4.24 - Angel of DeathThis is a featured page

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Previous Episode Season #: 4
Episode #: 24 Air Date: May 22, 2007 Next Episode

Angel of Death


Synopsis:
When Jenny returns from her European trip, the entire NCIS team will be forced to take a Homeland Security polygraph test, and the deepest secrets of each agent are about to be revealed. Plus, an unarmed Tony and Jeanne are held hostage by a ruthless drug dealer.

Episode Recap:
Outside Dulles Airport
A young blond, curly-haired girl (not unlike Shirley Temple) carrying a toy angel crosses paths with that of a young man entering a text message to "Bernie" on his Blackberry. Not paying attention the young man steps out into traffic and is hit by a cab. His Blackberry lands on the sidewalk in front of the girl, and as it slowly spins around we see the text message announcing his safe arrival.

Having just returned from Paris, Director Shepard is met by her driver and Cynthia ,who updates her on the status of the Agency with Gibbs having been in charge for a week. Cynthia reports that both survived the encounter...barely.

Inside the Director's home
Shepard is met by her housekeeper who welcomes her home with her favorite paella. She calls out that she'll eat in the study but when she walks in the door she freezes; a bottle of Scotch Whiskey and a tumbler are sitting on her desk. Shepard calls in her housekeeper, who insists she cleaned the study while Shepard was in Paris, but she denies having seen the bottle before today.

Abby's Lab
Abby has a shirtless McGee hooked up via numerous wires to a strange looking device. She explains that she doesn't have a lie detector machine, so she made one to help McGee prep for an upcoming polygraph test. Tony and Ziva enter and the typical conversation ensues, obscure movie references, butchered phrases, etc.

Gibbs enters and asks why Abby is torturing McGee. When she mentions its for the polygraph test Gibbs asks who ordered it.

McGee says it was Homeland Security, and that all NCIS agents are scheduled to take it. "Check your emails," he says.

As one the team looks at their Blackberries. "Monday. Oh-nine hundred." "Tuesday, thirteen hundred." "Boss, what time is yours?..."

Is it any surprise that Gibbs is already gone.

Dr. Jeanne Benoit's hospital ward
Jeanne and a Nurse, Carly, are discussing death, specifically, the Angel of Death, more specifically, whether or not Jeanne has ever seen him. Carly claims she has, when her Uncle Luis died. Carly says rather than appearing in the traditional black robe & scythe, he looked just like Miss Puerto Rico. (Now that's a death I'd gladly welcome)

Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Devon, the young man we saw in the opening credits. Apparently Devon survived his run in with the cab, and despite having suffered a compound fracture (an injury where the broken bone protrudes through the skin) he's very angry at being kept in the hospital, in fact he seems angry about everything. He refused to let the staff do a blood test, getting an X-Ray was a fight, then there's the case of his missing backpack, his stolen phone, and the sister he needs to call.

Although having been heavily sedated Devon is very hyper, and Jeanne suspects he might be a drug user, but Devon refuses to answer her questions and insists on calling his sister. As she orders the staff to take him to his room Jeanne jokes, "Keep your eye out for Miss Puerto Rico."

Outside Gibbs' & Fornell's ex-wife's house
Gibbs is sitting in his car when Fornell pulls into the driveway of a house across the street. The door opens and a woman and her daughter emerge. The woman looks across the street at Gibbs and she's not happy to see him there. Fornell follows her gaze, sees Gibbs, and crosses the road to talk to him, because it's clearly Fornell he's there to see. Gibbs wants to know who ordered the polygraph tests. Fornell says the CIA thinks there's a security leak at NCIS, and they're after Jenny.

Back in the Director's home
Noemi greets Gibbs at the door and he's seen in to Jenny's study. Gibbs wants to know where she was when she dropped off the radar for 21 hours in Paris, because that's clearly what's caught the CIA's attention. She avoids his question and instead offers him a drink. He reaches for the bottle of Scotch, still on her desk, but stops when she practically orders him "Don't touch that!"

Gibbs notes that while the bottle is Scotch, Jenny drinks Bourbon (and yes, there's a difference ;). Jenny makes the same observation about Gibbs. Again he asks her what she was doing during those 21 hours, and again she is evasive. Gibbs remarks that when she lies her right eye twitches...and always has. He takes his leave (Good night, Gracie.)

