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A Family Matter is the first episode of NCIS Season 20 and the 436th episode of the entire NCIS series.

Synopsis

With Parker and his ex-wife Vivian still on the run, the NCIS team investigate who from his past may have a personal vendetta in the hope of clearing Parker's name, enlisting the help of Jane Tennant, the Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS: Hawaii team, and her colleague Ernie Malik, NCIS Hawaii's computer specialist, both of whom are in town meeting with Vance during preparations for a global military exercise.

Prologue

Act One

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Parker in the bathroom.

Act Two

Act Three

Act Four

Act Five

Major Events

  • McGee meets NCIS Hawaii agent Jane Tennant and NCIS Hawaii Cyber Specialist Ernie Malik for the first time while Jimmy and Kasie meet Ernie in person for the first time.
  • It's revealed that Ernie once worked for the NSA.
  • Upon being exposed as "The Raven", Herman Maxwell flees to Hawaii, with Torres and Knight also being sent to Hawaii to assist Jane Tennant and her team in finding and stopping Maxwell. Parker remains in D.C. to stay by Vivian's bedside, Vivian having been shot during the gunfight between the NCIS team and Maxwell's followers, the Unkindness, that saw Maxwell escaping.

Trivia

  • Mark Harmon is removed from the opening credits and is no longer a series regular although he is still credited as an Executive Producer.
  • With Harmon's departure, David McCallum (Donald Mallard) is the only cast member left from the original cast that appeared in the JAG Season 8 backdoor pilot episodes "Ice Queen" and "Meltdown".
  • The opening credits are changed once more and now consist of Sean Murray, Wilmer Valderrama, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover, David McCallum, Rocky Carroll and Gary Cole, with McCallum and Carroll sharing the "With" credit while Cole receives the "And" credit.
  • Sean Murray (Timothy McGee) now reads the "Previously on NCIS" line.
  • Vanessa Lachey (Jane Tennant) and Jason Antoon (Ernie Malik) are credited as Special Guest Stars.
  • This episode begins a storyline that concludes on the NCIS: Hawaii Season 2 premiere episode, Prisoners' Dilemma (episode).

Cast

Series Regular

Name Portrayed by Role
Timothy McGee Sean Murray Senior Agent for the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Nicholas Torres Wilmer Valderrama Special Agent for the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
James Palmer Brian Dietzen NCIS's Chief Medical Examiner.
Kasie Hines Diona Reasonover NCIS Forensic Scientist.
Jessica Knight Katrina Law NCIS Special Agent.
Donald Mallard David McCallum NCIS Historian. Despite being credited, McCallum doesn't appear in this episode.
Leon Vance Rocky Carroll NCIS Director.
Alden Parker Gary Cole NCIS Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Major Case Response Team.

Recurring Cast

Name Portrayed by Role
Vivian Kolchak Teri Polo NCIS Special Agent Alden Parker's ex-wife.
Jane Tennant Vanessa Lachey Special Agent in Charge of the NCIS Pearl Harbor Team.
Ernie Malik Jason Antoon Computer specialist for the NCIS Pearl Team.
Wayne Sweeney Erik Passoja FBI Deputy Director.
Tobias Fornell Joe Spano Former FBI Special Agent.
Ramirez (Road to Nowhere) Karina Noelle Castillo FBI agent.

Other Cast

Name Portrayed by Role
Samantha Delfino Susan Ruttan AKA "Sammy".
Gary Shay Eric C. Lynch Lieutenant.
Jason Hearns Michael Weston AKA "Herman Maxwell", he is later revealed to be "The Raven", a terrorist.
  vedNCIS Season 20
A Family Matter (episode)Daddy Issues (episode)Unearth (episode)Leave No Trace (episode)Guardian (episode)The Good Fighter (episode)Love Lost (episode)Turkey Trot (episode)Higher Education (episode)Too Many Cooks (episode)Bridges (episode)Big Rig (episode)Evil Eye (episode)Old Wounds (episode)Unusual Suspects (episode)Butterfly Effect (episode)Stranger in a Strange Land (episode)Head Games (episode)In the Spotlight (episode)Second Opinion (episode)Kompromat (episode)Black Sky (episode)
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