Review/Recap of the NCIS episode, "SWAK"
I wasn’t going to do a recap this week because the episode unfolded really well, and I don’t think that I can capture that on paper. Someone requested it, however, so here goes…
The artistic shot is of Tony opening the dreaded letter. Then it cuts to Tony harassing Kate about how bad she looks. He asks, “What did you do, spend the night sake bombing?” (And for anyone who doesn’t know what that is, like me, he explains it later. Sake bombing is when you take a cup of hot sake, you drop it in a beer and toss it back.) It turns out that Kate has a miserable cold. Tony tries to commiserate with McGee about the fact that Kate has never been sake bombing. Surprise, surprise, McGee never has either. “I work with a pair of wankers.” And of course, that is when Gibbs walks in… “And you make three, DiNozzo.” Gibbs asks Kate if it is a cold or the flu. Then the conversation comes around to Gibbs saying that he has never had allergies, a cold, or the flu. Kate asks sotto voce to Tony, “Why do I believe that?” Tony responds, “If you were a bug, would you attack Gibbs?” And even though I know that this episode is going to be rather dramatic (heck, the first shot was Tony opening a biological contaminant), I still am finding the humor in this show. This episode did a really good job of using humor to balance the drama. McGee is handing out the mail and comes across one that is just addressed to “NCIS special agent.” Tony claims it as his because he says that he recognizes the lips that are printed on it in bright red lipstick. Then he opens it, releasing a white powder into the air. The shot of this is quite well done as the camera circles around him, capturing the powder cloud surrounding him.
The arty shot doesn’t give anything away, nor does it presage the action/drama to follow. We come back to Tony with the letter, looking like he is now holding his breath. The shot then cuts to Gibbs, who immediately takes action. He jumps up on his desk, gives a piercing whistle, and tells everyone what to do. Kate calls someone and tells them that a contaminant was released in Special Agent Gibbs’s office. (So that whole office that we see weekly is all Gibbs’s? Wow, I’m impressed; I had no idea the amount of power that Gibbs had. Oh, and we find out that they are on the third floor.) Gibbs’s and Kate’s actions are intercut with Tony instigating containment procedure. He puts down the letter and then pours water over his hands and head. McGee then gives the procedure for a biological attack (explaining it so that we viewers can be clued in). It turns out that they need to shower and have their clothes burned, and that no one except for Tony (who will be heading for Bethesda for testing and treatment) will be allowed to leave the scene until the substance is identified and their bloodwork is shown to be clean.
The scene then jumps to Tony and Kate in the showers (separate, but next to each other.) Tony asks, “Who would send me a letter with anthrax?” Kate replies, “Pick a girl, Tony.” The camera pans down to show that all four of the main team members who were in the immediate vicinity when the letter was open are in shower stalls. Tony is whining over the fact that his really expensive clothes are going to be burned. (Again bringing up that Tony comes from money. Continuity…) Kate is giving him a disbelieving look throughout his rant. McGee chimes in with, “You know it might not be anthrax.” Tony says, “I like the sound of that, Probie.” And then, any thoughts that McGee was trying to be reassuring fly out the window as he adds, “It could be smallpox, bubonic plague, cholera…” Tony interjects with a “Probie!” so McGee switches to “…foot powder, face powder, talcum powder…” Tony interjects again, “Honey dust!” (Hey, a little aside, this episode was written by Donald P. Bellasario. Good job by the head honcho. I wonder what other episodes he has written?) It turns out that Honey Dust is something that Tony gives to girls at Christmastime. “It makes a woman’s skin feel silky smooth. When kissed, it tastes like honey.” The preceding statement was not said by Tony, but rather by Gibbs. Cut to three disbelieving heads sticking out of shower stalls and looking in Gibbs’s direction. It turns out that Gibbs got some Honey Dust last Christmas. Tony looks suitably chagrined. Tony says that the post office must have screwed up, sending Gibbs’s bottle of Jack to someone else. While this begs the question why Tony didn’t just hand Gibbs his present, it does present the opportunity for Kate to ask, “Hey, doesn’t the post office irradiate our mail?” McGee confirms that all federal mail is shipped to a location that irradiates it and kills anything that contains DNA. Tony asks if all of the diseases that McGee named have DNA. (And he is turned at a great angle when he asks this…I am fortunate that my VCR is paused at that exact spot. Sorry, got a bit distracted by the view…) McGee confirms this and Kate adds, “Aww, you should have let him squirm.” Tony is excited until Gibbs adds, “Unless the post office screwed up again!”
Cut to the bullpen, where several people in containment suits are walking around breathing like Darth Vader. They collect the letter and then vacuum up particles off of large objects and collect all of the small objects in the surrounding area. The letter is then put in a second bag held by Abby (who is also in a containment suit), and she takes it into the elevator.
Cut to Gibbs getting blood drawn (fairly realistically I might add) and donning his metaphorical hair shirt… “You should have given the letter to me, McGee.” Gibbs wants to leave to start the investigation, but Ducky won’t let him. Ducky says that they must remain in the negative pressure environment of autopsy. (Another nice bit of continuity… the lights outside autopsy are going as they were in the pretend biological contaminant situation of “Bete Noir.”) Gibbs, of course, does not take that news well. “Ducky, I’ve been scrubbed, sanitized… for all I know, sterilized. I have an investigation to open.” Gibbs does succumb to Ducky’s pressure (for now). The doors open to admit some guys in containment suits who ask, “Who opened the letter.” Tony points to McGee and says, “He did.” McGee vehemently protests, and Tony finally stops the fun and says that it was really him. When asked, he says that he might have inhaled some of the powder. At that moment, Kate sneezes, and everyone turns to stare at her. She says that it is just a cold and that she had it before the incident. They say that the cold might make her more susceptible to the contaminant, so she has to go to the hospital with Tony. She protests, but Gibbs says, “Kate, play it safe and go with Tony.” “That’s safe?” Tony then starts going off about the accommodations. “Do you have double beds? ‘Cause I hate the crease you get when you push two twin…” He is interrupted with a headslap from Gibbs. Tony gives him an aggrieved look and says, “If I get anthrax, how will you feel?” Gibbs responds, “Not as bad as you, DiNozzo.” That really shouldn’t still be funny knowing how this episode ends, but it is. (Well, it is to me, anyway.) Kate and Tony are escorted out, bickering/bantering all the way. (Tony mentions that she needs a foot massage, and Kate says, “I don’t want you anywhere near my feet!”)
Cut to the lab. Abby is processing a sample from the letter while an unidentified guy watches. It turns out that he is bringing the samples to Atlanta, and as he leaves, he comments that her music is sweet. When he is out of earshot, Abby responds, “And so are you.” She starts processing samples of her own and then cartwheels over to the viewscreen, which shows the people in autopsy. “I didn’t take you for the cheerleading type,” says Gibbs. She says that she isn’t-her grandmother (an Olympic swimmer) taught her. Palmer is confused by the Olympic swimmer reference. McGee tells him that he cannot think logically as far as Abby is concerned. Gibbs asks what the powder is. Abby replies “White, with a hint of tan.” That is obviously not the answer Gibbs is looking for, but Abby can’t tell him more for a couple of hours until her tests are complete.
Cut to Kate walking with a urine sample. Tony feels the need to comment on it, telling her that she should drink more water because her sample is quite dark. “I can’t believe you’re commenting on my…ew!” They are interrupted by the doctor. “Neither can I.” He introduces himself as “Dr. Brad Pitt…Yes it’s my real name. No, we aren’t related. I wish we were; I would love to meet Angelina Jolie.” Kate gives a little half laugh, and they follow him. As they are walking, Tony gives her a quizzical look. “If I said what he said, you would…umph [Kate elbows him in the stomach] …elbow me.” They are brought into the isolation area. They are introduced to Emma, the duty nurse for the night. Then the doctor says, “As a prophylaxis, I am starting you on streptomycin.” Of course, Tony (with his juvenile sense of humor) finds the doctor’s use of the word prophylaxis to be amusing. Kate? Not so much. “Prophylaxis is a measure taken for the prevention of disease, Tony.” Tony responds, “That’s why I use ‘em.” The nurse laughs at that, and Kate tells her that she doesn’t want to encourage him. Emma then tells them that they can take any bed. Kate takes one at one side of the glass room. Tony immediately goes right next to her, saying “Thank you Emma.” Then the doctor says, “But it’s prudent to keep at least some distance between you in case one of you has been infected.” Kate chirps, “Thank you doctor!” He tells her that she should call him Brad. Tony asks if the blue lights are sun lamps. The doctor says that they are UV lights to sanitize the air, but he can get a sun lamp for Tony if he so wishes. Tony says that it is for Kate because nude sunbathing would get rid of her tan lines. Kate asks, “Doctor, could you put him to sleep?”
