lied to. AR15s and similar rifles, are just wooden, small game hunting rifles.
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