There is a saying, nautical in nature, that “You can tell what kind of person he is by the cut of his jib.” A jib is a sail on the forward part of a sailing ship which has a great effect in determining the course of the voyage.
Tonight, in a powerful episode, two men with definite jib cuts affect NCIS, and one of those shines a light on the current political climate.
The first is Anthony DiNozzo, Sr. (returning guest star, the ever-dashing Robert Wagner). Now that Tony Jr. and his daughter have relocated to Paris, Senior is in charge of renting Tony’s apartment and is hoping that the NCIS “family” members can join together to sublet the home.
Abby (Pauley Perrette), McGee (Sean Murray) and Bishop (Emily Wickersham) meet Senior to discuss renting the apartment, and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) also is in need of a place to live.
Could Senior’s plans to create a “roommate situation” bring new team members closer together? His love for his NCIS family remains, despite his son’s absence, is a sign of true class. His efforts, if successful, could affect the course of the team’s ability to work together more effectively in its new dynamic.
Another man’s family situation will have an effect on the team, as well. Victor Medina (guest star Johnny Rey Diaz) witnesses a murder but disappears after calling 911.
Medina is a Marine who served despite being in the country illegally.
ICE wants to deport Medina, and the team wonders why he never applied for citizenship. As the agents struggle to understand how a country would deport someone who signed up to protect it, Torres is most affected as he explains that he and his family are representative of the issues that face immigrants on a daily basis.
The plight that faces immigrants and what rights, if any, and whether their status, hopes and contributions will be recognized by their new country is a dilemma for many in the divisive climate in many countries today.
The “cut” of Medina’s “jib” shows that there is more to people than judging them by their origin, religion or appearance. A person’s background and merits are individual, not something that can be judged or adjudicated en masse.
Valderrama tweets that “this episode is very important to me, as it talks about a subject matter we all need to be aware of…”
“Home of the Brave” was written by Gina Lucita Monreal and directed by Alrick Riley.
NCIS airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS in the U.S. and on Global in Canada.
