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NCIS Season 6 Episode 21

Toxic

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AIRED: Apr 07, 2009

8.9

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EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

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Abby has to take over a top secret government mission when their scientist goes missing, but soon realizes things may not be as they seem to be, while the rest of the team worries about Abby's safety.

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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

What I think:

8.0

By latty89, Aug 27, 2010

It was a good epiosde cause I enjoy all NCIS episodes. However it wasn't the best and it didn't have me hanging off the edge of my seat.

Also I'm one of those ppl that like correct information in a show. Ziva said that Israel was desert and didn't have spring. That's massively wrong. Israel has alot of desert but also not-desert. It even snows in Jerusalem and the North of Israel. As for spring cleaning Ziva should know what it is. Spring Cleaning originated in Israel. Every year at Spring time the Ancient Israelies (this tradition still continues till today btw) would clean out their houses because of the festival of Passover. They had to clean so that no traces of bread or yeast products were left in their house.

Anyway that's my little rant.moreless
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let's start off by saying I LOVE the show,

8.0

By yifat1969, Aug 27, 2010

let's start off by saying I LOVE the show, but really, have the writers ever been to israel???israel is NOT a desert! we have lakes, and green mountains, and snow in the winter, just come visit us now, during the spring when everything is flowering!!

and by the way, making fun of Ziva, as fun as it is...should not be about the lack of movie knowledge. you see, we DO have a few hundreds of movie theaters here, not to speak of the few dozens of tv channels... and more about Ziva... us israeli women... well we tend to be a little more voluptuous, if you know what i mean, a little less cold, and little more bossy...just so you know...moreless
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Ok, I'll admit it, Abby is my second favorite character next to Gibbs. Now, I'm all for character development on a show, hence why all of the other episodes highlighting the team's backgrounds have been my favorites.moreless

9.5

By tallen7278, Jul 05, 2010

Having said that let me explain my thought process for how I came to really rate this episode highly. Abby is brilliant and always has been however her character (at least written as such) has mainly remained childish. Tonight, IMHO showed that while she has her quirks that seem childish to some she's brilliant but at the core a loving, caring person. She doesn't want to believe that her trust could be misplaced or she could be betrayed. This episode was one of my favorites because in addition to seeing a different 'serious' side of Abby, I saw the smart, funny one which always had the ability to make me laugh and I also saw the Abby who once realized what had happened (the lie unfolding), was out for blood and not cowering under a desk whimpering the injustice of it all letting Gibbs and the team fight her battles for her.

Notes on the other characters in the episode:

Gibbs - He loves Abby plain and simple. He wants to protect her and his team so much. He was a strong presence as always and I just love him to death. I must love that when she found out the truth and had her mini meltdown in the squad room he never corrected her once and let her go. It was cool to see.

Tim - I like Tim but lately the cockiness is becoming kinda unbearable. His meltdown in the lab was well deserved, John Hopkins indeed! :)

Tony - I liked that Tim was the 'jerk' in this episode and Tony was sorta laidback and worried about Abby like the big brother that he is to her and not really pulling the stupid stunts.

Ziva - She didn't bother me at all in this episode. She made me laugh and I wasn't drowned in Tiva tension or Ziva longing.

Palmer - Funny! I love that Guy, he so wants to be Ducky's right-hand man without realizing that Ducky wants to be the only storyteller not Palmer! Ducky - Loved how he was worried about Abby and the punishment of Palmer, hilarious.moreless
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It wasn't was I thought it was going to be.

8.0

By seikhoqueen, Jul 05, 2010

When I saw the promos for this episode I got excited. I was waiting for another Abby in distress episode and I've been dying for more McAbby which is what I was hoping for. Turns out Abby was never in real danger and the scientist that she was replacing didn't actually die. There was an attempted abduction gone wrong but the doctor ended up fine. The team was worried for her safety, but it never really got to the point where they really feared for her life. It was cool to see the normally sweet loving Abby out for blood when she realized that she was duped, and I liked that they were all present when they picked up the guy that managed to fool her, telling him that he picked the wrong forensics scientist to mess with. Other highlights - McGee bragging about his degrees and not listening to Tony resulting in a mess, McGee as cover art, Ziva and Gibbs at the dead guy's car, and Abby getting her men in the end. There were certain things that I was looking forward to, but they didn't happen. All in all it wasn't a bad episode.moreless
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You've messed with the wrong forensic scientist...checkmate

