I feel that this is a great episode, and agree completely with barlowralph's review. The points made there I would all have made here, except that he does not feel able to comment on the realism of the storylines. Let's trawl through some of the other negative reviews. The comedian isn't funny and the Senator is unlikeable? Partly true - the comedian may not have been hugely funny, but the Senator was clearly liked by the troops he had previously commanded, and the interaction between the two of them made me laugh: that was funny! Main plot/subplot? I think it's pretty clear that the main plot is the extraction of the Senator to return to his son. The investigation into the son's injury is a subplot ('cos there has to be at least one investigative thread!). Sloane and Torres "are not really NCIS personas"? Sloane is deeply NCIS - look at her relationship with Vance - and is on the detail because of her experience with NCIS in Afghanistan. Torres - ?! - was eight years undercover for NCIS and is building himself nicely into Gibbs' team. So, no. Then there's the question about whether "the military would allow two civilians to escort a senator in a war zone ". The protection target is a Lieutenant General of Marines. NCIS is tasked to protect all US naval and marine personnel and their families. The protectors are agents of NCIS. Sloan and Torres *are* an arm of the military, protecting all personnel under the umbrella of SECNAV, to whom they eventually report. The idea of a single vehicle passing more safely through a danger zone than a convoy is not new. The Pony Express in the US was born from that concept: that a single rider was more likely to pass unnoticed than a group or an escorted coach. So the plan to travel in a single vehicle was a good tactical decision. Then we have the questions around "All parents love their kids". I would not question that: I have no evidence to contradict it. However, it is indisputable that not all parents are good at bringing up their children. Often they are inexperienced: they do the best they can but just don't know the right things to do. Sometimes their experience is twisted: then they may pass on that experience in damaging ways. Nothing I have seen in this episode is unrealistic.