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◄ Previous Episode Season #: 3 Episode #: 17 Air Date: March 7, 2006 Next Episode ►
Ravenous
Synopsis:
When Marine dog tags are found in a national forest by a group of teens, the NCIS team is called in to investigate. While searching for the campsite of the Marine, the team finds out that there was another person, possibly a woman, with him. The investigation takes them to an even more higher discovery -- there could be a serial killer killing women in the national forest.

Episode Recap:
A park ranger is leading a group through the woods when they come upon a pile of bear scat. She asks if anyone wants to investigate further,further to find out what he has been eating. A young man steps forward, pokes around with a stick and pulls up a set of dog tags.

Opening credits

Tony has dragged Ziva down to autopsy to see what he calls every newbie’s worst nightmare. She would rather be taking a shower,shower; they have apparently just come from the gym. Ducky is conducting an autopsy, and all new agents are required to observe one. Gibbs interrupts,interrupts just after a newbie pukes, saying a body was found in Shenandoah park.

At the parkpark, the team investigates the sailor’s campsite and what remains of his mauled body. Tony assigns McGee the job of bagging and tagging the bear poo, since he was a boy scout and all. The rangers explain that the area was restricted to campers because a hunter, Jason Edom, had been caught bear baiting there last month. Tony attempts to impress the cute female ranger,ranger by suggesting he is a nature fan. He screws upup, however, when he says he will have to try bear baiting next time.time, which Ziva then points out is illegal. Meanwhile, Gibbs has noticed that the victim was not alone,alone. thereThere are two sets of footprints and a pair of women’s panties. The rangers and locals set up a search party to find the missing woman.woman, Whilewhile Tony, Ziva and McGee head to the local general store Jackrabbit Slims, where park visitors often park, in search of the victim’s car. Inside the storestore, Ziva and Jason Edom, who works there, have a small verbal confrontation.confrontation, during which he shows his disdain for her religion. The owner, Wes, apologizes for Edom's behavior. Gibbs had returned to DC with Ducky. Ducky discovers no defensive wounds on the victim’s body to indicate a bear attackattack, but rather a cut made by a flat blade into the heart. He was not killed by the bear.

In the bullpen Tony and McGee are discussing the case, the sailor had been on leave the last 6case days, when Ziva comes in with a box of black roses. She had almost forgotten it was Abby’s birthday. She heads down to the lab,lab where she finds that Abby has already received 2 bouquets of black roses. Abby confides in Ziva that she is distressed because Gibbs didn’t take her out last night for their traditional birthday dinner. Ziva’s explanation of “he probably just forgot” doesn’t seem to console her. Ziva realizes her mistake and tries to fix it, offering to remind him but Abby doesn’t want that. Abby, rather sadly, returns to work;work to findingfind a name to go with the birth control patch they found. At the elevator Ziva bumps into Ducky, a bouquet of black roses and goth teddy bear in hand. He complains he had to go to 4 flower shops to find them,them; apparently they are sold out all over the city.

Tony has a theory.theory: Sincesince no one saw the girlfriend, perhaps she did not want to be seen. Perhaps she is a black widow. Ziva doesn’t buy it. Gibbs returns, having spent the night tracking the missing woman. He wants McGee to put the film dooeywhacker (digital camera’s memory card) up on the plasma. He shows them that there was no sign of her walking out of the campsite, indicating that she was carried. The only obvious part of the trail was the back edge of a military issue boot and a rhinestone. Gibbs sends Ziva and Tony back to the park,park; they see it as an opportunity to hit on their respective park rangers again. At Jackrabbit Slims they both warm up to the rangers.

Abby is a little cold and curt towards Gibbs when he comes to the lab. She has matched hair samples from the campsite and the car, indicating that the girlfriend drove out there with him. Abby seeks some comfort from Bert after he leaves. Upstairs Tony is gloating that he and his ranger are going out next weekend. Ziva counters with the fact that her ranger asked her out tonight. She said no, didn’t want to seem “sleazy” (instead of easy). Tony and Ziva compete to tell Gibbs about the accidental deaths in the park over the last few years, all female. McGeeMcGee, who had been hard at workwork, interrupts, noting that he found something. He pulled the driverdriver's license photos of the supposed accident victims. TheyTheir appearances are so similar that they could be sisters, doesn’t seemwhich somakes coincidental orincidences accidentalseem anymore.unlikely. They have a killer using park accidents to cover up murder.

Abby and McGee have a slight miscommunication in the lab. He thinks they are having a conversation about the serial killer while she is actually talking about Gibbs forgetting her birthday. Abby is very touched that McGee feels his actions are unforgivable andfor nowhich excusethere couldis excuseno it.excuse. McGee gets a hug, and plays along. Gibbs arrives at this point and threatens to send McGee to a weather station in the Antarctic. Abby tells him she has found out who the missing woman is. The birth control patch was new, and the company had to keep records of who was using them. Abby then narrowed it down and found the only one who did not show up to work, Jessica Fagan. She is physically similar to the other women.

