NCIS (2003–…): Season 12, Episode 9 - Grounded - full transcript

WOMAN [ON TV]: Washington D.C.
hasn't seen snow like this

for Thanksgiving in decades.

The roads are slick
and visibility is near zero.

A bitterly cold wind chill
makes our nation's capital

feel more like the frozen Arctic.

What caused the shift in temperatures
is this high-pressure system

- that you can see right...
- I've flown in worse, honey.

Paris, yeah. Quick there-and-back.

No leftovers.
I will be there to cut the turkey.

So what had been forecast
as scattered showers in some areas

- There's my cab.
- Quickly turned

- Love you.
- Into the wet, icy accumulations

we are seeing out there right now.

- I'll just be another minute.
- Look at local temperatures.

Now, in D.C.,
we can expect lows into the 20s.

In Fairfax, not much better.

And along the coast,
our coldest temperatures,

as we will dip down into the teens.

The forecast of scattered showers
in some areas

was quickly turned
into the wet, icy accumulations

we are seeing out there right now.

So let's go ahead and take a look
at our local temperatures.

Now, in D.C.,
we can expect lows into the 20s.

In Fairfax, not much better.

And along the coast,
our coldest temperatures,

as we will dip down into the teens.

This could let up at any time,
but for the moment,

we can expect one rough
Thanksgiving weekend ahead.

WOMAN [ON TV]: Let's take a look
at our local temperatures.

Somehow a white Thanksgiving
never sounds quite right.

BISHOP:
Tell me about it.

Yesterday you were calling this
a chance of rain.

Is he here yet? Is he here yet?
Did I miss him?

I just hung up with him, Abs.
He's getting on the elevator.

One very fast elevator.

[CHUCKLES]

- Hey.
- Ellie, he's adorable.

Aw, thanks.

Jake Malloy,
this is the amazing Abby.

- JAKE: Oh. Uh, I could've guessed.
- Hi.

- And this is McGee. Tim McGee.
- Tim, of course.

Ellie has been singing
your praises all year.

It's great to finally meet you both.

- Emphasis on "finally."
- Yeah, I know.

I'm sorry again, Abby,
about missing your Halloween party.

Oh, that's okay. I'm sure
you had some super big,

top-secret emergency NSA meeting
that you couldn't miss.

We were being audited, actually.

But, yes, once again my job forced
a last-minute change of plans.

- But not tonight.
- No.

We are spending the holiday
in Turks and Caicos

- with Jake's family no matter what.
- You better get going, then.

Gibbs, this is--

- Jake, yeah. How you doing?
- Gibbs, wow. I'm good.

Um, listen,
I can't thank you enough

for what you've meant to Ellie
this past year.

- All of you.
- She's earned it.

Turks, huh?

Turks for Turkey Day, yeah.

The country Turkey might have been
a little too on-the-nose.

[JAKE AND BISHOP CHUCKLE]

Well, Gibbs is right.
We should get going.

- Yeah, we should.
- Yeah, 6:30 flight out of Dulles.

Tony should be getting to Dulles now.

DiNozzo. That's who's missing.

- His father's flying in from London.
- Maybe you'll see him there.

Or maybe not.
Airport's gonna be nuts.

I'm thinking the snow
might thin the crowds a little.

- All right, well, we'll see you guys.
- Nice meeting you.

MAN 1 [OVER RADIO]:
Airplane 22010 cleared for takeoff,

heading 255 at B-mark.

MAN 2 [ON PA]:
Your attention, please.

Do not leave any baggage
unattended.

JAKE:
Are you sure I was okay?

You heard Abby.
You were adorable.

But that Gibbs,
I was babbling away about Turkey

and he's just looking at me
with that look.

The Gibbs look.

Hello. Did you think
I was making it up? Heh-heh.

You were great. Really.

Are you okay?

You seem on edge lately.

The flight?

- No, no. I'm good flying.
- Okay.

Just, um, I don't know,
the holidays, I guess.

- I'm fine.
- Okay.

- We are so overdue for this.
- Oh.

BISHOP: Sun, sand, warm blue water.
TONY: It's not as warm as you'd think

- this time of year.
- Tony?

I thought I was gonna be stuck
all by my lonesome

when they announced
Dad's flight took off late,

when what should appear
but a Thanksgiving miracle.

Agent DiNozzo, I presume?

The elusive Jake.

It's nice to know Bishop
hasn't been catfishing us all year.

I was starting to wonder.

