NCIS recap: Donna Kauffman looks for a happy ending this time

So, have you picked your jaw up off the floor after last week's shocking episode? I should warn you right now, if you haven't watched it yet, stop reading right this very second. Because we're going to talk about it. Probably for the rest of the season, we'll be talking about it. Life has forever altered once again for our Gibbs.

This week, we're being invited to a little romance fun (right up my alley!) but then, you know, last week we were lured in with a pretty cute Gibbs-runs-into-the-ex-wife-we-never-met and we all know how that turned out. So, you'll pardon me, Show, if I hold off from going all "wheeee, this episode is SO cute and adorable tonight!" and keep the tissues handy. Just in case.

So, let's get on with our murder of the week, shall we? And hope it's someone we haven't gotten to know for a few seasons.

Keepin' it timely, we open in Northern Syria, in small, shabby quarters, someone cooking, someone on a computer, music playing. Man walks in with an AK-47-style gun, clearly knows the occupants, walks through the kitchen, opens the door to the hall, and immediately gets gunned down in a hail of bullets by what appears to be a team of U.S. soldiers — SEALs, I'm assuming. The other two occupants meet the same fate as the team works their way through the rooms, taking out other gunmen as they go. They make their way to a locked back room, shoot their way in, to find a woman in a burka, who turns out to be the American hostage they have come to rescue.

OK, you have my attention. Cue awesome theme song! Opening credits!

Our episode title tonight: The Enemy Within

Let's just hope we end the show with the same number of regular and semi-regular cast members that we begin with.

We are now in Gibbs' basement, where he is working on his new boat project, and in the background, we see the news discussing the return of the American hostage to the States to an undisclosed location. In comes Director Vance, who has brought Gibbs a carved box and the news that the hostage, Sarah Good, is coming to D.C. NCIS has been tasked with debriefing her. Vance also confirms it was a SEAL team that rescued her, and the evidence they collected there is also on the way.

Gibbs examines the hand-carved wooden box, comments on the good workmanship, as Vance tells him it belonged to his deceased wife's grandmother, who wanted his daughter to have it. It's been banged up a bit, and he'd like Gibbs to fix it. Throughout this conversation, Gibbs is responding in the positive to the requests being made, but is very low key, even for Gibbs, which is to be expected after what happened on the last ep. No cue yet on the time lapse from last week to this one.

To that end, Vance notes the photo of Mishnev tacked to the wall. Gibbs' own most-wanted list. He comments that they will get the guy, prompting Gibbs to ask if he's being checked up on and reassuring Vance that he's fine. Yeah. He hasn't been fine since his first wife died. Vance also remarks on his surprise that there was no memorial service for Diane, and Gibbs says she never wanted one. He asks about Fornell and Gibbs says he's not doing too well, that he took a leave of absence. The two were looking to remarry, and now he's a truly single parent.

We shift to the Super Special Agent Bullpen and Tony entering with a hot-rod magazine, talking about the latest Corvette, thinking he might get one. McGee reveals to Bishop that Tony's previous Corvette was totaled during a televised high-speed chase. So, I guess this has become the season of #TBT. Only the second T in this case stands for Tuesday. Tony heads off for coffee and McGee is wondering about his mellow attitude of late, and checks out his desk for mood stabilizers. He gives Bishop more background for his suspicions, then pours coffee on the cover of his hot-rod magazine to prove that Tony's present mood is not the norm for him.

Gibbs enters as Bishop looks on, horrified at the ruined magazine, imagining Tony's retaliation. Gibbs informs her that the interview with the hostage has been set and we go to our Screen of All Knowing to see what the team has learned about her thus far. She was abducted from where she was doing aid work at an orphanage and is shown in a hostage video begging the U.S. to pay her abductors … but that never happened. Tony returns, and as McGee predicted, shrugs off the coffee spill, earning a stymied frown from Bishop.