As the doctor and nurse are shown walking out of the isolation room, we hear Gibbs question, ‘”SWAK?” Abby says, “It’s ‘Sealed With A Kiss.’ Didn’t you ever get a love letter?” Gibbs asks, “Does a ‘Dear John’ count?” Abby says, “Aww. I feel sorry for you Gibbs.” Gibbs asks her for the return address on the envelope, and she tells it to him. McGee wishes that he had his PDA to make a note of the address, and Gibbs tells him to use Ducky’s. As McGee looks for it, Palmer says that he doesn’t think that Ducky has one. Gibbs cuts him off, ordering him to requisition replacement cell phones and weapons for his team. Palmer queries, “Pistols?” Gibbs replies, “Well, no, Palmer, crossbows, if you think they might work better.” He then asks Abby about the cancelled stamp. It turns out that the letter was mailed yesterday from Annapolis. Gibbs wants Abby to open the letter, and as she is saying that she would normally ask for a “please,” McGee says that he can’t find Ducky’s PDA. Gibbs exasperatedly says, “It’s a pad and a pencil, McGee!” Abby opens the letter inside a containment box. Ducky is standing next to her and comments on the quality of the paper. Gibbs asks if the high quality paper means that they can trace the letter. She says that she can get a lot of information from the watermark. Ducky goes off about calligraphy. Gibbs interrupts him asking if he can read this missive. Ducky says that he can and starts reading it to himself. Gibbs looks highly frustrated on the viewscreen, and Abby comments, “I think he means read it out loud.” Ducky reads it out loud. The letter says that the envelope contains genetically altered Y. Pestis…Latin for plague.
The black and white shot is of a very pensive Tony. Then the scene switches to autopsy, and Gibbs asking, “The powder in that envelope carries bubonic plague?” Ducky says that it is probably pneumonic plague because that one is airborne. Abby says that the plague might not be alive because Y. Pestis needs a host in order to survive. Also, McGee interjects, it was irradiated. Gibbs retorts, “I got Honey Dust for Christmas, McGee!” Abby says that she will narrow the tests that she is running to just test for pneumatic Y. Pestis, because if she can isolate the strain, that would allow Bethesda to tailor the antibiotic. Ducky says that narrowing the strain might not help because the letter reads, “I have genetically altered the Y. Pestis to render it impervious to antimicrobials.” Abby says, “What a bitch!” Gibbs says, “A SWAK doesn’t mean that this bitch can’t be a bastard.” (What language for the eight o’clock “family” hour…) Abby starts talking about a transvestite from her party and asks McGee if he remembers her. McGee says that he does and starts describing her dress, but is interrupted by a headslap from Gibbs. Abby says, “I saw that, Gibbs.” He retorts, “Read, or you’ll feel it.” Abby replies under her breath, “Not while you’re down there.” That doesn’t make Gibbs happy. Abby reads some more of the letter. It turns out that there is an antidote, which, if administered in the first 32 hours of infection, can cure it. The antidote will be given to them if they release the true details of dossier R0377. Gibbs tells McGee to pull up the file. Abby says, “[The envelope is] gilded inside. I can see the SWAK through the…” She interrupts herself with an “Uh-oh” and reaches inside the envelope with a pair of tweezers, pulling out a moisture strip. The strip kept the bug alive until the envelope was opened. Gibbs tells her to check the postmark, because one way to get around the irradiation would be to not actually mail the letter. Ducky then enters the lab. He and Abby have a conversation about Brad Pitt until Gibbs interrupts them with an “Abby!” She says that she can’t examine the postmark until she can put it under a microscope, and she can’t do that until it is irradiated, and she can’t do that until NCID gives approval. The sample that was sent to Atlanta should be there already, ready for testing, which will take 12 hours. Gibbs asks Ducky about the incubation period and is told that it is not long-a day at most. Gibbs then asks how long until it kills. Ducky says, “Not very long, I’m afraid.” He gives a story from a fourteenth century novelist that ends by saying that plague victims had “lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise.” Gibbs asks McGee where the file is, and he says that he couldn’t access it. Gibbs is extremely agitated at this point and tells Ducky that they are coming up. Ducky reiterates that they cannot because of quarantine.
The scene shifts to Tony lying in bed snapping his fingers. He asks Kate, “Do you know what this feels like?” She says that she is afraid to ask. He says that he feels like the “King of Cool.” Kate queries, “Elvis?” He says that Elvis was the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and John Travolta was the “King of Cool.” He asks her if she wants to know why he feels like Travolta. She says that she feels a movie coming on. He says it is because of “ The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” and starts summarizing the movie. Kate interrupts, asking, “Tony, please, we’re stuck here together… until we’re out, can we just make a pact? I won’t make fun of all of the stupid things you say, and you won’t tell me any more film scenarios.” He readily agrees to the pact, but then starts talking to Emma about the movie over the intercom, meaning Kate has to hear it anyway. (She covers her head with her pillow.)
Cut to Ducky yelling at the viewscreen. “I cannot believe that Gibbs broke protocol!” The elevator dings and Abby replies, “He didn’t.” Ducky says, “He left autopsy.” Abby says, “But he didn’t leave isolation.” In walk Gibbs and McGee in full containment outfits. Gibbs looks decidedly uncomfortable. McGee discovers that he cannot type with gloves on, so he picks up two pens and types with them so that he can access the case file. Gibbs tells Abby to “pull surveillance videos from last night. Everything from 2300 when I left until McGee came in this morning.”
“You gotta get a life, Gibbs.”
“Last thing I need is another wife.”
“Life. Ya gotta get a life.” McGee announces that he found the file and it was a rape case. Gibbs tells him to get the investigating agent down there. McGee says he cannot because the agent was Pacci (flashback shots to Gibbs at Pacci’s murder scene…yay! More continuity!) Gibbs tells McGee to put the file up on the plasma. The case was that of Sarah Powell, age 21, a senior at Vassar, who was discovered tied naked to a bed in a hotel two days after she was raped. Gibbs tells Ducky to contact Cassie Yates at Norfolk because he needs her help. She was Pacci’s probie four years ago. A bunch of “firsties” (seniors at the Academy) were at the hotel, but all of the midshipmen were cleared via DNA tests, which closed the investigation. Gibbs tells McGee to call the police to get information on the case. Ducky says that Cassie will be there in fifteen minutes. McGee says that he cannot call because no one will be able to hear him. Gibbs gets in his face (and manages to look intimidating, despite the fact he looks like a big inflatable smurf), and McGee says that he’ll use the computer to contact the police about the case. Abby then says, “Look who else doesn’t have a life. Tony came back around midnight.” (Well, well, well. Photographic evidence that Tony can be professional.) Gibbs says (complete with a cute smirk), “He does his best work at night.” Abby responds, “So he tells us.” Tony left at approximately 3:20. No one else got there until the mail boy at 5 something. Abby says that he couldn’t have done it because he is a vegan. Gibbs says, “Hitler was a vegan.” Abby says “Hitler was a vegetarian…big difference.” (Interesting… I did not know that.) She says that vegans are so against cruelty that they won’t even use products tested on animals. Ducky interrupts this conversation to ask if Y. Pestis could be genetically altered to withstand radiation. She says no. Gibbs asks if the gilding could have protected the bug, and she says that it wasn’t thick enough. She then looks in the envelope and says, “Uh-oh.” Gibbs responds with, “Abby. I do not want to hear any more uh-ohs.” Abby says that the SWAK didn’t bleed through. (I’m not sure what the relevance of that is. Maybe meaning that the gilding might be thick enough? It turns out that it didn’t bleed through because of the composition of the lipstick, but I’m not sure why finding a second SWAK was placed on the inside of the envelope is cause for an ‘uh-oh.’) Gibbs wants her to get the envelope out of the containment unit so that she can fully examine it. She reiterates that she cannot. Gibbs gives her the order to kill the bugs…NOW!
