Caught on Tape is the fifteenth episode in NCIS Season 2 as well as the 38th episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
While on a camping trip with his wife and his best friend, a Marine falls off a cliff to his death with his camera recording everything although it's later damaged. Gibbs discovers that the wife and best friends were having an affair and plans to turn them on one another in hopes of getting their guilt. However, when Abby goes through the damaged footage, the team find a suspect they previously dismissed is responsible for the killing.
Prologue
The scene opens with Sergeant William Moore filming a sunrise and various other things in Shenandoah National Park. He's interrupted by something which causes him and his camera to fall.
Once the camera reaches the ground, it shows that Moore is dead.
Act One
In the bullpen, Caitlin Todd's having a talk about kinky sex with her friend, Deb but Kate ends the talk when she realizes that her partner and colleague, Anthony DiNozzo Junior is listening in.
The talk then turns to a porn star named "Spike Steele" with Timothy McGee remarking that the guy looks kind of sleazy.
Tony does a database and finds that Spike Steele's real name is Jay McMann and that he's never been arrested.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs comes in, announcing that they're going to go investigate the death of a Marine in Shenandoah National Park.
He orders Tony to gas the truck while requesting that McGee calls Ducky before they grab their belongings and leave.
A while later, they've arrived at the scene and Gibbs is getting details concerning the victim from a Park Ranger named Kett. Gibbs is hostile towards Kett, wondering if the Ranger's a trained investigator.
Kett defends himself, stating that he's been working in the park for five years and that he's seen a lot of hikers go over.
"This hiker was a Marine", Gibbs snaps.
Kett states that it looks the Marine slipped and fell to his death. Gibbs remembers that Kett told him that the Marine was filming prior to his death.
Kett agrees, telling him that the victim's wife told them that but there's no sign of the camera.
Gibbs then tells Kett that he and his team can take it from here.
Tony and Kate are walking to a crime scene, wondering where McGee is where the younger Agent joins them, carrying a lot of gear. He explains that Ducky needed help with his gear.
Tony and Kate then inform McGee that it's nearly a quarter of a mile hike to the crime scene and that it's uphill before resuming their earlier talk concerning Spike Steele.
The team all descend on the scene where Donald Mallard is asking James Palmer what he believes Sergeant Moore's cause of death is.
Palmer then realizes that it wasn't the fractures that killed the victim: it was the shock.
Ducky joins Palmer near the body and begins rambling on about coyotes and how they take the head away so that they won't have to fight other coyotes for it before remarking, "They're very strange in Los Angeles".
Gibbs asks Ducky if there's anything normal but Ducky tells him that there isn't and that he'll know once they've gotten the victim on the table at the NCIS morgue.
As they head off, McGee tells Gibbs that he's found the camcorder which has been dropped into the water and various photographs are taken of it before it's bagged and tagged.
Gibbs and Kate are interviewing Sergeant Moore's wife, Judy and his best friend, Roger Caine where they tell them about a potential suspect.
Judy Moore remarks about the irony of her husband serving eight months in Iraq, only to die while filming a sunrise in Virginia.
Back at the lab, Abigail Sciuto is talking to Gibbs about the videotape, telling him it's going to take her about four or five hours to get footage from the camera given that it was probably damaged when Sergeant Moore fell and then submerged in water for a while.
In the morgue, Ducky and Jimmy are examining Moore's body and Ducky after rambling on, invites Jimmy over to his house for dinner. He then discovers something in the victim's hair and gives it to Jimmy who takes it up to Abby.
In the lab, Abby's going through a series of tests and once she's found something, calls Gibbs down to her lab.
While studying the sample, Gibbs realizes that it came from a baseball bat and someone struck Sergeant Moore on the head with it, resulting in the Sergeant's death.
It then cuts to Gibbs who's still examining the monitor with Abby glancing at Gibbs.
Act Two
In the bullpen, McGee, Tony and Kate are going over Sergeant Moore's profile as well as the possibility that Sergeant Moore's wife, Judy and his friend, Roger Caine might be responsible for Moore's death.
They also discuss how weird it is that an unmarried man (Roger Caine) hangs out with Mr. and Mrs. Moore with Kate refusing to believe that men and women can be more than just friends.
The banter's interrupted by Gibbs who wanders in with a cup of coffee and a Caf-Pow, telling them that in addition to the other two suspects, they've got another one.
Down in the lab, Abby shows the team what she's recovered from the camcorder.