Well, you can stop wondering, Tony.

As you can see, Jake is quite real.

Unless he's a hologram
that can shake hands.

NSA's actually working on one
of those. I've seen the prototype.

Ha! Yeah, that would be pretty fun.

[TONY CHUCKLES]

- Really?
- No. Heh-heh-heh.

Aha. Had me for a second.

That's too bad,
because I'd like one of those.

I like him. He's quick.

Hey, speaking of quick,
how'd you get up here?

Arrival pickups
never get past Customs.

It's all about the badge, Bish.
You gotta know how to flash it.

[MAN GROANS]

- Oh. Oh, my.
- Mm. The classic smelly guy.

Yet another vivid hue in the broad
spectrum of airport humanity.

- Did he come straight from the gym?
- Two gyms and a cheese shop.

WOMAN [ON PA]: Montgomery,
report to Gate A64 immediately.

BISHOP:
And he's going to Turks.

12C?

- Oh, my God, we're 12A and B.
- Oh, we'll be fine.

No, you'll die.

Would it be awful to change seats?

Not as awful as composting
before you come to the airport.

Ugh. Okay, wish me luck.

Jake, real quick.

The metabolism.
How does she eat like that?

This is the final call for Flight 23,
nonstop service to Nice.

[WOMAN SPEAKS IN FRENCH
ON PA]

BISHOP:
Pretty, isn't it?

Uh, oh, yes, dear.

It's just lovely. Mm-hm.

It's lovely how it turned
a one-hour drive into three,

soaked a brand-new pair of my shoes
right down to the toes.

Yeah, simply spectacular.

Well, at least we'll be getting away
from it for the holiday.

I'm going to Calgary.

WOMAN [OVER SPEAKER]:
Ladies and gentlemen,

due to the unexpected
weather conditions,

all incoming and outgoing flights
are being temporarily delayed.

Every effort is being made
to clear the runways,

but until the snow lets up,
everyone get comfortable.

Could be an hour, could be more.

[CROWD GROANING]

Oh! Excuse me.

- Hey, I said, excuse me.
- Yeah, I heard you.

Is there a problem, sir?

I don't know. Is there?

I heard my wife
say "excuse me" just now.

Doesn't that get an "excuse me"
in return?

It's all right, Jake.

Some people just have
better manners than others.

That's okay, miss,
your husband's right.

My bad.

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.

- Your name's Jake, never heard that?
- All my life, Mr. Mulwray.

Ah! Ha-ha.

- Are you okay?
- Fine. Uh, you didn't have to.

No, I kind of did.

Do we know that guy
from somewhere?

There's something about him.

- I've never seen him before.
- MAN: Attention, please.

Like, from our supermarket?
Maybe we go to the same dry cleaner?

While you keep guessing, why don't
I go see if we can switch seats?

- All right.
- All right.

Could we know him from work?

TONY: No. All I know is flight delays
make nice people cranky

and cranky people crankier.

Well, he obviously falls
under the latter category.

This is not how I do things,
understand?

- WOMAN: Flight 2275...
- Yeah, definitely the latter.

How do I know that guy?

So anyway, there I was, still trying
to be cool on my second day at NSA.

It was my second day, your third.

- Right, I always mix that up.
- Mm-hm.

Anyway, I suddenly found myself
needing a G-7 encryption form.

Which are very hard to come by.

Try impossible.
But there was one left.

And as I'm reaching for it,
this force of nature beats me to it.

[BOTH LAUGH]

I mean, we laugh about it now,
but the rest, as they say, is history.

I hate couples.

You asked how we met.

Granted you kind of had to be there.

Oh, no. No, not you guys.
You're great.

Just couples in general.

The Jamaican resort
I went to last Christmas,

it was couples only.

And you were flying solo?

Changed my perspective.

Couples everywhere.

It's crazy.

You know, this airport,
it's got every variety.

- Do we have a deal?
- TONY: Like them.

Self-Important Pete
and his electric lady.

Of course, they haven't spoken directly
to each other

since the brownout of '06.

Then there's those two.

Daddy-Issues Debbie and
her college professor Marty Midlife,

teaching her all he knows
about advanced economics

and the Kama Sutra.

Wait, Tony, that's no couple.

They're clearly father and daughter.

- Think so?
- Yeah.

Watch the hands.

The hands tell you everything.

I stand corrected and disturbed.

Okay, what about our cranky friend
over there?

- Sum him up for us, Tony.
- Cranky car salesman.

