See No Evil is the premiere episode of NCIS Season 2 as well as the 24th episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
As the NCIS staff and personnel struggle to adjust to a heatwave which is not helped by the fact that the air conditioning's broken, Gibbs and the team investigate a case where an eight-year-old blind girl and her mother have been kidnapped in order to blackmail a Navy captain into transferring $2 million in government funds in exchange for their release or they will be killed. The team face a race against the clock as they battle to save the hostages before it's too late. However, not everything is what it seems.
Prologue
The scene opens on a nice, suburban house where Sandy Watson, a young blind girl is playing the piano. Her mother, Julie Watson comes in and tells Sandy that they're running late before urging her to get a move on. Sandy then tells her mom that there's someone at the front door.
Seconds later, the doorbell rings.
Julie answers to find a police officer standing there, informing her that there's been an accident and that her husband has been injured. He also tells her that he's under instructions to transport them to the hospital.
It then shows both Julie and Sandy looking worried.
In the Pentagon office, Captain Mike Watson who looks to be in perfect health enters for another day of work. Shirley Wilkes, his secretary greets him and asks about the piano recital.
Captain Watson tells her would be wrong to admit that he's the father of the most talented little girl in the world.
Wilkes agrees and then asks if she should be put cream in his coffee or if he's still on a diet.
When Watson tells her he ran 10 miles the previous day, Wilkes states that the cream's coming right up.
Once the door's closed, Watson begins preparing for his day but then stops upon hearing a distorted voice call his name.
The voice tells him that before his secretary returns with his coffee that he should know they have his wife and daughter.
It then shows a live video link of Jill and Sandy being held hostage. Jill is bound and gagged while lying on a bed. Sandy sits on a chair, scared and crying.
The voice then states that if Captain Watson wants to see them alive again, then he'll do exactly what the voice says.
Act One
In the office, Watson is still stunned but the voice tells him to look in the back of his briefcase. Watson asks who they are but the voice orders him to do it right now.
He does and finds a web camera which the voice orders him to plug in and then place on top of his computer screen.
Once he's done that, the voice tells him his day will progress as normal but with one twist: he will not leave his office and that he won't attempt to contact anyone.
When Watson asks again what they want and who they are, the voice tells him they want two million dollars from the Special Operations fund.
Watson thinks the voice is crazy because he can't do that as the system won't allow him to.
The voice tells him he'll find a way or would he rather that the same voice shoots his wife and daughter right now?
In the NCIS squad-room, the air conditioning's broken which means that everyone's getting hot pretty fast.
Frustrated, NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Junior asks no-one in particular if they know where the air conditioning's going to be fixed and starts complaining about the genius who invented windows that don't even open and as he rips off his shirt, DiNozzo wonders if they're on a spaceship.
His rant gets interrupted as fellow NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd arrives, wondering if he's been working out.
Tony tells her he has been all summer long and thanks her for noticing.
"No, I meant right now because you're sweating like a pig and it's not very attractive", Kate says, heading to sit down at her desk but suddenly she gets a shock and springs up from her desk.
As it turns out, Special Agent Timothy McGee is under her desk, fixing the network cables.
Kate gives him two seconds to tell her what he was doing down there and when the two seconds end rather abruptly, she pulls McGee up by his ears as he struggles while insisting over and over again that he wasn't looking.
The team leader, NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs arrives in and asks Tony if he just saw what he thought he saw.
Mistakenly thinking it was about Kate pulling McGee up by the ears, Tony agrees, stating that out of respect for his coworkers, he found it very disturbing.
Gibbs, on the other hand agrees and tells Tony to put his shirt back on because it's a federal office building, not a gym.
He then rounds on McGee, asking the younger man why he's still here.
McGee stammers before telling him that the network won't be wired until the air conditioning's fixed and that it's all a union thing.
Frighteningly, Kate and Tony join Gibbs in ganging up on McGee as Gibbs asks if he thinks it's right for an NCIS Special Agent to crawl around all day by himself.
"Man asked you a question", Tony snaps.
McGee then tells Gibbs that he wanted to get it fixed before he returned to Norfolk.
Gibbs wants to know if McGee has any idea where that's going to lead him.
Unsurprisingly, Tony joins in but they're all stunned when Gibbs tells McGee he could get promoted and if that he needs any help, he should ask Tony because it looks like he could use a workout.