Inside a Bar, somewhere
Agent Lee, McGee, Ziva and Abby are discussing the upcoming polygraph test. Ziva claims you can beat a polygraph test, Abby insists otherwise. When Ziva insists it was part of her Mossad training Agent Lee chimes in "If it's unethical, I can't hear it" She even does the cute fingers-in-ears "la la la la la la. I can't hear you" move.

Ducky and Palmer arrive together, and Palmer smoothly takes a spot by Lee's side, where the two begin surreptitiously groping each other. Palmer asks where the bathrooms are, and of course it's Lee who offers to show him. They're stopped en route by Ducky who first wants to recite a traditional Scottish toast, but he's barely finished when both Abby and McGee receive paged summons, leaving Ducky and Ziva alone (because Palmer and Lee will probably be gone awhile. Wink, wink ;)

Hospital elevator
Two rather unsavory types are already inside the elevator when Tony enters, reaches for the button for the 3rd floor, and stops. The girl, whose name we'll learn is Bernie, is the sister of Devon (he of the broken leg). She's obviously a junkie in need of a fix, although her boyfriend, Nick, is more in control of himself. Bernie notices Tony doesn't press the elevator button and asks him why; he replies that it was already lit.

Bernie comments that she'd have pressed it anyway, "to watch it light up". She then giggles and quickly presses the button for every floor.

Tony says to Nick, "Why don't you get her some help. ER's on one."

Nick slowly turns to look at Tony and says "Are you talking to me?" resulting in Mr. Movie replying, "Yeah, I'm talking to you, Bobby" (a nod to Robert De Niro's famous scene in "Taxi Driver").

This confuses Bernie (which probably isn't hard to do) and she replies that Nick's name is not Bobby. Bernie talks enough for both Nick and herself (and probably Tony, to boot), which makes Nick very uncomfortable. As they leave the elevator Nick chastises her for talking to Tony. "Can't you see he's a cop?"

Jeanne's ward
With Jeanne being the doctor assigned to Devon it's only natural that Bernie, Nick, and Tony are going the same way, and Tony listens in as they're told of Devon's situation. They're clearly not happy with the diagnosis, and when they're told an operation is needed to repair "a severe compound fracture" Nick's response is "put a splint on it".

Jeanne lets them have 10 minutes with Devon, and as she goes on break with Tony she tells Carly to clock the 10 minutes.

Devon's hospital room
In Devon's room Nick tries to take control of the situation. He urges Devon to sign a release so the hospital will have to let him go, but a scared Devon says, "I think I might be leaking."

"You're not leaking," replies Nick.

"I've got to tell somebody," insists Devon. (Big mistake)

"You're not going to tell anybody nothing!" says Nick, clamping his hand over Devon's face.

And that's when the conversation Jeanne and Tony were having about houses, leaky roofs, bats, and women in masks with strange headgear (Tony's input, of course) gets interrupted with a Code Blue.

Devon has, understandably, gone into shock. He's got an elevated heart rate and his blood pressure is dropping. The team gives it their all but despite Dr. Beniot's best efforts she cannot save Devon.

Nurse Carly is a little freaked (and so was I, to tell you the truth) when she sees a little, blond-haired girl standing in the doorway watching the proceedings. It's only the same little girl from the opening scene at the airport when Devon got hit.

Tony has searched Devon's backpack, and finding his boarding pass from Caracas makes the observation that he was probably body-packing heroin. Dr. Benoit is quick to blame Nick for not telling her that Devon was a mule.

Nick claims to have no knowledge of what's in Devon's gut, "and neither do you," he says to her. "Now, where do we pick up his body."

She tells him he can pick up Devon's body from the Morgue after the autopsy. This makes Nick even more unhappy.

As Nick and Bernie leave for the elevator an angry Dr. Benoit is taking Devon's death pretty hard; she wants to do something. Now it's her turn to not be happy when neither Annie nor Tony seem willing to support her or join her crusade. She wants more than just the coroner finding the drugs and notifying Narcotics, and she storms off.

"They're all like that the first year," says Annie to Tony, "at least the good ones. It takes a little while to get calluses."

"I don't know if Jeanne ever will, Annie," replies Tony.

Elevator
Bernie and Nick are back in the elevator when the door opens on an orderly pushing an empty gurney. Nick hasn't given up on his drugs but the orderly refuses to let the pair go to the Morgue to see Devon.