Lonely childhood.
Behind on his quota.

Regretting his life choices.
Not a couple.

- And not familiar to either of you?
- Jeez, Ellie, let it go.

I'm trying, but he's right there.

You know, Tony, I don't mean
to pin this on NCIS,

but Ellie became
much more suspicious about people

- since she joined you guys.
- That is so not true.

Oh, you really like talking bad guys.

Well, I have to talk about something
since we can't talk shop anymore.

When we were both at NSA,
we'd debrief every night after work.

But now that he's restricted
from telling me anything,

all I can do is talk about
what we do every day.

Chase bad guys.

So I get where I may seem
more suspicious, but I'm not.

Hey, why don't I get us some coffee?

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

PALMER: Well, there's Dirk,
if it's a boy, obviously.

Or Oskar with a K.

Oskar Palmer.

- That's a lot of R's.
- PALMER: Mm.

If it's a girl, we're thinking, uh,
Freda, Greta, Liesel,

- something sort of Von Trapp-ish.
- ABBY: Uh-huh.

Come on, McGee, up and at them.
Workday's over.

We're talking baby names
and snow angels.

Oh, I can't right now. Maybe later.

- What have we got, McGee?
- PALMER: How about you, Gibbs?

When was the last time
you made a good snow angel?

Because it's-- It's snowing. Ahem.

- McGee.
- NTAS just issued an alert.

Possible terrorist chatter.

- They pick up chatter all the time.
- Subject is northeast U.S. airports.

MAN [ON PA]: Attention, passengers,
due to extreme weather conditions,

- the flights...
- Oh! Sorry.

Oh, hey, you again.

Look, about before, uh, my husband
has quite the chivalrous streak.

But, you know,
now that I've run into you again,

do we know each other?

- I feel like we've met before.
- Yeah, I don't think so.

That ever happen to you?
You see a face, you just can't place it?

Not really, no.

Delays are a drag, huh?

Where are you headed?
Home to see family?

- Paris, business.
- Ah.

Paris, huh? Who doesn't love Paris?

Have a safe trip. Excuse me.

Sure, now you say "excuse me."
Thanks.

We're just killing time,
waiting for the storm to blow over.

- How credible a threat is it?
- GIBBS: It's elevated.

Pretty typical this time of year,
but worth calling about.

Well, man of few words.
Maybe I'm wrong.

- She's not talking about you, boss.
- Bishop's husband know anything?

- WOMAN: Ladies and gentlemen...
- There was some talk of chatter.

Just some memos
going around the office.

- But...
- Chatter?

- TONY: Well...
- Yeah.

Snowstorm will probably keep
the terrorists home.

Yeah, it also keeps first responders
and emergency service vehicles

from getting through, DiNozzo,

- so keep your eyes open.
- Copy that.

You have been on edge. You knew.

If we're just hearing the chatter now,
NSA heard about it days ago.

Well, I'm a lawyer, Tony.

I mean, my ear's not exactly
pressed to the pipeline.

Still, you didn't tell me?

- I didn't wanna ruin our trip.
- Seriously?

Most chatter doesn't lead anywhere.

All it manages to do is scare people.

I also know you would've never kept
a secret if I was still at NSA.

It's not a secret, Ellie, just a,
you know, slightly calculated omission.

- You know what that sounds like?
- Justification.

I think she was going for "lie,"
but "tomato, tomato."

Let's not argue semantics.
Let's talk national security.

It's Thanksgiving in an airport,
and we have the usual menagerie.

Here comes Walking-Boot Wendy.

Clearly faking it
in hopes of a free upgrade.

I see you, Wendy.
I see right through you.

Ah, and the inevitable Pajama Man.

Rolls out of bed, grabs his passport.

Sees the world as his futon.

Brad Pitt wants his hat back, hipster.

Seriously, what are people thinking?

My parents actually
used to dress up to fly.

Mine still does.
You'll meet him when he gets here.

Like that guy over there?

TONY: Dapper Don.
That's what I'm talking about.

Jetting off to exotic locales

like James Bond
chasing after Pussy Galore.

No smelly tracksuit for that dude.

What's with my car salesman?

JAKE:
Thought you were wrong about him.

Well, I said "maybe,"
but look at his pant cuff, Tony.

Is that a gun?

TONY:
Could be.

- We have guns.
- JAKE: Not Ellie.

- She packed hers.
- No, actually, mine's on me.

You said you weren't
comfortable traveling with it.

Well, I wasn't at first,
but it's become a habit.