Gibbs heads down to Abby Lab, who has found another set of prints on one of the guns the SEALs retrieved from the hostage location, which doesn't match any of the ones they have as being at that location. The more interesting thing is the print belongs to a guy with a Maryland driver's license. Meaning one of Sarah's captors was an American. Fade to black and white.

We come back to the Special Agent Bullpen with Tony sharing that the father of our American terrorist was born in Syria and came to the U.S. as a boy, died when his son was 12. His mother is an American grade-school teacher, still kicking, and our terrorist is a college grad with a degree in environmental science. He was arrested during the 2010 protests against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, investigated, and cleared by the FBI. Presently he's with terrorists in Syria. Gibbs and Bishop head off to Q&A the hostage while McGee heads out to talk to our home-grown terrorist's mom.

We shift to the hotel with Sarah, who reveals she was held captive for 10 months, has no family, which is why she works with homeless kids. Gibbs shows her the photo of our American terrorist. She doesn't recognize him, says the men who dealt with her wore hoods, and none had an American accent that she could tell. Could be me, but I'm not sure she's telling the truth about not knowing our AT. When she asks if he was killed in the raid, my suspicion increases. Bishop comments that she's turned down all media requests for interviews — more red flags — and she gives not liking the spotlight as her excuse. The one request she does make is to hear a visiting imam's speech, as she feels his anti-violence views reflects those of the Muslims she knew. Apparently, there is a fatwa on the imam, so he is a targeted man. When asked where she will go, she says she wants to go back to Syria to continue her work with the kids. She knows she can't go back until the area is stabilized. I realize this is a blend of current world news and a fictional storyline, but my immediate response is, um, don't hold your breath.

We skip to Vance in MTAC, listening to a talking head tell him about the disaffected American youths who are targeted by terrorist recruiters overseas, often via social media, and in many cases, with their family and friends being completely unaware. Gibbs comes in as a photo of a Detroit gang leader-turned-terrorist who died in Syria flashes on the screen. We learn that they are aware of at least a dozen Americans who have left the U.S. to fight for the regimes, and they can be prevented from returning, but clearly there are many the U.S. doesn't know about, like our current guy.

Now it's McGee's and Tony's turn with AT's young, suburban soccer mom of a mama. She is happy to see them, says a member of NCIS spoke to her students on Career Day. So, yeah. This isn't going to go well for her. She thinks he's traveling in Greece. They tell her otherwise, but she's goes the denial route. She said her deceased husband was not religious or political, and their son attended a parochial high school. She heard from him a few weeks ago via e-mail. They learn he want to Europe with a girlfriend, who has since come back to the U.S. after their relationship ended. She provides the ex-gf's cell number.

Back at HQ, Ducky has reviewed Bishop's debrief report on Sarah as she feels she missed something. You mean, like all those giant red flags? And you call yourself an agent. You should have asked a writer to do the interview. Her concern is that Sarah seems to be handling her return to civilian life almost too well, and Ducky reminds her that almost a quarter of PTSD cases don't start immediately upon the person's return to normal life. She tells Ducky that Sarah wants to go back to Syria, and Ducky fears that would be a mistake, as it could trigger a breakdown. Or, you know, allow her to work with her American-born, half-Syrian terrorist boyfriend. But I digress.

Back with Tony and McGee, McGee wonders out loud to Tony why he is being so nice of late, but gets nothing substantive to help him figure it out. They head up to a Diva Dogs big industrial truck and knock. Inside is our AT's former girlfriend, who immediately flirts with Tony in that meet-cute kind of way. She reveals she hasn't seen, heard, spoken with AT in months, and left him and Europe behind when he started hanging out with what she felt were extremist undesirables. As they take their leave, McGee finally puts it together. Tony is seeing someone. Otherwise, no way would he have not flirted back with the clearly flirting diva doggie groomer, but Tony shrugs that off.

Then we're back in HQ as Leon charges in and says their worst fears have been confirmed. Our AT is back on American soil. Landed two days ago, before he was added to the no-fly list. Fade to black and white.