The first clip is of the three talking about a redneck whose music is blaring while the second which Abby reveals is like an outtake from the movie, "Deliverance" shows Moore and Caine confronting the redneck who's obviously drunk and tries to take a swing at Moore, only for the Sergeant to put the guy into a headlock.
The guy vows to kill Moore but Moore tells him that they've got proof that the redneck was trying to assault Moore who tells the guy that he should leave or they're going to call the cops.
The drunk soon relents and withdraws.
Gibbs wants the redneck ID'd but Abby already has it for him. She reveals that the guy's name is David Runion and that his last address was a campground in Manassas although he's since moved.
Gibbs tells Kate to find Runion while ordering Tony and McGee to go back to Shenandoah National Park to find where Sergeant Moore died before he got tossed off the cliff.
Once they've gone, Abby gives Kate a hat she made for her and gets twenty dollars of McGee, one of which she hands over to Kate, revealing that Kate was in on the bet too.
McGee and Tony arrive at Shenandoah National Park where Tony decides not to tell McGee that the area the younger Agent begins searching in is full of poison ivy.
Back in the bullpen, Kate arrives in, announcing that she's found David Runion who is currently at another campground twenty miles from Shenandoah National Park and that the guy's served time for assault and battery, having nearly beaten a man to death with a pool cue in 1993.
As they leave, Kate wonders if they're getting a warrant.
Gibbs tells her they need evidence for a warrant but at the moment, he just wants to talk to Runion.
Back at the park, McGee's still searching, unaware of the poison ivy in the area. He soon finds the baseball bat before Tony reveals that McGee has unknowingly infected himself with poison ivy before wisely deciding to flee, leaving McGee stunned.
Gibbs and Kate arrive at the campground where they meet Runion's dog who's barking rather wildly at them although it seems to relax when Gibbs begins patting it.
Seconds later, though, it begins acting hostile to Kate, barking again. Gibbs and Kate then approach the trailer and head inside where they find the place empty although Kate who's keeping an eye out for Runion seems disgusted at the state the trailer is in.
Gibbs searches the trailer, finding some marijuana and then some spot which Kate remarks is enough to bring Runion in and hold him for a while.
Outside, the dog starts barking again and Kate spots Runion emerging from the forest, carrying some firewood.
Upon seeing her, he drops the firewood and flees back into the forest with Kate running after him, yelling him to stop. Gibbs draws his gun and then follows her.
Runion heads into the forest with Gibbs and Kate running after him.
Runion then hides in a bushy area and upon seeing Kate go by, remarks "Idiots", believing that he's outsmarted them.
However, Runion himself gets a rude awakening when Gibbs emerges behind him, telling him to put his hands with his gun aimed at the other man's head. Runion wants to know how Gibbs did that.
Gibbs tells him he used to do it for a living although back then, Runion would be dead instead of arrest before asking Runion if he has any other questions.
"Uh-uh", Runion replies.
"Didn't think so", Gibbs admits.
It then cuts to Runion who's lying in the bushes, his own hands behind his head with Gibbs still aiming the gun at Runion.
Act Three
In Interrogation, Runion who's cuffed to the chair is complaining about his need to use the bathroom before deciding to do it anyway.
Kate takes pity on the guy but Tony who's digging into a packet of crisps believes Runion's bluffing.
Kate puts him off the crisps by telling him how disgusting Runion's camper was.
Tony then sarcastically remarks, "That's nice" before dumping the crisp packet in the bin.
"You should thank me", Kate replies. "Eating that crap will kill you".
Tony, on the other hand is more concerned about what Gibbs is going to do if the redneck (Runion) takes one in the Interrogation room.
Gibbs arrives in and Runion tells him about needing to use the bathroom.
Gibbs tells Runion to hold it but Runion tells him he can't.
"Good, we can do this quick", Gibbs states before asking Runion about Sergeant Moore although Runion's stunned and has no idea who Moore is.
Gibbs then shows Runion the footage from the previous night and then grills him about what happened.
Gibbs wants to know why Runion ran.
Runion tells him it's because of the pot in his trailer and that he's got a medical condition.
"What? Stupidity?", Gibbs asks.
Runion tries to defend himself but it's clear that Gibbs isn't buying it for a second. Runion then gives him an alibi.
In Observation, Kate finds two rest stops near the park and leaves to check them out.
Tony informs Gibbs of the development while in Interrogation, Gibbs tells Runion that he's a suspect because of his violent past, his weak alibi and that they've got him on tape threatening the victim.
