Homefront is the 22nd episode of NCIS Season 13 and the 304th episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
The NCIS team investigate when a fourteen-year-old teenager manages to foil a home invasion, with Gibbs suspecting that the teenager is hiding something about what happened while Director Vance and Senior FBI Agent Tobias Fornell travel to London as part of the ongoing escaped British spy case.
Prologue
In the early morning hours, young teen Henry is awoken when he hears his father, David, saying good-bye to his infant sister just before his mother arrives to inform him the van has arrived outside.
David sits next to his son and tries to assure him that the next six months will pass by quickly, but Henry believes otherwise. David agrees to tries to joke how pizza in Iraq is not as tasty as American pizza to lighten the mood. David then asks for Henry to protect his mother and sister while his father is away. Promising he will, Henry shares a hug with his father before he departs.
Months later, Henry is found in a closet by two armed officers while holding a revolver in his hands.
Act One
At the Diner, Bishop announces she is not hungry for her waffles as funerals tend to curve her appetite. As McGee takes the plate, he questions if anyone else found it odd that Tom Morrow had quite the large gathering of friends as he did not come off as the friendly type. To his surprise, Bishop, Abby, and Ducky all claim that Tom was friendly to them.
After Abby states how she wants her team to have an all-night rager to celebrate her life when she passes, she questions when Tony will be returning from his mission of tracking down leads on Jacob Scott. McGee and Bishop assure her that he will return once the leads pan out.
Gibbs then arrives to gather Bishop and McGee to head to a crime scene but is forced to drink a cup of coffee when Abby refuses to let him leave on an empty stomach.
At the Marshall residence, the NCIS team is documenting the scene while being informed by a female officer of who Henry is and that he had shot an intruder in the leg while getting ready for school. Bishop finds the bullet in a wall and guesses it could have been a through-and-through or possibly grazed the intruder's leg. After informing the two that break-ins possibly related to drug use are not common in the area, the officer states that Henry is currently being looked at by an EMT.
Outside at the ambulance, McGee is listening to Mrs. Marshall explain how she had to leave work early and Henry was alone at the house when the intruder appeared. McGee requests that Henry come with them back to NCIS for an official statement as they would prefer to hear his version of the story. Although Mrs. Marshall is against the idea, she reluctantly agrees at Henry's insistence. Before leaving, Henry asks if it would be possible to get his sister, Cora. Mrs. Marshall claims the daycare is out of the way, but McGee personally offers to take them.
Back at NCIS, Gibbs has informed Vance of the situation when Fornell arrives. After their typical greeting, Gibbs asks why Fornell is present. Vance answers that Fornell is being updated on the overseas mission involving Jacob Scott. Informing the two that Tony has been working alongside MI6 since being in London, the senior agent began to follow a lead that sent him to Russia. Pulling up the top sheet from Operation Juniper Strike when Scott's wife was killed, Vance states that the list is incomplete, and the listed agents are those involved with the operation from NCIS and any MI6 agents were hidden from the file by Jessica Terdei. Terdei is reported to have gone dark in 2008 but Tony found intel on her current whereabouts that Fornell and Vance will look into.
Act Two
McGee is on the phone with Tony trying to talk the agent out of getting him a mail order Russian bride since he is in a serious relationship with Delilah. After hanging up, McGee shares Tony's progress with Bishop before they get inappropriate photo's from Tony involving a Russian bath house.
Gibbs arrives and asks for an update. Bishop answers that a DNA hit came back on the blood at the crime scene and matches a man named Michael "Micky" Doyle who is suspected of being responsible for drug related murders in the area. McGee adds that a BOLO is out on Doyle's RV that had been seen near the Marshall's house at the time of the break-in. When Bishop states that there have been no patients at hospitals matching Doyle's description, Gibbs suspects that Doyle had another agenda in mind when he went to the Marshall's house.
Wanting to know if the parent's jobs might have brought unwanted attention, Bishop explains that Anne Marshall was an assistant district attorney in San Diego with a high conviction count and McGee details that Master Sergeant David Marshall has been training troops at Al Taqaddum Airforce base for the last six months but is staying longer due to his deployment being extended because of security issues and downed communications are preventing any means to reach him.
In the conference room, Mrs. Marshall doubts that her job could have brought threat onto the family since she is currently employed as a receptionist since she cannot practice law until she passes the West Virgina State Bar. She explains how the family does not have any military provisions and their savings were drained when Mrs. Marshall's sister fell ill, forcing the mother to work during the day and study for the bar at night.
