This week on NCIS, Jamie Lee Curtis guest stars as Dr. Samantha Ryan, a PsyOps agent who's help with a murder investigation may not be as helpful as it seems.
Evaluation
Gibbs and the team investigate the apparent suicide of a high-level PsyOps agent, Dr. Robert Banks, but while at the scene, Dr. Rachel Cranston (Wendy Makkena), Caitlin Todd's sister, arrives, claiming she was the victim's friend. Dr. Samantha Ryan (Jamie Lee Curtis) is called into NCIS for information on Banks' assignment, but apart from an amusing interaction with Director Vance, proves to be completely useless thanks to all the security restrictions. The team does learn that Banks was working with Brian Mitchell, a field agent, who tells Tony and Ziva that a Marine named Kyle Baxter was discharged after a bad psychological evaluation from Banks.
Conspiracy
Ducky learns, during the autopsy, that Banks' liver and kidney were failing and he only had a few month to live anyway. Abby finds that someone has switched Banks' medication to a drug that would cause depression and organ failure. After reading something in Banks' files, Gibbs unplugs the computers and tells the team he wants everything on paper from then on. Gibbs questions Ryan about the page he finds, containing information about targeting subjects by drugging and depriving them of sleep. Ryan claims she has been telling Gibbs everything she knew, but Gibbs doesn't believe her. Later, at home, Gibbs receives a call from McGee, and after getting cell phone interference, finds a listening device hidden amongst his tools.
The Runaround
The only good lead the team has left, is Former Marine 2nd Lieutenant Kyle Baxter. The team tracks Baxter's cell phone but finds Ryan's assistant, who leads them to James Drenden. Ryan informs Gibbs that the project Banks was working on was using PsyOps tecniques to destabilize Iranian nucler scientists. Abby tracks Baxter after finding a trail on Banks' computer and finds that Drenden is Baxter's alias. When Gibbs brings Baxter in for questioning, he and Vance find out that Baxter had been in Mexico working with the DEA, indicating that someone at PsyOps was intentionally leading the investigation in the wrong direction. Ryan claims that PsyOps has policies and procedures in place for when people put their noses in their business. Ryan leaves Baxter's phone, which the team uses to track Baxter's contacts and find Brian Mitchell, who had been conspiring with Banks' daughter, so she could collect Banks' life insurance money.
I like Jamie Lee Curtis in this episode. It seems that the older she gets, the more frantic and crazy eyed she becomes, which fit this role perfectly. Plus, it's always entertaining when Gibbs has to interact with strong female characters. Not to mention the revelation of another one of Gibbs's rules.
Quotes
"You're not from Accounting, are you?"
-Dr. Ryan to Tony
"You know what I like, Doc? Paper. I really like paper."
-Gibbs to Dr. Ryan
"People in this town like talking shop and eating cocktail weenies."
-Dr. Ryan to Gibbs about the party Gibbs interrupts.
"Rule No. 42: Don't ever accept an apology from someone who just sucker-punched you."
-Gibbs to Dr. Ryan
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