I’m not entirely sure which NCIS story intrigued me more: the dead naval officer or the stolen cupcake. Suffice to say Abby has inspired me to initiate a quest for the perfect confectionery… if it even exists.

Mess with these Spoilers and Abby will kill you!

Mountain biking is fun, or so it appears. I wouldn’t know because I’m badly out of shape. A competitive couple race the mountain trails until the guy loses control and does a Peter Pan into the lake. The girl wants her bet paid off, that is until up from the ground came a bubblin’ corpse.

At the office, Ziva presents Abby with a scrumptious cupcake called the Chocoholic’s Choice when the guys come over to freeload. Apparently the tasty treat is Ziva’s form of rent for having crashed at Abby’s… much to the curious surprise of DiNozzo. We later find out it was nothing more than an innocent stay due to fumigation at Ziva’s apartment. Gibbs walks in to inform the gang that the dead body is that of a lieutenant commander.

Back at the park, Ducky deduces that Lieutenant Commander Carrie McClellan was shot once in the back, but not at the park. Just as McGee finds a partial shoeprint, Gibbs gets a call and beats a hasty retreat back to the District.

Along the Potomac, Gibbs meets up with what appears to be a friendly senator in a trench coat. The good senator inquires if it is indeed LTCR McClellan and when asked if he knew her, he spills the beans that they were having an affair. Senator Kiley laments the affair from the get-go, and offers to help Gibbs in any way. Any way that doesn’t risk his energy bill that’s coming up for a vote.

(Side note: did anyone else find it odd that the Senator just happens to make the social commentary on the economy with all that’s going on right now? I’m just saying.)

Gibbs and DiNozzo interview the lieutenant’s commanding officer and offers up little more than attitude and non-incriminating statements. DiNozzo smells a rat and whisks away to investigate the Admiral further. Meanwhile, McGee notices McClellan called the Capitol often, but to the switchboard and not anyone directly. Vance appears out of nowhere to summon Gibbs away. On the ball again, DiNozzo suspects Gibbs is hiding something.

Once alone, Vance shares (from his private line, no less) a to-the-point synthesized voice mail with a specific location for the murder weapon. At the location in question, DiNozzo once again is on the ball and finds the gun, but not before having fun by leading McGee to fall into the storm drain.

Back at the lab, Abby does confirm the gun McGee slipped on was indeed the murder weapon. This leads Vance to have him investigate where the mysterious voice mail originated. Vance absolutely insists Gibbs keep him in the loop on this… to which Gibbs assures him, in no uncertain terms, that he will. I’m sensing our favorite NCIS Director has some trust issues as that exchange was uncomfortable at best.

Abby (as per usual) provides the comic relief. She’s on the warpath after someone stole her gifted cupcake. Gibbs tries to get her back on track, and she reveals, among other things, that fibers from a car were found on her.

DiNozzo is absolutely certain that Admiral Graves is the other party in the affair while McGee narrows down the call to where and when, but not exactly who, except to say that the sophisticated WriteDraft® 2007 is the source of the robot-like voicemail. Ziva presents the only owner information she can find on the guy, one Otis Tripp, which for some reason sets Gibbs off as he storms out the door.

Turns out the gun belonged to the senator’s father-in-law. When confronted about it, Senator Kiley adamantly denies the whole thing and claims he’s being framed. The nerve! Before he can interrogate further, Gibbs gets called back in by Vance.

Seems another voicemail has arrived… this one a little more painful for Gibbs. Whoever is calling knows that Gibbs is covering for the senator and Vance is none too pleased. Mere seconds later, however, Gibbs presents Senator Kiley to Vance. Kiley suggests Reed Talbot, an oil lobbyist trying to defeat his energy bill, might be the ne’re-do-well they’re looking for.

Just as quickly as Abby determines the car fibers from the Lieutenant’s body were that of a Jeep Cherokee, she immediately demands DNA from the gang. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life, it’s that you should never mess with a woman who loves chocolate.

Gibbs and DiNozzo take the senator home and investigate his gun collection. Later, Gibbs is home working on his boat when Lynn, the senator’s wife, arrives out of nowhere. Of course, she knew something was fishy with her husband, but it seems his chief of staff, Cole Erickson, was involved more than Lynn would have liked. But even all she’s been through, she still believes her husband didn’t do it.

After analyzing fingerprints from the senator’s gun case, Abby narrows down the list of murder suspects to Senator Kiley, Lynn, Cole and one unknown person. She also takes the time to narrow down the cupcake bandit to include basically the entire gang… even the night janitor.

Ziva digs up more dirt on the lobbyist, but can’t go any farther without a fingerprint of some kind. DiNozzo now suspects the chief of staff because he drives a Jeep while McGee finds more information on the second voicemail. It’s good to see the hive buzzing with activity once again.

Later that day, Ziva goes undercover to Capitol Hill to get a fingerprint from the unsuspecting Reed Talbot. No doubt I’d probably fall for her, too.