NCIS HQ
McGee arrives to find Gibbs is the sole occupant of their office. It's dark, with just a few desk lamps lit, but there's enough light for McGee to notice the letter on his desk. He asks Gibbs what it is, and is told "it's a get out of jail free card". McGee wants to know why he might need one of those. Gibbs tells him he's going to hack into the CIA
.

Abby's Lab
Abby arrives wearing an elaborately put-together Goth rain outfit, it's very tight-fitting (I'm just saying). As she fires up her computers she talks to them, telling them they must put aside the desire to sleep, or whatever electronic lab equipment do on the weekend, and be ready to help her help the Director.

Jenny arrives and hands Abby the bottle and glass from her study, which she's brought in plastic evidence bags. As Abby picks up a marker to begin noting the log Director Shepherd tells her that chain-of-evidence isn't important.

Back upstairs McGee announces to Gibbs that he's followed the email around the world and back to the CIA's Section for Arms Control and Weapons Proliferation.

"The Frog!" says Gibbs.

Speaking of the Frog...
Inside La
Grenouille's private airplane
Trent Kort hands La Grenouille a package, which he opens to find photographs of Jeanne and Tony being very intimate. Kort says he plans to threaten Jeanne to get Tony to do what he wants. "DiNozzo's a white hat," he says, "he won't want to see her harmed."

"Have you not noticed, Kort," says La Grenouille, "I like white hats." And he picks up a white hat from beside him and dons it.

Back at the Hospital
Carly, Jeanne, and Tony are talking about "The Angel of Death" that Carly saw earlier.

Jeanne says she's a little girl whose grandfather had a stroke, and that her family has just flown in from Paris to see him. Jeanne says she wandered away from ICU and Security have been searching the hospital for her for over an hour. "If you see the Angel of Death again, her name is Sarah. It's just a lost little girl, Carly."

"If you say so, Doctor," says Carly (but she doesn't sound too convinced).

As Tony leaves for the night Bill the Orderly arrives on the scene. He tells Jeanne of his earlier encounter with Bernie and Nick in the elevator, and that he has a feeling they might still try to get into the Morgue.

Jeanne tells Annie to call Security and have them meet her in the Morgue. (Why didn't Bill notify Security himself? And why doesn't he accompany Jeanne to the Morgue? Why was she going to go down there by herself when she had an Orderly handy? I love the writing on this show, but I guess sometimes plot holes are necessary to further the story.)

Elevator
Jeanne meets Tony and informs him of the situation. Unlike Bill the Orderly, Gentleman Tony accompanies her down to the Morgue, where...

Inside Morgue
Nick and Bernie are looking for Devon's body. Well, Nick is, Bernie is looking in a cabinet, for drugs, because the cough syrup (may contain codeine) isn't doing anything for her. (Actually Bernie says "The cough syrup ain't doing nothing" which means it is doing something, because that double-negative in her sentence reverses the meaning of what she says and...I'm going to shut up now).

Nick responds, "You want a fix? Find your brother." And she does.

Not that we needed more proof of how cold hearted (unintentional pun) he is, but when Bernie comments that Devon is still warm Nick replies, "That's cause he hasn't had time to cool. Have you, Dee?"

Outside Morgue
Tony catches up with Jeanne, who's about to rush straight inside the Morgue. She knows what Nick is planning, and she's concerned for Bernie who'll have to deal with the sight of Nick cutting open her brother and rummaging around for the drugs. Tony manages to stop her from rushing headlong into the Morgue. "Get behind me," he tells her.

"Why?" she asks him.

And in a similar tone to when Director Shepard stopped Gibbs in his tracks earlier that evening Tony replies, "Because I tell you to." And Jeanne complies.

Tony pulls back his jacket and pats his right hip. It's conspicuously empty. (Nod to Indiana Jones?) He and Jeanne exchange a look as he says to her "Haven't got a weapon on you by any chance, have you?"

The Morgue door opens and Nick steps out. Unlike Tony, Nick does have a gun, and he's pointing it right at them.

Back at the Bar
Naturally it's just Ziva and Ducky (Palmer and Lee probably never returned from their trip to the restroom) with Ziva repeatedly trying to call Tony but just getting his voicemail, saying, "Straight to voicemail, just like always when he's with her!" Ducky is amused by Ziva's fixation on Tony, who in his mind is just spending the evening with his girlfriend. But Ziva is getting very worried about Tony, and she says as only Ziva can say it, "He is my partner. And my partner said he would be here. And...and I have this...not so good feeling."