"It's not that difficult", McGee begins but freezes when Tony glares at him. "So, I guess I could do it myself".
"Good answer", Tony replies and heads back to his desk.
Just before she picks up her phone, Kate tells McGee not to let Tony intimidate him because that's her job today. She then answers her phone as McGee heads back to his area, telling Tony that he didn't look.
Tony believes him but he has one question to ask him.
Is Kate a pantyhose or a thong girl?
"Because I'm thinking thong", Tony replies.
Kate hangs up and elbows Tony before informing Gibbs that they've got a problem.
Gibbs, on the other hand is struggling with his mobile, calling it "crap".
Kate then tells him that they've got a secretary from the Pentagon downstairs who's claiming that her boss is being held hostage by his computer.
Gibbs then orders McGee to reboot the mobile and orders Kate to get the secretary upstairs immediately.
McGee's confused by rebooting but Kate and Tony tell him that it means giving Gibbs a new phone which also happens to be his third one this month.
Captain Watson's secretary, Shirley Wilkes has arrived in NCIS and is telling them what happened. She gives them a letter which Kate reads out loud that highlights that the office is under electronic surveillance, that Watson can't leave as well as the fact that his wife, Jill, and daughter, Sandy, have been kidnapped.
Furthermore, Watson has until 1800 to transfer two million dollars to an overseas account or else his family will die.
The note ends with Watson insisting NCIS be called to help.
"Finally someone who appreciates us", Tony says.
Kate glares at him.
Wilkes is concerned for their safety, stating that Sandy is just a little girl.
In the bullpen, Kate reveals that the Watsons live in McLean and that there's no answer at home. She also reveals that their daughter, Sandy didn't show up for school this morning and that Sandy is blind. Tony has tracked down Captain Watson's location which he confirms is in the A Ring of the Pentagon.
When Kate asks about JSOC, Tony tells her it stands for Joint Special Operations Command and adds that they fund SMU (Special Military Units), but Kate interrupts that she worked with a few when she was with the Secret Service. She's surprised that Watson can transfer so much money overseas.
"More, if he needs to", Gibbs replies.
Tony remarks that the guy in question would have to pass through five security checkpoints to get to Watson's office.
Kate then states that the Pentagon records all access but Gibbs tells her that there are 25,000 people working at the Pentagon.
Tony picks up by telling her by the time they run them all down, the government's out of two million dollars.
"Or Watson's family's dead", Gibbs finishes.
Kate tells them it has to be someone on the inside because the Pentagon's the most secure building in the world.
McGee emerges from underneath a desk and suggests that they could be using a Trojan. He explains that Wilkes said they were using his computer and that a Trojan would give them backdoor access.
"You kiss your mother with that mouth, McGee?", Tony asks.
McGee tells him that a Trojan is a program similar to a virus that establishes a gateway into a computer, allowing the hacker to control the system.
Kate tells him it doesn't explain how it got into his machine.
McGee tells her that if they're good, they could have done it from anywhere and they wouldn't even have to set foot in the building.
Tony wants to know how they're watching him.
McGee suggests a webcam but Gibbs believes they're lying. He orders Kate to take McGee and search the Watson household while DiNozzo is to find every scrap of information there is on the Watson family before Gibbs gets back. DiNozzo asks where Gibbs is going.
"To talk to Captain Watson", Gibbs replies.
As he heads for the lift, Kate warns him that they're supposedly watching but Gibbs replies that he better make sure Watson's captors don't notice him. Kate states that Gibbs going to the Pentagon is not a good call but Tony tells her to relax, stating does she think Gibbs keeps that haircut to save on shampoo?
A while later, Gibbs enters the Pentagon, disguised as a Gunnery.
Back in the office, the voice is asking if Watson's moving those dollars around. Watson tells it he's trying and that the only way he can stay under the radar is to not make a withdrawal that exceeds $10,000 dollars from any single operational budget. He is then interrupted by a knock on the door which the voice asks, "What's that?".
Watson tells the voice that this is an office and that people are going to be dropping by with request forms all day long. The voice refuses, insisting that the people have to go away. Watson disagrees, stating that if they keep doing that, they're going to get suspicious.
The voice then relents but urges Watson not to forget what's at stake, namely the lives of his wife and daughter.
"I won't", Watson vows before mumbling, "Bastard".
He then tells the person to enter. Gibbs comes in, obviously undercover and apologizes to Watson for missing the budget meeting yesterday. He then tells Watson he knows how the Colonel gets when he's sick.