Cut to the isolation room. Kate looks like she is trying to sleep. Tony is trying to engage her in conversation about the lights. He asks her if she really thinks they work. She asks if he is serious. He responds with, “Ever hear of a placebo, Kate?” They then discuss the possible placebo effect of the lights. Kate then asks, ‘You’re afraid, aren’t you?”
Tony scoffs at the suggestion and replies, “Kate, come on. Me, afraid? Have you ever seen me afraid?”
“Well, not when the danger is something we can confront. But all we can do here is lie around and hope that we’re not infected.”
“Now who’s afraid.”
“Anyone with half a brain. I take that back. You’re not afraid.” The scene then shifts to the observation room and the doctor telling the nurse that all of the cultures came back negative, except Agent DiNozzo’s. As we see a shot of Tony looking pensive, the doctor’s voice continues. “He’s been infected with Y. Pestis.”
After a black and white shot of an even more serious looking DiNozzo, the shot goes back to the bullpen which is also bathed in the blue UV lights. (And is eerily silent.) Then it goes to the lab, where Abby is analyzing the letter. She has discovered that the Y. Pestis bug looks different from the usual one. It has definitely been genetically altered to be resistant to antibiotics. She says, “If you catch this, then you are stuck in the Dark Ages, which, personally, I wouldn’t mind, until it killed me.” This had to be constructed in a big lab. Abby ran an analysis of the lipstick because she figured that anyone who used fancy paper and calligraphy probably also used a unique lipstick. Gibbs says that it was good thinking, and Abby pretends that she cannot hear him to make him say the compliment a few times. Gibbs gets angry at her and gestures something. (Man, I wish I knew sign language better!) She says and signs back at him, “Not nice, Gibbs. Not nice.” He signs something else, but Abby ignores him to further analyze the lipstick. It turns out that the lipstick was 72% lead-the reason why the bug made it through the irradiation process. In walks Cassie. I can’t remember if she has been in another episode, ‘cause she looks familiar, but I like her. Anyone that can get away with asking Gibbs if he is “playing Teletubby” is okay in my book. (Oh, for anyone else that thinks she looks familiar, I looked her up on TV Tome, and it turns out that she wasn’t on NCIS before, but she was Walt’s mother on Lost.) Cassie knows the return address. Gibbs says that it was traced to the address of the hotel where the girl was raped. Ducky then enters, saying “All of the blood tests came back negative, except…” “Tony,” Gibbs interjects. Gibbs rips off the suit and asks if Tony is sick yet. Ducky says that his temperature has started to elevate. He adds that Tony will probably start coughing soon, and when his sputum becomes bloody, he’ll only have a few hours to live. Cassie says that this is all too easy. Gibbs asks if she knows who sent it. She says, “No, but I know who they want us to think sent it.”
Switching to the isolation room. Dr. Brad is hooking up an I.V. to “increase the efficacy of the streptomycin.” Tony asks, “Did they teach you efficacy at Harvard Medical?” He says, “No, Michigan.” Tony, having graduated from Ohio State, immediately reacts. (And, yes, the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is big. I grew up right on the Ohio/Michigan border, and every year for the game, our parents would either dress us up in blue and gold (Michigan’s colors) or scarlet and gray (Ohio’s colors). I always got sent to school in scarlet and gray.) Dr. Pitt says, “Wait. You’re that DiNozzo? ’92 Columbus?” They then discuss a football game in which DiNozzo broke his leg in the fourth quarter. Kate comments to Emma that they are going to start bonging beers next. Emma replies that she doesn’t think so because Tony’s blood test came back positive. Kate immediately turns serious. Emma tells her that she is okay because he is the only one infected. She looks at the guys as they discuss spring break. Tony then says, “So tell me, doc, what do I got.” He is told and repeats, “Plague.” Kate then stalks over and says, “Yes, plague. ‘Cause only you, Tony, would go off and get a disease from the Dark Ages.”
“I didn’t put plague in the letter.”
“You opened it!”
“Yeah, I opened it. What are you so upset about? It’s not like you are lying…” A look of understanding crosses his face as he trails off.
“Yeah, that’s right, Travolta. I’m infected too.” Kate and the doctor exchange a look.
“Oh, Kate, I’m sorry.”
“Well, you’re gonna be sorrier.”
“No. Don’t tell me Gibbs got it.” (I can’t believe that the show elicited a laugh from me in the middle of finding out that a main character got the plague and may not make it!)
“No, no. Just us. But I am going to make your life hell.”
“How? You can’t be worse than plague. Maybe you can. [to the nurse] Maybe she can.”
“I’m warning you, DiNozzo.”
“You know, I recall a couple of plague flicks.”
“I’m going to tell Emma all of your dating tricks.”
“ Flesh and Blood comes to mind…”
“Tony thinks speaking Italian turns women on.”
“Obviously, you never saw Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda.”
The doctor interrupts. “Kate.”
“I know, you want to start my I.V.” She sneezes.
“If I catch your cold, I’m gonna be very pissed.”
It looks like she gives him the finger as she walks back to her bed, but it’s out of focus. Tony turns to the doctor and asks seriously, “She’ll be okay, right?” Let me just say, that is one of the sweetest things! Kate pretending that she has the plague too and staying there just so she can give Tony something to focus on besides him being infected, and Tony being more concerned about her then about himself! *Sigh*
Back to the lab. Gibbs and Cassie interrupt McGee at the computer. McGee starts to tell Gibbs about his history with Cassie. Gibbs asks why he is yelling. McGee answers, “So, you can hear me through your helmet. Helmet?” He realizes that Gibbs isn’t wearing the containment suit any more. Gibbs tells him that their tests were negative, and McGee rips his suit off. Gibbs tells McGee that DiNozzo was infected, and McGee asks if he’ll be okay. Gibbs replies, “If he isn’t, he’ll be answering to me.” You know, I find that sweet, in its own way, as well. I love that this team cares so much despite what they put each other through. Cassie downloads her report from the rape. Sarah didn’t remember a thing about the rape when Cassie interviewed her four years ago. It turns out that Sarah didn’t press the rape charges, her mother did. Her mother is actually pretty famous. She was involved in peace rallies, way back when (complete with a SWAK on her headband), and is currently the C.E.O. of a large biotech corporation. Gibbs issues orders to everyone: McGee is to get a search warrant, Cassie is to change out of the clothes she wore for her undercover assignment and meet him downstairs in five minutes, and Ducky is to go to Bethesda to keep Gibbs updated on Tony’s condition and to find out why Kate hasn’t checked in yet. The door to the lab opens to admit Palmer and a security guard. Palmer hands Gibbs the cell phones, while the security guard holds out a bin with a disassembled gun. Palmer says, “I got the phones, but they wouldn’t trust me with the weapons.” As Gibbs quickly and expertly assembles a gun, he says, “I wouldn’t either, Jimmy.”
Back at the isolation room, Tony can be heard coughing in the background while the doctor asks Kate why she is doing this. She says, “Damned if I know, but I’m doing it, and you’re not going to tell Tony.” The doctor tells her that he already told Dr. Mallard that she wasn’t infected. Kate says, “Ducky will understand. Gibbs will be the problem.” Dr. Pitt says that the problem is actually that she could get infected if she stays in the isolation room. (Um, not to question this really sweet scene, but wouldn’t the fact they have just spent a bunch of hours together already be a problem since she was never infected? In fact, if staying in the same room with Tony is such a problem now, why are they assuming that she is still clean? The bloodwork was taken before she was put in an enclosed space with Tony. For all they know, he could have infected her in the hours they were just together. Sorry, back to the story…) The doctor tells her that the strain has been genetically altered to resist antibiotics. Kate asks why he is bothering with an I.V. for Tony then. He says that it is just for hope. (So, Tony was right about the placebo effect being used on them…) Tony then interrupts, asking, “Kate, tell Dr. Brad about the wet t-shirt contest you won?” She shoots back, “Tell Emma about the transsexual you tongued?” He says to her, “Never happened.” He then turns to Emma and reiterates, “Never happened,” before succumbing to a violent coughing fit. Emma reaches over to wipe off his face, and the tissue has blood on it. Tony tells Kate, “Thanks for passing along the cold,” and then the scene fades out on a serious Tony lying in bed.
A black and white shot of either a sleeping or dead Tony. Way to ratchet up the suspense people. Then the scene shifts to the Lowell Pharmaceutical building where Sarah’s mother works. Gibbs and Cassie enter, with Cassie asking how Gibbs wants to handle it. He says, “The subtle approach. You serve the warrant. I’ll shove my Sig in her face.”
