NCIS In Review - A Weak Link (Episode 1.22)

NCIS In Review - A Weak Link (Episode 1.22)

The SEAL team witnesses their colleague falling from a cliff hundreds of meters high, resulting in his death. This had a significant impact in terms of trauma.

Episode:  1.22, A Weak Link

Air Date: May 18, 2004

Victim: Lieutenant Rick Johnson, Navy SEAL.

The SEAL team witnesses their colleague falling from a cliff hundreds of meters high, resulting in his death. This had a significant impact in terms of trauma.

The opening scene is an integral part of today's story. It begins with a nighttime operation where the SEALs descend a cliff, filmed with night vision, providing a unique perspective. Lieutenant Johnson, our victim, follows the main group down the cliff. However, when he applies weight to his rope, it breaks, leading to his fatal fall.

After the credits, we see our heroes returning to work on a Monday. Kate is agitated and confronts Tony about his weekend activities, even doubting the existence of a vacuum cleaner in his house. Tony's weekend involved watching a horror movie, and fortunately, Gibbs interrupts them, redirecting the team to the crime scene.

Ducky expresses dissatisfaction that the body has been moved but seems friendlier than usual, perhaps because even he doesn't want to deal with the SEALs. The operation the SEALs were involved in is confidential, and they removed some materials from the body to maintain secrecy. The commander is eager to wrap up the investigation quickly, mentioning a "catastrophic D-link failure." However, Gibbs maintains his stance that the investigation ends when he decides.

Tony goes to the top of the cliff to assess the situation and take photos. Ducky has no additional information to add, but his conversation with the body is more heartfelt than usual, promising to honor the victim's service with the autopsy.

Kate finds a fragment of the broken D-link, and Gibbs begins interviewing the other four SEALs. The training operation went smoothly, and no problems were reported. The commander agrees to provide Lieutenant Johnson's service record and locker contents.

In Abby's lab, Gibbs asks if the case is clear, but Abby has ordered specifications for the D-link from the manufacturer and wants to compare the broken link with the specifications before concluding the case.

Gibbs leaves, and Abby and Kate discuss Abby's relationship with McGee, who is seeking certainty. Abby is just going with the flow and believes things will work out over time.

Ducky finds no surprises in the cause of death, and Palmer, though delayed due to a cold, is now part of the team full-time.

Abby examines the D-link and discovers a partial fingerprint that does not belong to Lieutenant Johnson. She also concludes that the D-link is made of aluminum, weaker than the steel specified by the manufacturer. Someone replaced Lieutenant Johnson's original D-link with a homemade one, raising suspicions of murder.

Gibbs and Kate interview Lieutenant Johnson's wife during the funeral. Gibbs and Tony check Lieutenant Johnson's garage, where he kept his equipment. They find no evidence of a break-in in the garage.

Back at the house, Kate encounters Father Larry Clannon, an old friend of Lieutenant Johnson. Father Clannon reveals that Lieutenant Johnson visited him in the hospital after a motorcycle accident at school and prayed for his recovery. Kate (who is Catholic) is invited by the father to go to church

Gibbs and Kate visit Commander Rader in Norfolk to discuss the protocols for accessing D-links, which are equipment maintained by the SEALs. Commander Rader maintains the theory of a training accident but is later informed about the defective D-link, making him more cooperative.

No one outside the unit knew about Lieutenant Johnson's rappelling activity, and only Sergeant Vengal broke the rules to call his wife due to her pregnancy. Lieutenant Johnson counseled Sergeant Vengal and eventually came out of isolation to take her to the doctor.

Kate discovers that Lieutenant Johnson violated isolation to call Father Clannon. The CIA gets involved, concerned about the SEALs' rescue mission. Abby and McGee hack into Lieutenant Johnson's secret email account and find a suspicious message.

Gibbs and Kate return to the church to talk to Father Clannon about Lieutenant Johnson's death, but he refuses to break the seal of confession.

Meanwhile, Abby and McGee deal with tensions in their relationship as they work together to hack into the email account.

Sergeant Vengal is questioned about his lies, and Gibbs considers Lieutenant Johnson's negative reports as a motive for murder. However, Sergeant Vengal argues that he already risked his career by staying on the mission and that killing Lieutenant Johnson would have jeopardized the operation.

CIA Agent Kramer pressures Gibbs for quick answers as the SEALs' mission is ongoing. Gibbs informs them that it was suicide, and the mission continues.

Kate returns to the church and offers condolences to Father Clannon. She shares a message of hope, and the episode ends.

Three Abby´s