Watson plays along, asking Gibbs how the Colonel's doing.
Gibbs tells him he's doing better and that he wanted to see if Watson wanted any extra help in his office.
Watson tells him he appreciates it but he's got things covered.
Gibbs then drops a list of papers on the desk, stating that they're the latest batch of requests for him and the top priorities are on top. He then silently points to a hidden camera within the papers.
Gibbs then picks up a photo of Sandy and begins talking about her. In the process, he applies a hidden microphone to the metal slide of the photo while telling Watson that Sandy is a beauty.
Gibbs then tells Watson that if he changes his mind, all he has to do is call and that they've got plenty of people willing to help him.
Watson thanks him.
Gibbs tells Watson to have a nice day before leaving. Once he's gone, Watson tells the voice that the Gunnery is gone but the voice tells him that Gibbs was right about one thing which is that his daughter, Sandy, is a little beauty.
It then cuts to Sandy who's crying and because she's blind, she can't see who her captor is.
He urges her to calm down and then touches her hair, causing Sandy to scream in shock.
Act Two
At the Watsons's house, Kate and McGee are busy looking for any danger but they don't find anything.
With that, they swing into action and leave the car.
As they walk up the path, Kate spots a red scarf on the ground, realizing that they either left in a hurry or were forced to.
"And what makes you think she just didn't leave it there?", McGee asks, puzzled.
"Because she's a little girl, McGee. They're not typical slobs", Kate tells him.
McGee mutters about reminding to introduce Kate to his little sister while he puts the scarf into his bag.
Kate wants to know what he said but McGee tells her it was nothing.
They soon get to the front door and Kate rings the doorbell but there's no-one home. She asks McGee if he's still pushing to be a full-time field agent.
"Very much so", McGee replies.
Kate then asks for ideas on how to get in.
McGee tells her that the last time he encountered a situation like this, Tony threw a rock through a window.
Kate sarcastically tells him that yet it's another glaring difference between boys and girls and orders him to follow her.
In the lab, Abigail Sciuto is listening to the recording, telling Gibbs that the mike he planted is coming in and loud before wondering if the voice in the office is the Devil.
Gibbs uses sign language to tell her to remove the earphones which she does and they then make a joke about Tony before Gibbs orders Abby to patch in the video. She tells Gibbs that the angle isn't very flattering but Gibbs tells her it was the best he could do.
Gibbs wants to know about the voice which Abby tells him sounds like one of her old boyfriends.
But with a Caf-Pow on the line, Abby tells them the voice is obviously being disguised and she thinks she can return to its original state. She tries first, causing Tony to sarcastically tell her that he'll get that APB on the Lollipop Guild right now.
Abby warns him to be patient and on the third try, gets the normal voice again which has even Tony impressed.
Gibbs then gives her the Caf-Pow which she sips at before he tells her that the next thing he wants her to do is to hack into Captain Watson's computer given that it's the only link they've got with the kidnapper.
Abby protests about doing it, claiming that even the encryptions are encrypted.
Gibbs ignores her protest, stating that the dirt-bag sure managed it.
Abby states that it probably took him months and that their best is to ask the DOD for access to their system. But Gibbs knows that the first thing they'll do is disconnect the connection and if that happens then they're going to end up with two dead dependents.
Abby is still unsure and Gibbs asks DiNozzo to get McGee on the hook.
Just as Tony prepares to call McGee, Abby snatches the cell-phone and is convinced she'll get in.
Gibbs tells her he believes her and then leaves the lab.
DiNozzo then gets his phone from Abby, remarking when was the last time Gibbs was wrong? If the whole marriage isn't counted.
McGee and Kate have found an open window but it's impossible to reach which means that Kate's standing on McGee's shoulders so that she can climb to the roof and then get in.
A few comedic moments follow with McGee closing his eyes to stop himself from looking up Kate's skirt.
She eventually gets him to open his eyes, asking him if whether he can't tell when someone's kidding with him, but he admits he couldn't anymore, not since he met them.
McGee then manages to give her a boost, enabling her to reach the window at last.
Back in the bullpen, with a choppy reception of a live feed from Captain Watson on the plasma, Gibbs walks in, seeking a way to communicate with the Captain.
DiNozzo gives him an earwig radio receiver, stating that he used them all the time for undercover work in Baltimore.