This guy could be law enforcement,

so let's show him ours
and ask to see his.

- What, guns?
- Badges.

MAN [ON PA]: The Transportation
Security Administration

urges you to pay close attention

to your baggage
and personal possession.

- Hey, sorry to bother you.
- Again, you mean?

Yeah. Uh, but this time
I need to see some ID.

Well, too bad. I'm not Navy.

She asked you a question.

Ah. You're making a big mistake.

Freeze.
Hands where I can see them.

- Oh. Okay, well, what's his deal?
- I'm an air marshal.

Mike Beers.

Thanks for blowing my cover.

MAN [ON PA]: Attention, passengers,
due to extreme weather conditions...

Sorry I drew on you, Mr. Beers.

These two kind of forced my hand.

Just doing your job, officer.

But I will have to warn
my fellow air marshals

about skittish Navy cops.

Okay, you could have quietly
said something when I badged you.

And you are aware
of the recent chatter.

It's my job to know.

But, look, I don't think anyone waiting
for my Paris flight saw that anyway,

so let's just forget it.

All right.
No hard feelings, Mr. Beers.

I guess we could all use one.

- One what?
- A beer. Your name.

- WOMAN: Attention...
- Oh. Right.

[TONY CHUCKLES]

- Huh.
- "Huh" what?

[CELL PHONE RINGS]

- It's Gibbs. Want me to tell him?
- No, let me. Put him on speaker.

- You've got us both, Gibbs.
- You got anything to report?

Nothing, boss. Just compared notes
with a rather cranky air marshal.

He's aware of the chatter.

Does he know
that the chatter has changed?

Threat level's been increased,
and now specifically mentions

D.C. metropolitan airports.

- Game changer.
- GIBBS: It still could be nothing.

Just keep your heads on a swivel.

Call if anything's changed.
You got anything else?

- Yeah, actually, Gibbs--
- No, that's it. Thanks.

- We should have told Gibbs.
- Later.

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

Come on, McGee, answer.

Aren't you gonna get that?

- Yes?
- Don't tell Gibbs it's me.

Okay, yes.

The air marshal I mentioned before,

I need you to dig up
anything you can on him.

- Name is Mike Beers.
- Well, that could take a while.

TSA personnel files
are always tightly wrapped.

What's this about?

Bishop knows the guy
from somewhere.

Just trying to figure out why.

- Soon as you can, McGee.
- Yeah.

Don't look at me.

Just do it.

- MAN: Ladies and gentlemen...
- Everything okay? What took so long?

- The air marshal, where did he go?
- He's, um-- The charging station.

What was that about, Tony?

Nothing that I'm gonna tell Gibbs
until we're sure about this guy.

BISHOP:
Sure about what?

Well, that joke I told back there,
it's like Jake with Chinatown.

Anybody named Beers would be
sick to death of a joke like that.

That guy acted like
he never heard it before.

JAKE:
In strictly legal terms, Tony,

someone having no sense of humor
won't get you probable cause.

Until we hear back,
that's cause enough.

- Mind if I get Abby in the loop?
- Do it.

[CELL PHONE BEEPING]

Beers, Beers. Hey, Beers.

Hey, come here, Beers.

Beers Palmer, huh?

- That's different.
- Do you want your kid to like you?

- Anything on the air marshal?
- Whoa. You know about this guy?

McGee's got the name,
you got the pic. What's the secret?

I think Bishop and Tony didn't want
you to know that they blew his cover.

And why did I just tell you that?

- Now, why do you know that?
- Because he's very, very nosy.

So far, no hits on facial recognition.

Abby, hey. Whoa, boss.

- McGee?
- He knows, Tim.

- I talk too much.
- That's your guy's info?

- Come here.
- Yeah, just, uh, came in.

Abby, check your inbox, please.

- I just sent you his ID photo.
- Oh, great.

Facial comparison
should get us somewhere.

McGEE:
Michael Beers, 41, retired Marine.

Air marshal since 2010. Lives up
in Syracuse. Wife and two kids.

I'm digging this guy's glasses.
Those would be cute on you, Gibbs.

I mean, not that squinting
isn't totally super cute on you too.

Checked his accounts,
he's got an open credit card

at a motel about a mile from here.

- Never checked out?
- Not yet, anyway.

Well, okay, red flag city here.

As much as these two look alike,

the key markers,
it's definitely not a match.

- Who's at the airport?
- I don't know.

But whoever it is,
it's not Air Marshal Mike Beers.

