Dale McGarrigle
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Doc Roy had himself one long day, didn’t he?
The team’s loveable curmudgeon couldn’t even enjoy a morning coffee with his dog Buster on NCIS: Sydney Season 1 Episode 5.
Instead, they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Yes, this situation borders on being a trope in the NCIS franchise.
One or more of the beloved specialists find themselves in peril, and their squadmates must rescue them if they don’t save themselves first.
It is hard to imagine a more unlikely location for this scenario than the Ground and Hound doggie cafe, where Roy and Buster’s visit before work was interrupted by a bleeding teen wearing a bomb vest.
When the Sydney cops arrived hot on her heels, Roy must have realized he wouldn’t be getting to the office anytime soon.
This was the episode for which fans of the burly, grumbly pathologist have been waiting. We saw Rosie think on his feet outside his usual NCIS duties.
He showed off his wiles when he called in to obliquely fill in J.D. on what was happening around him.
Even though Louie quickly picked up on what Roy was doing, that move sent the NCIS: Sydney team into action, with J.D. and Mackey crashing a scene that wasn’t even remotely theirs to “offer their assistance.”
And, to keep things interesting, the officer running the scene was Cath Walsh, the woman J.D. had been having an affair with while his divorce was finalized.
Didn’t he get more interesting all of a sudden? Quiet waters and all that.
This made for an intriguing dynamic: Roy attempting to get through to Louie, a girl who barely knew, inside of the cafe, and J.D. trying to cajole Cath outside of the cafe, both arguing for these females to do the right thing.
Another thing going on was that force of nature Mackey took a step back to chase down leads and let the Aussies play, with D and especially Evie fading even further into the background. The three having less screen time didn’t hurt the episode much.
Also, Blue wasn’t saving her team in every other scene. She got frustrated and even panicky as the pressure mounted.
But she did come through when she had to, allowing them to track down Stone, the real villain of the piece. It was refreshing to see another side of her besides quirky.
While Blue worked to save her work granddad, he was building a tenuous relationship with Louie, another girl about granddaughter age.
It turned out that Louie was a victim of life and, especially, the British healthcare system, which made her easy pickings for Stone, her mother’s drug dealer.
Louie’s beloved sister Casey was dying of leukemia, and they couldn’t afford to get her the treatment she needed. It was little wonder that Louie blew up (wrong choice of words) at the patrons who so pampered their pooches.
Despite her resistance, Roy treated her gunshot wound, which weakened her resolve where he was concerned.
But what made them connect was when it was revealed what made Roy so sad, which Blue had innocently asked about on NCIS: Sydney Season 1 Episode 4.
Roy’s wife Alice has dementia. And that morning, he finally checked her into a facility, vowing he would always take her calls.
And that’s precisely what he did in the middle of a police standoff, talking calmly to a weeping Alice as Louie, all the hostages, and his teammates witnessed private Roy spilling his darkest secret.
After that, Roy and Louie bonded as they could relate to each other as being supportive of a sick relative.
That’s why he was able to tell her the hard truths, like the fact that Stone had betrayed her by putting live explosives on her vest, planning to blow her up and keep all the money from the robbery.
It was poignant when Blue drove Roy to visit with Alice, hanging around to give him a ride home afterward.
Outside, J.D. was doing some heavy lifting, working overtime to keep Louie alive despite it going against every rule in the APD (and Cath’s) playbook.
Fortunately, because of their on-again, off-again relationship, he knew every button to push with her. That’s why she let him negotiate with Louie instead of some other cop who had learned how from a program designed by J.D.
Near the end, we learn why J.D. fought so hard for Louie. He has a son, just a little younger than Louie, and didn’t think a teenager should have to die for one mistake.
Sure, J.D. got his hand slapped afterward for not following procedure. But he’s moved on already from the APD, even if it’s not official.
And, by opening up some, he almost almost got Mackey to do the same. But she remains a closed book, at least to her Aussie squadmates.
D played an essential role in connecting with Casey and gaining valuable intel from her. He’s proven to be the team’s soft touch, but it would be great to learn more about him.
Same with Evie, who was nonexistent this time around. Her sarcastic sense of humor was missed but didn’t fit with the serious tone of the episode.
To follow how the team is developing, watch NCIS: Sydney online.
How did you like learning more about Roy?
Did you like seeing J.D. take charge?
Did you mind having a little less of Mackey?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.