Kill the Messenger is the second episode of NCIS Season 12 and the 260th episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
When a Navy Lieutenant is killed on his way to a private meeting with the President, the NCIS team must determine if the murder was part of a recent stream of muggings in the area or a targeted hit to keep intelligence secret while Vance attempts to come to terms with an potentially devastating health crisis of his own.
Prologue
As a helicopter flies overhead, the camera pans down to reveal that it's a park in Washington D.C.
"Great day, huh?", a father asks.
"I know", his daughter, Jen, replies.
They stop as the father points out the presidential helicopter flying into the distance.
"Oh, cool!", Jen remarks.
"I know", the father replies.
Jen then wonders if Sasha and Malia are in there.
"I bet they are", the father states.
He then tells Jen that they should get a picture right here.
Once he's gotten Jen in front of the camera, the father prepares to take a photograph, stating that he's got the Washington Monument in the background.
He then hits the button.
The first photograph shows Jen in front of the monument, the second has her posing with a horse as the Park Ranger riding the horse looks on, amused, the third has the father and Jen taking a selfie and the fourth and final photograph has Jen simply standing there, posing before it clicks, showing her dancing before she stops, still posing.
A few hours later, as they walk on, the father remarks that he can't believe that they got a picture of the helicopter with Jen agreeing.
She then stops him, wanting to take a picture of him.
Jen then prepares to take a photo from her photo although her father protests that they've got twenty minutes until the White House tour and that he doesn't want to be late.
Jen then takes the photograph.
As they examine it, the father spots something in the bushes.
Jen then put her phone back into her bag, stating that it's a hat. She then leans down and picks it up with her father stating that it's a Naval officer's hat.
"Cool", Jen remarks.
The father then turns it over and sees some dried blood on it.
He then tells Jen to stand over there.
Jen then quickly produces her phone, wondering if her father wants another picture but her father tells her that it's okay before telling her to stand over there.
As Jen heads over, the father glances towards the bushes.
He then cautiously approaches and sees the body of a Naval commander lying on the ground.
The father looks back at Jen who looks at him, puzzled.
The father then glances back.
It then cuts to the Naval commander who lies on the ground, blood on his mouth.
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Ducky and Vance in Vance's office.
Act Four
Act Five
Major Events
- It's revealed that Russian terrorist Sergei Mishnev has been added to the NCIS: Most Wanted list and that Mishnev is also the number one target on the list.
- Park Ranger Burt Moore is introduced for the first time.
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. |
| Timothy McGee | Sean Murray (actor) | 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. Despite being credited, Dietzen does not appear in this episode. |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Kayla Vance | Kiara Muhammad | Leon Vance's daughter. |
| Lara Morgan | Linara Washington | A woman who is the nanny for Leon Vance's children. |
Other Cast
| Name | Portrayed by | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bryce Tolson | Brian Ibsen | A man who appears in the episode. |
| Edward Wallace | Stephen Connors | Lieutenant in the United States Navy. Uncredited role. |
| Trish Wallace | Carole Weyers | Navy Lieutenant Edward Wallace's wife. |
| Father | Cory Blevins | A man who is also Jen's father. |
| Jen | Jessica Tyler Brown | The daughter of the unnamed Father. |
| Richard Colford | David Gautreaux | A man who appears in the episode. |
| Burt Moore | Johann Urb | United States Park Police Sergeant. |
| Courtney Reed | Kim Shaw | Former Navy Lieutenant. |
| Nicholas Raymond Dunne | Rob Gleeson | A man who appears in the episode. |
| Surgeon | Sanjay Chandani | A man who appears in the episode. |
| Marge Fields | Stacie Greenwell | Hartford County Sheriff. |
| Tony Francis | Tony Gonzalez | NCIS Special Agent. |
| Edward Wallace | Stephen Connors | Lieutenant in the United States Navy and the main murder victim. Uncredited role. |
| Park Kid | Andrea Mitchell | Uncredited role. |