We come back to HQ as McGee shows Gibbs clips of AT at Dulles airport, saying they lost him while he was there, no sight of him since. All agencies are on alert. And … aw. I knew this was coming because we saw him on the opening credits. Their briefing is interrupted by the entrance of Fornell, who is in Casual Friday street clothes. Tony gives him a hug, which seems to disconcert him a little. He explains his bald head, saying he was working undercover before Diane's murder. Bishop gives him her condolences, asks after his daughter. He says it's been pretty rough and that her maternal grandmother is helping out. McGee gives his condolences as well, calls him Tobias. Fornell shakes his hand, thanks him, calls him Tim, said he knew Diane liked him, that they were close. McGee is all, "Um, not that close."

Gibbs diverts Fornell by asking him why he's there. As it turns out, Fornell was the FBI agent who personally investigated our AT and cleared him of criminal intent. He murmurs on how in 2010 the kid was protesting the wars. "Look at him now." Tony reminds him the guy was young and people change, but Fornell feels he missed something and should have put him on a watch list. McGee tells Gibbs that AT's mom is in the conference room and off Gibbs goes, with a pat on the arm to Fornell and a promise to call him later.

Only Fornell follows him, telling him he thinks it's FBI jurisdiction, but mostly he just needs to get back to work. Says the toll of a hormonal, grief-stricken teen, along with his mother-in-law — who also happened to be Gibbs' mom-in-law back in the day — and, yeah, Gibbs gets it. He lets Fornell tag along. The mom says she e-mailed her son and asked to meet in Greece but got the runaround. They tell her he's back in the U.S., but she's still in Denial Land, saying for sure he'd have contacted her if he was back. Fornell reminds her that it's imperative she tell them if she hears from him, but she claims that though he's political, he's not evil. Gibbs asks who he might contact now that he's back.

A knock on the door has Abby entering to speak to Gibbs, then, on spying Fornell, rushing over to wrap him up in an Abby hug. Gibbs and Fornell remind her they're in the middle of an interview. Love you, Abs. We click over to the three of them entering Abby Lab as she tells them she was digging through an external hard drive the SEALs retrieved from the hostage site. She tested the cover for touch DNA and discovered yet another American working with the terrorists. Only this guy was a soldier. Booted out for bad conduct, also has an arrest record, served six months, converted to Islam in prison. Last known whereabouts? Turkey, a year ago. We get a "holy crap" from McGee, who just discovered the guy's passport was scanned at Dulles 15 minutes earlier. Fornell and Tim start trying to find the guy in airport camera footage, worrying that if he's grown a beard, it could make it tricky.

Tony, Bishop and Gibbs are mobile, as Bishop gives them the rundown on AT2. Parents still living, entered the military straight from high school, an ex-gf and 7-year-old son he doesn't support. No obvious connections to anyone in D.C. The car's Bluetooth rings, making our Luddite Gibbs look at the steering wheel with a frown as Tony instructs him how to answer the call, earning raised eyebrows from Gibbs. Heh. A much-needed moment of levity. McGee has footage of AT2 getting in a cab and has the cab number. Fornell wants the locals to round him up, but Gibbs wants to see if he leads them to AT1. Tim goes through the cab dispatcher to access the taxi's GPS.

We shift to the cabbie, with AT2 in the backseat. Gibbs gets a call through to the cabbie so they can get AT2's destination. AT2 hears the cabbie give his location to his dispatcher and pulls out a pen, dismantles it, and takes out a bullet. He then whispers into an old flip phone cellphone, "It's me, leave now," then instructs the cabbie to pull over and let him out right there. He exits the cab with backpack and suitcase. And bullet. This info — sans the bullet part — is relayed back to McGee and team. Gibbs lets Tony and Bishop out to track on foot, then races past the guy and blocks him. He leaps out as Tony and Bishop round the corner behind him, all with guns drawn. AT2 shoots himself in the head with the plastic gun he had in his hand.

