photo: cbs

Original Air Date: Oct 09, 2012

Maria – Associate Staff Writer
maria@thetwocentscorp.com

Ducky’s been having a hard time of late. He’s still recovering after his heart attack caused by news of the NCIS bombing. The core team survived, but Ducky is going stir crazy being away from the team, on medical leave. So, he finds his own case to work on.

Ducky was reading the obituaries when he noticed that the father of Navy Commander Bruce Roberts, a man whose death certificate he signed 12 years ago, died of a rare genetic liver disease. If Ducky had known about the liver disease, he would have done his autopsy differently as several poisons could have made it look like a natural death due to drinking too much alcohol. Ducky needs to know, but the trouble is… he doesn’t exactly have jurisdiction.

Gibbs sends the team to start the official authorized investigation into the recent death of Marine Sergeant Raymond Hill, who died of Carbon Monoxide poisoning, despite having several alarms. Hill also had a large amount of cash, which is always suspicious.

The team is just about to interrogate poor Palmer about what Ducky is up to when Gibbs arrives belatedly, having retroactively approved Ducky’s body for now (even though he’s still not happy because Ducky should be resting).

Ducky can’t rest though as another autopsy reveals that Roberts was indeed murdered 12 years ago. Abby takes great pleasure in giving Gibbs a cocktail and lei to lighten up his demeanor as she tells him that Roberts was murdered, and that Hill’s laptop had documents about Roberts, including Ducky’s exhumation order. The two cases are related. What a coincidence.

Two bodies make for a busy episode but it’s not all work and no play. At the start of the episode, McGee was so enthusiastic about being chosen to beta test a “life recorder”. DiNozzo took the time to mock him and was just starting to mock Gibbs when Gibbs appeared behind him, just in time to give him a head slap. At the end of the episode, it turns out that poor McGee wasn’t really chosen. DiNozzo says that McGee would have to have a life before it could be recorded. Poor McGee just can’t catch a break, but at least we get to enjoy the banter.

Back to the job, and it’s a well-acted scene when Gibbs tells Ducky about the recent development. Ducky is subtly and silently heartbroken, thinking Gibbs wants him to step down. Gibbs then quotes Rule 38: “Your Case, Your Lead.” It’s Ducky’s chance to step up and be boss.

Ducky and Ziva interview Roberts’ daughter, Ellen, and it’s revealed that Roberts was a huge space buff and his death came after another rejection from NASA. Ducky promises Ellen that he will avenge her father’s death. Afterwards, Ziva gently reminds him not to make promises that he can’t keep, especially since it’s a cold case.

It’s hotting up though, as several alarms go off, originating from Abby’s lab. Hill’s clothes are radioactive, harmless levels of radiation, but enough to trip the sensitive alarms and worry Gibbs. What’s even more interesting are the traces of simulated lunar soil. Curiouser and Curiouser.

Tony and Ziva talk to scientist Dr. Felix Blackwell to find out more about the simulated lunar soil, JSC-1. Felix Blackwell is a whacky scientist who laughs at his own bad jokes and is played by René Murat Auberjonois. I’m definitely keeping my eye on him, especially as he offhandedly comments that JSC-1 could be used to make a dirty bomb.

Information is slowly coming to light, but we haven’t got all the pieces yet. Very old emails have been dug up suggesting that Roberts bought something from Hill, and then Hill killed him because Hill has chemical burns which match the poison used to kill Roberts. But if Hill was selling JSC, just what was it being used for? And why did he kill Roberts? And who killed Hill?

With the phrase “dirty bomb” still ringing in our ears, NCIS track down another buyer, expecting a terrorist. Instead, they find an aging rock star. The rock star refuses to cooperate until Ducky starts singing one of his songs. All he did was by some moon rock. McGee recalls a high profile incident where moon rock was stolen from NASA, but it was silently recovered a couple of years later. Hill was using the incident to run a scam and sell simulated moon rock as the real deal!

It all is starting to make sense now. Roberts was a space buff, and bought some “moon rock” from Hill, only to realize it was a scam. Roberts could have reported Hill, so Hill had to kill him. The only question is who killed Hill? Abby questions that it could have been a disgruntled buyer, but Gibbs remembers that the rock star got it verified by someone at NASA. That someone just happened to be the expert Tony and Ziva spoke to. He was in on it all along.

The case is solved and Ducky’s run as leader seems to have come to an end. He can’t help feeling he’s forgotten something, but it hasn’t forgotten him. Ellen, Roberts’ daughter, arrives to thank him for all his work. Gibbs also informs Ducky that he’s no longer on medical leave, and can come back to work in autopsy. But after his taste of leadership, will that be enough for Ducky?

David McCallum is a veteran actor and it’s fantastic to see him get his own episode. Usually, I’d find it difficult to be worried about Ducky’s future since we know McCallum has a two year contract, but Ducky’s internal struggle to find his place amongst the team and prove his self-worth is compelling. He also proved a good leader, so I’d love for him to lead more cold cases.

Did you guess that Odo, I mean Dr. Felix, was the killer? How do you think Ducky performed in his role as leader? Do you wish we could have seen McGee geeking out more, or is it better for him to keep his geeky side to a minimum? What do you think the future holds for Ducky? Please, share your TwoCents about the episode and the show by leaving a comment.