9.0

By huntress1013, Jul 05, 2010

Abby is recruited to take over in a lab and work on a special project. There was a lot to love in this episode. Tony, McGee and Palmer taking "care" of Abbys lab was simply hilarious especially because it wasn't Tony who made the big mess but Tony. Ziva and the boss on their own were also good for a chuckle. Gibbs talking to the guy in charge of the lab made me think of a dog. Gibbs was growling and shouting at the manager of the lab but was all sweet and dainty as soon as Abby showed up on the screen (if he had been a dog he would have wagged his tail LOL). On the whole though there was too little Gibbs/Abby for my taste. This was after all an Abby episode and I had hoped for something meatier if you know what I mean. I thought the interaction between the old war veteran (won't spoil you about him) and Abby was the most interesting. She really got attached to him and in the beginning he reminded me a lot of an old Gibbs - a soldier who has done a lot of black ops (just like Gibbs) and proudly serves his country even after having retired from the armed forces (same here). I am quite sure it was no coincindence. All in all a good episode: an interesting case, good character interaction and LOTS of Abby. If the episode had had more Abby and Gibbs then I would have given it a perfect score ;-)moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Mark Harmon	Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Michael Weatherly	Special Agent Tony DiNozzo
Pauley Perrette	Forensics Specialist Abby Sciuto
David McCallum	Chief M.E. Ducky Mallard
Sean Murray (I)	Special Agent Tim McGee
Cote de Pablo	Mossad Agent Ziva David

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Peter Jason	Marine Sergeant Major Robert King	Guest Star
Christopher Cousins	Jordan Jones	Guest Star
Andrew Borba	Doctor Phillip Heller	Guest Star
Brian Dietzen	Asst. M.E. Jimmy Palmer	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

When a government scientist goes missing...

© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
Abby (Pauley Perrette) gets recruited to...

© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
When a government scientist goes missing...

© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc.
When a government scientist goes missing...

© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc.

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (3)
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- GOOF: When King initiates a game of chess with Abby, he picks up a white pawn sitting on the B-2 square and moves it to C-2 in the close-up shot, but in the wide shot shown immediately afterwards a different pawn has been moved from square B-1 to C-1.
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- GOOF: It makes no sense that a project that is so secret that it can't even be acknowledged would have a lab with no security and that unauthorized people can just walk into unchallenged.
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- GOOF: On the password prompt for the Brandon Medical Center, "personnel" is misspelled "personell."
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QUOTES (8)
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- (Ziva and Gibbs are out in the field by themselves)
  Ziva: This is nice. Be able to work without Tony's incessant babbling. It is almost as if he cannot go on for more than 30 seconds without hearing his own voice. You know, the truly amazing thing is that he fails to realize just how irritating he is to those around him.
  Gibbs: Ziva!
  Ziva: Yes, Gibbs?
  Gibbs: Babbling.
  Ziva: Oh.
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- Abby: (realizing Nurse Dunstan was part of the plot) I should have seen it, Gibbs. (after pausing to give Gibbs a chance to speak) Aren't you going to give me a pep talk?
  Gibbs: Nope.
  Abby: Why?
  Gibbs: Because you're pissed, and you should be.
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- Abby: (after she learns she was working on developing a weapon, not a cure) Heller made the bullet, I made the gun!
  Tony: Huh, assassination made easy. But really, I mean, a gun would be easier.
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- Abby: Nice knowing you.
  Jones: Wait, Miss Scuito. You can't leave.
  Abby: Really? That's funny, 'cause it really seems like I'm, you know, leaving! (she walks to the door, then turns back) Okay, just out of curiosity, why can't I leave?
  Jones: Because if you don't help us, they're all gonna die. (he shows her a video monitor of hospital patients, including MSgt King)
  Abby: (she sits back down) Let's hear it.
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- Abby: (learning that Jones feigned ignorance about Heller's top secret project) What do you mean, you already knew that?!
  Jones: Given the sensitive nature of this project, I had to make sure that you were the real McCoy before I fully read you in.
  Abby: So you lied.
  Jones: And I didn't lose a minute's sleep. Is that a problem?
  Abby: (sarcastically) No. Not at all. Lie to me again, it was awesome!
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- Major King: What did I do wrong?
  Abby: You made me care about you.
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- Abby (to Major King): You look pretty good for a dead guy, except for the blood draining from your face.
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- Ziva: Tony, do you have to do that now?
  Tony: It's spring. I'm spring-cleaning, so... yes!
  Ziva: Spring-cleaning?
  McGee: You don't have spring-cleaning in Israel?
  Ziva: We do not have spring. Israel is a desert.
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NOTES (4)
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- Music featured in the episode:
  "No Matter What" by Jakob Dylan (While Abby is playing chess with Robert King)
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- Original International Airdates:
  Denmark: April 19, 2009 on TV3
  Australia: May 19, 2009 on Channel Ten
  Norway: September 1, 2009 on TV3
  Spain: October 1, 2009 on La Sexta
  Sweden: October 13, 2009 on TV3
  Germany: October 18, 2009 on SAT 1
  The Netherlands: October 27, 2009 on SBS6
  Slovakia: April 15, 2010 on Markiza
  Finland: June 8, 2010 on Nelonen
  Czech Republic: October 11, 2010 on TV Nova
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- Rocky Carroll is credited but doesn't appear.
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- Mark Harmon and guest star Marianne Muellerleile previously worked together on Chicago Hope Season 4 episode "The Ties that Bind."
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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