“Hannah Lowell has been arrested at more protests than Jesse Jackson. She won’t be intimidated.”
“Okay, then I’ll shoot her and go after whoever made the damn bug here for her.”
“You’re not going to kill her.”
“I said shoot, not kill.” So typical Gibbs. I love it. They start heading for the elevator, but get intercepted by security. The guard tells them that they have to check in with the receptionist and asks if they have an appointment. Cassie flashes her badge in his face as Gibbs says, “No we don’t. We have a federal warrant,” and they stalk into the elevator. The guard calls a warning upstairs. When they make it upstairs, they are ushered into a room where they are greeted by Hannah Lowell. “It’s about time you got here. I left you enough cookie crumbs.” She says that they have to admit that a midshipman raped her daughter if they want the cure. Cassie says that the DNA tests cleared the midshipmen, but Hannah isn’t buying it. “Stop. I know how easy it is to dope a DNA test.” During this exchange, Gibbs is looking at all of the pictures of Hannah protesting that are hanging up around the office, and he comments, “You love dramatic acts.” It turns out that Hannah has little time left to live and she thinks that the truth will help her daughter heal. She states again that they won’t get the antidote unless they admit that a midshipman raped her daughter. Gibbs cuts her off saying that they don’t need the antidote because the post office “went postal” on her plague and no one was infected. Gibbs then puts her under arrest and tricks her into revealing that she stole the Y. Pestis from Dr. Pandy. At that revelation, Gibbs drops all pretense of nonchalance and bolts out of the room. He finds out where Dr. Pandy’s lab is. Hannah realizes that Gibbs was lying earlier and says, “Someone was infected. I hope it was Westmoreland.” (I didn’t catch that comment the first time around. I guess it is a good indicator (as if the infecting someone with the plague thing wasn’t) that she has definitely lost her marbles.)
Back to the isolation room, where Tony is coughing intensely and looks dreadful. Dr. Brad sets Tony up for x-rays and tells Tony to take a deep breath and hold it. He says that he doesn’t think he can and adds, “Maybe Emma can do it for me. You have very healthy lungs, Emma.” At the other side of the room, Emma laughs asks Kate, “Is he always like this?” Kate replies, “Unfortunately. Tony’s humor has always been sexist, juvenile, raunchy…” “Funny,” interrupts Emma. Kate concedes, “Sometimes… can be funny.”
At the biotech labs, Dr. Pandy is inside a glass room, while Gibbs and a guard are outside. Dr. Pandy tells them that there is no antidote-he developed a vaccine, not an antidote and it is of no use once the victim has been infected. As the camera zooms in on Gibbs, it reveals that Gibbs is pointing his gun at Dr. Pandy with one hand, while having a chokehold around the guard with his other. Dr. Pandy says that Hannah’s brain tumor must have made her misunderstand about the antidote. He says that the tumor is causing her to act insane. Gibbs asks the doctor why Lowell Pharmaceutical is creating biological weapons. Dr. Pandy says that the only reason they create them is to figure out how to prevent and/or destroy them. Dr. Pandy says that he understands Gibbs’s anger. Gibbs responds, “No. You don’t. But if you don’t save him, you will.” The doctor says that the bug was given a suicide gene so that it dies off in 32 hours. If “the specimen” was infected more than 32 hours ago, then all of the Y. Pestis is dead. This causes Gibbs to lower his gun. The doctor continues, “However, the damage will have been done.” The gun comes back up. “The ‘specimen’ is going to die?” Dr. Pandy quickly replies, “No, no, not necessarily. He has the same chance of survival as people infected in plagues of the past. Probably better since he will be healthy and young.” Gibbs asks what the survival rate was of people in past plagues. Dr. Pandy tries to evade the question, but finally answers, “15%.”
Back at the observation section of the isolation room, Ducky and Dr. Brad are looking at Tony’s chest x-rays. They don’t look good. Tony doesn’t look good-he’s showing signs of cyanosis, with blue finger and toe nails. Tony also doesn’t sound good-his coughing is dreadful. Ducky asks if it is too late to reverse the damage, and Dr. Brad says, “It’s never too late.” Ducky’s response to that is, “Until I get the body.” They then stare in mournfully at Tony. Kate is in with Tony. He says, “I’m sorry I teased you will all of those movies, Kate.”
“Teased? You’ve tortured me. For two years all I’ve heard is John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, James Bond…”
“James Bond is a character. Played by Sean Connery, George Lazanby, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan.” (Okay, so Tony gets George Lazanby but forgets Timothy Dalton? I admit, he wasn’t the most memorable Bond, but still…) He then finally notices that Kate is wearing a mask and asks her about it. She tells him that it is because she has a cold. (Aww…she has tears in her eyes!!)
“Why aren’t you sick?”
“Because I’m stronger than you, Tony.”
“Are not.”
“Am too.” Tony then struggles for breath. Emma lifts him into a sitting position to help him breathe, and the doctor comes in and tells Kate that she has to leave. She does, and when she gets out of the room, she loses it. She breaks down sobbing in Ducky’s arms. She says, “He’s dying, Ducky!” Gibbs then strides in and says, “The hell he is.” He marches into the isolation room without wearing a mask or taking any other precaution. The doctor tries to stop him, but Gibbs says that the bug had a suicide gene and it has been dead for over an hour, making Tony no longer infectious. Gibbs then goes to Tony’s side and quietly talks to him. “Tony, listen to me. You listening? You will not die. You got that?” Tony fades out a bit, closing his eyes, so Gibbs gives him a tap on the head. “You. Will. Not. Die.” Tony responds, “I got you, boss.” Gibbs then puts a cell phone in his head and says, “Good. It’s your new cell. I’d get the number changed. Women keep calling for ‘Spanky’.” Gibbs strides out, and Emma tells Tony that he needs to rest.
Gibbs meets with Cassie at a different (psychiatric?) hospital. Hannah lost it in the car, acting completely crazy, so Cassie brought her here. Sarah is in the waiting room. Cassie says that Sarah is as blank about the incident as she was four years ago. Cassie introduces Sarah to Gibbs. Sarah apologizes for her mother’s actions. She said, “I always knew that one day mother would do something terrible. I told her, but she wouldn’t believe me.” Gibbs, in a deceptively calm voice, says, “Told her.” Sarah continues, “That it wasn’t a midshipman.” Gibbs asks, “So, you remember who raped you?” She looks up, alarmed, and denies it. Gibbs doesn’t believe her and presses her. She tries to cover, but it doesn’t work. She finally admits that she wasn’t raped. Her boyfriend tied her up as a joke when he went out to get something to eat. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver and never returned. When she was discovered two days later, she made up the rape story.
Back at the observation part of the isolation room, Kate asks if she can sleep there and is given permission to do so. She goes into the room with Tony, and Emma tells her that he is sleeping. She watches him for a bit, then goes to the next bed. The lights are shut off. Tony (in a normal voice, with no coughing) then says, “This reminds me of the end of the movie Alien.” Kate laughs and the scene fades to black. Tony’s back!!!!
I think NCIS is trying to kill me with their promos. Last week’s was bad enough, and I only had to wait a week for that episode. This time, I have to wait two weeks for the episode and the promo is just as suspenseful! It opens with an explosion. Then it goes to the bullpen with Tony asking, “We were set up… so someone tried to kill us?” Gibbs replies, “And they came pretty damn close.” The voice over guy says, “In two weeks, prepare yourself for the season finale of NCIS.” Gibbs mentions that a “poor man’s cruise missile” was stolen by a terrorist who is going after a soft target (civilians versus military personnel). Pictures of Ducky, Abby, McGee, Tony, Gibbs, and Kate (shown leaping in front of Gibbs, shouting, “No!” which I am hoping is a purposeful misdirection) flash while the voice over guy says, “And one of the agents will not survive.” Damn. Why are they messing with my show?!?! And why do I have to wait for two weeks?!?!?!?! What show is on instead of NCIS?
Now for the review part
I don’t know if this episode was really that good, or if I am overreacting because the last few have been fairly mediocre, but I thought that this was an awesome episode. It is definitely in my top five (if not at the very top). It managed to mix humor, character development, and a well-told story. The season finale looks really good as well (although I don’t want anyone to die!); NCIS is certainly ending the season strong.