The rangers arrive to help and when Abby calls to say she found somethingsomething, Ziva and her ranger, James Landis, go down with Gibbs. Tony is left getting a photo of Fagan for his ranger. Things remain flirty, until Tony notices her underarm hair and unshaven legs. In an attempt to extricate himself from the impending date.date, Hehe breaks down telling her his wife died in pottery accident and he isn’t ready to move on. Cut to a shot of Edom receiving the photo by fax at the store and throwing it away. Back at the lab Abby lets them know that the victim was sprayed down with a hunting lure, specifically Uncle Bebo’s Bear Attractant. Meanwhile, McGee has found Edom’s prints on a number of things at the campsite.

Edom is brought in for questioning. From the observation room Ziva is watching him. Gibbs comes in and wants to know if she could interrogate him without breaking any bones. “Truthfully? No.” He assigns his defense to her and goes in to interrogate Edom himself. He claims not to have been inside the park,park and that he didn’t know Fagan or any of the other women. Back upstairs Tony wants to know if Ziva shaves. He then wants to know how she is doing with Edom’s defense. She is still convinced of his guiltguilt, but at Tony’s prodding,prodding she theorizes that all the items with Edom’s prints could have been purchased by the victim at Jackrabbit Slim’s. She then discovers that the night of the killing Edom was at his daughter’s dance recital. He didn’t do it. Gibbs still wants Ziva to interrogate him,him Gibbsas he thinks Edom knows who did kill the petty officer.

Its Ziva’s turn to interrogate Edom,Ziva, in an effort establish a rapport with him shehim, tells himEdom that her father never came to her dance recitals. She plays on his love for his daughter, telling him that each of the victims was someone's princess. He tells her that Fagan was the store owner’s former girlfriend. Meanwhile, Tony and Mcgee find that Fagan had filledfiled a restraining order against him,Wes, shebut had since changed her name. They theorize he took his anger out on woman who resembled her. Before they leaveleave, Abby calls Gibbs down,down. sheShe has discovered the rhinestones are a trail,trail and wants to tell him itsit's okay OKthat he forgot her birthday. He says he didn’t forget,forget and tells her to check her deskdesk, andwhere there is hera Pulp Fiction present.present awaiting her. Gibbs is trying to leave when Ducky catches up with him. His review of the other cases showed him the killer kept them alive for maybe 10 days.

There are two possible cabins in the park where the killer could have taken her. Gibbs, Tony and McGee head out. Ziva is told to stay behind,behind since they want to take him alive. Gibbs is on the trailtrail, but it is more evidentobvious this timetime, and whoever it is appears to be tracking someone else. Gibbs decides itsit's too obvious, maybe an ambush, so they separate for better cover. Back at the base, in Ranger Landis’ cabin, Ziva notices a rhinestone on the floor. Cut back to the woods. A shot is fired and the team converge to find Landis has shot Wes, the store owner, he says he was trying to find Jessica...Ziva has followed the trail to a locked room and a tied up Fagan.

Landis, Gibbs, McGee, Tony and unconscious Wes are heading back to base camp when they hear the radio report that Jessica was found in Landis' root cellar. Landis turns his shotgun on them. Gibbs remains calm and asks how many, to which Landis replies 26. Suddenly Gibbs throws his rifle at Landis and launches himself at him. McGee and Tony who are holding an unconscious Wes debate whether or not Gibbs needs any help. As soon as Landis gets the better of Gibbs and runs off they drop the body. But Gibbs has already raised his rifle and shot him in the..well..the—well, letslet's just go with behind.

