Last time on NCIS, Gibbs was visited again by the ghost of Mike Franks while working on a case, and McGee received some life-changing news — Delilah is having twins!
This episode of NCIS, titled “Ready or Not,” focuses on the hunt for an international arms dealer. Oh, and Delilah goes into labor three weeks before her due date.
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Thanksgiving Plans
The episode kicks off in a convenience store, where an unhappy customer named Andre is complaining about the coffee. The customer’s friend takes a phone call from his mother back in Kiev. Andre reminds him that he was supposed to leave his phone off until the job was completed.
Andre walks outside and is greeted by an MI-5 agent named Nigel Ford. Ford has tracked Andre there, and he asks Andre if he has reached him in time. Andre replies that Ford is too late, and a moment later, both men fire their guns at each other. Andre’s friend comes out of the store, and Andre shoots him before limping away. Ford takes out his phone and calls Jack Sloane.
It is Thanksgiving, and Bishop is helping to coordinate Ducky’s potluck Thanksgiving feast. Reeves is bringing canned cranberries because cooking is not one of his skills. Torres deflates Reeves’ enthusiasm for his first Thanksgiving by telling Reeves to bring as many “tins” as he wants because Torres is going to prepare fresh cranberries.
McGee comes in, and he is tired. He has been up all night putting together the second crib, and he has three pieces left over. See, NCIS agents are just like all the rest of us. McGee and Delilah are also stressed about finding a name for their babies. The boy’s name has already been narrowed down to Han, Harrison or Indiana. Reeves remarks, “Poor kid!”
Jack Faces a Loss
Gibbs comes in and tells the team about the dead MI-5 officer and that he is one of Jack’s friends. Gibbs arrives and finds Jack kneeling by her friend’s body. Reeves knows that Ford is a “great officer” and Ford was legendary at the training academy. Jack and Ford worked together on a joint operation two years earlier. They connected again when Ford came to town the previous week. Ford was pursuing international arms dealer Andre Yorka. Andre was the case that Ford and Jack had worked on, and Ford had tracked Andre back to DC, even though Andre had entered the country thanks to a fake visa. Jack was planning to drop off her old files so that she and Ford could figure out where to find Andre.
McGee comes back with a still picture from the video surveillance. The clerk has identified Andre as the shooter. The other victim lying in the parking lot is Victor Lopuchin, who lived in Baltimore and worked in food delivery. Torres notices a blood trail that leads up to some tire marks.
Abby calls McGee and tells him not to panic. She is driving Delilah to the hospital, and her water has broken. Gibbs sends McGee to meet his wife at the hospital. McGee is panicked when he reaches the hospital and a security guard, Morgan Cade, shows him the way. Cade tells McGee that his life is “about to change forever.” You can say that again, Cade. Abby is waiting for McGee. He wants to see Delilah but is told that he needs to wait because the doctor is examining her.
Where is the Bomb?
In the squad room, Reeves is giving a report on Ford. Ford joined MI-5 in 2010 and was an undercover officer. Andre was dishonorably discharged from the Serbian army. Andre was also associated with a hate group before entering the arms trade. He has many enemies and has been banned from several countries, including Romania. Lopuchin had ties to the Russian mob before he immigrated to the United States. Andre usually hires local people and then leaves his associates to answer for his crimes.
Gibbs goes to autopsy after Bishop reluctantly shares Jack’s whereabouts. Jack is sitting next to Ford’s body, while Ducky and Palmer are starting to work on Lopuchin’s remains. Jack is emotional, and it is obvious how much Ford means to her. Jack wants nothing more than to see Andre brought to justice. Palmer notices an unusual odor on Lopuchin’s hands, and it is the aroma of plastic explosives.
Abby and McGee go in to see Delilah, and the doctor confirms that she is ready to deliver in the next couple of hours, as early labor is common with twins. McGee has brought Delilah’s comfort kit to the hospital, and it consists of all the necessities: a portable mini fan, an aromatherapy bear and her favorite comic books. Since her husband is nervous, Delilah sends him off in search of an ice-cold grape soda, even though she can’t drink anything while she is in labor. Abby is also nervous, but her task is to feed Delilah ice chips. McGee goes to see security guard Cade because he needs to find a soda machine. As McGee walks by a waiting area, he sees Andre sitting in a chair.
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Drama in the Emergency Department
Lopuchin checked in to a local hotel, the Westcott, two days ago and never checked out. Could the hotel be a target? McGee calls Gibbs, and Gibbs put him on speaker, anticipating information about Delilah and the babies. McGee tells the team that Andre is at the hospital, and he tells Cade to keep an eye on the suspect until backup arrives. Cade spooks Andre, and the security guard struggles with Andre when he tries to leave. Andre shoots him. McGee pulls his gun as Andre threatens the crowd.
He wants to get medical attention, and he wants it now. Andre grabs a woman as she makes a break for the door. McGee puts down his gun and slides it over to Andre. Cade, who is wounded, makes a grab for the gun. Andre orders McGee to go and find a doctor, but McGee doesn’t want to leave Cade and the woman behind.