The artistic shot is of Tony opening the dreaded letter. Then it cuts to Tony harassing Kate about how bad she looks. He asks, “What did you do, spend the night sake bombing?” (And for anyone who doesn’t know what that is, like me, he explains it later. Sake bombing is when you take a cup of hot sake, you drop it in a beer and toss it back.) It turns out that Kate has a miserable cold. Tony tries to commiserate with McGee about the fact that Kate has never been sake bombing. Surprise, surprise, McGee never has either. “I work with a pair of wankers.” And of course, that is when Gibbs walks in… “And you make three, DiNozzo.” Gibbs asks Kate if it is a cold or the flu. Then the conversation comes around to Gibbs saying that he has never had allergies, a cold, or the flu. Kate asks sotto voce to Tony, “Why do I believe that?” Tony responds, “If you were a bug, would you attack Gibbs?” And even though I know that this episode is going to be rather dramatic (heck, the first shot was Tony opening a biological contaminant), I still am finding the humor in this show. This episode did a really good job of using humor to balance the drama. McGee is handing out the mail and comes across one that is just addressed to “NCIS special agent.” Tony claims it as his because he says that he recognizes the lips that are printed on it in bright red lipstick. Then he opens it, releasing a white powder into the air. The shot of this is quite well done as the camera circles around him, capturing the powder cloud surrounding him.
The arty shot doesn’t give anything away, nor does it presage the action/drama to follow. We come back to Tony with the letter, looking like he is now holding his breath. The shot then cuts to Gibbs, who immediately takes action. He jumps up on his desk, gives a piercing whistle, and tells everyone what to do. Kate calls someone and tells them that a contaminant was released in Special Agent Gibbs’s office. (So that whole office that we see weekly is all Gibbs’s? Wow, I’m impressed; I had no idea the amount of power that Gibbs had. Oh, and we find out that they are on the third floor.) Gibbs’s and Kate’s actions are intercut with Tony instigating containment procedure. He puts down the letter and then pours water over his hands and head. McGee then gives the procedure for a biological attack (explaining it so that we viewers can be clued in). It turns out that they need to shower and have their clothes burned, and that no one except for Tony (who will be heading for Bethesda for testing and treatment) will be allowed to leave the scene until the substance is identified and their bloodwork is shown to be clean.
The scene then jumps to Tony and Kate in the showers (separate, but next to each other.) Tony asks, “Who would send me a letter with anthrax?” Kate replies, “Pick a girl, Tony.” The camera pans down to show that all four of the main team members who were in the immediate vicinity when the letter was open are in shower stalls. Tony is whining over the fact that his really expensive clothes are going to be burned. (Again bringing up that Tony comes from money. Continuity…) Kate is giving him a disbelieving look throughout his rant. McGee chimes in with, “You know it might not be anthrax.” Tony says, “I like the sound of that, Probie.” And then, any thoughts that McGee was trying to be reassuring fly out the window as he adds, “It could be smallpox, bubonic plague, cholera…” Tony interjects with a “Probie!” so McGee switches to “…foot powder, face powder, talcum powder…” Tony interjects again, “Honey dust!” (Hey, a little aside, this episode was written by Donald P. Bellasario. Good job by the head honcho. I wonder what other episodes he has written?) It turns out that Honey Dust is something that Tony gives to girls at Christmastime. “It makes a woman’s skin feel silky smooth. When kissed, it tastes like honey.” The preceding statement was not said by Tony, but rather by Gibbs. Cut to three disbelieving heads sticking out of shower stalls and looking in Gibbs’s direction. It turns out that Gibbs got some Honey Dust last Christmas. Tony looks suitably chagrined. Tony says that the post office must have screwed up, sending Gibbs’s bottle of Jack to someone else. While this begs the question why Tony didn’t just hand Gibbs his present, it does present the opportunity for Kate to ask, “Hey, doesn’t the post office irradiate our mail?” McGee confirms that all federal mail is shipped to a location that irradiates it and kills anything that contains DNA. Tony asks if all of the diseases that McGee named have DNA. (And he is turned at a great angle when he asks this…I am fortunate that my VCR is paused at that exact spot. Sorry, got a bit distracted by the view…) McGee confirms this and Kate adds, “Aww, you should have let him squirm.” Tony is excited until Gibbs adds, “Unless the post office screwed up again!”
Cut to the bullpen, where several people in containment suits are walking around breathing like Darth Vader. They collect the letter and then vacuum up particles off of large objects and collect all of the small objects in the surrounding area. The letter is then put in a second bag held by Abby (who is also in a containment suit), and she takes it into the elevator.
Cut to Gibbs getting blood drawn (fairly realistically I might add) and donning his metaphorical hair shirt… “You should have given the letter to me, McGee.” Gibbs wants to leave to start the investigation, but Ducky won’t let him. Ducky says that they must remain in the negative pressure environment of autopsy. (Another nice bit of continuity… the lights outside autopsy are going as they were in the pretend biological contaminant situation of “Bete Noir.”) Gibbs, of course, does not take that news well. “Ducky, I’ve been scrubbed, sanitized… for all I know, sterilized. I have an investigation to open.” Gibbs does succumb to Ducky’s pressure (for now). The doors open to admit some guys in containment suits who ask, “Who opened the letter.” Tony points to McGee and says, “He did.” McGee vehemently protests, and Tony finally stops the fun and says that it was really him. When asked, he says that he might have inhaled some of the powder. At that moment, Kate sneezes, and everyone turns to stare at her. She says that it is just a cold and that she had it before the incident. They say that the cold might make her more susceptible to the contaminant, so she has to go to the hospital with Tony. She protests, but Gibbs says, “Kate, play it safe and go with Tony.” “That’s safe?” Tony then starts going off about the accommodations. “Do you have double beds? ‘Cause I hate the crease you get when you push two twin…” He is interrupted with a headslap from Gibbs. Tony gives him an aggrieved look and says, “If I get anthrax, how will you feel?” Gibbs responds, “Not as bad as you, DiNozzo.” That really shouldn’t still be funny knowing how this episode ends, but it is. (Well, it is to me, anyway.) Kate and Tony are escorted out, bickering/bantering all the way. (Tony mentions that she needs a foot massage, and Kate says, “I don’t want you anywhere near my feet!”)
Cut to the lab. Abby is processing a sample from the letter while an unidentified guy watches. It turns out that he is bringing the samples to Atlanta, and as he leaves, he comments that her music is sweet. When he is out of earshot, Abby responds, “And so are you.” She starts processing samples of her own and then cartwheels over to the viewscreen, which shows the people in autopsy. “I didn’t take you for the cheerleading type,” says Gibbs. She says that she isn’t-her grandmother (an Olympic swimmer) taught her. Palmer is confused by the Olympic swimmer reference. McGee tells him that he cannot think logically as far as Abby is concerned. Gibbs asks what the powder is. Abby replies “White, with a hint of tan.” That is obviously not the answer Gibbs is looking for, but Abby can’t tell him more for a couple of hours until her tests are complete.
Cut to Kate walking with a urine sample. Tony feels the need to comment on it, telling her that she should drink more water because her sample is quite dark. “I can’t believe you’re commenting on my…ew!” They are interrupted by the doctor. “Neither can I.” He introduces himself as “Dr. Brad Pitt…Yes it’s my real name. No, we aren’t related. I wish we were; I would love to meet Angelina Jolie.” Kate gives a little half laugh, and they follow him. As they are walking, Tony gives her a quizzical look. “If I said what he said, you would…umph [Kate elbows him in the stomach] …elbow me.” They are brought into the isolation area. They are introduced to Emma, the duty nurse for the night. Then the doctor says, “As a prophylaxis, I am starting you on streptomycin.” Of course, Tony (with his juvenile sense of humor) finds the doctor’s use of the word prophylaxis to be amusing. Kate? Not so much. “Prophylaxis is a measure taken for the prevention of disease, Tony.” Tony responds, “That’s why I use ‘em.” The nurse laughs at that, and Kate tells her that she doesn’t want to encourage him. Emma then tells them that they can take any bed. Kate takes one at one side of the glass room. Tony immediately goes right next to her, saying “Thank you Emma.” Then the doctor says, “But it’s prudent to keep at least some distance between you in case one of you has been infected.” Kate chirps, “Thank you doctor!” He tells her that she should call him Brad. Tony asks if the blue lights are sun lamps. The doctor says that they are UV lights to sanitize the air, but he can get a sun lamp for Tony if he so wishes. Tony says that it is for Kate because nude sunbathing would get rid of her tan lines. Kate asks, “Doctor, could you put him to sleep?”