New Character Development / Insights:
  • Ziva quotes Rulerule #8:number eight: Nevernever take anything for granted.
  • During the interrogation of Jason EdomEdom, we learn that Ziva used to spend hours dancing on stage and she constantly searched for her father in the crowd, but sadly he was never there.
  • Tony is not a big fan of nature or camping. He has never been camping.
  • Ziva enjoyed giving Abby flowers and “helping” with Abby's Gibbs issue. Ziva seemed almost proud to have a friend. The hug is still an awkward moment for her though.
  • Every year Gibbs takes Abby to dinner the night before her birthday,birthday. theyThey are very close.
  • Ziva and Tony spend the entire episode trying to one up each other,other: flirting with the rangers, giving Gibbs info, etc. Very much like children vying for attention.
  • Tony compares his father's second wife to a predatory female,female. perhapsPerhaps not a happy time in his childhood.
  • Only Abby could get away with how snarky she is to Gibbs this episode.
  • Gibbs is attempting to turn Ziva into an investigator, not just a killer. He wont let her interrogate Edom due to her violent dislike of him,him; she would hurt him. He tells her she must figure out his defense. At first she cantcan't get past the idea that he is a serial-killing racist, but she gets in control of her emotions so that she can effectively interrogate him.
  • Ziva while interrogating Jason tells a story about how she used to be on stage and look for her father's face in the audience. If it was true, then shows how herHer father was too busy being the head of the Mossad to pay attention to her.
  • Gibbs shows off his sniper skills before the final *blip*phoof.
Funny Moments:
  • During the demonstration autopsy for the new agents, Ziva tells Tony that those who "fail" their autopsy (i.e., vomit) are terminated. When she asks what happens to those who fail in NCIS, Gibbs shows up and replies that they become director, implying that Jenny Shepard vomited during the first autopsy she witnessed.
  • The way Gibbs pushes Palmer out of the drivers seat, and Palmer's resulting little scream and flailing limbs.
  • To Tony's horrorhorror, McGee starts to wave at the locals,locals. "Don’t encourage them, probie.Probie. Didn’t you ever see Deliverance? Well when you do, just remember that I’m Burt Reynolds and you’re Ned Beatty."
  • Ziva’s expression when she thinks Abby has told her that Tony and McGee were having sex.
  • TheEveryone fact that everyone has gottengiving Abby black roses for her birthday.
  • Ziva mangles Dorothy's most famous quote from The Wizard of Oz.
  • Gibbs tells McGee to "take the film... doolywacker" out of the digital camera to display on the plasma screen. McGee starts to explain the storage mechanism (memory chips) of digital cameras, but decides against it after a look from Gibbs.
  • When Gibbs walks in on McGee taking full advantage of Abby's hug: "Are you two done playing grab-assy? Or do I need to transfer McGee to a weather station in the Antarctic?"
  • Tony’s horror over unshaven legs and underarm hair. Not to mention his poor wife's death in a freak kiln explosion.
  • Ziva asking the ranger if she can have a "bat nap".nap" and the ranger suggesting that she can hang from the rafters.
  • The way Tony and McGee debate about helping Gibbs.Gibbs take down the murderer.
  • Gibbs shooting the culprit in the butt.
  • Tony asking Ziva if she shaves.
Trivia:
  • It's Abby's birthday and throughout most of the episode, she's upset because it appears that Gibbs has forgotten. However, at the end of the episode, she discovers a boxed gift he left on her desk. However, it's never revealed what's in the box, thatthough it illuminates her face when she opens it (a reference to the movie Pulp Fiction). She receives bouquets of black roses from various team members.
  • The name of the country store in the park (which Ziva recognizes) is also a reference to Pulp Fiction.
  • In the episode it is Abby's birthday. Pauley Perrette's actual birthday is twenty days after the episode first aired.
  • In the interrogation room, Ziva brings Jason Edom a bottled water. The water is Dasaniin bottleda waterDasani bottle with one letter obscured to reduce the possibility of product recognition.
  • The song playing in Abby's lab after she calls Gibbs to her lab and ends up getting her present is "Evil Night Together" by Jill Tracy.
  • The song playing in the scene where Ziva, Tony and McGee entering the Jackrabbit Slims is"Your Man" by Josh Turner.
  • When Ziva gives Abby black roses, she says, "Yom Huledet Same'ach." It means "Happy Birthday" in Hebrew.
  • Ziva claims that the contents of the jar in the country store "aren't exactly kosher"kosher," although she has no problem with pepperoni pizza in episode 3.02 (KillKill Ari Pt. II).II.
  • When Gibbs shoots Landis in the left buttock as he is trying to escapeescape, the Ruger Mini-14 rifle has a 20 round magazine in it. When Gibbs is shown walking toward Landis he slings the rifle over his right shoulder and we can see that it now has a 30 round magazine in it. A 30 round magazine might make the rifle appear more menacing but it is too long and may get in the way when fired from the prone position, hence the 20 round magazine was used so that Gibbs could fire it without digging the bottom of the magazine in the dirt.
Recurring Cast: Guest Starring:
  • Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer)
  • Todd Allen (Park Ranger James Landis)
  • Michelle Harrison (Park Ranger Bobby Hendricks)
  • Chris Payne Gilbert (Wesley Rowan)
  • Scott Anthony Leet (Jason Edom)
  • Alex Frost (Jerry)
Written By: Directed By:
  • Richard C. Arthur
  • Tom Wright





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3.17 - Ravenous - NCIS 3.17 - Ravenous - NCIS


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3.17 - Ravenous - NCIS 3.17 - Ravenous - NCIS



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