DiNozzo gets info on Cole’s PDA. McGee tracks it to his apartment at the Watergate. Gibbs and DiNozzo go to investigate but find Cole dead of an apparent suicide by suffocation. Gibbs does Ducky’s work for him by determining cause and time of death, which leaves the lovable Ducky a bit down. McGee finds the burn phone used for the cryptic voicemails. About this time, Senator Kiley shows up to ask why Cole would do it, but the gears in Gibbs’ head start churning faster.

Ducky later confirms that Cole did die of asphyxia, but Gibbs believes someone else did it. Vance just wants this whole thing finalized as he’s off Senator Kiley’s press conference to announce just that.

Our B story ends with McGee being ousted as the one who took Abby’s cupcake, even after he was so careful to cover his tracks. You’d think he would have known not to mess with Abby, especially with her mad skillz, yo.

Gibbs arrives to the press conference not to participate, but to arrest the senator. As it turns out, Lynn is in cahoots. The facts are these: Lynn knew all along about the affair, but for the good of his office, she decided to merely scare off the lieutenant but ended up shooting her once in the back. They decide then and there to setup Cole to take the fall, but for reasons passing understanding actually recruit Gibbs to investigate the whole matter and take care of it for them.

How very ignorant of them to really think Gibbs would cover up on their behalf. Politics can really be a bitch, and then you die… or get arrested.

Next time on NCIS, Gibbs has a father! Most people look for a good reason to go home again, but something tells me this might not be the case this time.

Did you really think our Boy Scout would cave to an old war buddy? Was there enough misdirection to throw you off the senator’s track? How did the Abby/cupcake sub-plot work for you?

Comments

Abby is hilarious! She so needs to get back together with McGee.... That would be too funny!

Katrina | Oct 8, 2008 5:21:32 AM | #

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The 2 mysteries were so-so. Always figured the Sen was involved & as soon as Lynn visited Gibbs, I knew she was the shooter. The only part of the cupcake caper that got me chuckling was when Abby confronted Gibbs (twice!). I like how the show is oh-so-slowly exploring the relationship between the director & Gibbs. Each step forward is hard-won on both sides. Really looking forward to Dad next week. :)

pat | Oct 8, 2008 5:27:58 AM | #

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At first, I wasn't feeling the Abby cupcake mystery, but as it wore on and today, I get a little chuckle when I think about it. At first, I thought it was stupid, but who knows what skillful forensic scientists will do when parted from their addiction?

I kind of suspected the senator all along, but my fiance immediately said "the wife" in the first 5 minutes of the show. The collaboration was a bit of a surprise and the death of Cole reminded me of "The Life of David Gale" - good movie.

I enjoy watching all the characters, especially Mark Harmon, and there was a lot of MH to be had last night. :)

Terry | Oct 8, 2008 6:47:17 AM | #

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I would say that the Case of the Consumed Cupcake was as intriguing a mystery as the dead Naval officer. I knew something was hinky when the wife mentioned that the woman was shot in the back, and assumed that she had done it. I was surprised that they killed the assistant. That was just asking for trouble.

And, no, I think it was stupid to believe that Gibbs would cover for him if he was in anyway involved.

Great to see Tony back to speed!

Lizabeth S. Tucker | Oct 8, 2008 7:09:10 AM | #

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Growing up reading Nancy Drew mysteries prepared me for both storylines.

The ol' "A Marine would never have shot her in the back" line set off major Freudian Slip Alarms, resulting in eye-brow raises and head swivels in our household. (And I think one of us actually said "Ding!")

As for the cupcake, the answer was elementary: it was either going to be the overnight cleaning guy no one ever heard of OR McGee since he's the only one who could pull that stunt and live.

It was his damn love of latex (fresh gloves) that got him in the end.

Skoob | Oct 8, 2008 8:55:21 AM | #

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I knew the wife did it just wasn't sure if the husband knew she did it or not.

NayNay

spicyj6 | Oct 8, 2008 10:49:23 AM | #

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I liked Abby's cupcake mystery. That was a very interesting contrast to Gibbs' case. I like how Gibbs is able to solve the cases without consulting Vance. I wish that the killers weren't old friends of Gibbs. I also like that the team was working together again, just like old times.

Penny | Oct 8, 2008 11:40:18 AM | #

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I thoroughly enjoyed NCIS Tuesday night. It has become my favorite program and I am SO glad the team is back together like it should be. I love Abby's character and really liked the cupcake mystery, especially when she thought she saw chocolate on Gibbs. The main plot was really good too!

Patricia | Oct 8, 2008 12:58:52 PM | #

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I've seen every episode of NCIS at least once (in the case of season 3, my favorite one still, more like four or five times), and this one ranked near the bottom for me. It just seemed silly from the get-go, starting with Gibbs leaving an active crime scene to talk to an old friend. While yes, DiNozzo and Co. came into their own long ago, Gibbs is a man who is the supreme overseer, not one to willingly and without a second thought leave with nary a backwards glance. So that was clunky, and the rest of the episode wasn't much better.

