NCIS (TV Series) Peacekeeper (2021) User Reviews

Low-key episode

[cpotato1010 · 8/10 · 30 November 2021]

This was not a high-energy episode, but there is nothing wrong with that.

This episode's gimmick is the condition of the body, and the challenges it presented to finding the killer. Of course Jimmy and Kasie work through it.

There were some side issues, and I liked the way they were handled.

First, Gary Cole is not Mark Harmon, and. Parker is not Gibbs. Parker's ideas of having a life outside of work are something different for NCIS, and not really a bad idea.

Second, there were the allusions to PTSD with both Kasie and Jessica. Kasie seems determined to work through her issues, recognizing that if there is a third time, Gibbs may not be there to save her.

Third, there was a quiet and intelligent discussion of the responsibility of gun ownership threaded throughout the episode.

All of these items were handled calmly and without preaching. Most refreshing for contemporary broadcast TV.

NCIS, like a lot of long running TV procedurals, has changed over the course of its run. The last few seasons are not the same as the era of Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo. I do not think it is simply the different actors, but like many newer procedurals, the addition of side issues that do not directly bear on the case at hand.

While this episode does have the side issues listed above, it worked them into the show in a mostly unobtrusive manner, and did not bring the show to a halt.

The only let-down was the resolution of the case itself, it seemed to be a little weak and anti-climatic.

Overall. I liked this episode, and I will be back next week.

Peacekeeper

[bobcobb301 · 6/10 · 28 January 2022]

Surprisingly not as anti-gun as you might expect a show on a broadcast network in 2021 to be, but overall not a spectacular episode either. Just sort of there.

Mediocre and disjointed

[connyskribent · 6/10 · 1 December 2021]

There were things I liked about this episode. Parker is a decent character and the fact that he is very different to Gibbs makes it interesting. Gary Cole is a good actor and I hope we will se more of his acting range. I liked the scenes between Knight and Palmer (hints of friendship or even more in the future?). The bad: The writing is very patchy, some good dialogue but also some very stretched and unbelievable storylines. The cast feels so small now. Mark Harmon is still credited, David McCallum only appears in a handful episodes per season and Rocky Carroll was absent in this episode. We need a returning character or two and maybe two or three new ones. Also I miss the recurring characters that made NCIS what it was.

What is with the pink guns?

[kimcoxmonm · 6/10 · 3 December 2021]

It was a decent episode because it kept me guessing on the perp and they addressed PTSD in a sincere and thoughtful way. On the other hand, though I agreed with the dialogue responsible gun ownership, it was unnaturally presented. These people are very good actors so the fault lies with the writers who could have worded it to sound more natural, not "scripted".

Oh, and the overwhelming amount of pun usage in the dialogue. I HATE puns, Dad jokes, et al, and I cringed through those.

Lastly, what on earth was with the brightly colored gun grips meant for women? Really??!! They look laughingly like toys and they are most certainly not. If you want to be treated equally and taken seriously, buy a regular gun to suit your needs, not to match your outfit. I suppose you can get ones with bling as well?

Special Effects

[shh22-655-224856 · 30 November 2021]

The special effects budget seems to have been cut. A shooting range next to a parking lot with no berm to stop ricochets? This is obviously not real world, only for TV. Fire and explosions in previous episodes are clearly added after the fact and done poorly.

Gun safety and the return of Don Swayze

[hindsonevansmike · 7/10 · 3 February 2024]

A fairly pedestrian episode, covering (useful) messages about gun safety (Kasie is still "processing" - aka recovering from having the crap scared out of her - from two incidents including Lemere holding her hostage in the squad-room earlier in this season.

There are thoughtful messages about female security and weapons selection, a friendly divorce and the demonstration (opening scene) that - on my side of the Atlantic - we do sometimes regard the Americans (note - *NOT* the Canadians!!") as being "armed and dangerous but we have to share the planet with them".

Parker is still working out whether to take the team-lead role.

Don Swayze returns, about 18 years after playing the country hick in a Kate Todd episode (so S1 or S2) about crop circles and a family feud in the Boonies.

Not Jim Jeffries...

[koohii · 7/10 · 27 April 2023]

I actually don't care for most of Jim Jefferies' material, but his routine on guns was brilliant, funny, and (for the lay-person) informative. George Carlin's quote about "And now they're talking about banning toy guns... ...And They're Going To Keep The (EXPLETIVE) REAL ONES!!!" NCIS, recognizing that a large proportion of their viewership are gun enthusiasts, does not go into detail regarding gun safety.

One character mentions keeping the gun on her nightstand. Hello! NO! Bad Cassie: Guns belong in Gun Safes. As someone involved in law enforcement, I would expect her to know that. Even Gibbs kept his guns in safes. In fact, Bones, the CSI, and NCIS have all been really good about showing the law enforcement putting their guns in safes. (Only CSI NY screwed that up, because the writers painted themselves into a corner with a season finale' and resolved it by the mother pulling a gun out of a nightstand and shooting the baddie.

As for the comments about "pink guns" looking like toys... Who frickin' cares what color it is? It's a gun! It's a deadly weapon. It can have purple polka-dots and tassels on it and it's still a gun!

Overall, the series seems to be recovering from the shoddy writing that plagued it for the last 3 or 4 years.

Boring!

[dboutwell-21294 · 2/10 · 30 November 2021]

I gave it a '2' because it was still NCIS. It seems that when Mark Harmon exited, he also took the good writers with him, as this show had zero intensity and was extraordinarily slow moving, especially being NCIS. The plot was okay yet shallow and nothing to really brag about. The interaction was also just 'so-so'... If this happened to have been the first time I ever watched NCIS, I would never watch it again...thankfully I have been a long time watcher and have enjoyed it for years - meaning that I won't stop watching because of such a dud episode as this one.

Rather bad

[harrykivi · 3/10 · 25 December 2023]

After being pleasantly surprised by "Docked", I thought this season was going to get going. Sadly, "Peacekeeper" is one of the weakest "NCIS" episodes in a while. I would put it on the same level as "True Believer" or "Gut Punch".

Let's start with the good.

. The production values of the episode are great. The direction's decent, the music fits the scenery. The acting's fine for the most part. Have enjoyed Gary Cole so far, Scott Mosenson gives a good performance.

. Some jokes are solid and hints to James Bond were appreciated. The topic of gun control is definitely relevant in today's climate. "Bulletproof" from the 11th season handled this topic in a more interesting way though. Occasional banter between team members brought some life to the screen.

But...

. The mystery is a bland one. Similar stories have been done to death in this series. The solution, where it turns out: the murder was an accident did not help the story either. Casey has never been compelling for me, I don't know whether it's the actress or the character. I'm just not caring for Casey or her storyline in here. Worst of all is the dialogue, which feels wooden at best.

Overall, kind of terrible.

3/10 HK.