After being spun off of the hit series JAG, NCIS has really come into its own as a drama. The Sixth Season has just been released on DVD and it boasts a ton of twists that the last few seasons lacked, focusing more on the stories than they characters themselves as it had in previous seasons. This six disc set features all the regular episodes that aired during the sixth season as well as a host of special features including commentaries, a documentary style tour of the special effects creations, a cast interview, and a few featurettes that are specific to certain episodes. Also included is an acoustic version of the Pauly Perrette (one of the shows stars) song “Fear.”
For the unfamiliar the show revolves around an NCIS unit made up of an interesting cast of characters. Their job is to investigate criminal matters within the jurisdiction of the Navy and Marine Corps. It involves around four main characters with the morgue people, forensics, and the “big boss,” coming in and out of each episode sporadically. Although each show stands independent, the story arc that plays out during the first third of this season is absolutely phenomenal. Starting with the inaugural episode where a new NCIS unit is put in place in order to catch a possible mole, the twists are so well-written they blindside you and leaving your head spinning at the end of each episode. Hence the advantage to owning this on DVD, you can watch them over and over and catch new things each time. In that sense this is very similar to a show like House or Monk, while it is fundamentally a different beast altogether.
This is an excellent show and The Sixth Season is a perfect place to start. This is easily the best season to date. The characters are comfortable in their skins by this point in the series and the writers are on top of their game at all times. Even the extras, which I don’t usually care for, are worth a once through, particularly the casts look at this specific season. If you love mysteries and/or solid drama then this collection is for you!
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