Gibbs, Bishop and Sloane head to the hospital, and Reeves and Torres go to the hotel. The agents enter the hospital and overhear Andre yelling at McGee. Jack reminds them that they must not show their guns, as Andre will kill everyone unless he feels in control. Gibbs enters with his hands up, and Bishop comes out on the other side. Andre orders the female hostage to search Gibbs and Bishop for weapons, and she hands over all the guns and knives that the agents have on them.
Gibbs identifies them as NCIS agents and asks Andre to let Cade and the other hostage go in exchange for himself and Bishop. Andre wants the bullet out and transportation out of the country. McGee is putting pressure on Cade’s gunshot wound, and Abby calls him. Cade asks Andre to let McGee go because his wife is ready to deliver his babies. This nugget piques Andre’s interest, and he asks if this is true. Gibbs and Bishop try to throw Andre off the scent by saying that Cade is losing blood and is delirious. Andre tosses the female hostage to the chairs, and Andre points his gun at McGee and threatens that McGee won’t get to meet his new babies unless Andre’s demands are met. Yikes!
Abby isn’t sure what is going on, and Bishop and Jack are in a treatment room trying to get a doctor to work on Andre when Abby calls. They video chat, and Jack holds up the phone to the window, giving Abby a glimpse of Andre holding a gun on McGee. Abby is going to have to handle Delilah on her own. Torres beeps in and tells Bishop that there are traces of both men in the hotel room. They left behind a train schedule, bomb plans and bomb parts. Jack tells Reeves and Torres that Andre is not a traditional terrorist, in that he needs a personal reason to drive his motives.
A Terrorist Plot
Jack and Bishop decide to make their move. Bishop storms into the waiting room and demands to know where Andre’s bomb is. Gibbs gets angry and scream at her for throwing away all the leverage that they have on the case. Andre again demands a doctor, and Gibbs goes to find one. They are having no luck finding a real doctor, so Jack decides to dress up as one. She also has some ketamine to put Andre out of commission.
Abby returns to Delilah, but Delilah is watching the news and she knows what is happening in the emergency department with her husband.
Meanwhile, Reeves is checking through a laptop in the hotel room and finds a file about the International Coalition for Peace, which placed an order for food through Lapuchin’s business. The group is comprised of dignitaries from around the world, including Romania. Hello, motive! The food delivery was for a brunch at the Westcott Hotel that is about to begin in minutes. They also finally get surveillance footage of the parking lot and discover that Andre made his escape in Lapuchin’s business van, but someone else was driving.
Back in the emergency room, Jack shows up with a gurney. Jack wants to inject Andre with a local, but he refuses any painkillers. As Jack is looking at the wound, Gibbs grabs a leg brace and starts across the room. The female hostage sticks a gun in his back. Jack tries to cut Andre’s pant leg off, and Gibbs takes the opportunity to send Cade and McGee out of the room. McGee waits with Cade for a doctor, and Cade tells McGee, just before he dies, “You go now. Be a great daddy.” That is so sad.
A Special Delivery (or Two)
At the hotel, Reeves and Torres race to the function room that is holding the brunch. Hotel security is confident that there are no bombs, as Homeland Security did a sweep that morning. Torres and McGee want to check themselves. They don’t find any explosives in the room but check the carts that are bringing in the food from the kitchen. The first cart is clean, but the second has plastic explosives along the bottom. The agents hurriedly evacuate the room before engaging in an amusing exchange about which wire to cut to disable the bomb. They decide to cut both and run. They leave the room, and the bomb stops ticking.
Andre screams in agony as Jack digs around in his leg for the bullet. She finally removes it. Andre demands his transportation, and Gibbs takes a call from Torres, telling Andre that it is regarding his demands. Gibbs informs Andre that his bomb has been disabled and that he is of no use anymore. Jack jams her finger into Andre’s gaping leg wound, while Gibbs punches his accomplice in the face. Jack starts repeatedly punching Andre in the face until Gibbs pulls her off. Jack walks away after screaming at the arms dealer that he had killed her friend.
McGee gowns up just in time for Delilah to start pushing. Soon, the babies are welcomed into the world. Abby tells the elated new parents that the situation with Andre is over. Abby plans to send the team up for a visit and proclaims this to be the “best Thanksgiving ever!” The couple discusses baby names, and Delilah suggests John after McGee’s father. McGee has a suggestion for their daughter: Morgan. Welcome, little Morgan and Johnny!
I enjoyed this episode of NCIS with its blend of tension and humor and, of course, the arrival of McGee and Delilah’s babies.
Were you surprised that the female hostage was an accomplice? Did you think that Abby was uncharacteristically anxious while she was taking care of Delilah? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
NCIS season 15 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Kim has been covering television entertainment since 2013. She is addicted to Real Housewives, Pump Rules, Dancing with the Stars, and many more shows.
