Product Details

• Actors: Mark Harmon
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 5
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Paramount
• DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008
• Run Time: 836 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (158 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0019F02X0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #648 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #37 in Movies & TV > DVD > Action & Adventure
  • #42 in Movies & TV > DVD > Mystery & Thrillers
  • #84 in Movies & TV > DVD > Drama
• Learn more about "NCIS - The Complete Fifth Season" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Describing season four of NCIS as "the season of secrets," executive producer Shane Brennan suggests that season five (offered here with 18 episodes, including a two-part finale, on five discs) is "the season of answers." For the most part, that's true--but at season's end, loyal viewers are likely to be thrown for a loop by the death of a major character and a startling set of changes bound to have a profound effect on the show's future. Picking up where the previous year left off, this new batch jumps right in with a continuation of Special Agent Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and company's pursuit of notorious international arms dealer La Grenouille ("The Frog," played by Armand Assante), whom NCIS director Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) is particularly keen on taking down--a quest that's complicated by the fact that the bad guy is a CIA asset, and by Agent Anthony DiNozzo's (Michael Weatherly) love affair with La Grenouille's daughter. That storyline, barely touched on thereafter, is resolved in the 14th episode, "Internal Affairs." Meanwhile, the NCIS crew is distracted by an array of other cases, most of them involving murder. Of particular interest are several episodes related to Iraq and the War on Terror: a Naval officer of Syrian descent who's suspected of being an Al Qaeda mole is murdered seconds after Gibbs talks him out of jumping off a building ledge; a Marine who's having a violent bout of post-traumatic stress after returning from the Mideast turns out to be far worse off than that; Medical Examiner Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum) refuses to conduct an autopsy because of the deceased's Muslim beliefs.

There's no doubt that NCIS is slick, entertaining prime-time television in every respect: writing, acting, production values, music, and so on. Still, one's appreciation of the show largely depends on the characters' likeability, and that's very much a matter of taste. Gibbs may be a chick magnet, with four former wives and a past relationship with Shepard to prove it, but he's also a taciturn fellow with horrible social skills. DiNozzo's funny and insouciant, but his smugness and incessant razzing of computer nerd Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) soon becomes tiresome, while Shepard is steely and simply unlikeable (the most appealing characters are arguably McCallum's Mallard and Pauley Perrette's mouthy Abby Sciuto, the goth-like forensic expert). Bonus material includes cast and crew commentary on various episodes and a typical assortment of featurettes. --Sam Graham

Product Description

NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is more than just an action drama. With liberal doses of humor, it's a show that focuses on the sometimes complex and always amusing dynamics of a team forced to work together in high-stress situations. NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), a former Marine gunnery sergeant, whose skills as an investigator are unmatched, formerly led this troupe of colorful personalities. Gibbs, a man of few words, only needs a look to explain it all. The team includes NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), an ex-homicide detective who may come off as the world's oldest frat boy, but whose instincts in the field are unparalleled; forensic specialist Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), a talented scientist whose dark wit matches her Goth style and eclectic tastes, NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), an MIT graduate whose brilliance with computers far overshadows his insecurities in the field and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), a former Moussad agent who shares a bond with Gibbs over the death of his arch nemesis, Ari, the terrorist who killed former NCIS Special Agent Kate Todd. Assisting the team is medical examiner Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard (David McCallum), who knows it all because he's seen it all, and he's not afraid to let you know. Rounding out the team is NCIS director Jennifer Shepard (Lauren Holly) who has a romantic history with Gibbs. From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, these special agents travel the globe to investigate all crimes with Navy or Marine Corps ties.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 54 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars NCIS Season 5--Beneath The Surface... November 25, 2008

