Directed by Rocky Carroll
Written by Breandan Fehily
After McGee and Torres visit the home of a high schooler who witnessed a hit and run, her parents flee with their daughter, leaving NCIS in the lurch. Also, Vance’s daughter is arrested for shoplifting.
Tropes:
- An Aesop: When you turn 18 your screwups will affect you for the rest of your life. Christopher Bell got in a fight at 18 which made him ineligible to adopt a baby.
- The B plot deals with this as well since Vance’s daughter Kayla covers for her friend when she is caught stealing since she is 18 and Kayla is only 17.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Tim and Bishop have this moment when Abby reveals that the odds of a baby having brown eyes when the parents both have blue eyes is astronomical, leading them to realize she isn't their biological daughter. As it turns out, she was taken by the adults when her biological mother died of an overdose, while her father was in prison.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: Notably averted. When Vance shows up at the police station, the detective is surprised that Kayla is the daughter of a Federal Agency Director, and openly wonders why Kayla isn't using her father's influence to have the charges against her lessened. It's a sign that Kayla took the blame for the stolen purse to cover for a friend.
- Taking the Heat: Kayla's friend gets caught shoplifting a purse. Kayla takes the blame for it, because since she's still 17, she wouldn't get in as much trouble as the friend, who's 18. When Vance figures this out, Kayla neither confirms or denies this.