As the doctor and nurse are shown walking out of the isolation room, we hear Gibbs question, ‘”SWAK?” Abby says, “It’s ‘Sealed With A Kiss.’ Didn’t you ever get a love letter?” Gibbs asks, “Does a ‘Dear John’ count?” Abby says, “Aww. I feel sorry for you Gibbs.” Gibbs asks her for the return address on the envelope, and she tells it to him. McGee wishes that he had his PDA to make a note of the address, and Gibbs tells him to use Ducky’s. As McGee looks for it, Palmer says that he doesn’t think that Ducky has one. Gibbs cuts him off, ordering him to requisition replacement cell phones and weapons for his team. Palmer queries, “Pistols?” Gibbs replies, “Well, no, Palmer, crossbows, if you think they might work better.” He then asks Abby about the cancelled stamp. It turns out that the letter was mailed yesterday from Annapolis. Gibbs wants Abby to open the letter, and as she is saying that she would normally ask for a “please,” McGee says that he can’t find Ducky’s PDA. Gibbs exasperatedly says, “It’s a pad and a pencil, McGee!” Abby opens the letter inside a containment box. Ducky is standing next to her and comments on the quality of the paper. Gibbs asks if the high quality paper means that they can trace the letter. She says that she can get a lot of information from the watermark. Ducky goes off about calligraphy. Gibbs interrupts him asking if he can read this missive. Ducky says that he can and starts reading it to himself. Gibbs looks highly frustrated on the viewscreen, and Abby comments, “I think he means read it out loud.” Ducky reads it out loud. The letter says that the envelope contains genetically altered Y. Pestis…Latin for plague.
The black and white shot is of a very pensive Tony. Then the scene switches to autopsy, and Gibbs asking, “The powder in that envelope carries bubonic plague?” Ducky says that it is probably pneumonic plague because that one is airborne. Abby says that the plague might not be alive because Y. Pestis needs a host in order to survive. Also, McGee interjects, it was irradiated. Gibbs retorts, “I got Honey Dust for Christmas, McGee!” Abby says that she will narrow the tests that she is running to just test for pneumatic Y. Pestis, because if she can isolate the strain, that would allow Bethesda to tailor the antibiotic. Ducky says that narrowing the strain might not help because the letter reads, “I have genetically altered the Y. Pestis to render it impervious to antimicrobials.” Abby says, “What a bitch!” Gibbs says, “A SWAK doesn’t mean that this bitch can’t be a bastard.” (What language for the eight o’clock “family” hour…) Abby starts talking about a transvestite from her party and asks McGee if he remembers her. McGee says that he does and starts describing her dress, but is interrupted by a headslap from Gibbs. Abby says, “I saw that, Gibbs.” He retorts, “Read, or you’ll feel it.” Abby replies under her breath, “Not while you’re down there.” That doesn’t make Gibbs happy. Abby reads some more of the letter. It turns out that there is an antidote, which, if administered in the first 32 hours of infection, can cure it. The antidote will be given to them if they release the true details of dossier R0377. Gibbs tells McGee to pull up the file. Abby says, “[The envelope is] gilded inside. I can see the SWAK through the…” She interrupts herself with an “Uh-oh” and reaches inside the envelope with a pair of tweezers, pulling out a moisture strip. The strip kept the bug alive until the envelope was opened. Gibbs tells her to check the postmark, because one way to get around the irradiation would be to not actually mail the letter. Ducky then enters the lab. He and Abby have a conversation about Brad Pitt until Gibbs interrupts them with an “Abby!” She says that she can’t examine the postmark until she can put it under a microscope, and she can’t do that until it is irradiated, and she can’t do that until NCID gives approval. The sample that was sent to Atlanta should be there already, ready for testing, which will take 12 hours. Gibbs asks Ducky about the incubation period and is told that it is not long-a day at most. Gibbs then asks how long until it kills. Ducky says, “Not very long, I’m afraid.” He gives a story from a fourteenth century novelist that ends by saying that plague victims had “lunch with their friends and dinner with their ancestors in paradise.” Gibbs asks McGee where the file is, and he says that he couldn’t access it. Gibbs is extremely agitated at this point and tells Ducky that they are coming up. Ducky reiterates that they cannot because of quarantine.
The scene shifts to Tony lying in bed snapping his fingers. He asks Kate, “Do you know what this feels like?” She says that she is afraid to ask. He says that he feels like the “King of Cool.” Kate queries, “Elvis?” He says that Elvis was the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll” and John Travolta was the “King of Cool.” He asks her if she wants to know why he feels like Travolta. She says that she feels a movie coming on. He says it is because of “ The Boy in the Plastic Bubble” and starts summarizing the movie. Kate interrupts, asking, “Tony, please, we’re stuck here together… until we’re out, can we just make a pact? I won’t make fun of all of the stupid things you say, and you won’t tell me any more film scenarios.” He readily agrees to the pact, but then starts talking to Emma about the movie over the intercom, meaning Kate has to hear it anyway. (She covers her head with her pillow.)
Cut to Ducky yelling at the viewscreen. “I cannot believe that Gibbs broke protocol!” The elevator dings and Abby replies, “He didn’t.” Ducky says, “He left autopsy.” Abby says, “But he didn’t leave isolation.” In walk Gibbs and McGee in full containment outfits. Gibbs looks decidedly uncomfortable. McGee discovers that he cannot type with gloves on, so he picks up two pens and types with them so that he can access the case file. Gibbs tells Abby to “pull surveillance videos from last night. Everything from 2300 when I left until McGee came in this morning.”
“You gotta get a life, Gibbs.”
“Last thing I need is another wife.”
“Life. Ya gotta get a life.” McGee announces that he found the file and it was a rape case. Gibbs tells him to get the investigating agent down there. McGee says he cannot because the agent was Pacci (flashback shots to Gibbs at Pacci’s murder scene…yay! More continuity!) Gibbs tells McGee to put the file up on the plasma. The case was that of Sarah Powell, age 21, a senior at Vassar, who was discovered tied naked to a bed in a hotel two days after she was raped. Gibbs tells Ducky to contact Cassie Yates at Norfolk because he needs her help. She was Pacci’s probie four years ago. A bunch of “firsties” (seniors at the Academy) were at the hotel, but all of the midshipmen were cleared via DNA tests, which closed the investigation. Gibbs tells McGee to call the police to get information on the case. Ducky says that Cassie will be there in fifteen minutes. McGee says that he cannot call because no one will be able to hear him. Gibbs gets in his face (and manages to look intimidating, despite the fact he looks like a big inflatable smurf), and McGee says that he’ll use the computer to contact the police about the case. Abby then says, “Look who else doesn’t have a life. Tony came back around midnight.” (Well, well, well. Photographic evidence that Tony can be professional.) Gibbs says (complete with a cute smirk), “He does his best work at night.” Abby responds, “So he tells us.” Tony left at approximately 3:20. No one else got there until the mail boy at 5 something. Abby says that he couldn’t have done it because he is a vegan. Gibbs says, “Hitler was a vegan.” Abby says “Hitler was a vegetarian…big difference.” (Interesting… I did not know that.) She says that vegans are so against cruelty that they won’t even use products tested on animals. Ducky interrupts this conversation to ask if Y. Pestis could be genetically altered to withstand radiation. She says no. Gibbs asks if the gilding could have protected the bug, and she says that it wasn’t thick enough. She then looks in the envelope and says, “Uh-oh.” Gibbs responds with, “Abby. I do not want to hear any more uh-ohs.” Abby says that the SWAK didn’t bleed through. (I’m not sure what the relevance of that is. Maybe meaning that the gilding might be thick enough? It turns out that it didn’t bleed through because of the composition of the lipstick, but I’m not sure why finding a second SWAK was placed on the inside of the envelope is cause for an ‘uh-oh.’) Gibbs wants her to get the envelope out of the containment unit so that she can fully examine it. She reiterates that she cannot. Gibbs gives her the order to kill the bugs…NOW!