When Henry asks if they know who broke into their house, McGee shows him a picture of Doyle. Henry confirms Doyle is the one who broke in but neither he nor his mother have seen him before. With Doyle still on the loose, McGee states that an agent will be on guard to protect the family. Henry then asks if his father has been made aware of things but is upset to hear that communications are down, and his father can't be reached.
In London, Vance and Fornell are waiting for Tony's contact with Fornell growing grumpier due to not having eaten since they left the states and finding the inflight meal inedible. Their wait is fortunately ended when a British agent walks up to them. After confirming a secret phrase, he hands them a brief case that contains new weapons and Jessice Terdei's MI6 application from 1984 where her uncle Hugo Radcliffe is listed as an emergency contact.
In Abby's lab, the scientist welcomes Gibbs and McGee by praising how they catch bad guys with their individual strengths and their personalities are memorable. At Gibb's urging, Abby points them to the gun Henry used when Doyle broke in. While she confirms it was the weapon used, she reveals that the time in which Henry got the gun is not when he said it was since the family safe has a memory drive that time stamped the gun being retrieved two days prior.
As the men head to the elevator, Gibbs senses that McGee wants to be the one to talk to Henry again. McGee agrees but adds that he could possibly relate to Henry better due to remembering how he himself had felt when his father had to deploy. Gibbs agrees and allows McGee to speak to Henry.
McGee takes Henry to the diner where he shares how his father was a four star admiral who deployed so often McGee would try to use any excuse he could to get his father to stay, including an accidental broken arm, but nothing ever worked. The agent then gets to the heart of the matter when he describes how he knows of the emotions Henry is experiencing from his father being away and his want to keep his mother and sister safe and that keeping everything bottled up is only doing more harm.
Henry opens up and confesses how, several nights earlier, he had seen a stabbing take place with Doyle being the attacker and killing a man. This being the time when Henry had gotten his father's gun from the safe since he feared Doyle following him and wanting to silence the only witness to the crime.
Act Three
In the squad room, McGee relays the information of Henry having witnessed the stabbing take place around midnight on the previous Sunday. While certain Doyle is trying to silence Henry, the team is not sure how the criminal found Henry to begin with. Adding that the body of the man killed could have been moved due to two matching descriptions of victims not found in allies, Gibbs compliments McGee on everything he learned and is about to leave when Bishop voices how unfair the situation toward Mrs. Marshall is as she is not allowed to continue her law career because she moved to a different state. When she presses the matter by saying she wants to call Joining Forces but is surprised when Gibbs says he has already made the call concerning the situation.
While walking with Mrs. Marshall, Gibbs hears how surprised the mother is at what her son is involved in but sees how it explains his recent behavior after having originally thought it was due to her husband being away longer. When Gibbs tells her that the stabbing and the break-in are connected, Mrs. Marshall fears for Henry's safety when the agent states he wants to put them in protective custody.
Later at a police station, Gibbs is told that a Detective Swanson will be helping with Henry trying to identify the victim of the stabbing. In a private room, Detective Swanson meets Gibbs, McGee, and Henry. Seeing Henry wants to get things settled quickly, the man shows him two photos of stabbing victims, but Henry isn't able to positively identify either one.
Before showing the teen the crime scene photos, McGee makes it clear that Henry does not have to see them if he doesn't want to. Henry decides to push forward and this time states that neither man is the one he saw get killed.
In London, Vance and Fornell enter a pub where Fornell makes a fool of himself by trying to use the British accent and lingo to blend in but has the opposite effect. Still, it gets the bartenders attention who turns out to be Hugo Radcliffe. Informing the man that they need to speak with Jessica as soon as possible, Hugo nearly draws a shotgun on them until he hears how she is potentially the next target Jacob Scott is after and instructs the two men to follow him.
Back in America, Bishop and Abby are in the alley that Henry says the attack took place. Abby is informing Bishop of how her movement #LivingRocks! is starting close to home but is hopeful it will spread to more areas quicker. She continues her movement by complimenting how Bishop is able to eat like Paul Bunyan but has a heart as big as the man's. Locating the spot Henry says the attack happened, Abby sprays Bluestar to try to find any biological fluids but is surprised to find nothing present.
At Gibbs house that night, McGee finds Henry having trouble sleeping. The teen admits to a dream that keeps waking him up, the dream being when his father said goodbye to him. He assures McGee that he is telling the truth about what he saw when he sees a news report about the body of a man named Wayne Woods being recovered from the Anacostia River and states this was the man he saw Doyle kill.
