The Worst Storyline In NCIS Season 19
It's notoriously difficult to find ways as a writer to make the eighth or ninth season of a hit television series feel fresh and exciting. Shows like "Game of Thrones" and "Mom" ended up souring their overall critical reputations because their later seasons were so divisive. Now imagine coming up with good storylines for a show that's been on the air for nearly twenty years.
"NCIS" Season 19 premiered in November 2021 and quickly earned the ire of the show's fandom over the departure of stalwart series lead Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) from the team, as the troubled Special Agent opted to stay in Alaska and find some inner peace. New characters Katrina Law and Gary Cole, playing Jessica Knight and Alden Parker respectively, have served as replacements for Gibbs since Harmon left the show, but the negative user reviews on Rotten Tomatoes indicate how many fans feel like the crime procedural just doesn't feel like the same show anymore.
However, of all the divisive elements in the most recent episodes of "NCIS," this was absolutely the worst storyline in the new season.
Agent Torres in Collective Memory is really obnoxious about technology
Season 19, Episode 9 "Collective Memory" already felt awkward because of the show's attempts to be current by incorporating holograms and cryptocurrency into the case the team investigates. However, the behavior of Special Agent Nick Torres (Wilder Valderrama) really made this installment much worse. Torres is really rude and belittling about the technology around him and mostly comes off as a jerk.
In comments about the episode in the "NCIS" subreddit, user u/richieadler writes that Torres' "schtick of mocking nerds, geeks and everyone who can rub two more neurons than he does is getting very tiresome." u/Nighthawk1776 replied "It was like 10x worse this episode. EVERYTHING was apparently stupid the moment it came up. Laser tag: stupid. Holograms: stupid. Home movies: stupid."
You can argue that Torres uses his flashy confidence and judgment of everything as a defense mechanism but it's still irritating to watch. At least he's able to notice something is wrong with Agent Knight this episode and is able to reach out to her. Still, his egotistical episode really brings the episode down.