Director Vance and his family are at the heart of this NCIS episode. When his nephew by marriage is suspected of murder, Vance has to balance his duty with his paternal feelings toward the suspect. Which will win out?
This Shore Leave Shore Isn’t Much Fun
Two sailors on leave are stumbling down the street when they see their shipmate sprawled out in an alley. Too bad the guy’s not just passed out – he’s dead from a stab wound.
Meanwhile, Tony’s secured a copy of his performance review and is fretting that Gibbs noted that he talks too much. Um, Tony – have you met yourself? All you do is talk. Sometimes you even make sense. Mostly you blather on, but you get the job done. Notice that’s what Gibbs says, too.
Familial Bonds
Baltimore PD has tracked down an employee at a local mechanic shop with the victim’s blood on his hands. He’s also the one who made a 911 call about the body before the sailors found him. Too bad the guy ends up being Vance’s wife’s brother. Is Vance going to pull rank for special treatment? Because he’s certainly not recusing himself like he should be.
Vance’s nephew Michael swears he didn’t do it. He was on his way to work when he found the guy still breathing from the stab wound. Michael rushed over to help but he was too late and watched him die. Then he called 911 and hightailed it to work. Because the boss gets mad if he’s late. I’m guessing that reporting a stabbing to 911 and waiting for the cops to show up is not exactly on par with a flat tire or a late bus when it comes to excuses. The boss probably would have given him a pass on that one.
Easy Money
The NCIS team finds out that the victim and three other sailors from his vessel tested positive for downers. They piece together that all of the sailors wound up at the same back room card game at a local pizza shop. Since it’s not Vegas and the house has to find some kind of advantage, the owner slips the downers to the card playing sailors to slow their mental functions and take them for all their leave money. That’s a really patriotic guy for you.
Hush Money
The trail leads back to Michael, and he confesses to Vance that he lost all the money Vance gave him to open his own repair shop at one of the back room games. Figuring he could make the money back, he agreed to be a shill to get unwitting sailors involved in the game. When the victim lost all his money and figured it out, he came after Michael with a knife. There was a struggle, and Michael ended up stabbing him.
Hearing this breaks Vance’s heart as he’s considered Michael as a son since the kid was eight years old. So Vance does what any good father would do. He administers a dose of tough love and calls Gibbs in to arrest his family member.
Crystal Waters
Contributing Writer
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