The cupcake incident was very funny, if only because I've worked in places where you had to put tumbler-style locks on your lunch boxes to keep them from being raided by a higher-up who could have you fired for bitching about it. And for anyone who loves, loves, LOVES chocolate...it's never "just a cupcake." That was fun, too bad the rest of the episode was little better than a mediocre episode of The Hardy Boys.

Two other things that stuck out for me: when the wife was down in the basement with Gibbs, her statement that "a Marine would never shoot somebody in the back" might as well have been lit up in neon with dancing girls and tumbling elephants, it was so obvious a clue; and secondly, how is it that she knew all about Gibbs' first wife and daughter dying, yet everybody else who has known him equally as long was completely clueless? Doesn't seem likely, especially given his close friendships with Ducky and a few others.

Ah, well, not every episode can be a diamond. Long-running shows always have a few nasty bits in their closets. But, as always, a bad episode of NCIS is hell and gone better than any episode of most shows on nowadays, which is why the ratings are so incredible.

Revenant | Oct 8, 2008 1:58:52 PM | #

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To Revenant: What makes you thik that Gibbs' other old friends don't are so "completely clueless" about his wife and daughter? Ducky knows. He mentioned them to Lt Col Mann. I'm sure that his other friends know, too, but naturally don't talk about it.

Amanda | Oct 8, 2008 3:05:21 PM | #

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In reply to Revenant, maybe Gibbs knew the senator (and his wife) when he was married and had a daughter. Just a guess, but it is possible.

JL | Oct 8, 2008 3:28:21 PM | #

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My apologies for not being clear in regards to Ducky...in the penultimate episode of Season 3, Jenny informs Ducky of the murders of Gibbs' first wife and daughter while Gibbs is still in a coma. Ducky's reaction and subsequent conversations show that even though he had known Gibbs for many years prior to the start of the series, he had no knowledge of the tragedy in the life of his good friend. Now I will admit that Gibbs did say something along the lines of "You were there for me," so perhaps there were a few people with whom he shared the knowledge. But as much as Gibbs went through to keep it quiet (whether or not he did it consciously), I was surprised that the wife brought it up so nonchalantly. Maybe this season will give us even more of a glimpse into the Gibbs' past, and this may have just been the start. It just seemed clunky to me, but I'll keep my gripes to myself until I see how the season goes.

Oh, and I'm sure that the team and others in Gibbs' life are aware of his first wife and daughter NOW, but they weren't prior to the end of Season 3. This is getting as confusing as Fringe. Whew! :)

Revenant | Oct 8, 2008 4:02:31 PM | #

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Gibbs and the senator served together in Desert Storm, so it made sense to me that Lynn may have known Shannon and Kelly if they were all living on the same base. The wives could have been good friends who kept each other compnay while the men were deployed.

Alix | Oct 8, 2008 5:15:54 PM | #

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I remember when Ducky found out too. He was very hurt that Gibbs had not told him.
I am ready for next week. Gibbs has a dad!! Also I don't remember Abby & Timmy being together. Did I miss that?

klcater | Oct 9, 2008 6:36:32 AM | #

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I agree with Alix. It was said in the coma episode that Gibbs was serving in the Desert Storm when his wife and daughter were killed so the senator and his wife would have known them and what had happened.

I really enjoyed the episode. I really like the way the relationship is forming between Gibbs and Vance. Considering many fans were villainizing Vance at the end of last season, it's nice to see that there were reasons for what he did.

| Oct 9, 2008 4:08:36 PM | #

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Thankfully, my folks taped the episode, so I was able to re-watch the thing. I must have been half paying attention, because I did miss the references to Desert Storm. Thanks for the clarifications to those who mentioned them. Now that they're introducing Gibbs' father, maybe we'll get an even better glimpse into his past. He's interesting, to say the least. The boats, though...one would think he'd have built a large shed in the backyard so that they'd be easier to get out when he was done. :P

Revenant | Oct 9, 2008 7:44:42 PM | #

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I wish they would stop hitting each other in the head.
I don't really like the silliness with Abby, it's better when she is serious and shows what she really can do. A little fun is ok but not as long as they keep it going.

Bob | Oct 13, 2008 9:41:18 PM | #

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My son - who turned me on to NCIS - and I were also commenting on Gibbs' relationship with Director Vance and how he (the Director) is "growing on us".

Felicia | Oct 15, 2008 3:56:05 AM | #

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the director is one of the bad guys, remember in the last episode of last season, when he first walked into the directors office he took something out of someone's file and shreaded it. I believe he is in with Agent Lee.

james | Oct 28, 2008 5:21:15 PM | #

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Does anyone know how Agent Gibbs' daughter and wife died? I think their names were Kelly and Shannon.

Maria | Nov 11, 2008 2:05:32 PM | #

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Does anyone know how Agent Gibbs' daughter and wife died? I think their names were Kelly and Shannon.

Maria | Nov 11, 2008 2:05:55 PM | #

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