NCIS In Review - Enigma (Episode 1.15)

NCIS In Review - Enigma (Episode 1.15)

We started with Colonel Will Ryan, tied to a chair in a dark room in Iraq, with two armed guards around him

Episode:  1.15, Enigma

Air Date:  February 24, 2004

Victim: We really broke out of the routine this week.

We started with Colonel Will Ryan, tied to a chair in a dark room in Iraq, with two armed guards around him. A voice coming from somewhere behind a bright light questions the whereabouts of their money and mentions three packages that Colonel Ryan sent to the United States, which were intercepted. Due to the American accent of the kidnapper and their remarks about eliminating individuals who uncover their "instructions," the impression is that Colonel Ryan's kidnappers are possibly secret agents or rogue soldiers. Nevertheless, Colonel Ryan manages to discreetly free himself and neutralizes one of the guards with a stab. When the voice orders the other guard to shoot, he reveals his identity, disclosing that the other guard is an ally, assisting Colonel Ryan. Colonel Ryan makes a provocative comment, hinting that he sent four packages, and the plot advances.

The opening sequence, after the credits, shows a package being delivered as part of an NCIS shipment. The package is addressed to Gibbs. Tony and Kate discuss Tony's love life, including a recent girlfriend who broke into his house and messed up his closet with dog dirt (Kate says she would have shot her). Gibbs arrives, observes the package, and summons the team to witness... the arrival of Director Morrow.

Why is Director Morrow here? Shouldn't there be a clear interagency jurisdictional divide?

Director Morrow informs the team about a shootout incident in Iraq, in which a Navy officer carrying $2 million belonging to Saddam Hussein was ambushed. The driver was killed, and the officer escaped with the money. The revelation that the officer is Colonel Ryan, a former commander of Gibbs in Navy times, leaves Gibbs surprised. The FBI has a video from the airport showing Colonel Ryan reentering the country with a fake identity two days ago. There is no evidence of classified operations, leading the FBI to suspect that Colonel Ryan orchestrated the ambush to steal the money. Gibbs finds this idea absurd. The Director assigns Gibbs and his team to locate Colonel Ryan, adding that the Colonel is now wanted by the FBI. Gibbs vehemently declares that the Colonel would "never betray our nation."

While analyzing the airport video, Abby notices Colonel Ryan talking to someone, but the person remains out of the camera's field of view. Kate shares information about Colonel Ryan's background, highlighting his experience. As they discuss this, Tony starts shaking the package on Gibbs' desk, trying to figure out its contents. Gibbs silently approaches, allowing the suspense to build before revealing to Tony why Kate seemed surprised, and then he firmly takes the package from Tony. Praises to Mark Harmon, as well as to Michael Weatherly, who expresses Tony's dismay with a series of facial expressions.

The team heads out to grab a vehicle in the parking lot and start the search for Colonel Ryan. Gibbs puts on gloves and opens the package. Inside, there's a jar filled with sand and a letter from Colonel Ryan, detailing the presence of millions of dollars from Iraq that are being smuggled to fund secret operations.

The team arrives at Colonel Ryan's remote cabin, a familiar location for Gibbs. They discover the door broken open and the cabin in a state of destruction. Inside, they find a body tied to a chair and shot, possibly three or four hours ago. Kate and Tony speculate that Colonel Ryan was interrogating the dead man and reacted negatively to the answers. Gibbs disagrees, indicating that Colonel Ryan wouldn't have shot his own lock, suggesting that the break-in was clearly orchestrated. They try to recreate the events based on the damage and bloodstains. It appears that Colonel Ryan was shot while trying to escape. Kate points out that the intruders wasted no time in tying up the dead man, which Gibbs prefers to ignore.

A whistling sound comes from the room, grabbing the team's attention. Gibbs checks under the bed and finds a bomb. We're treated to a comical scene of the three agents rushing out of the cabin (with Tony yelling), hiding behind a car, and nothing happening. Time passes, the team calls in the bomb squad, and Ducky and Gerald arrive at the scene. When the cabin remains intact, Kate suggests that maybe Gibbs didn't correctly detect the bomb. Moments later, the cabin explodes, providing a humorous moment.

Back in the autopsy room, Ducky examines the remains of the exploded body. He expresses skepticism about the quick identification of the corpse. Gibbs assigns Tony and Kate the task of creating a portrait of the man before the explosion.

Gibbs receives a call from Colonel Ryan, who is in a bar, using a payphone. Colonel Ryan explains that he won't present himself to NCIS due to safety concerns. They agree to meet at the bar. After the call, Colonel Ryan goes back to talking to the guard who helped him in the initial scene. Colonel Ryan seems hesitant about trusting Gibbs, while Gibbs listens carefully.

Meanwhile, the portrait of the dead man isn't progressing well. Kate takes a break, and Tony mentions that he took art classes in college. Kate hands him the sketch pad, asking for his help. Tony starts working on the drawing, but Gibbs enters and asks, with a smile, if Kate has finished. Gibbs takes Tony's drawing, revealing the humorous situation.

Gibbs instructs Tony and Kate to find out who Colonel Ryan was collaborating with in Iraq and vaguely suggests a lead to be tracked. The scene shifts to Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Gibbs walks down the street, discreetly followed by two men in suits. He enters a mall, buys an umbrella, and uses it to block their exit, keeping their shadows trapped as he leaves with a smile.

Colonel Ryan and his friend continue their conversation at the bar. The friend, whom Colonel Ryan calls "Lieutenant," suggests that Gibbs shouldn't be informed about their involvement. Something in the conversation starts to disturb the other bar patrons, though the reason isn't clear. The Lieutenant leaves the bar, ensuring that their conversation won't be compromised if Gibbs is following them. Shortly after, Gibbs enters, and Colonel Ryan greets him as "Sergeant," recalling the time when Gibbs was a sergeant in Colonel Ryan's unit. Colonel Ryan, despite being wounded in the leg, expresses his belief that a conspiracy is at play, involving the NSA, the CIA, or some secret group. He claims that this conspiracy is linked to misinformation about Iraq and the intelligence failure that led to the events of September 11. Lieutenant Cameron was supposedly embedded in this group.

Back at headquarters, Tony and Kate discuss Gibbs' whereabouts. Fornell arrives, bringing news that Gibbs has crossed the line and shows an arrest warrant.

Colonel Ryan takes Gibbs to a secret base, where there's ammunition and a portion of the missing Saddam money. Gibbs calls Tony and presses him to get any evidence from the tape that could demonstrate that Colonel Ryan didn't kill the FBI agent. This is crucial to avoid charges of murder and being an accomplice to murder.

Meanwhile, Abby continues working on the tape. She uses a complex algorithm to reveal the presence of another person in Colonel Ryan's cabin. Kate identifies this person as Colonel Mike Granger, based on her research about Colonel Ryan. She shares the address with Gibbs, unaware that the FBI intercepted the call through Tony's phone. The FBI bursts into Colonel Ryan's base, interrupting a discussion between the Colonel and Gibbs about how to use this new information. Shots are fired, and Colonel Ryan escapes while Gibbs pleads for the FBI to stop shooting. The shots eventually cease, and Gibbs reveals to Fornell that he knows where Colonel Ryan is headed. Against his judgment, Fornell agrees to let Gibbs lead the capture of the Colonel.

Gibbs shares with Fornell that Colonel Granger attempted to assassinate Colonel Ryan and that Fornell's FBI agent was hit in the shootout. Gibbs' trust in Fornell wanes.

Eight Abby´s