Inside the Morgue
Tony has "assumed the position" and is receiving a pat down from Bernie, but Nick is not satisfied with her search. He gives Tony a pat down himself just to be sure, then he tells Jeanne to call off Security. She tries to go the "tough guy" route but changes her mind when Nick pistol-whips Tony in the back of the head, dropping him to the floor.

She makes the call then tries to help Tony but Nick blocks her way. "Surgery first, doc," he says.

"I called off Security," she replies, "I help him, then I help you."

Nick relents and lets her go to Tony's aid.

NCIS HQ
McGee discovers that while he was hacking into the CIA's database, someone there was probing NCIS. (Aren't we all on the same side?) and with a bunch of geek-speak he apprises Gibbs of the situation. He says the bot attacking them will be looking for his internet search patterns.

Gibbs replies that it's just like trying to catch a dirt bag. "You stake out his house. You put out a BOLO. You keep tabs on the girl." He then tells McGee to start a new search, one for the girlfriend of the arms dealer...Jenny Shepherd, Director of NCIS.

(Alleged GF, right boss? Right? Boss?)

The threat of a head slap is all it takes to get McGee moving.

Abby's Lab
Her search is proving fruitless and Abby is blaming her computers for not wanting to work on a weekend, verbally, as in out loud, which is when Director Shepard walks in. Abby reports that the owner of the fingerprints cannot be Military because AFIS has come up blank.

"Retired?" asks the Director.

"Covered them, too," replies Abby.

"Dead?" asks the Director. "Expand the search to include all servicemen alive prior to '95."

A confused Abby nevertheless acquiesces with the Director's strange demand.

Inside the Morgue
Jeanne is examining Tony. "I don't see any signs of concussion."

"I've been hit harder by my sister," he says to Jeanne.

"You don't have a sister."

"I don't?" (Aah, Tony. You always get the best lines.)

But Jeanne has stalled long enough and Nick forces her to return to the task at hand. Taking up a scalpel she insists Bernie turn away before she'll begin cutting. (Ahh, Jeanne. Still concerned about our little drug addict's state of mind.)

Slicing into Devon's abdomen and rummaging around she pulls out a length of intestine then holds it up for Nick to see, and as he watches, she slices down the side and white powder spews forth, covering Devon's torso.

Nick leaps forward in despair and Jeanne plunges her scalpel into his shoulder. He drops the gun and Tony dives for it. Nick pulls the scalpel from his shoulder and starts towards Jeanne but is stopped by a gun shot striking the ceiling above him.

"Next one's in your ear," Tony snarls at him. "Now drop it."

A defeated Nick drops the scalpel when a strange, snuffling noise attracts everyone's attention. They turn to look and see Bernie is finally getting her fix, snorting the powder off her dead brother's bloody torso.

NCIS HQ
McGee and Gibbs have a hit and the picture on the plasma is of an older gentleman, military uniform and poise.

"Who's this?" asks McGee.

"It's the Director's father," replies Gibbs. "Colonel Jasper Shepard.

(Is that our missing link? That question will have to wait for another episode...)

Outside the Hospital
"There she goes," says Jeanne. "Sarah. Security found her sleeping in a delivery room." (Um, Jeanne. I hate to break it to you, but that's not our little golden-haired, Shirley Temple look-a-like. Maestro? Cue in Twilight Zone theme.)

A limousine pulls up to the curb and the driver opens the door for our cute couple.

"What's this?" asks Tony.

"My surprise," replies Jeanne.

Tony and Jeanne enter the limo and we hear a French male accent speaking, "This must be Tony DiNardo." (DiNardo?)

Our speaker leans forward and Tony is abruptly kissed on both cheeks in the European fashion as we hear Jeanne's voice confirm Tony's identity. We see the back of the head of the older man doing the kissing, who continues to speak, "Welcome to tnhe family, Professor." (Professor???)

The older gentleman sits back down in his seat, next to Jeanne, and both are smiling at Tony as he stares back the man sitting next to Jeanne, her father...La Grenouille.

Thus ends Season Four.

New Character Development / Insights:
  • Jeanne's father, whom we discover is La Grenouille but nothing more.
  • Gibbs's second (ex-)wife is the mother of Agent Fornell's daughter.
  • Director Shepard has a tell: when she lies, her right eye twitches.
  • Jeanne works at Monroe University Hospital.
  • After various oblique hints in previous episodes, the final scene reveals unequivocally that Tony has been using a false identity throughout his relationship with Jeanne.
  • Ziva shows her feelings for Tony with a bit of jealousy at the bar.