Not that I mind a dead terrorist, but I wouldn't mind a week off from bullets to the head. M'kay, thanks.

Back at the scene after commercial break, the body is leaving the scene in the examiner's van as Fornell and Gibbs ruminate over whether AT1 also has a plastic gun he got through security. Around the corner comes a television news van. ZNN. I've always loved that. Why bother trying to be any less obvious? Tony reports that upon checking at the hotel that was AT2's destination, the desk clerk can confirm that AT1 was there but left 10 minutes ago. Which was when AT2 warned him from the cab. They learned he'd paid for a full week in cash. So he had plans in D.C.

In Ducky's Digs, he has AT2's medical records, and everything lines up. He notices there are razor scrapes on his face indicating a recent removal of a beard, an old gang tat on his shoulder, and he also had an Army Ranger tat on his arm that had been covered with a more elaborate tattoo, leading Ducky to say he was a disgruntled soldier. Ya think?

Back to HQ and Tony ogling the hot-rod mag. Is this were we get the promised romantic tidbit from last week's sneak episode peeks? Because, poor Diane notwithstanding, we could really (really) use a lightening-up right about now. I mean, all the way back to Tim's father dying, there has been a rather funereal pall hanging over the show. Powerful, and yes, lots of levity early on last week, but that was lost entirely due to how it ended … so a wee bit more balance in the offing, I hope. Even as we eventually track down and eliminate our Big Bad. Aaand, ask and ye shall receive. In strolls Zoe Keates, Tony's long-ago knockout cop partner, now an ATF agent, whom we met before the winter break, the one who still calls him by his old nickname, Spider. She tells him she's there on official business. Abby called her to look at the plastic gun.

Tony reminds her the Abby Lab is a floor down and is all professional and, "So, what can I do to help you?" while she leans in and reminds him of something he left at her place. That morning. Before rushing out. HA! About dang time something good happened to someone on this show. He claims he was, you know, a little lightheaded. Heh. What did he leave? She lifts a pair of handcuffs. HA squared! He's all "hoo boy" embarrassed as he pockets them quickly, mentioning his thanks for the key and how good and locked up she'd been. Hunh. She sees him all glancing about and wants to know if they're supposed to be keeping their relationship on the down-low. He confides that he doesn't want to be the top item of interest on the office grapevine, so he hasn't told anyone. He gets a little closer, says they're doing pretty well in their relationship and she agrees. "I don't want to spoil it." The tension is at rowr levels of steam as she lifts her mouth within a hint of his to whisper, "OK," causing him to clear his throat and get all, "You're very dangerous" as he steps back. I'm very much enjoying this. More, please! He escorts her out as McGee and Bishop reveal their hiding place behind the bullpen corral. Nice. Bishop thinks Tony's in love. McGee thinks he's at least in heat.

Down in Abby Lab, we find out that the gun was produced by a 3-D printer. And I really wish they'd explain in lay terms exactly how that works, because I keep meaning to look that up in case I ever want to use it in a book, but gosh, gee, where does the time go? Sadly, I am denied. We do learn that all parts are plastic except the firing pin, it can only hold one bullet, and it has lousy aim outside of close range. Also it degrades after a few uses. In comes an ear-to-ear grinning McGee and Bishop, all twinkly eyed as Tony introduces them again to Agent Keates. Abby wants to know if they came down for something and McGee improvises, Abby catches on and backs him up. Tony and Zoe exit, and McGee and Bishop spill the lovebird beans to Abby, who is all, "And he didn't say anything?" McGee thinks that they're not getting the typical TMI rundown because this time, he's serious. (And because it bears repeating: Finally!)

