NCIS In Review - Hung Out to Dry (Episode 1.2)

 NCIS In Review - Hung Out to Dry (Episode 1.2)

Sgt. Larry Fuentes, nicknamed "Thumper," is a Navy paratrooper involved in a nighttime training jump when his parachute fails to open properly. As clarified by Ducky, the abrupt deceleration caused his death.

"Guess where I'm gonna stick this if you don't talk."

Episode: 1.2, Hung Out to Dry

Air Date: September 30, 2003

NCIS Team:

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, the stoic and aggressive yet shrewd leader;

Donald "Ducky" Mallard, M.D., the talkative medical examiner;

Abby Sciuto, the gothic forensic technician;

Anthony DiNozzo, a silly but capable field agent;

Caitlin Todd, a Secret Service agent who joins the team as a field agent by the end of this episode.

Gerald Jackson, Ducky's assistant.

Victim: Sgt. Larry Fuentes, nicknamed "Thumper," is a Navy paratrooper involved in a nighttime training jump when his parachute fails to open properly. As clarified by Ducky, the abrupt deceleration caused his death.

The episode begins with two teenagers in an SUV, with one of them pressing down on the other person. Fortunately, a paratrooper falls through the sunroof, interrupting what could have been a troublesome incident.

As mentioned, Sgt. Fuentes becomes entangled on the roof of an SUV after his parachute fails. Subsequent analysis reveals that he jumped with a worn-out main parachute and inexplicably didn't attempt to use the reserve parachute.

Kate arrives at the scene wearing a dress and high heels, which is inappropriate for the scene. However, Gibbs provides suitable clothing for her.

As morning approaches, there is a confrontation between the leader of the parachute group and Gibbs about the duration and scope of the investigation. However, Gibbs employs a clever strategy to make the leader back down, suggesting that he's about to contact the leader's Commander.

Abby discovers that the main parachute was damaged by sulfuric acid. She and Kate collaborate to compare the parachutes, leading to a bonding moment as they share stories about their backgrounds and tattoos.

Abby finds DNA on the parachute structure, but the military DNA database can only be used to identify bodies. Gibbs seeks out Lieutenant Bud Roberts, Jr., a JAG lawyer (from the TV show JAG), in an attempt to gain access to the database. However, Lieutenant Roberts refuses, highlighting that Gibbs's request is inappropriate and referencing a previous incident involving the investigation of Commander Raab's murder in the pilot episode of NCIS on JAG. There's still a sense of resentment from Roberts due to how Gibbs had previously intimidated him.

However, in reality, Gibbs wasn't interested in accessing the database. He creates this conflict to persuade Lieutenant Roberts to approve somewhat questionable search warrants as a deal. This leads Gibbs, Tony, and Kate to conduct a search in the lockers, where they find a solvent that could have damaged the main parachute. This solvent was in Corporal Ramsey's locker, another paratrooper who had a physical confrontation with the victim. Ramsey insists he's being unjustly framed.

Upon re-examining the tampered parachute, Abby discovers traces of drugs on the saboteur's hands. The concentration suggests it's more likely to be a dealer than a casual user. Essentially, Fuentes was killed because he knew about someone's drug operation.

Meanwhile, Gibbs realizes that Fuentes's reserve parachute, found next to the body, is oddly clean considering the fall and the collision with a tree and an SUV. This suggests the killer swapped Fuentes's reserve parachute for a functional one after the accident. Now it's only a matter of figuring out which of the paratroopers had a faulty reserve parachute. The team identifies the culprit, Corporal Paul Dafelmair, but Gibbs aims to get a confession.

Tony has been practicing parachute exercises for research purposes (as he often does for Abby). So, Tony and Gibbs join the paratroopers for a nighttime jump. Tony devises a plan to switch out Dafelmair's bad reserve parachute with his own. This leaves Dafelmair with the faulty parachute. Gibbs explains the details of the crime to Dafelmair, informs him about the faulty reserve parachute, and cuts Dafelmair's main parachute. Faced with the choice between jumping with a faulty reserve parachute or confessing, Dafelmair chooses the latter.

The episode isn't bad, and the mystery is well-structured. However, a drug-dealing soldier as the antagonist feels somewhat uninspired. As a second episode, it serves the purpose of deepening the characters' personalities, but it doesn't hold up as well in comparison to the rest of the season.

On my satisfaction scale, I give four abby's