Runion rues how his life has been one freaking nightmare and swears he didn't kill Moore although Gibbs tells him that they found his bat.
"My bat?", Runion asks, stunned.
In the lab, Abby reports on what she's found on the bat McGee discovered before getting a surprise at McGee's face. She then gives him a CD and McGee realizes that he has poison ivy.
Abby suggests that he use calamine lotion or wear a mask.
In the bullpen, Kate's busy getting the security tapes from the local sheriff who invites her to dinner but she turns him down before Tony interrupts her.
Seconds later, Gibbs makes a surprise appearance behind Tony and the two tell him what they've found.
Gibbs then springs a surprise on Tony by announcing that he's going to be cleaning up the mess Runion left in Interrogation.
Tony tries to get out of it but Gibbs gets to his feet, forcing Tony to go ahead with the task anyway.
Kate advises him to wear gloves while Gibbs wants to know where McGee is.
In the morgue, Ducky is treating McGee for his poison ivy but the treatment's interrupted by Palmer who simply turns around and goes back out with Ducky remarking that Palmer might be something of a babble mouth.
In the bullpen, Kate, Tony and Gibbs are examining the security tapes which confirms Runion's alibi. Gibbs's cell-phone rings and he answers it just as Kate rues that they might find a new suspect.
"Maybe not", Gibbs replies and heads off for Abby's lab with Kate and Tony following.
In the lab, McGee's beating himself up for unknowingly infecting himself with poison ivy.
When Gibbs, Tony and Kate enter the lab, they're horrified at McGee's poison ivy and go to great lengths to avoid him.
Abby then shows them what she's found which happens to be footage of Roger Caine and Judy Moore being a lot more than just friends.
It then cuts to Judy saying, "Honey, what's wrong?".
Tony then smugly asks Kate if she still thinks that men and women can still just be friends.
Gibbs after watching footage that shows Judy Moore, the wife of Sergeant William Moore and Sergeant Roger Caine, Moore's best friend having an intimate moment.
It then cuts to Gibbs who stares at the screen.
Act Four
The team are still in the lab, examining the footage while trying to figure out what Judy Moore is saying.
Abby tries to get something from it but her lip-reading skills aren't strong enough so the team debate what Moore's saying.
Kate believes the word is "Kill", McGee goes for "murder" while Tony's suggestion of "love" has an extremely pissed-off Gibbs striking him with his notepad.
"I really wish you'd stop doing that, Boss", Tony states.
"I will, Tony. Once you stop blanking up", Gibbs snaps.
Kate asks Abby to pull the video and once Abby does, it shows Judy Moore touching Caine's face with Kate pointing that's clearly something more than a friendship going on between the two.
Tony then smugly tells Kate that it proves his point about the sexes.
Gibbs wants DiNozzo to get Sergeant Caine in the morning and Kate to get Judy Moore but not to tell the other woman anything.
"Looks like we're going to play Gibbs's favorite game", Tony says.
"Musical Interrogation rooms", Abby replies.
The next morning, DiNozzo and McGee confront Sergeant Caine at the Marine base with the damning evidence they got from the camera.
As they arrest him, Caine wants to know why he's being arrested.
Tony tells him that they're going to start with adultery and work it up from there.
At NCIS HQ, Judy Moore's talking to Kate and Gibbs comes in, dropping the hint that Sergeant Moore being jealous.
When Sergeant Caine's dragged into the bullpen, he and Judy exchange words with one another.
Gibbs orders Caine be put in Interrogation Room 1 while Judy goes to Interrogation Room 2.
As this goes on, Gibbs gets a call from Abby who tells him she's found more footage.
In the lab, Abby's working on the footage and shows the first version which Gibbs is the one where Moore slipped and fell to his death but she then shows a second alternate ending of the footage which has Gibbs realizing that the killer recorded over the original.
When Gibbs asks her how long it's going to take, Abby goes into a long babble about computers before admitting it'll be ready in a few hours.
Gibbs, not one for patience tells her she has twenty minutes much to Abby's outrage before telling her that she should get McGee to help her.
In Observation, Kate's finally admitting that Tony has a point about the sexes although it's disturbing her to admit it.
They then watch as Gibbs takes turns in interrogating Roger Caine and Judy Moore and although the two admit they didn't kill Sergeant Moore, there's cracks forming in their relationship.
After the tag-teaming ends, Gibbs orders both Mrs. Moore and Caine be put in the same room and as they look on from Observation, things get even more so when Judy admits that she's pregnant and Roger's the father of her unborn child.
