A Thousand Words is the 7th episode of NCIS Season 16 and the 361st episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
After a mural by a street artist and activist is stolen, the NCIS investigation leads to a conspiracy regarding a Navy contractor and the safety of ocean mammals while Bishop shares a special connection with the street artist.
Prologue
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Gibbs after Melanie Keller has revealed to him and Bishop that she is Ritz.
Act Four
Act Five
Trivia
- Melanie Keller a.k.a. "Ritz" appears to be based on iconic street artist and political and social activist Banksy. Banksy is an unidentified street artist active in England notable for his spray paint graffiti and sculpture works meant to call out heavily publicized and impactful controversies and matters. The unknown artist has gained a massive following, has his own website, and has even had a picture based on his work auctioned off, even after he arranged for it to be shredded with a trap in the frame the very moment it was sold the first time.
- The murder of Carl appears to be inspired by the [[wikipedia:Murder of Selena|murder of Selena] by Yolanda Saldívar.
- This is the second time Abbie Cobb and Ian Alda have appeared alongside each other, the first being in the NCIS: Los Angeles Season 4 episode, "The Fifth Man".
Cast
Series Regulars
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | Special Agent in charge of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray | Senior Special Agent and second-in-command of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Nicholas Torres | Wilmer Valderrama | Special Agent for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Eleanor Bishop | Emily Wickersham | Special Agent for the NCIS Major Case Response Team |
| Jacqueline Sloane | Maria Bello | NCIS Forensic Psychologist. |
| James Palmer | Brian Dietzen | Medical Examiner for the Major Case Response Team |
| Kasie Hines | Diona Reasonover | NCIS Forensic Specialist; Abby's replacement |
| Leon Vance | Rocky Carroll | Director of NCIS |
| Donald Mallard | David McCallum | Chief Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
Other Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Melanie Keller | Abbie Cobb | Street artist. |
| Luke Green | Ian Alda | |
| Carrie Lewis | Judith Moreland | |
| Annie Sullivan | Jeryl Prescott | |
| Glenn Webb | David Paluck | Director. |
| Zach | Bill O'Neill | |
| Manny Barnes | Luke Jones | |
| Big Bouncer | Shel Bailey | |
| Telemarketer 1 | Adam Kaiz | |
| Telemarketer 2 | Lisa Dring | |
| Civilian Head | Kalina Vanska | Uncredited role. |