The following day, the team is going over how Wayne's wounds listed by a local M.E. match those described by Henry. Detective Swanson is escorted in and gives a quick summary of how Wayne is part of the reason for increased narcotics in the Jefferson County area, but local authorities never had enough to charge him with anything. Swanson adds that Wayne had his share of enemies and could have been taken out by a rival; potentially Doyal whom Swanson describes as a fellow alpha criminal trying to control territory that might not have been his. Swanson agrees to Gibbs' request for Wayne's body to be brought to NCIS while claiming they're working on the same side.
Back in England, Fornell and Vance are taken on a ride they describe as the worst ride they've ever been on. As they head to the cottage, Vance questions Hugo about why his niece is hiding but Hugo states they have it backwards when Jessica emerges with a shotgun of her own. Fornell informs her that Jacob Scott escaped from prison and has already killed Tom Morrow. Hearing this, Jessica changes her attitude and invites them inside.
At home, Gibbs finds Mrs. Marshall in a state of shock over how close Henry could have been to being just like Wayne Woods. Gibbs tries to assure her that this won't happen, but she isn't easily convinced since she saw Doyle's report sent to her by a friend at the courthouse. Fearing her son is a loose end and that Doyle could possibly find them there, Mrs. Marshall is unaware Henry is listening around the corner.
In autopsy, Bishop finds that Swanson was true to his word in handing over Wayne's body. Ducky informs Bishop that the man's lungs were void of water despite being pulled from the river which further coincides with Henry's claim that Wayne had been killed in the struggle against Doyle. The doctor further adds how a stab wound to Wayne's aorta is what killed him but points out how the knife used had a serrated edge.
Just then, Abby appears on the monitor and highlights Ducky for his ability in getting the deceased to talk and getting the living to listen. She then backs up Ducky's description of the knife used in the murder and how she got DNA from under Wayne's fingernails that matched Doyle, confirming Henry's story but still leaving the mystery of how the crime scene didn't have any evidence. McGee then appears on the screen to inform Bishop that the BOLO on Doyle's RV came back with a hit on his location.
Gibbs, McGee, and Bishop head to the RV where they find Doyle dead in the bedroom from a gunshot wound to the head. After Bishop finds the knife used in Wayne's murder, Gibbs gets a call from the agent at his home informing him that Henry has vanished. Having an idea of where Henry might be, McGee heads to the alley where the stabbing took place and finds Henry armed with a bat. Although McGee informs him Doyle is dead, Henry right away picks up that someone else may be after him.
At Radcliffe's home, the group is sitting to dinner when Fornell points out how Jessica didn't seem surprised at hearing about Jacob. Jessica reveals she always had a feeling the operation would come back to haunt those involved and reveals that there was more to Operation Juniper Strike than what was in the files. She explains how the objective was to catch Nika Razin alive by using one of Jacob's phones to lure her out of the Russian Embassy in Istanbul, but an unidentified sniper took Nika out almost right away, which everyone assumed was the Russian's wanting her dead instead of turning on them and the mission was deemed a success.
But Jessica had done an off-the-books investigation into the sniper everyone was willing to forget and had found the sniper was from NCIS. Vance questions if she had given this information to Morrow. Jessica answers that she did but Morrow had buried it instead of doing anything further.
Vance after the gunfight at Jessica Terdei's house.
Hearing the sheep getting restless, Hugo and Jessica get alarmed. Fornell is doubtful of their alertness when Jessica spots a laser dot and shouts for everyone to take cover right before a hail of bullets pierce the glass and walls. Although everyone fires back, it is unclear if they hit anyone as they hear tires peeling out.
Act Four
In the morning, Vance is leading everyone out of the house while informing Gibbs of what took place. Gibbs questions who knew where he was and Vance answers that a handful of people from NCIS, MI6, and the FBI knew this information. Leading to the conclusion that there is a mole who doesn't want them getting any further in the case. With each side taking precautions, the call ends in time for Gibbs to meet with Andy in front of the white house.
The officer is taking side with the situation Anne Marshall is in and agrees that she should be continuing her career instead of re-applying but admits getting across the state lines regulations is a complicated process. However, Andy agrees to look into Anne's case first.
In the lab, Abby is disgusted by Doyle's living conditions. She confirms the knife Bishop found was the one used to kill Wayne Wood's, but Bishop is still bothered at how such an unkept man could clean the alley so thoroughly so as not to leave any evidence behind. Abby provides a partial answer when she reveals she had tested swabs from the alley and found evidence of a professional grade cleaner having been used which points to someone who knew how to beat the Bluestar. Bishop praises Abby for finding the clue that just changed everything.