We head upstairs to the director's office as Gibbs and Fornell tell Vance that NCIS and FBI teams are staking out AT1's house in case he tries to contact his soccer mama. None of his friends claim to have heard from him. Fornell gets beeped to go pick up his daughter from ballet and heads out. Vance stops him and says, "You need somebody to talk to, we got a lot in common." No lie. They need to shift to something other than wife killings on this show. And the female-agent killings, for that matter. Other than Franks, it's pretty much always the women who exit the program, stage death. Once Fornell goes, Vance asks Gibbs if Fornell's OK, and Gibbs says no, but he's keeping an eye on him.

Next up is Gibbs going to visit our American hostage. Finally, we circle back to my red flags. She's happy enough to see him, but says she thought she was done and could get on with her life. She asks if there's something else. He tells her that the man they asked her to ID, the one she said she never saw, was back in the country. She asks if she's in danger. He says no, she was held for ransom halfway around the world, that it was all about money, so there would be no point in doing anything to her on U.S. soil. He wants to ask her about AT2. She says no, then asks if he's back, too. Gibbs tells her he killed himself before they could question him, and watches her closely. (OK, OK, so maybe it was AT2, not 1, but hey! On the right track!) Gibbs is doing the deep stare, and she holds up pretty well, but we know he knows. And we know we know. He doesn't push, gets up to leave, then at the door, turns to ask if she's OK. She smiles, assures him she is. He gives her his card, in case she wants to talk.

She turns, dumps the card in the trash, then says, "Fayid." And out walks AT1 from the bathroom. HA! (Hey, I had enough with the jaw drop from last week. I'm relieved to be one-up on them this week.) She tells him AT2 is dead and that her being back means they can use all of that to their advantage.

Back in HQ, Gibbs asks McGee if he knows where Tony is. McGee is all deer-in-headlights, and Gibbs says it's probably "that ATF gal." Heh. McGee, relieved, says, "You know? Of course you know." What Gibbs doesn't know is why Tony's keeping it secret. In comes Vance asking for an update. He's off to the imam luncheon and asks to be kept informed. We shift to Fornell in a car with Bishop, staking out AT1's mama's place. He's talking about the terrifying prospect of single parenting a teenage girl. Bishop commiserates that her gender can be difficult. He reveals he moved into Diane's place. Bishop nods, less disruption for his daughter is a good thing. He murmurs that he probably would have anyway, only Diane's not there now, then goes on to add that his daughter is the center of his universe but how she's on the verge of womanhood and he's not good with all that stuff. Bishop smiles, offers her help. He says he'd appreciate it. Nice moment. She probes a bit to find out how he's doing, but he keeps the focus on his daughter.

They get a call that AT1 is on the phone with his mama, and they're trying to triangulate to figure out where he is. Won't that be a surprise. Mama heads out of the house and directly to their car. She tells them about the call, that he asked for money. She said he sounded frightened, strange, and she wants it to end before he hurts himself or anyone else. (Finally, a parent on TV who does the right thing. Good job, soccer mama.)

Back at Abby Lab, where Abby is telling Gibbs she has dug into the external hard drive and is still digging, as McGee comes in with the AT1 phone call news, and out goes Gibbs. We shift to AT1 on a curb in a hooded jacket. He crosses the street as he spies his mom's car, only when he opens the door, it's Bishop. In squeals Fornell and McGee and Gibbs, and he's cornered and cuffed. We shift from there to Sarah heading in through a metal detector to see the imam speak … aaaand it all comes together. She's there to kill him. Vance is already there, notices her, comes over to talk. She apologizes for not being of any help with their investigation. Vance shares that he too is a fan of the imam, and she tells him that she has a private invitation to speak with him afterward. Mmm hmm. Here we go.