The fight causes Tony to remark that it's way better than cable although Kate wants to know who's telling the truth.
Meanwhile, in the lab, McGee and Abby are working on repairing the damaged footage and after some efforts, they finally spot the one responsible for Moore's death.
It's David Runion.
Up in the bullpen, McGee reveals that while Runion's trailer never left the rest stop, Runion himself did. He tells DiNozzo and Gibbs that Abby inverted the image and at 0900, Runion's shadow can be seen returning to the trailer with McGee remarking that it was only a four-mile round trip on foot.
Kate hangs up, announcing Runion posted bail for the pot charge an hour ago.
With that, she, Gibbs and DiNozzo grab their belongings and head out with Gibbs telling McGee that Sergeant Caine and Mrs. Moore should suffer for a while for having an affair and Gibbs also believes that Sergeant Moore would appreciate it.
At the campground, it's clear that Runion's preparing to move yet again.
Only this time he's using his truck, intending to leave his camper behind.
Runion's dog leaps out of the passenger seat and heads back in with Runion going after it. He spots Gibbs, Kate and Tony pulling up in the Stratus and rushes back inside.
As the three Agents get out, Runion opens fire on them with an AKM, forcing the three to duck for cover behind the car which is already taking a beating from the bullets Runion's firing at them.
Ducking behind the doors for safety, Gibbs, Kate and Tony draw their guns and start firing back.
Gibbs yells at Runion to put down his gun and that he's not getting out of here alive.
Suddenly, a lone chair smashes through the window, creating a single hole and Runion opens fire again, causing more damage to the car while screaming at Gibbs that he's not going back to prison.
Tony believes they're outgunned while Kate suggests she go around back.
Gibbs tells them he's got a better idea and then whistles.
Runion's dog leaps out of the camper van and jumps into the passenger seat while Gibbs tells Kate and Tony to cover their ears.
As they do so, Gibbs aims his gun at the propane tank attached to the trailer and fires off a few shots, causing it and the camper van to go up in flames with Runion still inside.
"I think you got him, boss", DiNozzo remarks.
As they recover from the gunfight, Kate wants to know what they're going to do with Runion's dog.
At first, she refuses to take it but upon seeing the dog act so hostile towards Tony, she decides to name it "Toni" with Gibbs telling Kate that it's a bi***.
Meanwhile, back at NCIS HQ, tony believes that Kate and Abby are talking with him but in actuality, they're referring to the dog, "Toni" who growls and snarls at Tony much to the namesake's own horror.
The two women then put "Toni" or Little Tony down on the ground and the dog begins eating dog food with Kate telling Tony that the dog even eats like him.
Tony, on the other hand wants to know if anyone's seen his ball cap.
Kate and Abby innocently tell him they haven't and as Tony begins searching for it, the two women laugh to themselves.
Gibbs then spots something and does a double-take.
As it turns out, the dog's eating out of Tony's missing ball cap.
It then cuts to Gibbs who's at his desk, now smiling in amusement.
Trivia
- At the end when Abby and Kate are tending to the dog, in one shot it's standing on the table, and in the other it's sitting.
- When Abby is wearing her funny blue hat, and she says to Kate, "Cool, well, I made you one", you can see that in the frame, her lips aren't even moving. The audio was obviously taken from another shot.
- In one scene of the lab, Abby's rings are on the table yet on the next scene, they're back on her fingers and in another shot, she's got the gloves on while examining the camcorder yet in another scene, she's just putting the gloves on.
Cast
Series Regulars
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | NCIS Special Agent in charge of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Caitlin Todd | Sasha Alexander | NCIS Special Agent as well as Tony DiNozzo's partner. |
| Anthony DiNozzo Junior | Michael Weatherly | Senior Agent of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team and also the second-in-command. |
| Abigail Sciuto | Pauley Perrette | NCIS's Chief Forensic Scientist. |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray (actor) | Junior Agent of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Donald Mallard | David McCallum | NCIS's Chief Medical Examiner. |
Recurring Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| James Palmer | Brian Dietzen | Gerald Jackson's temporary replacement as the Assistant Medical Examiner. |
| William Moore | Kevin Sizemore | The victim. |
Guest Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| David Runion | Tim DeZam | The one responsible for murdering Sergeant William Moore. |
| Judy Moore | Marieh Delfino | William Moore's wife. |
| Roger Caine | David Lipper | William Moore's best friend. |
| Kett | John Lacy | A Park Ranger who works in Shenandoah National Park. |