Directed by James Whitmore Jr.
Written by Gary Glasberg
Two runners at the US Naval Academy find an unattended car and the body of a civilian physician, prompting Gibbs and company investigate. Vance recognizes the MO of a North Korean woman assassin, Lee Wuan Kai.
- Accent Slip-Up: Juliet's all-American accent and smile vanish as soon as Tim rumbles her, replaced with her native Afrikaaner accent.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Kai. As Kai's body is wheeled out of Vance's home, the episode ends with Gibbs looking at a picture of a young Kai when she was smiling young girl before her country turned her into an assassin.
- Arch-Enemy: Kai is Leon's "one who got away," the one target he chased all across the world for years yet was never able to catch or kill, and on a more personal note, the one who killed his partner.
- Asshole Victim: Kai's first victim, Dr. Cirraux, whom the North Korean government recruited as the "Dr. Frankenstein" of their program to turn young girls into assassins. As shown by the overreaction of one of his nurses when Tony and McGee try to interview her, he also made a habit of harassing his female colleagues.
- Bait-and-Switch: When Leon comes to his house near the climax, he finds two of the agents lying on the ground, presumably dead. It turns out that Kai had simply tranquilized them.
- Bait-and-Switch Comment:
- Call-Back: To "Truth and Consequences", Agent Dunham welcomes Ziva back after her abduction.Ziva: Thank you for your help during the mission, Agent Dunham.
Dunham: Anything to help a lady.
[Ziva grins.] - Deadly Doctor: Dr. Cirraux, who used his medical knowledge to "mold" young North Korean girls into cold-blooded killers.
- Death Seeker: After completing her mission of revenge, Kai takes Jackie hostage and begs Vance to kill her, claiming that she had already died thirty years ago. Vance refuses, and tries to talk her down instead, but Jackie ends up granting her wish in order to save both herself and her husband.Vance: It doesn't have to end like this, Kai.
Kai: My life ended thirty years ago. You think it matters what happens now? - Defusing the Tyke-Bomb: Vance, somewhat to his own surprise, tries this on Kai, seeing her as the victim of her government's indoctrination instead of wanting revenge for killing his partner. Whether it would have worked or not is uncertain, because Jackie shoots her first.
- Diplomatic Back Channel: North Korea sends a message by another country to the US to inform them Kai is a rogue assassin at this moment and not killing on their orders.
- Downer Ending: Kai succeeds in killing the two men she wanted dead (even if they were Asshole Victims). Then when Kai tries Suicide by Cop via Vance, he refuses to do so and tries to talk her down, but Jackie ends up killing Kai anyway in order to save him.
- Dramatic Gun Cock: Tony and McGee knock on a suspect's door. Hearing a shotgun being racked allows them to dive out of the way a second before the suspect blasts a hole in the door.
- Fake American: In-Universe. Juliet speaks with Lindy Booth's honeyed natural voice, until Tim rumbles her disguise, and reveals herself to be an Afrikaaner.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: In the beginning when Gibbs charges in with his customary "Grab your gear!" he gestures with the hand holding his coffee, accidently spilling some on his hand and shaking it in pain.
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Agent Dunham, last seen in "Truth and Consequences", presents himself at the Navy Yard, looking much less scruffy than he did on his video call from the Djibouti desert.
- Honey Trap: Tim falls victim to this when an assassin gets close to him to get information on Kai's whereabouts.
- I Cannot Self-Terminate: Kai invokes this by attempting to get Vance to kill her in self-defense. Jackie ends up being the one to pull the trigger with one of the knocked-out agents' guns.
- Improperly Paranoid: When Tony and McGee arrive at her home to interview Dr. Cirraux's former nurse (who filed sexual harassment charges against him), she blasts a hole in her door with a shotgun and assumes they are thugs sent by Cirraux to rough her up.
- I Never Said It Was Poison: McGee realizes something is up when his new girlfriend shows up at the Navy Yard. When she claims that she told him where he worked, he states that he makes it a point to never tell anyone where he works. Sure enough, she turns out to be an assassin.
- It's Personal: Vance is obsessed with Kai, who killed his partner. As a Death Seeker, she's counting on him to be sufficiently motivated to finally kill her.
- Killing in Self-Defense: Jackie ends up shooting Kai with one of the knocked-out agents' guns in order to save her husband.
- Revenge: Kai's main motivation is to kill the two men who had forced her to become an assassin against her will. She succeeds at the end.
- Riddle for the Ages: Two are presented here, both never given an answer:
- Why did Kai spare Leon when she had him dead to rights, just after killing his partner?
- How was Kai able to survive being shot almost directly in the heart by Leon?
- Suicide by Cop: In the end, Kai begs Leon to do this to her. He refuses, but Jackie grants her death wish.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Kai has a strange obsession with Vance because he's been pursuing her for so long. Ducky theorizes that Kai (who's never been in love or any kind of relationship), views Vance, in a bizarre way, as her "life partner," which is why she wants him to be the one who finally kills her.
- Tyke Bomb: Kai was one.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As Kai's body is wheeled out of Vance's home, the episode ends with Gibbs looking at a picture of a young Kai when she was smiling young girl.
- Villainous Rescue: Kai is killing the people who hurt her in her youth, but she still takes time to save Tim when the assassin getting close to him draws a weapon.
- Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Before the climactic confrontation between Vance and Kai, the latter waited for the former's kids to leave the house before tranquilizing the agents posted out front and taking Jackie hostage. She explains she didn't want his children to get dragged into the situation.