All right, boss, you got it, we won't.

Won't what?
Why couldn't that be on speaker?

Gibbs doesn't want to alert
the innocent bystanders

that our friend over there
is an impostor.

- JAKE: You were right.
- You were right.

- We were both right.
- Then who is he?

Not a clue.

All we know is, he's got a gun,
maybe worse.

Gibbs says he's got a backup unit
on the way.

We don't make any moves until they
get here. I'm gonna let McGee know.

- I can't believe you do this every day.
- Well, not every day, and not like this.

Sure we're not too conspicuous?

Not if we stand
like we're talking to each other.

We are talking to each other.

- You two with NCIS?
- I am.

- Special Agent Ellie Bishop.
- Special Agent DiNozzo.

- I'm Jake Malloy.
- Lieutenant Janet Lewis.

- Now, where is this alleged impostor?
- He went into the men's room.

Calm and cool.
Secure this whole area.

No one enters until I say.

Not quite the cavalry
we were expecting.

Well, I expected to be home right now
getting my cranberries started,

but we can't have everything.

You have your service weapons?

Oh, not me.
I'm, uh, an attorney with NSA.

Attorney, stand over there, please.

- Be careful.
- I will be.

Adorable. Okay, now,
let's keep our weapons out of sight

until we get in there. Last thing
we wanna do is panic this crowd.

Can't we just evacuate this terminal?

- What's the last thing we want?
- No panic. Right.

Okay, is the tutorial over?
Let's get in there.

[TONY CLEARS THROAT]

[SOFTLY]
Out of here.

Beers, is that you?

It's Janet Lewis, Beers.

You haven't been answering
your phone. Everything all right?

Beers?

Oh, my God.

LEWIS: You're right, that's not Beers,
but it sure looks like him.

- He's not anybody anymore.
- Looks like a stab wound.

All right, it's time
to shut down the airport.

No problem. We've been unofficially
shut down for the last 20 minutes.

No vehicles in or out
until this storm ends.

His gun's gone, Tony.

[SIGHS]

Great, we're snowed in here with
an airport full of cranky passengers,

a dead fake air marshal,

and his killer somewhere on the loose
with a knife and a gun.

Anybody else feel
like they're playing Clue?

Unbelievable.

These shots will be coming to you
from Jake's phone, McGee.

We'll send them to Ducky too.

Now I think he's gonna be busy
for a while.

"And it ain't a fit night out
for man nor beast."

Yet I'm the one who had to get out
and push the van, Shakespeare.

That was W.C. Fields, Mr. Palmer,
in The Fatal Glass of Beer.

And I predict you will be
pushing it again on the way back.

You carry
crime scene gloves now too?

BISHOP:
Well, it's become kind of a habit.

No ID on him, McGee,
other than the air marshal credentials.

If I had your crime scene gizmo,
I could get his prints.

Do you have any adhesive tape
and baby powder handy?

Wait, hold on, Bishop.
Is that Beer's wallet?

Yeah. Killer took his credentials,
but not this.

Driver's license,
cash, credit cards.

- All there.
- What are you thinking?

He wasn't looking to play
air marshal very long.

Just long enough to go to the airport
to do what he needed to do.

Whatever that was, he was obviously
killed before he got the job done.

Unless his job was to kill Beers
and take his identity.

And deliver his weapon
to the airport.

- But deliver it to who?
- LEWIS: And why?

Why would someone deliver a gun
just to end up dead himself?

Honor among thieves?
That's not really a thing.

Beers was a good man.

But our TSA screeners don't know
every air marshal on sight.

New ones come through here
every day.

Now we know
what the chatter was about.

But whoever's got the gun
is outside, waiting to use it.

- So we start searching passengers.
- Sure way to force our killer's hand.

I was thinking of a less violent idea.

He had to walk right past us in the
eight minutes we were waiting outside.

We have a surveillance camera
pointed right at that door.

- Be right back, Bishop.
- BISHOP: Okay, Tony.

- I never should have doubted you.
- Well, you didn't. You're helping me.

No, I mean before, when you said
this guy was suspicious.

I just thought I knew him.
I still don't know why.

- Grab his arm.
- What?

Yeah, just don't touch his skin.

Oh.

Perfect.

- Bandage?
- Right here.

Okay. Take that.

I can't get over your speed.

You used to spend months
researching, analyzing, planning.

Now you just go.

Heh. Jake, I'm still the same person.

The same person having
a conversation over a dead body.

