- A Navy recruiter dies after becoming shoved down a staircase at a high school in Fairfax, Virginia; Gibbs and company investigate. Dr. Magnus, Ducky's predecessor, visits. Gibbs and the gang eventually figure it out and finger the bad guy.
- After a college fair at a high school, in Fairfax, Virginia, in the burbs of Washington, DC, a disguised unknown assailant shoves a Navy recruiter, Simon, a petty officer first-class, down a staircase and then crushes his skull; Gibbs and company investigate. Dr. Walter Magnus, Ducky's predecessor, sad and confused, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, visits, and he offers advice. Tony and McGee pursue one unpleasant and unproductive lead, then Tony and Ziva meet one of Simon's friends, who leads the gang to another person, who also proves to be a dead end. Tony and Ziva visit another suspect, who tries to escape. Gibbs and the gang eventually figure it out, confront the killer, and help to recruit a new sailor.—DocRushing
- A recruiter talks to a student at a high school job fair. When he packs up his stuff to leave, someone follows him to the stairwell -- and shoves him down it. At the bottom, they finish him off with a work boot to the head.
In the office, Tony (Michael Weatherly) pretends not to notice that Ziva (Cote de Pablo) has been gone since Thursday. Then he 'fesses up, he knows she spent the weekend with her Miami mystery man. The lack of info is driving Tony nuts.
Dr. Walter Magnus (Bob Newhart) arrives to see Ducky (David McCallum). He's content to wait down in autopsy, despite the fact that Tony warns him it's stinky. He knows the way down.
Gibbs (Mark Harmon) arrives to announce the dead body of the week: Petty officer in a stairwell. Even Gibbs starts singing "The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round...."
In the stairwell, McGee (Sean Murray) scans fingerprints and IDs petty officer Simon Craig (Chad Michael Collins), a 27-year-old who did two tours overseas and requested a transfer back.
His ID and cards are gone.
They wait for Ducky, but Dr. Magnus arrives instead. "Why people always get killed in the least accessible places? I once found a ship's cook chopped up and left in a deep fryer. The sailors nibbled on him in the calamari for days," Magnus says.
Gibbs remembers him from NCIS.
Back in autopsy, Ducky looks over the petty officer as Magnus checks the place out. He tells Ducky that his wife died almost 10 years ago and he and his daughter Jenny don't talk much.
In the office, McGee reports that Simon's parents died when he was a kid and his sister Nina (Tonja Kahlens) raised him and runs the family's crabbing business.
Simon's boss is chief petty officer Jerome Carr (Sean Blakemore) and Tony's looking into rejected applicants.
Vance (Rocky Carroll) comes to see Gibbs. He's using a cane, but getting around. Vance busts Gibbs for not doing any paperwork while he was out. He's eager to prove he's back at full speed.
Tony and McGee visit Jerome Carr. He mentions one reject who hounded Simon, James Zinetti (actor not listed). He hands over his file, showing a tattooed thug.
In her lab, Abby (Pauley Perette) babbles Magnus' ear off about changes in technology. "I haven't understood one thing you've said, but I'm all for it," Magnus says.
Gibbs arrives. Abby presents a boot print lifted from Craig's face, a Trailbreaker work boot. There was a wood tack in the boot's heel.
McGee and Tony go see Zinetti in his wood shop. He's working at his saw when they approach him. He whacks Tony in the gut with a piece of wood and grabs McGee and puts his head down to the saw when Tony draws on him and tells him to freeze.
Back at the office, Zinetti says he was in a college class last night and can prove it.
Ziva returns from her romantic rendezvous. They went skiing in Vermont, and he cooked for her.
"He is an experienced man who knows how to appreciate life," she says. His name is Ray. Ziva assures Tony that Ray is a good man.
Gibbs meets with Simon's sister, Nina. She says he loved his job -- and he was gay. He was involved with a high school English teacher.
Tony and Ziva visit Glenn Block (Jonathan Goldstein) at school. He says they had been seeing each other for about a month -- but he's in a committed relationship. He's married. His wife Penny (Andi Carnick) threw him out, but he doesn't think she is capable of hurting anyone.
As they're leaving the school, Tony recognizes Paul Simmons (Guy Wilson) as one of the teens who talked to Simon. They stop him and his dad, Lance (John Posey). He didn't know Simon was dead, but says he was cool. Tony gives him his card. Paul's wearing work boots.
In autopsy, Ducky shows Gibbs deep bruises on Simon's legs -- older injuries from days before his death. Ducky calls it a beating. There are signs of previous injuries.
Ducky wants Magnus to help out with the autopsy, but he says he needs air.
Ziva calls Gibbs to tell him Glenn Block's wife Penny was just arrested for DUI and there were Trailbreaker boots in her car.
Gibbs talks to her. She followed her husband to a motel. He produces her bank record with a large withdrawal.
He says they think she hired someone to beat Simon up. She says she hopes it hurt and was at a bar the night Simon was killed.
But Gibbs doesn't think she did it.
In the office, McGee confirms Penny was at a bar.
Of the kids Simon was recruiting, Paul was the last to see him. His mom is dead and his dad was recently laid off.
Vance summons Gibbs.
Ducky comes looking for Magnus.
Vance doesn't love that Gibbs is calling Simon's murder a hate crime.
Vance looks weary and Gibbs suggests he might need to take more time off.
Abby summons Ducky, saying Magnus needs him. He's sitting catatonic in Abby's chair. Ducky talks to him but gets only factoids about hippos. Magnus says he loves it "here at the zoo." Then he looks around and asks where he is.
Tony and Ziva visit Paul Simmon's dad, Lance. There are beer bottles strewn around. There's a table saw in his kitchen. He says they're doing renovations. Lance says Paul's not really interested in the Navy, because he can't take orders.
Paul comes home, but runs when they say they want to talk to him.
He gets in his car and starts to drive off, but Tony runs behind his car with his gun drawn.
Back at NCIS in the conference room, Paul tells Gibbs he got scared. He says he didn't hurt Simon. Gibbs reads Paul's school suspension record. He says the fights weren't his fault.
Paul admits he talked to Simon at the fair, but then he left. Lance interrupts and says he needs to talk to Gibbs privately.
Out in the hall, Lance stands up for his son. Gibbs asks Lance where he was and he admits he was passed out in his car, drunk. Gibbs tells him he should act like a father.
In autopsy, Ducky tells Magnus he called his daughter, Jenny. They're not estranged; he lives with her. Magnus admits he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and says the job was everything to him. He came to NCIS hoping it would all come back to him. He confesses that sometimes he can't remember who he was.
McGee reports Paul's alibi: a pizza delivery receipt.
According to Simon's records, he never talked to Paul on the phone. McGee opens Simon's email and Gibbs tells him to search for "Don't Ask Don't Tell." They get hits.
They realize the fights at school were Paul defending himself. He didn't want to lie anymore, and Simon tried to help.
Gibbs talks to Paul, with a social worker present instead of his dad. He says no one else would listen to him. He says his dad thought he was crazy to want to enlist.
Lance comes home to find Paul and the agents. They arrest him. "All I wanted was to protect my son," Lance says.
He thought they were meeting up and it wasn't just "business."
Paul says Simon was helping him. Lance says he was just trying to be a good dad. Paul hugs him.
Later, Ducky checks on things in MTAC. He brings Magnus in. McGee plays a slideshow of Magnus' cases. Magnus watches the memories roll by and gets misty eyed.
Vance examines his scar and gets buzzed with a call from SecNav.
Paul meets with another Navy recruiter, with Gibbs watching over him.
Gibbs prepares his tools in his basement and gets to work on his next project.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content