Skeletons (4.17)

Coffee count: 2
Caf-Pow! count: 1

Story time with Grandpa Ducky
  • “This reminds me of a summer when I assisted at an archeological dig in North Africa. Our team unearthed two fossilized Neanderthals from a primitive burial mound. One man, one woman.”
  • “Did you know that the Zulus burned all the possessions of a dear departed to ward off evil? Some tribes even throw spears and shoot arrows into the air to kill hovering spirits. That evolved into the modern military tradition of firing a volley into the air. After the death of an African king, some of his subjects used to cut off fingers and toes. It was considered a mark of respect.”

You gave me a pet name
Probie count: 2

You may remember me from such films as…
CORIN NEMEC! Be still, my heart! The darling Corin was the titular character in Parker Lewis Can’t Lose (which was the TV series based on the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). And in case it’s not obvious, I loved him.

Love in the Navy
  • Abby is going through a break up via IM. She wants to talk about things, he sees no point. She later tells Gibbs that the guy thinks she’s too much for him. The guy likes small women. She got dumped because she’s too big. She’s not talking about her weight, of course. She’s talking about the fact that her boyfriend was a little person, and she’s not.
  • Hollis Mann is at Gibbs’ crime scene and, as Tony and Ziva eavesdrop gleefully from four feet away, she suggests that Gibbs stopped calling her without explanation about four weeks ago. When Gibbs looks at Tony and Ziva, Tony’s searching the sky and Ziva’s looking at the ground. Hollis tells Gibbs he looks pretty good (Tony and Ziva are now facing each other but he’s still looking at the sky and she’s inspecting her nails), and Gibbs uncomfortably tells them to get to work. 
  • Tony, Ziva and McGee talk about Gibbs and Hollis. Tony says Gibbs was not happy to see her, Ziva says that his body language suggested he was not comfortable at all. McGee insists that nothing makes Gibbs uncomfortable. “You think he ended it with her?” McGee asks. “Assuming that he started something.” Tony says he doesn’t buy it, because Hollis isn’t a red head. 
  • Ziva points out, “People do change, Tony.” McGee adds, “It’s true. Even you have a girlfriend.” Tony insists he hasn’t changed. Ziva says that Tony noticed that one of their witnesses was pretty, but he didn’t flirt with her. Tony says, “That would’ve been unprofessional.” McGee says that if Tony flirted with her, they would’ve gotten further in their case. Tony says that’s enough gossip. 
  • Hollis says that the last thing Gibbs said to her as he was slinking out the door was “I’ll call you”. Gibbs insists that he doesn’t slink. He says he didn’t think that the last time they saw each other was going to be the last time the saw each other. He calls it fate. Hollis asks if he’s going to let fate decide whether they go their separate ways. Gibbs changes the subject. And he never explains why the last time they saw each other was the last time they saw each other. 
  • Jenny and Hollis have a scene where they talk in circles and riddles about how they’ve both had relationships with Gibbs. Jenny says it’s been a while since they were together, but suggests that she still sort of has vague feelings for him. 
  • Abby tells Ziva that if she ever wants to talk about Roy Sanders, she’s there for her. Ziva says, “I liked him, he died, and what else is there to say?” Abby gives Ziva a hug (Ziva doesn’t hug her back).  

Vice squad
Jenny and Hollis have a few drinks in Jenny’s office.

Daddy’s gone
When Abby’s obviously upset, she tells a staring Gibbs that it’s nothing he can fix in the typical Gibbs way. He tells her he has time to talk to her. Abby says she’s upset about a guy, and then says that she’s not going to spill her guts just because Gibbs keeps staring at her. Then, of course, she starts spilling her guts. She talks her way through it with no input from Gibbs until she gets to the part where she says that she just has to accept it and let it go. Then she thanks Gibbs and hugs him, saying, “You always know what to say.”

You look so fine (or maybe not)
Ziva’s heinous rainbow sweater is back.

A toast to the future!
  • Abby references Roy Sanders, Ziva’s love interest from Dead Man Walking who died. 
  • Abby breaks up with her boyfriend, Marty Pearson, who we first met in Once a Hero.

Personnel file
  • Abby hates nougat.
  • Ziva doesn’t know what nougat is. Tony says it’s whipped dolphin fat. Gibbs says it’s a cream made from sugar, honey and nuts. 
  • When McGee says that Abby’s acting very Un-Abby, Tony says he’ll talk to her. “Dealing with an angry woman requires a great deal of sensitivity. Clearly, not an area of expertise for you (McGee).” Ziva’s face: “…!” McGee says, “I don’t doubt you have more experience with angry women.”
  • Abby’s IM user name is “Abbsolute”.
  • Tony tries to talk to Abby about what’s upsetting her, but Abby’s all crossed arms and set jaw and “Why would there be anything wrong?” Tony says that McGee was worried about her, and Abby gets crabby that they’ve all been talking about her. Tony says they just wanted to know if anything was bothering her. Abby yells, “You know what bothers me? It bothers me when people gossip about other people behind their backs. Do you really think that that is okay?” Tony says yes, because it’s the only way to gossip. If they talked about her in front of her face, then that would just be talking about her. Abby storms off and Tony calls after her that they’re not going to talk about her anymore. That’s a pretty typical male/female conversation, no?
  • McGee says that Tony likes to talk about everyone’s private life. Tony retorts, “Talk, yes. But I don’t write entire books about them.” 
  • Abby says she’s 5’10.
  • Jenny vaguely offers a job to Hollis Mann.