When Gibbs asks how they're going to get it into his ear, DiNozzo admits he hasn't come up with that plan yet.
"DiNozzo, I show back up there as a gunny, the guy's gonna get suspicious", Gibbs snaps.
"Do you think I could pass for a Marine?", Tony wonders.
"I don't know. Let's shave your head and find out", Gibbs retorts.
However, as Gibbs heads back, he sees DiNozzo about to eat some Chinese food which gives Gibbs an idea.
Much to Tony's dismay, Gibbs snatches the food from Tony's hands.
Back at the Watson house, Kate's checking the piano (hitting a few bars from "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star") and looking around for clues while McGee studies the door, remarking that there's no signs of forced entry or a struggle.
Kate's theory is that they could have been taken at gunpoint but McGee doesn't buy it, telling her then why did they go to the trouble of locking the front door behind them?
Kate admires the theory, stating Tony hasn't completely ruined him yet and upon realizing they're not going to find anything decent here, orders that they leave.
But while she goes out the door, McGee needs to lock it after her and climb out the window, but unfortunately he loses his grip and falls to the ground, groaning in agony.
In the office, the voice tells Watson there's five hours left and orders him to ring the tote.
Watson tells him he's managed to isolate $900,000 dollars.
The voice tells him to move faster.
There's a knock at the door and Watson glares at the camera.
The voice praises him for learning and tells him to let the person in.
"Enter!", Watson calls.
The door opens and Tony comes in, disguised as a Chinese delivery boy. He gives Watson a sweet and sour with extra pineapple and tells the Captain that he might want to change his order because they're getting duck tomorrow.
Watson tells him he'll stick with the usual.
Tony tells him it's $8.75 and asks about the family.
Watson lies, telling him they're fine while Tony tells him he's having trouble talking to his girlfriend.
While Tony talks, he shows Watson the earwig before silently giving it to him along with the money.
Watson then gives Tony the money and Tony thanks him before leaving.
Under the guise of wiping his brow, Watson is seen putting the earwig in his right ear when the voice orders him to freeze and show his lunch to the camera.
The voice tells him to enjoy it but Watson merely dumps the food in the bin, disgusted.
In the corridor, Tony informs Gibbs that it worked and Gibbs praises him before stating if NCIS doesn't work out, then General Lee's Chinese Restaurant is hiring.
Tony then hangs up.
In the lab, Gibbs orders Abby put the captain up on the feed. She tells him he's in and as he helps her remove her lab coat, Gibbs finally makes contact with Watson, revealing that he is an NCIS Special Agent. He tells Watson that if he can hear him to cough once.
Watson does.
Gibbs tells the Captain they're changing the game plan and that when the kidnapper contacts again, Watson is to tell him that he wants a good faith gesture on his part, that he wants his daughter back right now and if he doesn't get her, he's going to take his chances with the FBI.
Gibbs tells him that the voice will try to intimidate him but the Captain will have to call his bluff. He then tells Watson to rub his brow if he has the courage to do this. Watson does. Gibbs tells Watson he's not alone in this and that they're gonna get through this whole thing together before telling him he'll be in touch.
With that, Gibbs ends the connection and asks Abby to hard-wire the feeds into MTAC.
She does that in mere seconds but when Gibbs asks about Watson's computer, Abby clams up for a bit before admitting she might need help.
Gibbs tells Abby all she had to do was ask and that one of the smartest people he knows told him that once.
"Who?", Abby asks.
"You", Gibbs replies.
As he leaves, Abby smiles.
Back in the bullpen, the plasma's still showing the live feed of Captain Watson in his office.
Kate and McGee arrive back in with Kate telling Gibbs that the car's still in the driveway and that there are no signs of a struggle which means they might have known their kidnapper.
"Or been duped", Gibbs mutters.
Kate remarks that he and Tony have been making some progress but Gibbs believes it isn't enough.
It then cuts to the video asking for an update. Watson tells it he's doing his best and the voice urges him to meet his deadline.
Gibbs then leaves for MTAC, urging McGee to help Abby get into Watson's computer while summoning Tony.
As Kate leaves, she wonders if Tony's a little short on deodorant. Tony simply grins while it cuts to McGee who's busy putting his gun away in his temporary desk.
In the office, Watson tells the voice that he's isolated 1.3 million dollars and that he wants a gesture of good faith from it. The voice wants to know what kind of gesture. Watson tells it to release his daughter immediately but the voice refuses.
