Original Airdate: November 8, 2021
An investigation into the death of a Marine on a cruise ship is complicated when the team discovers their witness is McGee’s mother-in-law.
Episode Recap
Onboard a Zenith cruise ship, Judy Price discovers a dead man in the ship’s sauna.
At NCIS, Parker are McGee are demonstrating a new app called Bandium to share information, which Torres and Knight are dismissive of before being called to investigate the murder. They identify the victim as Navy Commander Roger Burrows, whom Security Chief Granger believes died while drunk. Without security cameras, they cannot identify anyone else who may have entered. Palmer determines Burrows was killed by a stab to the neck before being stuffed into the sauna. Parker orders the ship locked down, agitating Granger.
Upon hearing the witness’s name, McGee confirms Price is his mother-in-law. Because of McGee’s surprise, Judy admits she never told Delilah. McGee fears the resulting clashes between Delilah’s overly protective nature with Judy’s more independent, carefree lifestyle. Due to the presence of surveillance equipment in Burrows’ room, they suspect he was spying on guests, but cannot confirm anything due to the lack of memory cards. Knight and Torres talk with Captain Finch, who dined with Burrows two days earlier; Finch explains Burrows was highly inquisitive about the ship’s security measures. In Autopsy, Palmer confirms Burrows was killed the previous night, although the presence of two fang-like puncture marks on Burrows’ neck mystifies him.
After McGee and Delilah drive Judy home for her protection, she narrowly survives a bombing attempt on her home. Kasie confirms someone wired her home alarm to a bomb, triggering it when she turned it on. She also identifies Judy’s fingerprints in Burrows’ room. Judy confirms she and Burrows met on the cruise and that he was investigating a dead niece. The team finds that a family friend, Allison Powell, died from a fall on the ship three months earlier, leading them to guess he suspected otherwise. Believing Judy’s life is likewise in danger after associating with him, she is placed into protective custody by Delilah and a reluctant McGee.
Interrogating a stewardess, Knight and Torres learn that Allison often disappeared for hours, suspecting she had a private relationship. Parker checks up on McGee, advising him to find the nerve to sort out his in-laws’ arguments. Tipping a food delivery man Judy had called, McGee prevents an apparent attempt on her life, instead finding the man is her ex-fiancé Harold. While returning a bag Harold gifted her, they find an envelope addressed to NCIS with a Joker playing card enclosed. Based on Judy’s recollections, they suspect Burrows planted it in her bag as a tip in the event of his death. Discussing the situation with Vance, the team learns that Allison Powell showed signs of strangulation.
McGee finally takes a stand, demanding Delilah and Judy reconcile their differences. With multiple agents finding issues with the Bandium app and his own grievances, Torres accidentally posts a disparaging message about Parker; although he quickly deletes it, he remains unsure if Parker saw it. McGee identifies a link between the card and the ship’s entertainer, Christopher Blaze (previously seen agitatedly demanding to leave). Interrogating him, they confirm he actually has a long rap sheet and suspect he killed Allison after she found him dealing drugs. Although he confirms the drug dealing, he explains Allison went to the engine room the night of her death and establishes an alibi for the night of Burrows’ murder.
Kasie announces she has found toxic waste on the card. Believing the toxic waste was being illegally dumped off the ship, they speculate Burrows collected a sample and was killed identifying the culprit. Delilah and Judy arrive, having reconciled and agree to help. Watching surveillance footage, Judy observes barrels of ginger ale not carried on the ship, alerting the team to how the waste is being smuggled.
The team arrests Chief Granger, confirming he had ties to a waste management company illegally disposing toxic waste. Granger confirms the association and being caught by Powell, but implicates Captain Finch in Powell and Burrows’ murders. Confronting Finch, they confirm his navigational caliper was used to kill Burrows.
At NCIS, Parker confirms he saw Torres’ post and suggests he talk about his concerns directly in the future. Judy makes up with Harold and leaves with him on a trip to Africa. McGee compliments her and Delilah’s handling of the surprise trip, but they both accept little will change.
The episode ends with a tribute to crew member Harriet Margulies.
Cut To The Chase
McGee’s mother-in-law Judy Price finds the dead body of Commander Roger Burrows on a cruise ship. The team learns that Burrows was investigating the death of a family friend on the ship. They eventually find that Burrows was killed after stumbling onto an illegal toxic waste dumping operation. McGee successfully forces Judy and Delilah to reconcile their differences, although they doubt the change will be permanent.
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