Great episode with a surprise ending. In my view, it's good to get more insight into the main characters' personal lives to understand them better. Jethro's relationship with his mother-in-law Joann following the deaths of Shannon and Kelly needed to be explored and this did it very well. Joann tells DiNozzo that she had always liked Jethro and was happy when he and Shannon married, implying that she knew him as a youngster. However, it was implied in another episode that Jethro first met Shannon at the train station as he was leaving for the Marine Corps. I could never understand how they could not have met previously while growing up in the small town of Stillwater. Nonetheless, one of the best shows in this long series. Let's hope it continues!
5 Reviews
Love that ending!
lor_3 March 2010
This is one of my favorite segments of the long-running series, thanks to a beautifully written, directed and acted ending (which I won't give away, to avoid spoiling the fun).
Harmon brings up his game to meet the challenge of acting opposite the great Gena Rowlands, cast as his estranged, ex-mother-in-law. Since he's investigating a murder, and she becomes a "person of interest" if not the prime suspect (wow -I can imagine Gena vs. Helen Mirren already!), the finale is fraught with suspense. But I'm singling it out for a back-of-the-neck tingle in the surprise execution of the story's final twist -immensely satisfying, and up there (in reverse) with the Bogie/Mary Astor climax in John Huston's THE MALTESE FALCON. Also worth noting is the denouement which follows, featuring a brilliantly ambiguous facial expression by Rocky Carroll summing up the whole story.
The public has in a rare example of good taste made this the numero uno show on TV, and they have been rewarded with classic acting in this segment.
Harmon brings up his game to meet the challenge of acting opposite the great Gena Rowlands, cast as his estranged, ex-mother-in-law. Since he's investigating a murder, and she becomes a "person of interest" if not the prime suspect (wow -I can imagine Gena vs. Helen Mirren already!), the finale is fraught with suspense. But I'm singling it out for a back-of-the-neck tingle in the surprise execution of the story's final twist -immensely satisfying, and up there (in reverse) with the Bogie/Mary Astor climax in John Huston's THE MALTESE FALCON. Also worth noting is the denouement which follows, featuring a brilliantly ambiguous facial expression by Rocky Carroll summing up the whole story.
The public has in a rare example of good taste made this the numero uno show on TV, and they have been rewarded with classic acting in this segment.
nice
bevo-1367817 June 2020
A mixed bag!
harrykivi19 June 2024
Warning: Spoilers
The 7th season of "NCIS" has been fine so far with only few weak episodes. "Mother's Day" is a mixed bag though, there is a lot to like, but also aspects that don't work.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Mother's Day" is rather well-directed, the music fits the scenery. Quite liked the performances. Gena Rowlands is very good indeed.
. The humor does land and the mystery got surprisingly deep at times. The themes like grief and justice are examined in a compelling way.
But...
. Do agree that the solution misses the mark. There is no good reason to murder and frame an innocent man for it. The banter between Hart and Gibbs isn't particularly interesting. The story is too straightforward at the end of the day.
Overall, a mixed bag.
6/10 HK.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Mother's Day" is rather well-directed, the music fits the scenery. Quite liked the performances. Gena Rowlands is very good indeed.
. The humor does land and the mystery got surprisingly deep at times. The themes like grief and justice are examined in a compelling way.
But...
. Do agree that the solution misses the mark. There is no good reason to murder and frame an innocent man for it. The banter between Hart and Gibbs isn't particularly interesting. The story is too straightforward at the end of the day.
Overall, a mixed bag.
6/10 HK.
Corrupt Hero
grimjac1009 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
So...a woman confesses in a private conversation with the federal officer investigating a murder and is arrested and Mirandized, but that's not legal because...? I understand what they were trying to do with this episode...show a bit more of Gibbs' past, his and Hart's moral ambiguity regarding law vs justice, but the final resolution fell a bit flat with me.
And Gibbs does not fare well in this episode. Would he have done the same if it were anyone else, someone *not* connected to Shannon, who murdered a drug dealer and framed another? With all the forensic evidence, it strains the bounds of even TV-show believability that Joann would walk...especially as she confessed in detail without coercion.
Interesting episode, especially the private interaction between Gibbs and Hart, but Gibbs' character or hero status takes a severe beating, making one begin to understand *why* Hart could conceivably have it out for him...if she's the crusading lawyer she appears, out to keep the cops honest. This episode proves Gibbs...and his team all the way up to the Director...are effectively corrupt. What else would you call covering up a crime and protecting guilty individuals?
And Gibbs does not fare well in this episode. Would he have done the same if it were anyone else, someone *not* connected to Shannon, who murdered a drug dealer and framed another? With all the forensic evidence, it strains the bounds of even TV-show believability that Joann would walk...especially as she confessed in detail without coercion.
Interesting episode, especially the private interaction between Gibbs and Hart, but Gibbs' character or hero status takes a severe beating, making one begin to understand *why* Hart could conceivably have it out for him...if she's the crusading lawyer she appears, out to keep the cops honest. This episode proves Gibbs...and his team all the way up to the Director...are effectively corrupt. What else would you call covering up a crime and protecting guilty individuals?
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