Watson then tells it to let Sandy go right now or it's all over and then he's going to the FBI.
The voice tells Watson he'd never forgive himself if that happened.
Luckily, Gibbs is there, giving advice and tells him not to back down while telling him to tell his captor that he wants to talk to his daughter.
Watson repeats the same instructions but he gets a shock when the captor wearing a mask appears behind Sandy, wondering what it would be like if she was deaf and as such, he threatens to deafen her.
As he prepares to that, Sandy screams and Watson calls Sandy's name.
The captor tells him one little pop is all it will take for Sandy to lose her hearing in both ears. He then mentions that if that happens, Sandy would be trapped in total darkness and silence forever.
In MTAC, Kate states that they can't risk him but Gibbs believes that the guy's bluffing. He then tells the Captain to stand his ground and if that happens, the captor will never see a penny of that money.
Kate's strongly against the plan.
Watson repeats the instructions but the captor tells him he was never any good at taking orders as Sandy continues sobbing.
It then cuts back to MTAC where as Tony, Kate and Gibbs look on, Watson begins blaming himself for what happened. Gibbs tells that only 40 minutes have passed and that the captor's going to call him again and until then, Watson has to stay strong.
Watson then looks at the second hidden camera as if acknowledging them for the first time.
Gibbs tells it's the only way they're going to get his family back and then removes the headset.
Kate angrily confronts him over what happened, telling him that they're taking a big risk.
Gibbs then wonders what happens to the little girl and her mother once the dirt-bag gets the money.
Kate's surprised at the possibility that he might kill them but Gibbs reminds her that she's the profiler and she has to tell him.
Suddenly, the phone rings and Gibbs springs back into action, putting the headset back on. Watson is told to answer his phone and at first, he's unwilling, demanding to know where Sandy is. The voice then angrily demands he answer the phone which Watson does.
It's Sandy and Watson is relieved.
He asks where she is but Sandy tells him she doesn't know. The only thing she does know is that the captor let her go and that he'll kill her mother if she tells anyone what happened.
When Watson asks where Sandy is, the captor tells him she's at Lorton Amtrak Station.
Gibbs then dispatches Tony and Kate to go get Sandy which they do while telling Watson that his people are on their way after the voice orders Watson to go back to work considering it gave him a good faith gesture.
Watson tells Sandy to stay there and not to go anywhere.
In the office, the voice urges Watson to hang up, stating that his wife's life depends on it.
Watson tells Sandy he has to hang up but he urges her to be brave.
Struggling to ignore Sandy's pleas for help, Watson hangs up.
Sandy then leaves the phone booth and it's shown that she's in a train station.
Act Three
In Abby's lab, she and McGee are working together in hopes of gaining access to the Pentagon but despite their combined efforts, the result is the same: Access Denied.
McGee tries suggesting more options, only for Abby to tell him that they've already done it and that they are doomed.
Abby then states that they've got to call DOD and hope that they can be let in without the connection being lost. However, McGee brings a connection online which means that they've triumphed at last but their joy is short-lived when the system which has overheated shuts down.
Abby is distraught, stating her baby just French-fired and then tells them that it's going to take an hour for the system to cool with McGee adding that without air conditioning, there's going to be a repeat performance. Luckily, though, Gibbs has a solution.
In the morgue, Donald Mallard and James Palmer are still working on the meat puzzle that was found in Reveille (episode) when they realize that they've got three bodies which means they need another table.
Abby and McGee come in, telling them that they need some place cooler to set up shop. As they head to the drawers, McGee freaks out at seeing the meat puzzle as well as a dead body before Ducky shows them 107 which thankfully is completely empty.
When Palmer offers to help, McGee freaks and gets straight down to business after Abby warns him that they're running short on time.
Kate and Tony arrive at the train station and soon discover Sandy who's obviously in a state after being held hostage. She tells them that she heard a man and when Kate asks who, she shuts down before stating that the guy in question is going to make her father, Captain Watson suffer.
Back in the morgue, Abby and McGee are almost good to go but McGee's obsessed at cleaning a bloodstain on the slab, calling it "disgusting".
Ducky tells him that if he's going to become a full-time field agent, then McGee is going to have to adjust to sights like that.
Ducky then tells a story of a great-uncle who drowned in a vat of alcohol although said great-uncle apparently climbed out three times to go to the bathroom.
