Directed by Terrence O'Hara
Written by John C Kelley, Joshua Lurie, Laurence Walsh, & Christopher Silber
When a dead staff sergeant is found encased in a Civil War-era tomb, a cell-phone within it leads investigators to a safety deposit box.
Tropes in this episode:
- An Arm and a Leg: Ziva and McGee open the victim's safe deposit box... to find a desiccated severed hand, clutching a map.
- Badass Boast: "McGee, never forget, I am one of the few people in the world who can murder you and leave no forensic evidence."
- Big Damn Heroes: Subverted. When they hear that Ducky and Ziva are in trouble, Gibbs, Tony and McGee hurry to where they are, intending to help them. However, just as they get there, Ziva herself saves her and Ducky using her Mossad assassin skills.
- Buried Alive: The Victim of the Week, inside a Civil War-era iron casket.
- Buried Treasure: What everyone is looking for.
- Drives Like Crazy: Ziva, much to the consternation of Tony and McGee.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Abby, still feeling Kate's loss keenly, is taking a long time to warm up to Ziva.
- Extended Disarming: When Ziva goes into the field with the team for the first time.Gibbs: You're coming along, strictly as an observer. Hand over all you weapons.
Ziva: Is that really necessary? [Gibbs holds out his hand] Right. [gives him a gun]
Gibbs: And your backup.
Ziva: What backup?
Gibbs: Left leg.
Ziva: Oh. That one. [gives it to him]
Gibbs: And the knife concealed at your waist. [Ziva hands knife to Gibbs, who hands it back] You can keep this. I just wanted you to know that I know. note . - Hidden Supplies: What the "buried treasure" everyone is looking for turns out to be, a casket filled with guns.
- Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Watching the Civil War reenactors, Tony ruefully says his father always dragged him along on these weekends, and his job was to carry the bucket so the guys (for the sake of authenticity) could go to the bathroom.Tony: They called me their little poo boy.
[Ziva and McGee both crack up.] - Large Ham: Tony, mugging for the camera with a stuffed bear in the Smithsonian's basement.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Ziva's first of many. The villain pushes Ducky forward and takes aim at an unarmed Ziva... in the distance, Gibbs and Tony hear a gunshot and take off running. When they arrive on the scene, the villain is lying dead with Ziva's knife embedded in her chest, and her two henchmen are facedown with Ziva holding them at gunpoint.Tony: Remind me never to piss her off.
Gibbs: Oh DiNozzo, you have no idea. - Schizo Tech: In-Universe. In the Cold Open, the Smithsonian archaeologist pries open a Civil War-era casket, and finds what appears to be a mummified Civil War-era soldier, wearing a Civil War-era uniform... then finds a cell phone in his hand and realizes something isn't right.
- Seen It All:Ziva: A Marine dressed up as a Civil War soldier, who was shot with a musket ball and buried alive inside a 150-year-old iron casket... and you're saying this isn't your strangest case?
Tony: Yeah.
McGee: Pretty much. - Worthless Treasure Twist: Subverted. The case has all the trappings of a hunt for buried treasure, but the second casket, when unearthed, contains only a stockpile of 19th Century firearms. However, these are highly valuable collectibles, worth tens of thousands of dollars each.
