Despite there being two wars and countless military topics to explore, NCIS rarely jumps into those topics. For whatever reasons, the producers are fine with keeping everything light. "Royals and Loyals" has an opening for some thought-provoking discussions about the US sending money to warlords and other creeps in foreign countries. But no, the real criminal is just a woman who wants to keep the money for herself? Why not make the murderer a crusader against the current foreign policy instead of a greedy person? It would certainly set up a more ambiguous conclusion where all the characters could consider their own position on the issue.
The rest of the episode, consisting of Tony and Ziva sniping at each other, is highly annoying. Tony is far too pushy and intrusive, coming off looking a little creepy, and Ziva says nothing yet again. By now, in the eighth season, the whole relationship between Tony and Ziva is kind of a moot point. We're never given anything substantial about them, so at best, their relationship, or potential romantic one, has devolved into a bunch of jokes.
Score: 8.1/10