McGee rushes in and informs the women that hacked security cameras were how someone was able to trace Henry back to his house so Doyle could finish him. He drops the bombshell when he states that someone at Harper Ferry Police accessed the cameras.
Gibbs and Bishop march into the station and find Swanson. They inform him of how Henry had been tracked down and that a dirty cop is to blame for that and Doyle's death. The two agents move in on Officer Fields, the female officer who had been helping since the start, and reveal that she is the one who had been working with Doyle to keep him ahead of the case.
After Bishop arrests her, Gibbs gets a call back from Andy informing him of a meeting at the white house.
In the White House, Anne meets with Michelle Obama who has done what she can to help the families of the military. Mrs. Obama praises Gibbs for his work in helping Anne and her family.
At the Marshall house, McGee has patched up the hole in the wall when Mrs. Marshall enters the room to inform Henry that the security threat on his father's base is over. Henry asks if this means they will be able to talk with his father when Mr. Marshall walks in. The family immediately embraces one another in a joyful reunion.
That night, Fornell and Jessica enter Gibbs house as he ends a call with Emily. When going into the kitchen for drinks, Fornell notices a muddy shoe print on the floor and is on high alert. Trying to stay cool, he returns to Jessica while giving a hidden message about her sheep.
Just as he takes his gun out, an unknown assailant fires several silenced rounds at Fornell and Jessica, delivering the kill shot to Jessica in the head and leaving Fornell as his phone rings with a call from Emily.
Major Events
- It is revealed that NCIS has a mole within its ranks.
- DiNozzo proceeds to follow a lead in Russia to find the remaining target.
- Fornell is left severely wounded by an ambush from an unidentified assassin (revealed to be Trent Kort) in Gibbs's house.
Cast
Series Regulars
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | Mark Harmon | Special Agent in charge of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Anthony DiNozzo Junior | Michael Weatherly | Senior Special Agent and second-in-command of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. Although he is mentioned a few times, he does not appear in this episode, making this the first ever episode that DiNozzo has not appeared in since making his debut in the JAG Season 8/NCIS backdoor pilot episode, "Ice Queen". |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray | Special Agent of the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Abigail Sciuto | Pauley Perrette | Chief Forensic Specialist for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| James Palmer | Brian Dietzen | Assistant Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
| Eleanor Bishop | Emily Wickersham | NCIS Probationary Agent. |
| Leon Vance | Rocky Carroll | Director of NCIS. |
| Donald Mallard | David McCallum | Chief Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. |
Recurring Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Emily Fornell | Juliette Angelo | Tobias Fornell's teenage daughter. |
| Tobias Fornell | Joe Spano | Senior Agent with the FBI and father of Emily Fornell. |
Other Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Michelle Obama | Herself | The First Lady of the United States of America. |
| Jessica Terdei | Sandra Nelson | Chief of MI6. |
| Henry Marshall | Benjamin Stockham | Anne Marshall's son. |
| Anne Marshall | Reiko Aylesworth | Henry's mother and a lawyer. |
| David Marshall | Elijah Mahar | A Master Sergeant in the Marine Corps and the husband of Anne Marshall and the father of Henry Marshall. |
| Hugo Radcliffe | Adrian Sparks | Uncle of Jessica Terdei. |
| Daniel Swanson | Pete Gardner | A Detective. |
| Kristin Fields | Zoe Perry | Harpers Ferry Police Officer. |
| Andrew Hubbard | Stephen Oyoung | A Navy Captain. |
| MI6 Officer | Paul Holowaty | An officer with MI6. |
| Micky Doyle | Randall Yarbrough | Criminal shot by Henry Marshall. Uncredited role. |
| Diner Patron (Homefront) | Stef Nico | Uncredited role. |
| Tourist (Homefront) | Al Sotto | Uncredited role. |
| DC Tourist | Marla Aaron Wapner | Uncredited role. |
Trivia
- Abby mentions in the alley that there are 237 days until Christmas, which would put the date at May 2.
Errors
- When the team gets to Doyle's RV, Gibbs is seen with his hand on the door handle but in the next shot McGee opens the door.
- During the scene of Gibbs and Bishop talking to Swanson about a dirty cop, Swanson's arms are in different positions between shots; switching from being crossed to uncrossed.
- When Fornell gets drinks from the fridge, he walks through the same doorway twice.