The opening scene where a U.S. Naval Officer shows up bloody and wobbling as a woman needs her drains unplugged is reminiscent of “Blazing Saddles” or “City Slickers.” Only tonight’s comedic opener foreshadows a disastrous turn for Jimmy and Ducky. And why did Lt. Gordon Roth die? Jimmy Palmer says it best: “Death by drain cleaner.” Ouch.

When Jimmy and Ducky disappear as they are transporting the dead victim, the frantic NCIS team races to find them with Gibbs in command. He presses Tony, Ziva, McGee, and Abby for answers. They discover that Roth has been assigned to ONR, Office of Naval Research, with tremendous access to classified intelligence. Okay, he is a traitor who is now dead. But our team has to find out who killed him before it’s too late. The scene where Gibbs runs down and calls out Ducky’s name in autopsy, only to be met with total silence, reminds us both of cases we’ve had where there were many questions and no answers.

When the autopsy docs are commandeered to a small cabin to dissect the body by some gun-toting criminals, we wonder who these creeps are. Then the illustrious crew determines Roth is not Roth, but a look-alike imposter who assumed his identity as a U.S. Naval officer for a foreign government. Uh oh. (On a side note, there are those who think that is what happened to Lee Harvey Oswald. Shameless plug for our book, “The Camelot Conspiracy,” but the circumstances are so close, we have to mention it.) Anyway, Jimmy and Ducky are plunged into circumstances so outside of their usual element at NCIS Headquarters, which heightens the suspense. In many ways, as they are performing an autopsy in the cabin, they become special agents before our eyes, using Gibbs’ skills and tricks to save themselves.

Tonight, Jimmy and Ducky are forced to decide what he would do. The hope of him locating and freeing them from their leg irons motivates them to be creative. Do you think their solution is credible? It may be a bit whacky, but it works! And of course they leave a clue on the corpse for Gibbs to find. Rule Number 9: Never leave without a knife. Seconds later, Gibbs finds the knife, stuck in the boar’s head, pointing north. So the agents rush to find them in the woods.

Wait minute. Jimmy and Ducky almost get killed as they head out with their flashlight beams blazing. You think they make noisy targets? Ducky finally turns his off and they stage a loud scene to flush out the bad guy. Jimmy fires away with a gun he found before they fled the cabin. Jimmy is out of bullets, but unlike Gibbs, he fails to retrieve the gun from the guy he just shot. And the guy is only stunned. He rises up from the ground. Ready, aim, fire! But Gibbs saves the day! We are grateful he does, because we do not want to lose any more favorite characters. In a final twist, Jimmy provides the “key” to solving the case by planting a key to his gym locker. The foreign agent falls for his ploy and she is arrested. Hooray!!

Does someone in your life encourage you to rise above the fray and become victorious? This is the role Gibbs plays each and every week on NCIS. He faces untold danger as he hunts for and finds the bad guys, serves up justice, and even shows mercy. Thanks, Leroy.

Until next time, Be Blessed,

Diane and David Munson