Some duos just click: Batman and Robin, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Abbott and Costello, Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza. And in the world of “NCIS” there is no better comedic duo than Agents Tim McGee (Sean Murray) and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly). For 13 years the pair have bickered, pranked, and generally behaved like two bratty siblings, each intent on driving the other crazy. But for all their bickering and sniping at each other, it’s clear there’s a deep bond of loyalty and friendship beneath it, and their relationship serves as one of the cornerstones of “NCIS.”
That relationship has been the subject of a great deal of fan appreciation and love over the years, as the pair have driven each other crazy and became the best of friends (even if they’d never admit it out loud). A number of fans online assembled their own list of favorite moments between the two NCIS agents. Here’s what some of them had to say.
A bond as strong as brothers
In a recent Reddit thread, a number of “NCIS” fans discussed some of their favorite moments between McGee and DiNozzo.
User LiRistorm’s moment: “my favourite would be Tony comforting McGee after he shot the undercover cop,” referring to the third season episode “Probie,” in which McGee stands accused of shooting an undercover police officer to death, and DiNozzo visits him and offers some comfort (in a snarking, DiNozzo sort of way).
User winniwinnidonning offered their own take, “I like when they were in a stake-out and had a huge fight over breakfast. Also, when they had a small falling-out when Tony started talking to McCadden more than McGee!” These moments came courtesy of Season 5’s “Stakeout” and Season 7’s “Guilty Pleasure” respectively. The tension between the two gets out of hand quickly on a stakeout in the former, and DiNozzo bonds with another law enforcement official, partly to irritate McGee, in the latter
VanDyneHope shared another gem from this relationship with the thread: “There’s a cute end scene when the team all spends the night at Gibbs place and Tony and McGee squabble while in sleeping bags and watch TV like kids.” This is a later scene, from the Season 13 episode “Deja Vu,” in which the team experiences a particularly brutal cold snap that leaves their homes without power and they bed down at Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) house for the night.
NCIS’ resident comedy pair
McGee and DiNozzo are both highly capable agents in the NCIS and have stared down the worst the world has to throw at them. Both are seasoned, highly trained investigators who are veterans in their respective fields and formidable opponents to those seeking to violate the law. All this is true, and it is equally true that when left to their own devices they will begin to bicker like two brothers in the backseat of their parents’ car. While Gibbs certainly acts as a steadying influence on the pair, DiNozzo does make a point of antagonizing McGee whenever he gets the chance.
But for all that, the pair truly do respect and care about each other, which is why it was so heartbreaking when DiNozzo left the team in the Season 13 episode “Family First.” The pair’s banter and playful one-upmanship was a staple of the series for over a decade, and while “NCIS” has certainly adapted since, it can’t be denied that DiNozzo and McGee’s friendship was one of the bright lights of the series, and is dearly missed by fans.
