Season Nine: "Psych Out"Posted on Feb 22, 2012 05:54pm
How should we introduce a complex, interesting new woman into Gibbs’ life?
That was the challenge. Gary mentioned it to me months ago.
читать дальшеHe knew he wanted to do an episode exploring the one area of the U.S. military that the public probably knows the least about: the Defense Department’s Psychological Operations, or PSYOPS unit. Writing always starts with research and Gary had already started the process. He also had a character in mind. Even more impressive, he already had an actress in mind – Jamie Lee Curtis. Jamie was to play the part of Dr. Samantha Ryan, head of the DOD’s PSYOPS Division. In reality, each branch of the service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard – has its own independent PSYOPS unit. But, you know, dramatic license... J
And, so, we began navigating the murky, mysterious waters of the PSYOPS world.
An even better notion of Gary’s was to bring back a character from previous episodes –Dr. Rachel Cranston, played marvelously by Wendy Makkena. Having already made two memorable appearances on NCIS, Dr. Cranston returned to play some mind games against a fellow “head-gamer” (and old friend), Dr. Ryan. At first I thought having two female psychologists in the same episode might seem repetitious. Then I realized what Gary had done was create a “core of conflict” to drive the story. Personal stakes. Now we have two women competing over the memory of a dead man. Interesting. Even more interesting is the attractive Dr. Ryan also supplied us with a possible “relationship” for Gibbs…or not? Because with Jamie’s “head-gaming” Dr. Ryan character, you’re never entirely sure if anything she says or does is REALLY what it appears to be.
In reality, Mark and Jamie are good friends. To the delight of all, the NCIS set became less like “work” and more like a class reunion. Mark likes to make people laugh. And Jamie makes Mark laugh. She is a gifted actress and a consummate professional. To say we’re lucky to have her onboard is an understatement.
Wendy Makkena brought the character of Dr. Rachel Cranston to a much deeper level in this episode. It was fascinating to watch her process. This time, rather than being the “fixer,” Dr. Cranston was the one in need of help. And Gibbs supplied it.
As always, in these blogs we try to convey to you how special this cast and crew really is. The fact is, you won’t find a more talented, hard-working group of folks anywhere in TV land.
Oh, and a special shout-out to the rest of the writing staff for pitching in on this episode! A group effort from concept to airing.
Reed Steiner
Co-Executive Producer