Cut to the isolation room. Kate looks like she is trying to sleep. Tony is trying to engage her in conversation about the lights. He asks her if she really thinks they work. She asks if he is serious. He responds with, “Ever hear of a placebo, Kate?” They then discuss the possible placebo effect of the lights. Kate then asks, ‘You’re afraid, aren’t you?”
Tony scoffs at the suggestion and replies, “Kate, come on. Me, afraid? Have you ever seen me afraid?”
“Well, not when the danger is something we can confront. But all we can do here is lie around and hope that we’re not infected.”
“Now who’s afraid.”
“Anyone with half a brain. I take that back. You’re not afraid.” The scene then shifts to the observation room and the doctor telling the nurse that all of the cultures came back negative, except Agent DiNozzo’s. As we see a shot of Tony looking pensive, the doctor’s voice continues. “He’s been infected with Y. Pestis.”
After a black and white shot of an even more serious looking DiNozzo, the shot goes back to the bullpen which is also bathed in the blue UV lights. (And is eerily silent.) Then it goes to the lab, where Abby is analyzing the letter. She has discovered that the Y. Pestis bug looks different from the usual one. It has definitely been genetically altered to be resistant to antibiotics. She says, “If you catch this, then you are stuck in the Dark Ages, which, personally, I wouldn’t mind, until it killed me.” This had to be constructed in a big lab. Abby ran an analysis of the lipstick because she figured that anyone who used fancy paper and calligraphy probably also used a unique lipstick. Gibbs says that it was good thinking, and Abby pretends that she cannot hear him to make him say the compliment a few times. Gibbs gets angry at her and gestures something. (Man, I wish I knew sign language better!) She says and signs back at him, “Not nice, Gibbs. Not nice.” He signs something else, but Abby ignores him to further analyze the lipstick. It turns out that the lipstick was 72% lead-the reason why the bug made it through the irradiation process. In walks Cassie. I can’t remember if she has been in another episode, ‘cause she looks familiar, but I like her. Anyone that can get away with asking Gibbs if he is “playing Teletubby” is okay in my book. (Oh, for anyone else that thinks she looks familiar, I looked her up on TV Tome, and it turns out that she wasn’t on NCIS before, but she was Walt’s mother on Lost.) Cassie knows the return address. Gibbs says that it was traced to the address of the hotel where the girl was raped. Ducky then enters, saying “All of the blood tests came back negative, except…” “Tony,” Gibbs interjects. Gibbs rips off the suit and asks if Tony is sick yet. Ducky says that his temperature has started to elevate. He adds that Tony will probably start coughing soon, and when his sputum becomes bloody, he’ll only have a few hours to live. Cassie says that this is all too easy. Gibbs asks if she knows who sent it. She says, “No, but I know who they want us to think sent it.”
Switching to the isolation room. Dr. Brad is hooking up an I.V. to “increase the efficacy of the streptomycin.” Tony asks, “Did they teach you efficacy at Harvard Medical?” He says, “No, Michigan.” Tony, having graduated from Ohio State, immediately reacts. (And, yes, the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is big. I grew up right on the Ohio/Michigan border, and every year for the game, our parents would either dress us up in blue and gold (Michigan’s colors) or scarlet and gray (Ohio’s colors). I always got sent to school in scarlet and gray.) Dr. Pitt says, “Wait. You’re that DiNozzo? ’92 Columbus?” They then discuss a football game in which DiNozzo broke his leg in the fourth quarter. Kate comments to Emma that they are going to start bonging beers next. Emma replies that she doesn’t think so because Tony’s blood test came back positive. Kate immediately turns serious. Emma tells her that she is okay because he is the only one infected. She looks at the guys as they discuss spring break. Tony then says, “So tell me, doc, what do I got.” He is told and repeats, “Plague.” Kate then stalks over and says, “Yes, plague. ‘Cause only you, Tony, would go off and get a disease from the Dark Ages.”
“I didn’t put plague in the letter.”
“You opened it!”
“Yeah, I opened it. What are you so upset about? It’s not like you are lying…” A look of understanding crosses his face as he trails off.
“Yeah, that’s right, Travolta. I’m infected too.” Kate and the doctor exchange a look.
“Oh, Kate, I’m sorry.”
“Well, you’re gonna be sorrier.”
“No. Don’t tell me Gibbs got it.” (I can’t believe that the show elicited a laugh from me in the middle of finding out that a main character got the plague and may not make it!)
“No, no. Just us. But I am going to make your life hell.”
“How? You can’t be worse than plague. Maybe you can. [to the nurse] Maybe she can.”
“I’m warning you, DiNozzo.”
“You know, I recall a couple of plague flicks.”
“I’m going to tell Emma all of your dating tricks.”
“ Flesh and Blood comes to mind…”
“Tony thinks speaking Italian turns women on.”
“Obviously, you never saw Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda.”
The doctor interrupts. “Kate.”
“I know, you want to start my I.V.” She sneezes.
“If I catch your cold, I’m gonna be very pissed.”
It looks like she gives him the finger as she walks back to her bed, but it’s out of focus. Tony turns to the doctor and asks seriously, “She’ll be okay, right?” Let me just say, that is one of the sweetest things! Kate pretending that she has the plague too and staying there just so she can give Tony something to focus on besides him being infected, and Tony being more concerned about her then about himself! *Sigh*
Back to the lab. Gibbs and Cassie interrupt McGee at the computer. McGee starts to tell Gibbs about his history with Cassie. Gibbs asks why he is yelling. McGee answers, “So, you can hear me through your helmet. Helmet?” He realizes that Gibbs isn’t wearing the containment suit any more. Gibbs tells him that their tests were negative, and McGee rips his suit off. Gibbs tells McGee that DiNozzo was infected, and McGee asks if he’ll be okay. Gibbs replies, “If he isn’t, he’ll be answering to me.” You know, I find that sweet, in its own way, as well. I love that this team cares so much despite what they put each other through. Cassie downloads her report from the rape. Sarah didn’t remember a thing about the rape when Cassie interviewed her four years ago. It turns out that Sarah didn’t press the rape charges, her mother did. Her mother is actually pretty famous. She was involved in peace rallies, way back when (complete with a SWAK on her headband), and is currently the C.E.O. of a large biotech corporation. Gibbs issues orders to everyone: McGee is to get a search warrant, Cassie is to change out of the clothes she wore for her undercover assignment and meet him downstairs in five minutes, and Ducky is to go to Bethesda to keep Gibbs updated on Tony’s condition and to find out why Kate hasn’t checked in yet. The door to the lab opens to admit Palmer and a security guard. Palmer hands Gibbs the cell phones, while the security guard holds out a bin with a disassembled gun. Palmer says, “I got the phones, but they wouldn’t trust me with the weapons.” As Gibbs quickly and expertly assembles a gun, he says, “I wouldn’t either, Jimmy.”
Back at the isolation room, Tony can be heard coughing in the background while the doctor asks Kate why she is doing this. She says, “Damned if I know, but I’m doing it, and you’re not going to tell Tony.” The doctor tells her that he already told Dr. Mallard that she wasn’t infected. Kate says, “Ducky will understand. Gibbs will be the problem.” Dr. Pitt says that the problem is actually that she could get infected if she stays in the isolation room. (Um, not to question this really sweet scene, but wouldn’t the fact they have just spent a bunch of hours together already be a problem since she was never infected? In fact, if staying in the same room with Tony is such a problem now, why are they assuming that she is still clean? The bloodwork was taken before she was put in an enclosed space with Tony. For all they know, he could have infected her in the hours they were just together. Sorry, back to the story…) The doctor tells her that the strain has been genetically altered to resist antibiotics. Kate asks why he is bothering with an I.V. for Tony then. He says that it is just for hope. (So, Tony was right about the placebo effect being used on them…) Tony then interrupts, asking, “Kate, tell Dr. Brad about the wet t-shirt contest you won?” She shoots back, “Tell Emma about the transsexual you tongued?” He says to her, “Never happened.” He then turns to Emma and reiterates, “Never happened,” before succumbing to a violent coughing fit. Emma reaches over to wipe off his face, and the tissue has blood on it. Tony tells Kate, “Thanks for passing along the cold,” and then the scene fades out on a serious Tony lying in bed.
A black and white shot of either a sleeping or dead Tony. Way to ratchet up the suspense people. Then the scene shifts to the Lowell Pharmaceutical building where Sarah’s mother works. Gibbs and Cassie enter, with Cassie asking how Gibbs wants to handle it. He says, “The subtle approach. You serve the warrant. I’ll shove my Sig in her face.”
