Directed by Dennis Smith
Written by Donald P. Bellisario, Laurence Walsh, & Christopher Silber
Season 3, Episode 23:
A bomb blast aboard a Navy ship puts Gibbs into a coma. The team has to scramble to find out what criminal or terrorist plot he stumbled on, without their leader to guide them. When Gibbs regains consciousness, he has no memory of anything after his service as a Marine in the first Persian Gulf War.
Hiatus (Part I)
- And I Must Scream: Gibbs is put in a coma by a head injury and effectively trapped in a never-ending nightmare about the death of his first wife and daughter (presumably the worst moments of his life). Surprisingly, he doesn't seem any worse for wear once he recovers.
- Anything but That!: When Tony mentions The Sound of Music, Ziva says she loves that movie, and opens her mouth to sing, causing Tony to clap his hand over her mouth and say if she lets out one note, she will be locked in a room for 24 hours with "It's A Small World" on a continuous loop. Instead of snapping his wrist, she meekly responds, "Mmm-hmm." Some things are too scary for even a Mossad-trained assassin.
- Big Brother Instinct: Upon realizing how uncomfortable McGee is to look at what could be Gibbs's remains after the bombing, Tony quickly gives him a redundant order just so McGee has an excuse to be elsewhere.Tony: All right, I cut the probie some slack. It's a bad day.
- Bilingual Backfire: When Ziva takes away the captain's cigar during interrogation:Captain: (in Turkish) Bitch...
McGee: What did he say?
Ziva: (in Turkish) How would you like this bitch to apply that cigar to your testicles?
McGee: Wait... what did you say to him?
Ziva: That I understood him. - Bitch Slap: Abby delivers one to Ziva after scolding her for not showing any sign of concern for Gibbs, and Ziva slaps her in return.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: In this episode, Ducky had no idea until Shepherd told him that Gibbs had a fourth wife (his first, in addition to the three that Ducky knew about), or that said wife was violently killed along with his daughter, indicating they did not meet until after Gibbs left the Marines and joined NIS (later NCIS). This creates a Continuity Snarl with later episodes like "Everything Starts Somewhere", which shows the two meeting while Gibbs is still a Sergeant in the Corps (i.e., before or during his marriage to Shannon).
- Genghis Gambit: Tony encourages Ziva and Abby to gang up on him as a way of getting over their animosity towards each other. It's not Gibbs's management style, but it's effective:Tony: Now shake hands. Shake. [Abby and Ziva awkwardly shake hands.] How about a little hug? Big buddy hug. Come on. [Abby and Ziva awkwardly hug.] There we go. Now a deep tongue kiss. [Abby and Ziva both punch Tony in the chest.] Now we feel better.
- Girl on Girl Is Hot: Tony tries to get Abby and Ziva to French kiss (in order for them to make up) after finding out they attacked each other.
- Gut Punch: A literal in-universe example: When Tony tries to invoke Girl on Girl Is Hot above, both Abby and Ziva punch him in the gut.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Now that he's team leader, Tony shows up before everyone else in the squadroom, instead of after.
- Oh, Crap!: When Ziva reveals to the Turkish captain under interrogation that she's Mossad, he mutters "God help me."
- The Reveal: Turns out that Gibbs had a wife and daughter before the three divorces. And they were murdered by a drug dealer. And Gibbs killed him in revenge.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Jenny rushes into the hospital from a formal function, demanding to see Gibbs. The desk nurse tells her she's not allowed, and Jenny calmly dials her cell phone and reveals to the nurse that she's on first-name terms with the National Security Advisor. She also implies that she could call the President if she wanted to, but "that would be overkill."
- Shout-Out: In-Universe in the opening scene, to The Usual Suspects.
- As only family members are allowed in the emergency room, Director Shepherd needed some help from a higher-up. Who better to convince the head nurse than the first black woman-of-color Secretary of State
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- As only family members are allowed in the emergency room, Director Shepherd needed some help from a higher-up. Who better to convince the head nurse than the first black woman-of-color Secretary of State
- Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee: Mike Franks leaves the file on Pedro Hernandez (who killed Shannon and Kelly) on his desk while he goes to take a leak. This gives Gibbs the intel he needs to take care of things himself.
- Stiff Upper Lip: Ziva is the most professional out of the team with covering the case, and gets called out by Abby for seemingly being indifferent to Gibbs' condition, culminating in the two slapping each other. Right after that, as Ziva is washing her face in the bathroom, her devastated facial expression shows that she's actually and privately taking it worse than she's letting on.
- Wham Line: After waking up from the bomb blast, Gibbs says he's unable to recognise Ducky.Gibbs: I... I don't know [Ducky].
