We enjoyed a brief trip to New Orleans on the last episode of NCIS, when Gibbs and Bishop went to the Big Easy to help Agent Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula) catch a serial killer. Of course, Pride and Gibbs have history working for NCIS together as probies. I really liked the dynamic with the New Orleans team, and I am looking forward to this new spin-off.
This week’s episode of NCIS, titled “Page Not Found,” focuses on Delilah, McGee’s girlfriend, uncovering new evidence in a D.O.D. case. McGee also ponders taking the next logical step with Delilah.
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Delilah’s Discovery
We kick off with Delilah back at work, trying to endure her chatty co-worker. Delilah uncovers something dealing with the death of Naval Intelligence Officer Kit Jones in Hungary. The case went cold until an anonymous e-mail, sent to a recipient that the D.O.D. is tracking, mentions a safe house in Virginia. Delilah is excited about her find, until her superior deletes the information and tells them that it never existed. Talk about a frustrating day at work.
Who is in the Closet with Tony?
McGee shows Tony a key to his apartment that he is planning on giving Delilah. Tony congratulates a nervous McGee until his phone rings. It is Delilah, but she tells Tony that she needs to speak with him privately and to not say her name in front of McGee. Tony pretends to be talking to a magazine subscription site until he ducks into a closet. He switches the light on and comes face to face with — himself! There is a life-size Tony cut-out next to him. Hilarious!
Tony tells Delilah that the Jones case went cold, at least from what he understands from the European field office, and he doesn’t have any information about any classified investigations. The closet door swings open to reveal Gibbs and McGee, who would like to know what Tony is doing in the closet. Tony hands Gibbs the phone, and leaves the closet with his cut-out. This scene is priceless!
Dangerous Chinchillas
McGee is concerned that Delilah could be fired, or worse. She perseveres and tells Gibbs that Lieutenant Jones was trying to stop a secret website, The PX, that sells everything from contract killers to drugs. McGee tries to tell Delilah to take things at a slower pace since she has only been back at work for a week. Gibbs bales McGee out by saying that they will check out the lead.
Delilah has already called the landlord, Mr. Troutman, and says that he is expecting exterminators checking for rats. So McGee and Tony go in undercover, and they are thrilled beyond belief. Troutman said the man who rented the apartment paid cash for six months, then left his keys in the landlord’s mailbox after one week. The tenant also left the apartment in very clean condition and apparently sanitized it with bleach. That will certainly cramp the investigation into illegal chinchilla and rat offspring.
McGee and Tony don’t find any blood, but McGee pulls a partial print. Abby is able to identify the print as belonging to cyber-specialist Kit Jones.
Is Jones Dead?
Bishop briefs the team on Jones. Since a bomb went off in his hotel room, there were no physical remains, but Jones used his phone just seconds before the explosion. The PX acts as a middleman between buyers and sellers, and is responsible for 20% of all illegal drugs sales in the US. No one has been able to find the actual servers. I wonder if Jones faked his death for some reason.
Jones was able to identify the former web master, Heidi Partridge, and she is in prison awaiting trial. Vance and Gibbs suspect that Jones may have faked his death, but Bishop reminds them that he has a heartbroken fiance, Melody Hanson. She was supposed to marry Jones the previous Saturday at a big wedding. Melody is distraught, but Gibbs is still suspicious, and asks her if Jones mentioned anything unusual during their last conversation. Jones made it a habit to call every day, but didn’t call the day before his death.
A Sad Face
Meanwhile, Tony and McGee pay a visit to Partridge. She is definitely weird, and gives them either a happy, sad or troubled “smiley face” flashcard to answer their questions. She maintains that computer programming was a hobby, and she was hired to keep the PX site secure and functioning. She, of course, denies any knowledge of what was being sold. McGee and Tony ask who is now in charge of the website, and offer a plea deal. When Tony mentions Jones, he earns the sad card because she doesn’t want to violate her new deal. She also refuses to divulge who finalized the deal moments before McGee and Tony’s arrival.
A CIA Twist
In the parking lot, Tony and McGee notice that their cell phones are being jammed. They approach a sedan with a man inside. He is Jim Brisco, and he is a CIA agent. Officer Brisco reveals that Jones is still alive and he was pulled onto “a side project.” His undercover status is the reason for all the secrecy. The CIA faked Jones’ death when his work on the PX site overlapped with a CIA money laundering investigation about Bitcoins. Brisco asks NCIS to drop their investigation. He also says that Jones willingly missed his own wedding, and allowed his fiance to think he was dead for her own safety.
Gibbs and Vance reluctantly inform Melody that their information was bad. Gibbs mentions the CIA in passing, but Hanson doesn’t react. Vance orders Bishop and Gibbs to quietly keep investigating. Vance talks with the head of the CIA, Kirkwood, who refuses to let NCIS talk with Jones.
