NCIS Season 22, Episode 4, "Sticks & Stones" feels very much like a bottle episode: an episode of television designed to take place in one location, either to serve a specific story or to save time and money. While it's partly known for its use in sitcoms, the concept has also been utilized in dramas, and it can be very effective regardless of genre. Executive producer Steven D. Binder pens a script that actually uses two settings — NCIS headquarters and Jessica Knight's RV — but still feels like an attempt to conserve the show's budget without skimping on the excitement.
"Sticks & Stones" centers around a decrypted message that claims Belarus is preparing to attack numerous European targets. The United States wants to swing into action, especially after briefly losing contact with Air Force One, but Alden Parker believes a second message may be a stand-down order — and is willing to cross the entire rest of the government to prove it. It's not the most tense or dramatic episode, and certainly not on the level of World War III, but it keeps audiences entertained.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 4 Threatens to Start a War
Gary Cole Drives the Action Throughout
When Parker calls Timothy McGee and makes reference to World War III, that automatically sets up impossibly high stakes for this NCIS episode to meet, and it never reaches the kind of nail-biting tension that should come with a potential end of the world. It's just not that dramatic, especially as the focus shifts to whatever surprising or strange thing the team is going to do next. There's a certain shift in tone that goes with that — most notably because the characters don't stop quipping even in the face of what the audience is repeatedly told is nuclear war. Fail Safe, this is not.
But it all starts with Parker's act of defiance in front of an acting President who doesn't know that Naples is also a city in Italy — the third-largest city, so this is no small oversight. That means it's up to Gary Cole to sell the premise and keep pushing the episode along, and Cole does that in a way that only a veteran actor of his stature can. His explosion in the middle of MTAC feels real, and Parker bristles with indignance throughout the rest of the hour. He's almost like the reverse of Cole's character Bill Lumbergh from Office Space; instead of being the frustrating boss, now he's the one frustrated with his employer.
Sean Murray and Wilmer Valderrama have the primary supporting roles in the hour, and both of them have moments to shine. There's a giggle-worthy moment when McGee blasts classic rock through the building to cover up the noise Parker and Torres are making, and the only reason why that joke isn't perfect is that Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" would've been even funnier than Quiet Riot. Murray and Cole have developed a certain comic timing that works well for them, and it's always fun to see Valderrama's comic talents worked into an episode. They give the episode its energy, even when the tension isn't as high as it should be.
NCIS Gives Some Closure to Knight & Palmer's Relationship
But Also Proves Their Romance Isn't Over
Ever since the NCIS Season 22 premiere confirmed that Jessica Knight was returning to the team, there's been non-stop speculation about her relationship with Jimmy Palmer — both by the fans and by the other characters. Viewers have been hoping that Knight and Palmer will get back together, so "Sticks & Stones" might feel like a letdown, as it has the two of them admitting the reasons why they can't be a couple. But forcing the pair to resolve their awkwardness is a smart move on Binder's part. The speculation about their status has already gone on for a while; it'd eventually just get tiresome. Plus, he quite obviously leaves the door open for a future reconciliation.
Both Palmer and Knight admit that they still love each other, which seems like a clear hint that they're not going to stay apart forever (whether or not the mention of Jennifer develops into anything). But by keeping them apart, Binder puts an end to the questions and now can tease viewers with the "will they, won't they" all over again. It's not necessarily out of character; Knight's moving away in the first place suggests, as is pointed out, that she's looking for things beyond what she had — so she shouldn't want everything to be exactly like it was. There's room to rediscover what brought the characters together. But NCIS has to be very careful; if it drags this out too long, or starts introducing clearly temporary love interests to keep Knight and Palmer apart like the One Chicago franchise just did, the show will alienate fans instead of getting them excited for a second time.
Season 22, Episode 4 Is a Fun Diversion
It's Not World-Shaking, but It's Still a Good Time
The characters who populate "Sticks & Stones" are pretty much by the numbers, and the plot stretches plausibility more than once. The most egregious example is when Kasie Hines comes running into the room to deliver the decrypted second message, especially since she had previously been able to communicate via radio. The reasoning for these choices is obvious: so NCIS can have that moment where she saves the day with no time to spare, and because her blowing through a door is more dramatic than just hearing her give the answer over the radio. But it's little things like that which make the episode feel more like a fun adventure rather than a truly dramatic episode.
The Senator turned acting President is as much of a caricature as one can get; he's another example of the procedural trope where the heroes know better than their boss or other authority figure. As Parker notes, it's pretty ludicrous that a guy who doesn't know fairly obvious geography is making decisions involving nuclear warheads. The best dialogue comes between Parker and FBI Deputy Director Wayne Sweeney (returning guest star Erik Passoja), but they don't actually get into it until the very end. For the most part, Sweeney serves as just another antagonist to make the situation worse. And speaking of antagonists, since the episode concludes with NCIS Director Leon Vance giving Sweeney and Parker a talking-to, it's hard not to wonder where the newly appointed Deputy Director LaRoche is in all this. Certainly he'd also be aware and have something to say — but of course, it'd require extra time and money to bring in Seamus Dever for probably one scene.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 4 tells a story with a minimal amount of locations, plot twists or fanfare. There are a couple of nods back to the 1,000th episode of NCIS, including a mention of Lindsey Wexler and the return of Curtis Hubley. Whether or not Binder is intentionally trying to make a bottle episode, he certainly delivers one. "Sticks & Stones" is an entertaining way to pass an hour thanks to its cast, but the outcome is never really in doubt.
NCIS airs Mondays at 9:00 p.m. on CBS.