Gibbs arrives, demanding to know what the holdup is.
Abby assures him they're almost set.
Gibbs stops McGee's cleaning, warning him to focus on working instead of cleaning which McGee agrees to.
As he leaves, Gibbs tells Ducky he's got a patient upstairs that needs to be seen.
Ducky's surprised and with that, begins removing his gloves.
Upstairs, a while later, Ducky has changed into his normal clothes and is busy treating Sandy for the rope burns she has on her arms.
Sandy thanks him and Ducky gives her a Hershey bar as a reward for being brave. He then tells her he needs to talk to his friends but he vows that he'll be back.
In the bullpen, Tony has guessed that it took 45 minutes for the captor to drop Sandy off before heading back which means that there's a fifteen mile radius where he could be located.
Kate realizes it's hundreds of square miles but they're running out of time because they've got two hours left.
Tony announces that they got tapes off the station and hopefully, they'll get a shot of their guy dropping Sandy off.
Kate then asks Gibbs how he can drink coffee when it's 100 degrees in the office.
"It keeps me cool", Gibbs replies before asking Ducky how Sandy's doing. Ducky tells him that she's doing remarkably well given the circumstances but unfortunately, she remembers everything except for where she was, Tony adds.
Ducky then tells him that maybe he hasn't asked the right questions.
Tony then states she's eight and blind but Ducky interrupts him, asking Sandy if she's thirsty.
Sandy tells him she is and asks for water.
In the morgue, McGee and Abby successfully manage to get the system and eventually, the audio working again.
They're both left shaken when the captor tells Julie Watson to scream, claiming that no-one's going to hear her.
In the bullpen, Gibbs asks her about the car she was driven in while he, Ducky and Kate look on. Tony is in the corner, reading or scribbling on something. Sandy tells them that it was a van and that there were no windows in the back.
When Kate wants to know how she could tell, Sandy tells her she knows because she couldn't feel the sun on her face. But Gibbs asks her about where he kept her and her mother, Sandy begins crying again, telling them that she was scared and that she heard him talking to her mom and that she was crying because the bad guy was pulling on her hair.
Kate assures Sandy that it's alright and tells her to tell them what she remembers.
Gibbs answers his cell phone and then hangs up, telling Sandy he wants her to stay with Ducky but she knows that they can see her mom on their computer right now. She then announces that she wants to help them.
While Sandy listens to music, the others are looking at the live feed where they hear the captor telling Julie that she's never going home which hints that he plans to kill her.
Act Four
At the Pentagon, the captor warns Watson that time's running out as Watson works.
The Captain then tells him he's been able to isolate 1.8 million dollars and asks if he sends it, will his wife be released?
The voice instead threatens to send back 1.8 pieces of his wife, either an arm or a leg.
Gibbs is in MTAC, telling Watson they need more time and that Watson has to stall him.
Watson tells the voice it's getting harder to find open accounts and that the voice is going to have give them more time but it tells him he only has 90 minutes left while stating that if Watson makes it, his wife lives.
If he fails, she dies and that it's his call.
Gibbs orders the Captain to negotiate and that he needs at least three more hours, a sentence Gibbs repeats twice.
Unfortunately, Watson changes his tune, vowing to meet the deadline.
Cursing, Gibbs hangs up the headset while DiNozzo comes in, announcing that they found the car on the tapes.
It's a white van with no windows and the plates came back as being stolen.
Gibbs wants to know this helped but DiNozzo tells him they've ID'd their dirtbag given that he got the guy's fingerprints from Sandy's barrettes.
They match former petty officer Kyle Grayson who did six years in Leavenworth for embezzling government funds and the twist is Captain Watson was the one responsible for putting him there.
"Good job", Gibbs tells Tony before they leave.
Down in the morgue, Kate tells Sandy they're going to play some sounds from the room she was in.
Sandy then tells Abby that she knows the certain vibrations of every key given her time with the piano which impresses Kate and Abby.
Gibbs and Tony come in and once Kate heads over to them, rambling about how great Sandy is, Gibbs tells her he wants Sandy listening to the live feed.
Kate doesn't want to do that, believing that Sandy has gone through enough trauma.
"Yeah. How about growing up without a mother, Kate?", Gibbs counters.
As they head back, Sandy already knows what they want her to do and agrees to do it, stating that she wants to help her mom and that she can take it.
