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3.05 - Switch
| ◄ Previous Episode | Season #: 3 | Episode #: 05 | Air Date: October 18, 2005 | Next Episode ► |
Switch
| Synopsis: |
| When a non-commissioned officer is shot dead on the freeway, the NCIS team takes on the investigation. The first lead, a fact that the victim was leading a double life, takes them to a possible solution of the crime, but the tables are turned when the victim's dying message is discovered, and it leads them to a totally different clue. |
| Episode Recap: |
| A uniformed man is talking on his cell phone while driving. He is arguing with his wife about plans for their anniversary dinner, when someone fires a gun through his window, hitting him and sending the car over an embankment. Before Gibbs tells them to grab their gear, McGee discovers that someone has stolen his identity, making multiple purchases of "Forrest Hump." At the crime scene they learn the car is at the bottom of a very steep descent. Gibbs sends Tony and McGee down, telling only McGee not to break his neck. Ziva is feeling Gibbs' wrath this morning since she arrived late (took the wrong bus) and protests that she is not very good with women when told to take the wife's statement. She very awkwardly comforts the wife. Palmer's merit badge in hiking doesn't prevent him from rolling most of the way down the slope; he wore loafers. Despite this and Tony and McGee's unwillingness to go down any further, they manage to retrieve the bullet. Abby is having a little trouble staying on topic when going over the evidence with Gibbs. Ziva displays her knowledge of weapons (and assassinations) when they discuss where to search for the spent brass. Tony points out that they are investigators and therefore still have to look, not just assume. Gibbs agrees with Ziva, much to Tony's annoyance, but then agrees with Tony too. Ziva and Tony go to where the Petty Officer worked to inform his commanding officer - only to discover the man they thought was dead is at work. They no longer know who they have in the morgue or why he was impersonating Petty Officer Jerry Smith. On they way to interview the dead man's wife, Ziva and Gibbs have a confrontation in the elevator. Ziva had essentially shushed Gibbs when she was on the phone reporting to the director so he promptly hung up her phone. She starts it off with "in my country, the officer in charge ..." Gibbs, of course, stops the elevator to inform her that he is the chain of command. He feels the conversation is done and starts the elevator; she doesn't and stops it again. Again he starts it, she stops it. They eventually come to an understanding. The wife appears to be unaware that her husband was not really going to the navy office when he put on his uniform and left in the morning. They have been married 6 months and she only knew him 3 months before that. She says he was the first decent man she ever met. She does not recognize the man who does actually work at the navy office. On the way back Ziva tries to "bond" or at least talk to Gibbs; he wishes he had got the radio fixed. Abby calls to say that the dead man is the real Petty Officer Jerry Smith. So the man who has been working in the navy office is the impostor. It becomes apparent that the two men knew each other at a former station and must have had the identity switch planned long ago. Abby thinks she found something that is probably nothing in the blood smears while Ziva, McGee, and Tony search Kirby's (the impostor's) apartment. Tony is overjoyed to find a collection of Hawaiian shirts, including one like Magnum's. They find his checkbook with some very high deposits. They hear a noise from another part of the apartment. Guns are drawn and, as they go to investigate, Ziva tries to tell them something but Tony shushes her. Tony opens a cupboard, Kirby's monkey starts throwing spice jars at him. Kirby was receiving emails that were just times and locations. They conclude it is a drop off/pick up schedule for something elicit. McGee is sent to the next one wearing Kirby's Hawaiian shirt in the hopes of figuring out what is going on. A woman arrives at the drop with a briefcase but Kirby shows up and spooks her. Gibbs manages to get Kirby, McGee manages to hold onto the briefcase, but the woman slips away from Tony and Ziva. Abby's examination of the briefcase is inconclusive; she can't get in it. Tumbler locks, epoxy sealed, impenetrable to x-rays, and the epoxy blocked the nitrogen sniffer so the bomb squad has to examine it. Tony is talking about movies and playing Tetrus on his cell phone when Gibbs comes in, takes the cell and drops it in Tony's drink. They head down to interrogate Kirby. Gibbs bluffs that they know what is in the briefcase which really freaks Kirby, he swears he had no idea what was in them. He explains that he and Smith switched places because when Smith was stationed in Hawaii he had an affair with an officer's wife. The officer caught him and saw his face, but didn't recognize him. Smith was to be reassigned here so he thought it wasn't going to be a problem. Then he learned his new commanding officer was to be the husband. Kirby agreed to take Smith's place at the new post for 4 months until Smith was discharged while Smith did his job (the briefcases). The blood smears Abby found prove to be something. Smith used his finger to write an M in blood on the windshield trying to communicate the name of his killer. This leads the team to suspect that the CO, Commander Morris, found out about the affair and killed him. His alibi checks out though. Gibbs contorts himself into the dead man's position and realizes its not an M but a W. The wife's name is Wendy. Gibbs confronts her, she had the home phone sent to her cell and was following him. She confesses. He had been cheating on her since their wedding day. After 200 phone calls McGee is happy to get his identity back. Abby comes up to show Gibbs the beyond smithereens pieces that were once the briefcase - the bomb squad got a little trigger happy. Gibbs tells her she has to reassemble it. In an attempt to win Abby over, Ziva helps her put it back together. |
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Episode 3.05 Switch
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