NCIS (season 5)

NCIS (season 5)
NCIS season 5 DVD cover art
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	19
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Original run	September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25) – May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20)
Home video release
DVD release date	August 26, 2008 (Region 1)
Season chronology
← Previous Season 4 Next → Season 6
List of NCIS episodes

This is a list of episodes for the fifth season of the police procedural drama NCIS. The fifth season premiered on September 25, 2007 and marks the end of Donald Bellisario's involvement as show runner.^[1] It concludes the La Grenouille storyline which ended with a cliffhanger in season four's finale, "Angel of Death". The fifth season also reveals more background information about Gibbs' past before NCIS.

The strike-shortened season ended with its 19th episode on May 20, 2008; the strike-caused gap is between episodes 11 and 12. The season ended with a two-part season finale called "Judgment Day". The season featured the departure of recurring characters Colonel Hollis Mann and Jeanne Benoit, as well as the death of Jenny Shepard, one of the main characters.The Writer Guild strike limited episode production and the DVD set had only five discs instead of six.

From this season on, the opening sequence was shorted to an even 30 second duration instead of the normal 37-44 second duration in the previous seasons.

Cast

Character	Portrayed by	Main cast	Recurring cast
Leroy Jethro Gibbs	Mark Harmon	entire season	N/A
Anthony DiNozzo	Michael Weatherly	entire season	N/A
Ziva David	Cote de Pablo	entire season	N/A
Abby Sciuto	Pauley Perrette	entire season	N/A
Timothy McGee	Sean Murray	entire season	N/A
Jennifer Shepard	Lauren Holly	entire season	N/A
Donald 'Ducky' Mallard	David McCallum	entire season	N/A
Jimmy Palmer	Brian Dietzen	N/A	entire season
Leon Vance	Rocky Carroll	N/A	episode 14 onwards