Gibbs then gives her her very own NCIS badge albeit a smaller version of the badge.
As they listen to the live feed, they hear Grayson ranting about how Captain Watson cost him six years of his life and he refuses to tell Julie who hired him.
Sandy then listens to the live feed and realizes a train is passing by.
Tony heads to go investigate when the next train's due to arrive.
However, Sandy begins crying again after hearing her mother get slapped by Grayson.
Abby cuts off the audio and Gibbs tells the young girl she did great. Sandy asks Gibbs if they're going to save her mom and Gibbs tells her they are and that she can count on that.
Gibbs, Kate and McGee leave the morgue with Abby staying behind to look after Sandy as the two place their heads together while Abby gives Sandy a gentle rub on the shoulder for reassurance.
Up in the bullpen, Tony tries to find the location but McGee pinpoints to an abandoned train maintenance yard which is where Grayson is certainly holding Julie Watson hostage.
As Gibbs, Kate and Tony gear up, Gibbs tells McGee to order Captain Watson to delay sending the money.
And with that, the three rush out of the bullpen.
Grayson tells Watson there's five minutes left and wants to know if the two million's there.
Watson tells him he has it and is told to stand by to copy the ISP routing number which is C-S.-C-N.-A-C-N. which Watson repeats again which has him realizing that the location is in Beijing.
Wearing "Police" vests presumably to deter Grayson, Gibbs, Kate and Tony arrive at the abandoned station, searching the rail carriages for any trace of Grayson.
McGee tells Gibbs that Watson is being given the wire transfer code and asks if they've got a visual yet.
Gibbs tells him they don't and tells McGee that the Captain has to call for more time.
McGee tells Watson they need a few minutes but Watson isn't listening. McGee informs Gibbs of this and Gibbs tells McGee to tell Watson that the second he begins sending the money, his wife's dead.
McGee tries again but Watson removes the earwig which leaves McGee frustrated.
And that means they've got nothing.
Grayson then gives Watson the routing number which is A-1-2-1-3-6-6-9-B-1. He then lies to Watson, promising to release his wife when he really intends to kill her.
With that, Watson sends the money and Abby begins tracking it, hoping to tag it with a marker so that they can follow it.
When the money arrives, Grayson prepares to shoot Julie Watson, only to stop when he hears McGee pretending to be FBI talk to him.
Grayson slams the laptop shut while in the lab, McGee looks at Abby and she shrugs. Having unknowingly bypassed the location, the team comes under fire from Grayson and duck for cover.
While Kate and Tony enter the carriage, Gibbs gets onto the roof after telling them that they need Grayson alive.
In the carriage, Grayson drags Julie to her feet, intending to use her as a hostage or a shield.
Kate and Tony are hot on Grayson's heels but they yet again come under fire from him and they all eventually come to a stop in a carriage.
When Kate and Tony emerge, repeating the same pattern that they did in Marine Down (episode), Grayson starts rambling on about knowing the FBI's SOP, only for Gibbs to appear, aiming his gun at Grayson where he tells the former petty officer or dirtbag that they're not the FBI.
Grayson eventually surrenders.
Back at NCIS, Mike and Julie have an emotional reunion with Sandy with Mike stating that everything's going to be all right now.
From the bullpen, Kate watches the scene and yet voices her hope of having kids although Tony strongly disagrees.
It then cuts to the Watsons who thank Gibbs but Gibbs tells them to thank Sandy or Special Agent Watson as they couldn't have do it without her.
And with that, the family being guarded by two NCIS agents leave NCIS HQ to head home.
However, once Gibbs returns to the bullpen, his mood is dark as he tells Kate that Grayson isn't smart enough to do this by himself.
When Gibbs leaves, Kate rounds on Tony who tells her that because Grayson didn't even know who hired him in the first place, using the deal option would be useless.
In the morgue, McGee and Abby are telling Gibbs about the money trail and they're shocked when they see the money heading back to D.C.
It then cuts to a bank where a manager is giving an unknown figure large sums of money before the two shake hands.
The figure then leaves, carrying the two suitcases and the camera then pans up to reveals that it's none other than Captain Watson himself.
Unsurprisingly, Gibbs, Tony and Kate are already at the bank, confronting him while Gibbs has his gun in Watson's face.
