NCIS In Review - One Shot, One Kill (Episode 1.13)

NCIS In Review - One Shot, One Kill (Episode 1.13)

Some individuals considering joining the Navy. They are recruited from a convenience store after witnessing Sergeant-Trainee Alvarez demonstrating his exceptional shooting skills in a precision game. Returning to the recruitment location, he works to persuade them to enlist... until a projectile penetrates the window and ends his life in front of potential recruits.

Episode: 1.13, One Shot, One Kill

Air Date:  February 10, 2004

Victim: Sergeant Freddy Alvarez, a Navy recruiter. Additionally, later on, Sergeant Allen, same role.

Some individuals considering joining the Navy. They are recruited from a convenience store after witnessing Sergeant-Trainee Alvarez demonstrating his exceptional shooting skills in a precision game. Returning to the recruitment location, he works to persuade them to enlist... until a projectile penetrates the window and ends his life in front of potential recruits.

We start at the crime scene (instead of at the base on a Monday morning with our non-Gibbs protagonists discussing their weekends). Ducky assures Gibbs that Sergeant Alvarez didn't suffer, but Gibbs just wants to know if they can move the body. Kate questions the recruits, but they don't contribute significantly. Security agents report that Sergeant Alvarez had disagreements with gang members who vandalized the recruitment station.

Tony searches for the bullet and concludes that it went through the wall, ending up in a toy storage. Gibbs instructs Tony and Kate not to return without the bullet. They go to the storage and meet Carl, the manager, who is passionate about forensic investigation/courtroom shows on TV. They deduce that the bullet must have hit a pallet full of toys that was delivered earlier, and then they ask Carl to redirect the truck to the NCIS base.

Gibbs talks to Sergeant Alvarez's CO, Major Dougherty. There isn't much new information, but he promises to share any complaints about Sergeant Alvarez. Gibbs hands a stack of letters/emails to Kate.

It turns out the bullet was lodged in the head of a doll. In Abby's lab, Tony feels uncomfortable as Abby undresses the dolls and removes their heads. The scene of doll heads on the table makes for a comedic situation, especially when Abby imitates Ducky's accent and pretends to autopsy the doll head that contained the bullet. Abby performs ballistic analysis and concludes that the bullet came from a rifle. She can't determine the specific rifle, but due to the trajectory and probable speed of the bullet, it was a long-range shot. Gibbs comes to the deduction: 'The individual who fired the shot is a skilled sniper."

Tony and Kate update Gibbs on the complaints against Sergeant Alvarez. Sergeant Alvarez was charismatic and often made exaggerated promises to recruits, but none of the complaints include threats.

Gibbs and Tony investigate the building where Abby believes the shooter fired from. They examine the scene, and Gibbs concludes that the shooter removed a brick from the solid wall to make the shot. Gibbs describes him as "highly intelligent and methodical."

Kate's ongoing analysis of records reveals that many recruits admired Sergeant Alvarez and he kept in touch with several of them. She identifies a name worth investigating: Sergeant Aaron Barnes, who, influenced by Sergeant Alvarez, enlisted for a six-year Navy special program, even though his grades weren't qualifying. Furthermore, he's a sniper instructor. It's time to interrogate him. Sergeant Barnes denies the murder and provides an alibi, mentioning Corporal Stinson as a witness to his physical training at the time of the murder. Gibbs leads Tony and Kate through field exercises to verify Barnes's alibi before reaching Stinson. Fortunately, Stinson doesn't confirm the alibi - he confirms the physical training, but not the specific activity. This leads Sergeant Barnes to the NCIS interrogation room. He's nervous and sweating, but finally admits (a few scenes later) that he's involved with someone other than his wife, justifying the lie about his location.

Meanwhile, another recruiter becomes the target of the shooter and is killed. NCIS arrives at the scene, but the FBI also shows up, claiming jurisdiction due to the shots crossing state borders. The inevitable power struggle arises between Gibbs and FBI Agent Freedman, mainly so that Kate can retrieve the bullet from under the FBI's nose, while they argue with Gibbs about a fake bullet hole made by Tony in the wall with a knife. As they leave the crime scene, Gibbs finds a feather near the water cooler. He compares it to the business card of Carlos Hathcock, a skilled Navy sniper, and suspects that the killer is imitating Hathcock's ritual. This suggests that the killer was at Alvarez's recruitment station before attacking.

Abby performs ballistic analysis on the second bullet. She can't definitively say it's from the same gun, but it's the same model. This time, she believes the shooter fired from a vehicle.

Tony and Abby return to the original crime scene and find the feather in the ventilation system.

A conclusion drawn by Kate from the killer's profile suggests that he doesn't have a military background. She speculates that he lives within a fantasy realm, incompatible with the strict hierarchy of a military setup. Gibbs puts forward the theory that his focus is on Navy recruiters due to facing rejection from them. This individual aspires to something." To avoid the laborious task of reviewing the Navy's list of declined applicants, the Navy decides to unlock the recruitment office. In the guise of Sergeant Alvarez's replacement recruiter, Gibbs assumes this role. In the meantime, Kate adopts the position of Gibbs's commanding officer, a strategy that enables her to assess potential recruits while collaborating with Gibbs. Meanwhile, Tony finds himself humorously designated as a telephone lineman, a situation that sparks numerous Village People-related jests. To enhance detection and triangulation of gunshots, Tony strategically places echolocation microphones using an arrangement developed by Abby.

Major Doherty wants to join the operation to capture the suspect, but Gibbs surprisingly convinces the Major that everyone has their role to play.

As it turns out, Gibbs is quite competent at recruiting. Additionally, he forgoes a bulletproof vest, which irritates Tony. At the end of the first day, FBI Agent Freedman suggests wrapping up early, claiming they're outside the window of time when the murders occur. Tony thinks this might look suspicious. At that moment, a young man fitting the profile enters, and Kate sends Tony to follow him when he leaves. However, Gibbs goes to get a glass of water and finds a feather at the water cooler, which was previously swapped by a delivery person (Kate, the profiler, didn't even look at it). Kate calls off Tony from tailing the young man, and the scene focuses on the shooter aiming at Gibbs through his rifle scope, accompanied by a dramatic soundtrack. The shooter was about to take a fatal shot but is stopped by bulletproof glass.

The microphones capture the sound of the shot, and Abby provides an address and a potential escape route. Tony and the FBI move in. They corner the shooter in an alley, and as he prepares to shoot Tony, Tony easily takes him down. In defense, Tony offered several chances for him to surrender. He shrugs.

We end back at the base, with a brief meeting and some Village People-related jokes.

This is a consistent episode. The stakes are high, the Navy culture is respected, and the mystery is engaging. It might not be one of my favorite episodes, but it's well-produced.

Seven Abby´s