NCIS: The Complete Second Season

The sophomore season of this JAG spin-off is even more satisfying than the first, largely due to nuanced scripts that add more weight to the principal characters, especially Special Agent Leroy Gibbs (top-billed Mark Harmon). Joining the N.C.I.S. (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) team on a full-time basis is agent Tim McGee (Sean Murray), a recurring character from the first year who makes his presence felt in the season opener, “See No Evil,” an especially tense installment built around the kidnapping of a naval officer's wife and blind daughter. The 22 episodes of 2004-05 are consistently fine, but the final two get our vote for the year's best. In “SWAK,” agent Tony Dinozzo (Michael Weatherly) is felled by a potentially deadly virus carried in an envelope filled with a fine powder—as his health gradually fails, Gibbs and the other team members race against time to locate the sender. There's an even bigger emotional jolt in the season finale, “Twilight,” which finds recurring villain Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin) plotting with other terrorists to kill Gibbs…only to catch another agent in the crosshairs. If you're a fan of NCIS, this season represents the apex of the series. DVD extras include two audio commentaries and four featurettes on the series and the real N.C.I.S. Recommended. (E. Hulse)