(728-word review) Well, this was THE episode. I knew about the ending from the moment I started this show, and I've subconsciously been dreading arriving at this point. 'Subconsciously' is the keyword, as there were plenty of episodes to get there.
However, as you can expect, that feeling started becoming conscious the closer I got. The previous episode solidified it a ton, as did the stakeout scene in the seventeenth episode. I was like, "Oh, no. I'm closer than ever to that event. Enough with these hard-hitting scenes!" And I think, now that I've watched the show up to this point (and not bits and pieces from when I was way younger, particularly concerning that event), rewatching the first season will be "better" in retrospect/in hindsight because of the new perspective.
I also know about the reappearance of Sasha Alexander in the fifth or sixth season. I mean that in the sense that Caitlin somehow faked her death with Ari's help for some reason/is alive: unless the vague memory I'm thinking of was seeing a photo of her in Rizzoli & Isles. I have no ambiguous confirmation of potential prior knowledge, specifically, whether it was Caitlin or a twin sister thing, which is probably a trope.
I've learned about 'Life Before His Eyes,' the fourteenth episode of the ninth season. I could be vaguely remembering that, but I don't think so: although what I'm recalling could've still been a dream sequence if not an actual twin sister, and Caitlin's for sure dead. I'm pretty sure the whole "Could Caitlin be alive?" thing may've been a plot point down the road; it's that I don't know what came of it.
As far as Ari is concerned, my theory's he's still a double agent. The writing suggests the intention of making you think otherwise, but something makes me think it's a red herring. He gave Gibbs a 24-hour window to locate the (Washington) cell. I bet that was doublespeak: a plan to get Gibbs to prevent this minor attack, allowing Ari to do you-know-what (even though it wasn't Gibbs) to pass the test, allowing him into the actual Washington cell, including getting Gibbs to come after him, taking him down with it; a sacrificial 4D chess move.
Then, there was the incentive of Ari coming after him if he fails: not to mention the prior attempt to kill him or a team member in the beginning, then him specifically (along with civilians), plus Gibbs wanting to do the same to him, and it worked; there's also no way Ari didn't know the purpose behind Gibbs' phone call.
I think he was "playing a part," so to speak. On one side, he did enough to, most likely, strengthen his role with al-Qaeda, but on the other side, he did enough, discreetly, to throw a wrench into the words. In other words, he's doing HIS job, just like Gibbs.
I may be giving him/the writing/the writers too much credit, not to mention the ending was because of Sasha Alexander leaving the show. If I'm right, the writers could've planned to go a different route with him until she decided to leave; I'm curious to know the original ending. But in my head, my hypothesis makes sense.
Also, Mark Harmon pronounced Ari's name at the end as 'r-ee' instead of 'air-ee.' Every time in this episode, it's been the latter until the end, barring being mistaken. Joe Spano went with 'air-ee.' Its pronunciation has been that every previous time in the show, or most times. That was interesting.
On its own, not as a finale, the previous one was better than this one. The scenes with Tony and Caitlin were hard-hitting, and the overall episode felt more effective. This one had sufficient "ingredients," but other than the scenes with you-know-who (whose actor also has a captivating presence) and the ending/knowledge of what will happen, I didn't feel as engaged: although you could say those two things, especially the former, did more than I want to acknowledge, which could be true; the previous episode was super good.
While that gives the impression that I thought it was only alright, that's not true. It's that the previous one was even better. This episode was still good. I can't wait to get into the third season, including familiarizing myself with a certain someone.
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