Sampson and Delilah
McGee and Tony are in a car looking for one of Delilah’s informants, named Sampson. He was also Delilah’s former flame, and he uses the PX site to deal steroids. I must confess, I am a bit surprised about Delilah’s ex-boyfriend. Tony is also a bit surprised by his muscular physique, and he realizes they are going to have to catch Sampson.
Back at headquarters, Sampson says he only ran to keep up appearances. When McGee asks Sampson to log into the PX, he refuses, but offers to help with anything else. Tony, barely able to contain his glee, asks Sampson when he dated Delilah. It was right before McGee and Delilah started dating. Sampson would like to talk with Delilah sometime, and Tony pounces on the chance by saying that she is in the building, and it can be arranged if he logs into the PX. Sampson agrees to give up the information for a coffee date with Delilah, over McGee’s objections.
Against His Will
At the lab, Delilah is making use of her sick day working on the case. McGee is worried, but she explains that the hotel explosion, and the link to terrorists, strikes close to her heart. Delilah notices that the PX is using security protocols developed by the D.O.D. to hide the site.
Gibbs meets up with Abby, Ducky and Palmer in autopsy. The tissue in Kit Jones’ apartment contains his mucous, and also some ominous information: his blood cell counts reveal that he is suffering from malnutrition and has high levels of oxycodone in his blood. Jones is not a double agent, but he is a prisoner somewhere.
Dropping the Ball
In MTAC, Kirkwood reads Brisco the riot act for losing control of the Jones situation. Vance tells Kirkwood that Jones has been a prisoner for at least a week, but Brisco is emphatic that he received e-mails from Jones just days ago, and he didn’t use any of the duress codes. Kirkwood tells Vance to take the lead on the case.
Abby and Delilah realize that Jones was leaving them breadcrumbs by giving his captors the D.O.D. protocols. They find that the PX is being accessed at a local hospital by Troutman, the landlord. He is the new webmaster, but will he reveal Jones’ location to the team? Since he is at the hospital for knee surgery, Abby suggests getting to his computer at the hospital to obtain the proof that they need.
Meet Nurse Jimmy
Troutman is out of surgery, and his daughter is with him, and his laptop. Maybe she is the new webmaster instead of Troutman? Ducky and Palmer enter undercover as a doctor and “nurse Jimmy.” I love it! Ducky suggests that Troutman’s daughter get some coffee, but Troutman’s daughter is pre-med, and she insists on staying.
Ducky suggests that she help Palmer drain the incision, and she decides that some coffee actually sounds good right about now. Ducky accompanies her and McGee comes in to work on the laptop. Troutman wakes up, and recognizes McGee as an animal control officer, and asks if the chinchilla spawn are at the hospital.
Delilah and Tony have a chat where Tony reveals that he and McGee once showered together when he opened an envelope with white powder. Ah, memories. Delilah confides that she wants to advance in her job, and there is an opening in Dubai. Tony notices that Jones’ fiance, Melody, receives a series of brief phone calls from the restaurant where she and Jones were to be married.
Another Betrayal
Abby discovers that Troutman’s drive is blank, so he obviously knew that they were coming. At Leo’s restaurant, Jones pulls an unloaded gun on Bishop and Gibbs, but Tony sneaks up behind him. Jones was trying to bring Melody there so he can explain. Jones was being held prisoner by Brisco. There was never an undercover CIA operation, and Brisco was selling intelligence to the website.
The CIA cut ties with Brisco, and he is on the run. Gibbs and Bishop pay a visit to Troutman in the hospital. When they ask about Brisco’s location, Gibbs decides to “accidentally” poke Troutman in the knee. Troutman finally agrees to give them the information on the PX site, but he has no idea what it is. He doesn’t even know how to swipe Bishop’s cell phone. He also states that he doesn’t own a laptop, but his daughter does.
Just Desserts
Troutman’s daughter meets with Brisco in a restaurant and transfers money to his account for the intelligence that she bought. She leaves, but she is wearing a wire. Gibbs confirms her plea deal is all set, as long as she gives them the information about the PX. While Brisco is enjoying his wine, he is joined by Jones, who punches him in the face before McGee and Tony take him into custody.
Jones asks for one last favor from McGee and Delilah and they drive Jones to city hall so he can marry Melody. McGee tells Delilah that Tony told him about the job in Dubai, and he encourages her to take it if that is what she wants. Delilah will only take the job if they can make a long distance relationship work. McGee gives her the keys to his apartment, and then Jones asks them to be the witnesses for their wedding.
I loved this episode of NCIS, especially with the plot twists and humor. I am really glad that Delilah and McGee are staying together.
NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8pm on CBS.
(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.