McGEE:
You guys know I'm still here, right?

- Any luck on those prints?
- BISHOP: Uh, yeah.

We got one, McGee.
Sending it straight to Abby.

LEWIS: Is that what I think it is?
TONY: Low-tech but effective.

Who's lead officer on this wing?

Uh...

I'm real sorry, lieutenant.
I don't know how we missed that.

Well, the good news is,
there are other cameras

pointed in this direction.
We just have to look at that footage.

Restrooms stay closed
until we can get an ME here.

No one leaves
until I check surveillance.

- Yes, ma'am.
- All right, let's go.

Go? No, we got this.

No, clearly you're shorthanded.

I appreciate your help,
Agent DiNozzo,

but airport surveillance is for TSA
and our eyes only.

- That's Homeland's rules, not mine.
- Excuse me, excuse me.

Look, delays are bad enough,
but now the bathrooms?

Do you know who I am?

WOMAN: There's something going on
here and you are not telling us.

Folks, please,
there's no cause for alarm.

- Passenger just had a medical issue.
- MAN: Excuse me.

I'm a doctor. Can I help?

Thank you, doctor.
No, we've got everything under control.

That's a sharp suit.
Kudos to your tailor, but--

Everyone, can I have your attention?

Thank you for your patience,

but we do have
a medical emergency,

so in the spirit of the holiday,
can we all just have a good wish--?

- Give it a rest, you pretty boy.
- I don't think that's necessary.

You cram it too. Out of my way.

- Appreciate the help, doc. Nice suit.
- LEWIS: Clear this area.

Everybody, can we just clear out
of this area?

There is another restroom
under the stairs to the left.

WOMAN [ON PA]:
Security...

- What's going on out here?
- Angry mob getting angrier.

And somebody's still packing.

[ELEVATOR DINGS]

- There you are.
- City roads are bad enough.

Forget about getting to the airport.

That our fake air marshal?

ID'd from the fingerprint
that Bishop sent over.

Facial recognition came up empty
for a reason.

This guy is a notorious chameleon.

Well, that would explain
why Bishop found him familiar,

but not familiar enough.

Norman Dopps. Name rings a bell.

Maybe because he comes up on
our Most Wanted updates every week.

He's this go-to jack-of-all-trades

for organized crime families
and drug cartels

and other horrible people
that can afford him.

Any terrorist affiliation?

Probably the only thing
that's not on his record. Why?

Chatter may not be about him.

Not so fast, boss.
Chatter's changed again.

Look at this.

- On it, Gibbs, we'll call you back.
- I knew I'd seen his face before.

The Most Wanted updates.
I check them religiously.

Well, I guess
I'm only mildly religious.

Why, what did Gibbs say, Tony?

Homeland now thinks
it's an assassination plan.

Assassination of who?

- This guy?
- TONY: No.

He was delivering the gun
to an assassin

who is likely sitting out there
right now.

Well, then they should just shut down
the terminal, question everybody.

And let it happen again
somewhere else? No dice.

We got a locked room full of suspects
out there, Inspector Poirot.

And if the target's out there too,
he'd probably be dead already.

Gotta be someone
on an incoming flight.

McGee's running manifests
right now, but--

Oh, there he is.

Well, that was fast, McGenius.

Hey, manifests are on their way.

In the meantime, Gibbs wants to keep
an extra set of eyes on you.

But security at the airport
won't let us access their surveillance.

Yeah, they're very touchy
about their cameras around here.

Yeah, so much
for interagency cooperation.

Well, look, if a camera's
what's needed, maybe, uh...

Maybe this will do.

DUCKY:
On three.

One, two...

Rest there, Mr. Beers.

- We'll get back to you shortly.
- Bishop's photos from the airport.

Yeah, let's take a look
at this impostor.

PALMER:
Whoa.

Is that me?

Most likely the storm wreaking havoc
with the power grid.

Well, we still have power.

Yeah, well, let's work quickly,
Mr. Palmer, while we still can.

Abby said our dead fake
air marshal's name is Norman Dopps.

- Norman. There's a name, huh?
- Well, the Normans were Vikings.

They settled on part
of the coast of France.

Yes, on what one day would
become known as Normandy.

See, now, that history is great,
but I just couldn't do it to the little guy.

Norman is a bit too Psycho-ish.

You could always shorten it to Norm.

Norm? Norm.

No, see, I'd have to fight the urge
to give the kid a beer. Oh!