By Scot Merideth Peirson

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

There has been a pattern in the writing of NCIS that has always been fascinating. Ever since "Bete Noire" in Season 1, this series has always used it's season finale to essentially set up the next season's finale. "Bete Noire" introduced Ari Haswari. In the finale to Season 1, Jethro Gibbs shot Ari to cover Haswari's double agent status--though Gibbs would have preferred to kill Ari. Because Ari wasn't killed at the end of Season 1, he was able to murder Kate Todd at the end of Season 2. Because Ari shot Kate at the end of Season 2--and more importantly, WHY he chose to murder her--we were able to get the backstory of Gibbs revealed, the tragedy surrounding his first wife and daughter, which culminated with Jethro leaving the MTAC at the end of Season 3. Because of Gibbs' "retirement", NCIS Director Jenny Shepard was able to initiate her off-the-books operation against Rene Benoit, using Tony DiNozzo to romance La Grenouille's daughter Jeanne.
So as we get into Season 5, we have the culmination of Shepard's attempt to avenge her father's death by killing Benoit, though she crosses both the CIA and the FBI in the attempt. "Bury Your Dead"--especially its final scene--sets the tone for the season. Though the show has its usual action, interplay between its characters, and bawdiness that has made the show such a wonderful view, there also seems a certain weight to the season. The regular viewer knows the story with The Frog isn't over, moreover there has to be a deeper reason why Shepard seemed willing to pursue Benoit without government sanction. It is the playing out of this season that, again while the season has its usual fun, seems to give the season a somewhat sad tone.
Still, the performances are at their usual high standards. Mark Harmon's Gibbs is his usual self, though we are once again shown more of Jethro's past and his genuine heart. While Michael Weatherly's Tony DiNozzo is his usual obnoxious self, the aftermath of the La Grenouille affair leaves our boy shaken, both because of his feelings for Jeanne and being used by Shepard. Tony's conscience comes in the form of Ziva David; who, while enjoying her usual verbal sparring with DiNozzo, also makes Tony own up to his feelings about what happened and what it may have done to Jeanne. Cote De Pablo's Ziva, with her hair straightened and deemphasizing her widow's peak, becomes a more Americanized woman (and the shots of Cote bending over ain't too bad, either). We didn't have an episode that featured Sean Murray's Tim McGee a season after The Probie's year with his nom de plume (Thom E. Gemcity), but Pauley Perrette's wonderful Abby Sciutto gets her usual fun, especially in "Dog Tags". David McCallum's Ducky Mallard is most representative of the tone of the season, because he becomes privy to the secret that Jenny hides through the season.
This leads to Lauren Holly, and the end of the Jenny Shepard storyline. Shepard seems calmer this season, especially after the disappearance of The Frog (Even propositioning Gibbs in "Lost And Found"), but we figure something had to have been motivating Jenny attempting something that would compromise the agency. That something plays out through the season, and is revealed in "Judgement Day", the two-part season finale, which of course sets the table for Season 6.
The high points of this season are "Ex-File", in which a part of Jethro's past becomes a part of an investigation (Plus, we get a visit from Susana Thompson's Hollis Mann--this episode is capped by a wonderfully sad sequence at the end), "Internal Affairs" (The body of La Grenouille resurfaces, and we meet Rocky Carroll's Leon Vance--Carroll draws greatly from Daniel Benzali's character in "The Agency" from earlier this decade), "About Face" (Where Brian Dietzen's Jimmy Palmer is featured, and reveals a slight obsession with footwear), "Judgement Day" (Which brings Gibbs and Shepard's long-ago Paris operation--the one where they also became lovers--to a full circle, as well as Jethro coming to a sad conclusion about the murder of The Frog), and the simply magnificent "Requiem", in which Gibbs, while aiding the now-grown best friend of his late daughter, is finally able to put to rest the loss of Shannon and Kelly.
Performances of note are Joe Spano--we don't see as much of Tobias Fornell as we usually do during a season. Susana Thompson, whose character retired from the Army when she realized Jethro hadn't recovered from losing his wife and daughter (Why do I suspect that Holly will appear again--in Hawaii, living on the grounds of a novelist, and driving a Ferrari?). Susan Kelichi Watson's Nikki Jardine, the NCIS Intelligence Analyst who happens to be a germophobe (Leading to many moments where the team exploits Jardine's phobia for their humor), and Muse Watson returning as Mike Franks in the season finale, with his usual cowboy demeanor. But Cameron Goodman's performance in "Requiem"--as Maddie Tyler, Kelly Gibbs' best friend as a child--gives the episode the impetus that sets Jethro toward finally making his peace with losing Shannon and Kelly.
NCIS has always been a fun show, with an ability to wrench at the heart in unexpected moments. This is a season that has an underlying tone of sadness and impending tragedy, and it gives the season some unusual depth.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series! July 13, 2008

By J. Snedaker

Format:DVD

As the titles states, this is a great series. One of the largest factors that separates NCIS from other crime dramas is that the characters are so dynamic. It details enough about their backgrounds while still sticking to the crime busting plot. And as shown from the previous seasons, the series continues to bring up situations that makes it different from the Law and Order, new crime everyday type. If you love crime dramas or even just think they are OK then you will really enjoy this series!

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Shock after Shock September 14, 2008

By Atriedes247

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

A late comer to NCIS, I discovered the series by accident at the rental store. I had to watch everything they owned, then bought all the seasons they didn't have. Fifth season was one of best. Even though this season was shorter (only 18 episodes due to the writer's strike) it had all the character banter that makes this series fun. Whether its Gibbs one liners, Tony's womanizing, Ziva's seriousness, Jennie's obsession, McGeek's incredible wizardry with a computer (and a cameo with an Iron Fist comic book to boot), or Abbey's incredible energy, this series just brings the relationships between these characters to life. Somehow you come to care about them deeper than you do with other series. Perhaps its because the writer's have snuck so many surprises through the series, or perhaps its because the creators don't insult the intelligence of the viewer and include references to episodes from the very beginning of the series, or maybe its because the actors are having so much fun, but there is a charm and charisma and intensity to this series that keeps bringing me back to watch the episodes again and again.