    Funny Moments:
    • McGee's phobia about tests.
    • Palmer and Lee at the bar and heading for the bathroom.
    • Abby's impersonation of a postal carrier.
    • Abby's rain gear.
    • Abby claims to the Director that she would have been "passed out by now" at the bar.
    • Abby sleeping on the floor in the lab.
    • Tony as a knight in shining armour.


    Trivia:
    • Editing SNAFUs: As Cynthia gets in the car with the director at the airport, we hear over the loudspeaker, "please do not leave your luggage unattended... Unattended." A few seconds later, we see a man slam the trunk of the Towncar, then he disappears when the car pulls away (the camera angle changes).
    • Jeanne calls Bernie Watkins "Miss Watson". The name Watson is what is on the boarding pass that Tony finds in Devon's backpack.
    • This is the first time it has rained in the world of NCIS since Kate died. (this is incorrect... it rained when Gibbs was blown up on the ship in Hiatus part 1)
    • "Makes Me Wonder" by Maroon5 plays in the bar scene.
    • Ducky ordered a 'McCullan'. This is typical scotch whisky ordered by a Scotsman.
    • Shelly Cole played "Madeline Lynn" in the first 33 episodes of 'Gilmore Girls'. She was a schoolfriend of 'Rory Gilmore'.
    • Mike Erwin played "Colin Hart" in 15 episodes of 'Everwood'.
    • The abbreviation TGIF (in the bar scene: "It's TGIF and the happy hour!") stands for Thank God It's Friday.


    Recurring Cast:
      Guest Starring:
          • Stephanie Mello (NCIS Tech Cynthia Sumner)
          • David Dayan Fisher (Trent Kort)
          • Armand Assante (La Grenouille)
          • Scottie Thompson (Jeanne Benoit)
          • Joe Spano (FBI Agent T.C. Fornell)
          • Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer)
          • Liza Lapira (NCIS Special Agent Michelle Lee)
          • Sky Soleil (Bill)
          • Dayo Ade (ER Orderly)
          • Roxana Brusso (Noemi Cruz)
          • Shandra Thigpen (Nurse Annie Hayes)
          • Shelly Cole (Bernadette Watkins)
          • Mike Erwin (Devon Watkins)
          • Alan Smyth (Nick Kerry)
          • Webster Williams (Colonel Jasper Shepard)
          • Payton Spencer (Emily Fornell)
          • Craig Night (Melvin)
          • Samantha Bailey (Sarah the "Angel of Death")
          • Marcy Harriell (Nurse Carly Marcano)
          Written By: Directed By:
          • Donald P. Bellisario
          • Terrence O'Hara





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          Beena0404
          Latest page update: made by Beena0404 , Jun 16 2009, 12:44 AM EDT (about this update About This Update Beena0404 Edited by Beena0404

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          Mulchahy this episode as the finale 0 Aug 13 2009, 8:00 PM EDT by Mulchahy
          Thread started: Aug 13 2009, 8:00 PM EDT  Watch
          I recently read a review about this episode. He claimed it was overall a decent episode, but for a finale it fell short. Apparently CBS hyped it up for more than it really was. He said the whole Tony-Jeanne Morgue incident could have happened in any other episode and only proved what we already suspected. Plus it left us hanging with too many lose ends even if it did make for a great premiere. Do you feel that this episode worked as a finale, or what should the writers have done to improve it?
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          culadra Music when director comes to Abby 2 Jul 30 2009, 10:55 PM EDT by JerichoCreed
          Thread started: Dec 30 2007, 5:51 PM EST  Watch
          Hi all,
          at that scene where Abby arrives at the lab, she puts on some music that I quite like. I tried to find it anywhere, but failed so far. I mean, I don't even know the song or artist. Does anybody know? I'd be most pleased for help in any way.
          Thanks,
          C.
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          VivaLaTiva This is the first time it has rained in the world of NCIS since Kate 5 Feb 12 2009, 11:37 AM EST by Ydnam96
          Thread started: Feb 6 2009, 11:45 PM EST  Watch
          Not true. It rained when Gibbs got blown up in that Ship. The team are at the crime scene and Ziva say's (looking out the window) "it's raining" with a smile on her face not knowing it rained when Kate died. When Tony and Ducky looked at eachother both thinking the same thing,
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