- Here we go.
- DUCKY: Ah. Murder on the lavatory.

Bishop sent these
in the second e-mail.

Yeah, it's quite a nasty
and narrow puncture wound.

From a plastic knife or something
that could get past security?

No, no, no. Something stronger
to pierce the rib cage.

A nylon dagger,
or carbon fiber, perhaps.

And based on the incision,

it seems to have been twisted,
twisted on entry.

- For maximum damage.
- Mm. Clearly an expert kill.

How soon can we get these
up to Jethro?

Oh, I can bring them up on my tablet.

Do you know the meaning
of the name Jethro?

Ah, there would be
some large shoes to fill.

But what's in a name, Mr. Palmer?

"That which we call a rose,
by any other name

would smell as sweet."

That is Shakespeare, right?

No, no, no. It's W.C. Fields again.

He had a million of them. Heh.

WOMAN: Passengers McKinney,
Gonzalez and Dalton,

please report to Gate B.

Passengers McKinney, Gonzalez...

How's that angle for you?
Can you see?

It's the west side entrance
to the terminal.

Yeah, a little higher, Jake.

Higher. Okay.

- How's that?
- That's good. Not bad.

ABBY:
He's adorable and he's tech-savvy.

Yeah, that'll work, Jake. Thank you.

Not my first body on a toilet, Jethro,
but always a disturbing sight.

Single blade to the left
of the manubrium.

I'd wager that his heart was pierced
in a single thrust.

PALMER: Need help?
ABBY: Anything we can do?

You can help McGee
go through the manifest.

Both of you, names and faces.
Duck, take a look at the crowd.

Looking for anything or anyone
that doesn't look right.

At an airport?
Let me count the ways.

All right, we've only got
outgoing flights so far.

Basic passenger info's printed
on there, along with passport photos.

- So our killer's in the mix?
- Likely under an alias.

McGee, what is the holdup
on those manifests?

Systems are down everywhere, boss.
Every airline and agency's backed up.

I don't care. Our killer's target could be
on one of those inbound flights.

- I'll keep calling.
- ABBY: On the bright side,

the snow's starting to let up.

Jeez, when you're looking
for bad guys...

They all look like bad guys.

- Well, it's letting up out there.
- Oh, finally, some relief.

TONY: Yet I don't feel relieved.
What?

- What are you doing?
- Surveillance gave us nothing.

Oh, wait, not true.
I got to watch your initial takedown

of our fake air marshal.
Very stealthy.

If you search these people,
you risk cornering our killer.

That could end very badly.

The same fight I just had
with Homeland, and lost.

With three flights low on fuel
coming in for landings,

they want this missing gun
found right now.

- Three flights?
- JAKE: We didn't know about that.

WOMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, we're
happy to report some good news.

Tower confirms one runway
has now been cleared

to allow landings from incoming flights
from London,

Athens and Brussels.

What does that do for us?

How much longer
do we have to wait?

The first flight should be
touching down in about 15 minutes.

Thanks again for your patience.

Well, so much for not forcing
our gunman's hand.

I thought things couldn't get
more interesting.

- You have no idea.
- Tony's dad is on that London flight.

Come on, figure it out.
Who's the target on the plane?

- Who's the hit man?
- Let's talk possible hit people first.

We have a Joseph McBride.

He's 49, from Springfield, Virginia.

He's a lobbyist
for a chemical company.

Next.

PALMER: Ruth Potts, 62, Fairfax,
retired schoolteacher.

Who wouldn't hurt a fly, obviously.
Just look at that sweet lady.

Next.

Thanks. Boss, I got them.

Manifests for 17 different inbound
flights arriving to Dulles tonight.

- Divvy them up.
- Deal me in as well.

We are looking for a target
significant enough

to warrant killing
a federal air marshal.

Ladies and gentlemen,
due to the extended delay,

TSA is now required to perform
a second routine screening.

We apologize
for any inconvenience,

but we'll begin
with Calgary Flight 3184.

If those passengers could calmly
line up over there, please?

Thank you.

WOMAN:
You heard the lady.

Right up the line,
right up against that wall.

TSA isn't saying anything
about landing order, Gibbs.

They're all low on fuel,
so it's first come, first served.

- Stay alert, Bishop. We're watching.
- Okay.

POTTS: What are they gonna ask us
to do next?

Somebody's really gonna get hurt.

Maybe they should've
shut down the terminal.

And miss catching
Professor Plum red-handed

in the conservatory
with the wrench?