Upon being cuffed, Watson's annoyed that they saw through what he thought was the perfect plan despite him insisting no-one was supposed to get hurt but when he begins stating that he needed the money, Gibbs stops him by slamming into the wall and tells Watson not to tell Gibbs that there's an excuse for Watson throwing away what he had: a career as a Navy Captain as well as a wife and daughter who thought the world of him.
Watson doesn't say anything except for a little smirk across his face which suggests he has no guilt, indicating a psychopathic and sociopathic nature.
Back at HQ, McGee is preparing to return to Norfolk when Gibbs arrives with the news that he has been promoted to full-time field agent which means that he belongs to Gibbs now.
Despite this, McGee's overjoyed while Kate and Tony congratulate him by giving him a headslap.
As they return to their desks, the air-conditioning goes back online, sending a huge wave of relief through the office.
Gibbs as the air conditioning is brought back online at NCIS Headquarters.
It then cuts to Gibbs who's sitting at his desk, drinking his coffee, content for the time being.
Major Events
- As a result of helping the NCIS team solve the case, Tim McGee is officially promoted to a full-time NCIS Special Agent and also joins Gibbs's team on a permanent basis, resulting in him becoming the fourth and final member of the main team that originally consisted of Gibbs, Tony and Kate.
Trivia
- The episode is heavily inspired by the kidnapping of Barbara Markle. She was a little girl who was with her mother when her kidnappers, disguised as cops, lied about Barbara's father, a wealthy developer in Florida, being in an accident. With this, Barbara's mother was tied up and gagged while Barbara was chloroformed and taken, a hefty ransom being demanded for her release. She was safely rescued and her kidnappers arrested and convicted with guaranteed sentences. Barbara said she didn't let being held captive get to her by thinking about Christmas with her family and always believing she'd be rescued and returned home safe.
- At one point, we see a shot of the web cam on top of Captain Mike Watson's computer. The word 'Logitech' is backwards, suggesting that, for some reason, the footage was reversed.
- When Gibbs is asking McGee to reboot his phone, you can see Tony holding the new phone box. But when the shot changes you see Tony taking the box out of the cabinet.
- In both Sub Rosa (episode) and this episode—"See No Evil", when the sub and the office building have no air conditioning, Gibbs is drinking coffee and Kate asks how he can in the heat. He gives two different answers—it helps him think and keeps him cool, respectively.
- This is the first ever episode in which Sean Murray appears as a series regular and also in the opening credits. Having originally made his debut appearance in the Season 1 episode, "Sub Rosa", Murray's appearances in the first season of NCIS proved to be a hit and also very popular with the fans of the show. With McGee being added to Gibbs's team at the end of the episode, Murray is also added to the opening credits, coming after Pauley Perette and before David McCallum.
- When Gibbs and his team go after the kidnapper, their bullet proof vests identify them as being "Police", not NCIS Special Agents, although their vests are usually labelled "NCIS" but this could be a possible decoy to make the kidnapper think they're cops or with the FBI instead of NCIS Agents.
- The piece that Sandy is playing in the opening scene is the first movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata in D major (K. 311).
Cast
Series Regulars
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | An NCIS Special Agent in charge of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Caitlin Todd | Sasha Alexander | A Secret Service Agent previously assigned to the Presidential Protection Detail on Air Force One and who is now an NCIS Special Agent as well as Tony DiNozzo's partner. |
| Anthony DiNozzo Junior | Michael Weatherly | The Senior Agent of the main NCIS Major Case Response Team and also the second-in-command. |
| Abigail Sciuto | Pauley Perette | A Goth who is also the Chief Forensic Scientist and who also works for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray (actor) | An NCIS Special Agent previously assigned to the Norfolk Naval Base who is now the 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. |
Guest Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Watson | David Keith | Navy Captain who is the husband of Julie Watson and father of Sandy Watson. |
| Julie Watson | Ely Pouget | Navy Captain Mike Watson's wife and Sandy Watson's mother. |
| Sandy Watson | Abigail Breslin | A blind pianist who is the daughter of Navy Captain Mike Watson and civilian Julie Watson |
| Kyle Grayson | William Mapother | A former Petty Officer in the United States Navy who holds Julie and Sandy Watson hostage. |
| Shirley Wilkes | Audrey Wasilewski | Navy Captain Mike Watson's secretary. |
| Marine Staff Sergeant | Nick Warnock | A Staff Sergeant presumably stationed in the same office as Captain Watson. |
| Bank Patron | Joel McDonell | Uncredited role. |