Why is Tony a movie buff?

United States
March 19, 2010 8:20pm CST
In the first seasons of NCIS, Tony knew nothing about movies. Then after Kate died, all of a sudden he has decades of information in his brain about the movies.. actors, dates, directors, plot lines ... he has it all. Why/How did he suddenly go from not knowing anything about the film world to being the all-knowing expert? Maybe I should stop watching those early seasons? I seem to be seeing flaws in some of the character lines... Damn
1 person likes this
6 responses
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
20 Mar 10
Actually, it was only the pilot and the first few episodes that Tony was so ignorant of films, by the second season he seemed to know more and now, of course, he could teach a class on the subject... As to why? I think it was just getting the show to the point where the characters were settled - but it is really jarring to catch one of those first season epis after watching a 5th season episode!
• United States
20 Mar 10
Actually, in the episodes where Tony was sleuthing for the Director by pursuing "The Frog's" doctor daughter, his cover story WAS that he was a visiting prof at a nearby college or online college or some such. His cover was that he was a film/movie professor. But in the first season, he didn't know the most elementary film references.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
20 Mar 10
I know! I mentioned to my friend I'm watching them with that and now she finds it annoying too! Yeah, the whole thing with him not knowing the least thing and now being a know it all... and it really changed like in the second season, got more in the 3rd and then the 4th was much more.
• Philippines
16 Nov 10
I guess being a movie buff is an extension of the Weatherly's personality. I mean, almost everybody has a character that is extension of himself or herself. Pauley Perrete, for example, actually studied forensics rather than just spitting off names of chemicals and explaining something she doesn't know.
• United States
20 Mar 10
It is a little odd, but it did not last the whole time Kate was on the team. The first episode is kind of weird to see now, as it is Gibbs making the movie reference much like Tony would do nowadays.
@stealthy (8181)
• United States
24 Mar 10
Whenever it started, I think that Michael Weatherly might have had something to do with it. I'm guessing that he is a film buff because when he and his ex-wife, Amelia Heinle, were dating when they were on soap operas together they would spend a lot of time going to movies to learn about acting.
@bwaybaby (903)
• United States
20 Mar 10
Maybe he knew all that, but never mentioned any of it? It is a bit odd how his movie knowledge just comes up here and there, but he never mentioned not knowing movie stuff before, I guess. I dunno....
• United States
11 May 10
I have to agree with the person that said it was only during the first few episodes that Tony did not know his movie references, etc. By the second season, Tony was pretty much into the references. If you remember, in SWAK, when Kate and Tony were in the hospital Kate was begging Tony to quit referencing movies. He was talking about being "the boy in the plastic bubble." Later on, when SWAK ended and the nurse shut the lights off, Tony tells Kate, "This reminds me of Aliens," after which Kate laughs because she is relieved he is alive. Every show has it's beginnings and characters develop over time - this is what has happened with Tony. And I believe it comes from Michael Weatherly. He has stated in a recent interview that he is a big movie buff and that is the reason why Bellisario let him make movie references.