We go back to AT1 in interrogation with Gibbs, being the arrogant young terrorist we expect him to be. He's watching the clock. All he has to do is keep Gibbs involved until Sarah can carry out her evil deed. Gibbs joins Fornell and Ducky behind the glass. Fornell says with AT2 dead and AT1 in custody, Homeland has lowered the threat level (big mistake) and Gibbs knows something isn't right. Ducky concurs. He doesn't think AT1 is the martyr type who'd kill himself, but rather would let himself be taken hostage, bask in the spotlight. (Pssst, Obiwan Gibbs, this is the clue you're looking for!) Bishop ducks in to tell Gibbs that Abby wants him. She's finally cracked all the files, which includes the unedited version of our kidnap victim's ransom plea. So we're going all the way to hit-me-over-the-head-with-the-clue. Oookay. Yes, AT1 used his mama to draw the attention to himself, allowed himself to be captured, so … well, you know the rest. Out races Gibbs! (Because it's the theme of the show tonight … Finally!)

So, they're still up in the bullpen trying to piece Sarah's story together. Not one of them has put the imam piece into the puzzle. Which is a little walk-us-through-every-step irritating, but we can wait for them to catch up. Or fast-forward. Your call. But it happens quickly enough. As Vance heads out of the lunch, he gets the call. Sarah is still inside, in line for her private handshake. She's next in line as Vance races back to the room. Will. He. Make. It? Unlike last week, this time our agent in charge does save the day, and they drag her out as she screams epithets in Arabic.

Back in the bullpen, Tony is trying to get Bishop to do the reports so he can head out. Gibbs, with Fornell behind him, asks if he has somewhere to be. He's all, "Yeah, sorta," looking at his watch. In from the elevator comes McGee and … Zoe. Oooh. Ending on a good note this week! Tony's up and nervously asking, "What are you doing here?" And she's all, "Relax, Spider, they know about us." "Who knows?" he asks, to a chorus of "We all know" from the peanut gallery. Heh. "It's about time," Gibbs mutters. "Jeez." Zoe announces that in honor of them being outed, Tony is buying everyone a round. This is news to him. Which I like. Very much. Go get him, ATF Agent Zoe! The crew leaves as Gibbs and Fornell beg off the round of drinks. Fornell invites Gibbs to dinner with him and his daughter — and Gibbs' former mom-in-law. Gibbs begs off. On their way out, Fornell says, "I miss her." More than he could imagine. He said it was a lot better the second time around. "God, I loved her. It should have been me." He glances back at the picture of our Big Bad. He makes Gibbs promise that when he gets Sergei, Fornell gets a piece of him. They look at the photo.

Fade to black and white.

A poignant end, bringing us full circle, but with a little positive to lighten the mood. Thank you, Show, for giving us a little something something. And a good something something it was, too!

Let's keep the good mood going, shall we? Last week I put up the full set of my current Bachelors of Blueberry Cove series and you all responded ever so enthusiastically. Thank you! Our winner is … Eugenia Traylor! Eugenia, drop me an e-mail to dmkauffman1@gmail.com with an address and your books will be on their way!

So, I feel like we bonded last week over the tragic jaw-dropping death of Diane Gibbs-Fornell, and I just can't leave you out there, empty-handed and all. So, in addition to the snazzy new giveaway below, if you'd like a postcard with all the news about my upcoming release, include an address with your contest entry and I'll pop one in the mail to ya. Also feel free to include any or all commentary on last week's gasp-worthy episode or tonight's ep, because I love to hear your dish, and you know, fair's fair since you got mine. Being as we're all NCIS BFFs and all now.

Giveaway! Up for grabs this week are my Cupcake Club books! Yep, all four of 'em. Hey, it's winter, it's cold, we could all use a fun story and a few truly awesome cupcake recipes, right? Hot mug of cocoa, sweet cupcake and a good book sounds pretty much like heaven to me. Interested? Drop me an e-mail to dmkauffman1@gmail.com with "Mmm, cupcakes, hot cocoa, and the Cupcake Club. I'm in!" in the subject line. In the e-mail, just let me know which one you want. Sugar Rush, Sweet Stuff, Babycakes or Honey Pie. I'll name the four winners when we come back in two weeks.

In the meantime, drop on by my FB page for all the latest fun and frivolity and a few extra chances each week to win stuff. I know, I give and I give. I'm a giver. Come join in!