“Hannah Lowell has been arrested at more protests than Jesse Jackson. She won’t be intimidated.”
“Okay, then I’ll shoot her and go after whoever made the damn bug here for her.”
“You’re not going to kill her.”
“I said shoot, not kill.” So typical Gibbs. I love it. They start heading for the elevator, but get intercepted by security. The guard tells them that they have to check in with the receptionist and asks if they have an appointment. Cassie flashes her badge in his face as Gibbs says, “No we don’t. We have a federal warrant,” and they stalk into the elevator. The guard calls a warning upstairs. When they make it upstairs, they are ushered into a room where they are greeted by Hannah Lowell. “It’s about time you got here. I left you enough cookie crumbs.” She says that they have to admit that a midshipman raped her daughter if they want the cure. Cassie says that the DNA tests cleared the midshipmen, but Hannah isn’t buying it. “Stop. I know how easy it is to dope a DNA test.” During this exchange, Gibbs is looking at all of the pictures of Hannah protesting that are hanging up around the office, and he comments, “You love dramatic acts.” It turns out that Hannah has little time left to live and she thinks that the truth will help her daughter heal. She states again that they won’t get the antidote unless they admit that a midshipman raped her daughter. Gibbs cuts her off saying that they don’t need the antidote because the post office “went postal” on her plague and no one was infected. Gibbs then puts her under arrest and tricks her into revealing that she stole the Y. Pestis from Dr. Pandy. At that revelation, Gibbs drops all pretense of nonchalance and bolts out of the room. He finds out where Dr. Pandy’s lab is. Hannah realizes that Gibbs was lying earlier and says, “Someone was infected. I hope it was Westmoreland.” (I didn’t catch that comment the first time around. I guess it is a good indicator (as if the infecting someone with the plague thing wasn’t) that she has definitely lost her marbles.)
Back to the isolation room, where Tony is coughing intensely and looks dreadful. Dr. Brad sets Tony up for x-rays and tells Tony to take a deep breath and hold it. He says that he doesn’t think he can and adds, “Maybe Emma can do it for me. You have very healthy lungs, Emma.” At the other side of the room, Emma laughs asks Kate, “Is he always like this?” Kate replies, “Unfortunately. Tony’s humor has always been sexist, juvenile, raunchy…” “Funny,” interrupts Emma. Kate concedes, “Sometimes… can be funny.”
At the biotech labs, Dr. Pandy is inside a glass room, while Gibbs and a guard are outside. Dr. Pandy tells them that there is no antidote-he developed a vaccine, not an antidote and it is of no use once the victim has been infected. As the camera zooms in on Gibbs, it reveals that Gibbs is pointing his gun at Dr. Pandy with one hand, while having a chokehold around the guard with his other. Dr. Pandy says that Hannah’s brain tumor must have made her misunderstand about the antidote. He says that the tumor is causing her to act insane. Gibbs asks the doctor why Lowell Pharmaceutical is creating biological weapons. Dr. Pandy says that the only reason they create them is to figure out how to prevent and/or destroy them. Dr. Pandy says that he understands Gibbs’s anger. Gibbs responds, “No. You don’t. But if you don’t save him, you will.” The doctor says that the bug was given a suicide gene so that it dies off in 32 hours. If “the specimen” was infected more than 32 hours ago, then all of the Y. Pestis is dead. This causes Gibbs to lower his gun. The doctor continues, “However, the damage will have been done.” The gun comes back up. “The ‘specimen’ is going to die?” Dr. Pandy quickly replies, “No, no, not necessarily. He has the same chance of survival as people infected in plagues of the past. Probably better since he will be healthy and young.” Gibbs asks what the survival rate was of people in past plagues. Dr. Pandy tries to evade the question, but finally answers, “15%.”
Back at the observation section of the isolation room, Ducky and Dr. Brad are looking at Tony’s chest x-rays. They don’t look good. Tony doesn’t look good-he’s showing signs of cyanosis, with blue finger and toe nails. Tony also doesn’t sound good-his coughing is dreadful. Ducky asks if it is too late to reverse the damage, and Dr. Brad says, “It’s never too late.” Ducky’s response to that is, “Until I get the body.” They then stare in mournfully at Tony. Kate is in with Tony. He says, “I’m sorry I teased you will all of those movies, Kate.”
“Teased? You’ve tortured me. For two years all I’ve heard is John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, James Bond…”
“James Bond is a character. Played by Sean Connery, George Lazanby, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan.” (Okay, so Tony gets George Lazanby but forgets Timothy Dalton? I admit, he wasn’t the most memorable Bond, but still…) He then finally notices that Kate is wearing a mask and asks her about it. She tells him that it is because she has a cold. (Aww…she has tears in her eyes!!)
“Why aren’t you sick?”
“Because I’m stronger than you, Tony.”
“Are not.”
“Am too.” Tony then struggles for breath. Emma lifts him into a sitting position to help him breathe, and the doctor comes in and tells Kate that she has to leave. She does, and when she gets out of the room, she loses it. She breaks down sobbing in Ducky’s arms. She says, “He’s dying, Ducky!” Gibbs then strides in and says, “The hell he is.” He marches into the isolation room without wearing a mask or taking any other precaution. The doctor tries to stop him, but Gibbs says that the bug had a suicide gene and it has been dead for over an hour, making Tony no longer infectious. Gibbs then goes to Tony’s side and quietly talks to him. “Tony, listen to me. You listening? You will not die. You got that?” Tony fades out a bit, closing his eyes, so Gibbs gives him a tap on the head. “You. Will. Not. Die.” Tony responds, “I got you, boss.” Gibbs then puts a cell phone in his head and says, “Good. It’s your new cell. I’d get the number changed. Women keep calling for ‘Spanky’.” Gibbs strides out, and Emma tells Tony that he needs to rest.
Gibbs meets with Cassie at a different (psychiatric?) hospital. Hannah lost it in the car, acting completely crazy, so Cassie brought her here. Sarah is in the waiting room. Cassie says that Sarah is as blank about the incident as she was four years ago. Cassie introduces Sarah to Gibbs. Sarah apologizes for her mother’s actions. She said, “I always knew that one day mother would do something terrible. I told her, but she wouldn’t believe me.” Gibbs, in a deceptively calm voice, says, “Told her.” Sarah continues, “That it wasn’t a midshipman.” Gibbs asks, “So, you remember who raped you?” She looks up, alarmed, and denies it. Gibbs doesn’t believe her and presses her. She tries to cover, but it doesn’t work. She finally admits that she wasn’t raped. Her boyfriend tied her up as a joke when he went out to get something to eat. He was killed by a hit-and-run driver and never returned. When she was discovered two days later, she made up the rape story.
Back at the observation part of the isolation room, Kate asks if she can sleep there and is given permission to do so. She goes into the room with Tony, and Emma tells her that he is sleeping. She watches him for a bit, then goes to the next bed. The lights are shut off. Tony (in a normal voice, with no coughing) then says, “This reminds me of the end of the movie Alien.” Kate laughs and the scene fades to black. Tony’s back!!!!
I think NCIS is trying to kill me with their promos. Last week’s was bad enough, and I only had to wait a week for that episode. This time, I have to wait two weeks for the episode and the promo is just as suspenseful! It opens with an explosion. Then it goes to the bullpen with Tony asking, “We were set up… so someone tried to kill us?” Gibbs replies, “And they came pretty damn close.” The voice over guy says, “In two weeks, prepare yourself for the season finale of NCIS.” Gibbs mentions that a “poor man’s cruise missile” was stolen by a terrorist who is going after a soft target (civilians versus military personnel). Pictures of Ducky, Abby, McGee, Tony, Gibbs, and Kate (shown leaping in front of Gibbs, shouting, “No!” which I am hoping is a purposeful misdirection) flash while the voice over guy says, “And one of the agents will not survive.” Damn. Why are they messing with my show?!?! And why do I have to wait for two weeks?!?!?!?! What show is on instead of NCIS?
Now for the review part
I don’t know if this episode was really that good, or if I am overreacting because the last few have been fairly mediocre, but I thought that this was an awesome episode. It is definitely in my top five (if not at the very top). It managed to mix humor, character development, and a well-told story. The season finale looks really good as well (although I don’t want anyone to die!); NCIS is certainly ending the season strong.