Don't tell me you're enjoying this.

You know the NSA, sweetheart.
We don't get out much. Heh.

London, Brussels, Athens...

Speaking of Brussels, fun fact.
The Brussels sprout.

Americans like to drop the S
and just say Brussel, but--

- ABBY: Jimmy.
- Put a sock in it, Mr. Palmer.

Find the target, people.
Let's go, let's go.

Come on.

WOMAN:
Ladies and gentlemen,

we will now be rescreening
Paris Flight 8247.

McBRIDE:
Why screen us twice?

It's not like any of us
have gone anywhere.

I know, but it only took a minute.

Miss, can I give you a hand?

Thank you for helping me.

WOMAN [ON PA]:
Your attention, please.

The terminal customer service desk
is now open

to accommodate those passengers

wishing to make
alternate travel plans.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

- You got something, Abs?
- The London flight.

Two Colombian federal agents
and an unnamed third party.

Scheduled to deplane at Dulles,

and then connect on a later flight
to Bogotá.

- Opportunity. McGee.
- Working on it.

- Opportunity, Agent Gibbs?
- Two feds and an unnamed party.

Gotta be a foreign leader,
protected witness or fugitive.

All possible targets for someone.

Changing flights at Dulles
would be a vulnerable moment,

and the killer's one chance
to exact revenge.

It's a great catch, Abs.
They're escorting Hector Gomez,

a high-level member
of Cartel Dominguez.

Wanted for the murder
of a rival cartel dealer.

Gomez was captured hiding out
in Wales, of all places.

Colombian authorities
extradited him this morning.

GIBBS: That outgoing flight to Bogotá,
do we have a manifest?

- There isn't one yet.
- Must have been a private charter.

Who in that terminal is Colombian?

Tell me about recent trips
to South America, e-mails, anything.

- Cross-referencing DEA and CIA.
- That's a needle in a haystack.

DUCKY: A haystack controlled by the
world's most dangerous drug cartel.

Hey, so are those
your fancy flying pajamas,

or just your everyday casuals?

- Dude, I'm not getting rescreened.
- Uh-huh.

- Why is that?
- What--?

Don't.

WOMAN [ON PA]: All passengers
on canceled Flight 218,

- That's not mine.
- Pick up your vouchers at counter...

Go get rescreened.

- All passengers
- Dude.

On canceled Flight 218...

Um, it's the London flight, Tony.

- Our killer's waiting for it.
- Who's the target?

- Hector Gomez.
- Who?

Ladies and gentlemen,

we're pleased to announce the arrival
of Flight 3182 from London,

now de-boarding at Gate 212.

- You got anything?
- McGEE: Who knew so many people

traveled through Colombia?

Wait, who's that? Back it up.

That is Alberto Velez,

- 52 years old, born in Santo Domingo.
- Who is that?

Abby, get rid of his beard.

Lighten his hair. Clean him up.

I get it. I totally know
where you're headed.

Cross-reference him
with the terminal crowd.

- Got him.
- I'm gonna have to ask you folks

to clear this area here, please.
Thank you.

Excuse me. Lana, is it?

I'm afraid you can't
let anyone off that plane.

They've been circling for hours.

I only take orders from TSA.

- Tell her, Ellie.
- What's this all about?

- Have you found the a yet?
- No, but we're not done screening.

Unless you want an assassination,
you'll move that plane to another gate.

This is the only clear gate.
The plane's de-boarding.

Oh, no.

[CELL PHONE CHIMES]

- Oh, yes.
- MAN: Ladies and gentlemen,

we are now pleased to announce
the arrival of Flight 3182 from London,

now deplaning at Gate 212.

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

[YELLING IN SPANISH]

[CROWD SCREAMING]

TONY:
Ah. Lookie here.

Dr. Dapper in the men's room
with the carbon-fiber knife.

[TONY SIGHS]

Happy Thanksgiving.

[CHUCKLES]

- How are we doing, McGee?
- Good, boss.

Bishop and Jake made their flight.

And I actually got a text from Tony.

Apparently Senior missed his flight
from London and neglected to tell him.

- So Tony didn't have to be there?
- Nope, but he's going back tomorrow.

That's Senior. He never disappoints.

And as for our giving thanks,
would anyone care to join me

for a celebratory cocktail?

- On me, of course.
- Oh, then I'm in.

- Me too.
- Me three.

Me three. Gibbs?

No, wait.
Before that, I have a better idea.

Snow angels?

I'll give you one.