Snakes in the Grass, the second episode of NCIS: Sydney, gives us a fresh look at Team Sydney’s new dynamic. Each member has new challenges as the team settles into their new normal. Evie loves pushing DeShawn’s buttons and using Aussie-isms against him, including telling him a story about spiders and underwear. Meanwhile, he becomes angered when he and Evie find dead native birds. Roy helps Blue overcome her fear of Mackey while she [Blue] panics when her new little bird friend accidentally picks up a slight against Mack. Elsewhere, Mackey is forced to deal with more of JD’s annoyances. Meanwhile JD finds ways to make Mackey feel more at home in Sydney.
When an American Staff Sergeant is found dead in the bush by fishermen, Team Sydney stumbles across an animal smuggling ring. Native animals, including a deadly inland taipan, and a series of weapons have been stolen. Evie and DeShawn find a series of dead birds and one that is still alive, as we mentioned earlier, which ends up getting Blue into a whole of trouble. This upsets Jackson, who appears to be a massive animal lover.
Meanwhile, JD and Mackey continue to clash over their cultural differences. Mackey complains about Australians driving on the opposite side of the road, which becomes relevant later in the episode.
Mackey ignores the bird’s comments and JD’s suggested nickname. By the end of the episode, she laughs at the bird while JD gives her a toaster and a jar of Vegemite to make her feel more at home.
Final Thoughts On Snakes In The Grass
Snakes in the Grass gives a deeper look into Team Sydney’s dynamic, which is fun to see. What’s interesting is Evie and DeShawn hit it off really quickly in the premiere and they’re going strong in this episode, even if Cooper is being annoying.
It’s easy to see how different DeShawn and Mackey are regarding their personalities and their experiences in Sydney. DeShawn takes to it almost immediately, but Mackey struggles to understand the lingo. This appears to be the sentiment for many American viewers if the lousy Rotten Tomatoes audience score is any indication.
NCIS: Sydney is one of the few shows in the US due to the strikes destroying writing and acting schedules; the show gives Americans a chance to see what it’s like in Australia outside of the expectations and stereotypes often presented.
In conclusion, the show still has a lot of growing to do. It is the first international NCIS title, so please remember that. Cannot wait to see what next week’s episode brings.
