The title of the "NCIS" Season 9 finale episode, "Till Death Do Us Part," has a double-meaning. The events of the episode go on as Jimmy (Brian Dietzen) plans to marry Breena (Michelle Pierce). One aspect of the "us" in "Till Death Do Us Part" represents the viewer, who may be separated from any of the team members after the explosive ending.
The episode begins more slowly than many "NCIS" episodes, but plays with viewers' emotions. The viewer learns of the vulnerabilities of the entire team, then is reminded of the relationships between team members, and then is shocked to learn that any of those team members could be lost.
Vulnerabilities
Director Vance (Rocky Carroll) went missing at the end of the previous episode, "Up in Smoke." In the finale, Vance wakes up in a coffin, next to a dead body. He is unharmed physically, but shaken by the incident. If Vance is vulnerable, the entire team is at risk.
The man responsible is Harper Dearing (Richard Schiff), a man who wants "justice" for the death of his navy son. The one person who Dearing feels may be able to figure out his next move is psychologist Dr. Ryan (Jamie Lee Curtis). When Dearing proves that she is as vulnerable as the rest of the team by threatening her son (Daniel Polo), she bolts.
Relationships
Knowing they won't make it to Jimmy's wedding because of the case, Ziva (Cote de Pablo), and Tony (Michael Weatherly) have one of their cute back-and-forths about weddings, discussing what they hate about them. It then becomes a discussion of what they love about weddings, wishing they could go. It is fitting that they are stuck in an elevator together when the explosion hits.
Ducky (David McCallum) and Jimmy have a touching moment together, as Ducky informs Jimmy in his roundabout way that he will be able to attend the wedding in Florida, even though the rest of the team members won't be there. These reminders of the relationships between team members are sweet, and make the possibility that one of them could be lost only more difficult.
Anybody could be a goner.
The team realizes that Vance's abduction was to throw off the team so Dearing would have access to Vance's van. The van contains a bomb, which goes off near Abby's (Pauley Perrette) lab. Gibbs (Mark Harmon) is able to get to her lab in time, shielding her from the blast. The bomb is strong enough to affect the entire side of the building where the team is located, and any of them could be injured or lost.
Ducky is standing on the beach when he gets the call. The news that some have died in the explosion triggers a heart attack. The scenery is beautiful. It is the perfect backdrop for a wedding. Instead, Ducky lies alone in the sand as the waves roll in. It's a tear-welling moment, and the worst kind of emotional cliffhanger.
Will fans really have to wait until next season to find out whether one of their most-loved characters will die? Will they pull a trick and save Ducky, but kill off one of the other team members? Fans will have to bottle their emotions until next season.
