Playing with Fire is the twenty-second episode in NCIS Season 9 and the 208th episode of the entire NCIS series.
Synopsis
Following the attack on the U.S.S. Brewer, NCIS with help from both the United States Navy and also the Marine Corps find themselves in a huge race against time to find and stop the mastermind responsible for causing the blast while battling to stop a global crisis that threatens to compromise the safety and security of many United States Navy ships worldwide. When a similar device is found on the U.S.S. Benjamin Franklin which is docked in Italy, Tony and Ziva head to Italy to investigate and in doing so, are reunited with DiNozzo's predecessor as they conduct a search for the man responsible and stop the Benjamin Franklin from suffering the same fate as the Brewer while back in Washington D.C, Gibbs and McGee tackle other aspects of the case.
Prologue
The episode opens with a recap of what happened in the previous episode and ends with NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs suspecting terrorism is involved.
Act One
Act Two
Act Three
Act Four

Tony after realizing that Burley might have gotten into trouble apprehending a suspect on board the U.S.S. Benjamin Franklin.
Act Five
Trivia
- Ziva meets Stan Burley in person 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 | Michael Weatherly | Senior Special Agent of the NCIS Major Response Team. |
Ziva David | Cote de Pablo | Junior Special Agent of the NCIS Major Response Team. |
Abigail Sciuto | Pauley Perrette | Chief Forensic Specialist of the NCIS Major Response Team. |
Timothy McGee | Sean Murray (actor) | Special Agent of the NCIS Major Response Team. |
Leon Vance | Rocky Carroll | Director of NCIS. Despite being credited, Carroll does not appear in this episode. |
Donald Mallard | David McCallum | Chief Medical Examiner of the NCIS Major Response Team. |
Recurring Cast
Name | Portrayed by | Role |
---|---|---|
Stanley Burley | Joel Gretsch | NCIS Special Agent trained by Gibbs. |
Guest Cast
Name | Portrayed by | Role |
---|---|---|
Theodore Tully | Nigel Gibbs | An Admiral in the United States Navy. |
Emma Park (Playing with Fire) | Elizabeth Ho | Intelligence Analyst attached to NCIS. |
Andre Fullerton | James Harvey Ward | An arsonist responsible for attempting to blow up the U.S.S. Benjamin Franklin. |
Vincent Maple | Rick Peters | A man who appears in the episode. |
Mrs. Johnson | Karina Logue | Bruce Johnson's wife. |
Mail Carrier | Dan Martin | A man who appears in the episode. |
Wayne Usher | Rob Nagle | A man who appears in the episode. |
Security Guard (Playing with Fire) | Patrick Faucette | A man who appears in the episode. |
Seaman (Playing with Fire) | Tony Christopher | A man who appears in the episode. |
Tobey Abbott | Robert C Sloan | One of the victims of the explosion that occurred on the USS Brewer. |
Seaman Apprentice (Playing with Fire) | Maggie Gwin | A woman who appears in the episode. |
Harper Dearing | Richard Schiff | A reclusive billionaire who doesn't actually appear in the episode in person. Appears in a photograph late into the episode. |
Ferry Boat Captain (Playing with Fire) | Troy Waters | |
Dobson | Angelo Romanelli | Master at Arms. |