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	U.S. viewers (millions)
95	1	"Bury Your Dead"	Thomas J. Wright	Shane Brennan	September 25, 2007 (2007-09-25)	13.89[2]
Directly following the events from the previous episode, "Angel of Death", Tony is still undercover as Anthony DiNardo and meets Jeanne's father, La Grenouille, who is aware of Tony's true identity. The team are also led to the assumption that Tony is dead, as while watching the security cameras, Tony's car explodes and Ducky's analysis indicates the body could be that of Tony. Director Shepard reveals to Agent Gibbs and his team that she had given Tony an undercover mission to build a relationship with Jeanne in hopes of capturing La Grenouille after spending nearly ten years searching for him. La Grenouille approaches Director Shepard for protection after deciding to quit the arms smuggling business against the CIA's wishes. However, Shepard refuses his plea for asylum out of pure spite. The team tries to track down La Grenouille again and find his boat, but not the man himself. They believe he made his escape and leave, until the camera pans to the water to show La Grenouille's floating corpse while also revealing that he has sustained a single gunshot wound to his forehead. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, Scottie Thompson as Jeanne Benoit, David Dayan Fisher as Trent Kort. Final Appearance of: La Grenouille
96	2	"Family"	Martha Mitchell	Steven Binder	October 2, 2007 (2007-10-02)	16.43[3]
A Petty Officer is thought to have died in a car accident until inconsistencies at the scene indicate that the Petty Officer was murdered and was not the driver of the crashed car. When the car's driver is later found, Ducky conducts the autopsy and discovers that she had been beaten to death and had given birth not long beforehand, leading the team to believe that the killer has taken her child.
97	3	"Ex-File"	Dennis Smith	Alfonso Moreno	October 9, 2007 (2007-10-09)	16.36[4]
Two women find a dead Marine Captain on an Army base, one of whom is his wife, the other is Gibbs' third ex-wife. As Special Agent Gibbs and Lt. Colonel Mann conduct a joint investigation between NCIS and the Army into the murder, a DIA agent is sent to overlook Abby's handling of the Captain's laptop, which contains highly classified information. Gibbs becomes uncomfortable when he is forced into a confrontation amongst his ex-wife, Colonel Mann, and Director Shepard. Recurring characters: Susanna Thompson as Lt. Col. Hollis Mann Final Appearance of: Lt. Col. Hollis Mann
98	4	"Identity Crisis"	Thomas J. Wright	Jesse Stern	October 16, 2007 (2007-10-16)	17.55[5]
Ducky is angered when one of his research cadavers is revealed to have been a murder victim and was mistakenly tagged as a "John Doe" and donated to science. The deceased man is identified by the team as a career felon, who was working with the FBI to track down a man suspected of supplying people with new identities. NCIS works with the FBI to capture him and find the killer. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Joe Spano as FBI Agent Fornell.
99	5	"Leap of Faith"	Dennis Smith	Frank Cardea and George Schenck	October 23, 2007 (2007-10-23)	17.26[6]
When a Navy Lieutenant who worked at the Pentagon as an intelligence officer attempts to commit suicide by jumping off a rooftop, NCIS is called in to consult the officer. After Gibbs is able to persuade the officer to step down from the ledge, the officer is shot dead, falling to his death from the rooftop. Each member of Gibbs' team has a different theory on the murder, one of which includes the officer being a mole. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Susan Kelechi Watson as NCIS Intel Analyst Nicki Jardine. First Appearance of: NCIS Intel Analyst Nicki Jardine.
100	6	"Chimera"	Terrence O'Hara	Dan Fesman	October 30, 2007 (2007-10-30)	16.33[7]
Gibbs' team is sent to investigate a death aboard USNS Chimera, a top-secret naval research ship sailing in the middle of the ocean. After boarding the ship, they find it abandoned except for a dead U.S. Navy scientist, who died from viral hemorrhagic fever. However, they suspect that they are not alone. Their investigation is further complicated by the Navy's reluctance to share information regarding the research which took place on Chimera. However, they quickly discover that the Chimera is not a research ship, but is in fact transporting a salvaged Russian nuclear warhead. A mole in the crew staged a viral outbreak to get the crew to abandon ship in preparation for the Russian strike team. The team sabotages the Chimera and steals the Russian strike team's boat, taking the warhead with them. As the team leaves, Navy jets destroy the Chimera to cover up any evidence of Navy involvement.
101	7	"Requiem"	Tony Wharmby	Shane Brennan	November 6, 2007 (2007-11-06)	18.15[8]
The episode begins with Tony retrieving Gibbs from the water and trying to revive him. It is revealed that Maddie, a childhood friend of Gibbs' deceased daughter Kelly, comes to him for help after being stalked which leads to the events of Gibbs' car driving into water. While unconscious Gibbs hallucinates that he is visited by his dead wife and daughter and is reassured that everything is fine.
102	8	"Designated Target"	Colin Bucksey	Reed Steiner	November 13, 2007 (2007-11-13)	17.39[9]
Gibbs and his team investigate the assassination of a Navy Admiral and meet a woman whose search for her husband, a political refugee from Africa, is related to the case. It turns out that a death squad by an African dictatorship who fear that the missing husband (who they only have a vague description of) will return to lead the opposition in the country. They discover the identity of the assassin and arrest him before he can finish the job.
103	9	"Lost and Found"	Martha Mitchell	David North	November 20, 2007 (2007-11-20)	17.34[10]
While a group of boy scouts are on a visit to NCIS, Abby discovers that one of the boys was reported to have been abducted in 1998, leading the team to search for his father who is running from a murder he was accused of committing in 1998. The team launches a manhunt for the father, but are hindered by the son who warns his father in advance. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer.
104	10	"Corporal Punishment"	Arvin Brown	Jesse Stern	November 27, 2007 (2007-11-27)	17.04[11]
The NCIS team pays a heavy price when they try to track down a Marine who believes he is still in Iraq. After a violent confrontation in which DiNozzo, McGee and Ziva are injured, the team realizes the Marine is the subject of a secret experiment. Things are further complicated when a Senator's aide begins interfering with the investigation, since the Marine was due to be awarded a medal by the Senator and such an incident would be bad for his public image. The team suspects that the Marine was an unknowing subject of a secret super soldier experiment, until they discover that he had been secretly taking steroids in order to qualify for the Marines. Due to drug use, the Marine is bound to be discharged and his medal withheld. Gibbs, sympathetic for the young Marine, gives him one of his own unused medals instead. First appearance of: Damon Werth
105	11	"Tribes"	Colin Bucksey	Reed Steiner	January 15, 2008 (2008-01-15)	15.82[12]
The NCIS team investigates when a Muslim Marine is found dead near a mosque that is suspected by the FBI of terrorist recruitment. Their search is delayed when Ducky refuses to autopsy the Marine in deference to the Marine's family's religious beliefs. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer.
106	12	"Stakeout"	Tony Wharmby	Frank Cardea and George Schenck	April 8, 2008 (2008-04-08)	14.05[13]
When a high-tech naval radar goes missing but is found again, the team stakes an abandoned warehouse to catch the thief - using the radar as bait. But the plan goes wrong and the radar is stolen - and a man is murdered nearby. In the end, the team manages to connect both cases - and reveal the truth behind the reason of the theft. The true culprit was the designer of the radar, because he knew that the radar was not complete and if the Navy found out, he would lose his contract. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Susan Kelechi Watson as NCIS Intel Analyst Nicki Jardine.
107	13	"Dog Tags"	Oz Scott	Dan Fesman and Alfonso Moreno	April 15, 2008 (2008-04-15)	15.13[14]
When the NCIS team investigates a fatal dog mauling of a suspected drug smuggler within the K-9, Abby risks her career in hopes of proving the victim dog's innocence to save him from being put down. The team struggles with the case, with the director threatening to end their case, when they find a new victim and finally manage to track down the drug trafficker. The trafficker was one of the K-9 trainers, who secretly replaced her drug sniffing dog with an attack dog in order to smuggle drugs. Meanwhile, Abby befriends the "killer" dog, names him "Jethro", and works to keep him from being put down as she attempts to prove the dog is not guilty. However, her landlord doesn't allow pets, so she instead forces McGee to adopt him which he grudgingly agrees to do despite the fact that the dog attacked him at the beginning of the episode. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Susan Kelechi Watson as NCIS Intel Analyst Nicki Jardine.
108	14	"Internal Affairs"	Tony Wharmby	Reed Steiner and Jesse Stern	April 22, 2008 (2008-04-22)	14.24[15]
The dead body of La Grenouille finally surfaces and the Washington office of NCIS is investigated by the FBI, with Jenny as the prime suspect for his murder. The team assembles discreetly at Gibbs' house and investigate for themselves and confirm that he was indeed murdered. After evidence comes to light exonerating Jenny, Jeanne reappears and blames Tony for the murder, but Trent Kort (who has since, with the blessing of the CIA, taken over La Grenouille's business) arrives and claims responsibility. At the conclusion of the episode, Gibbs tells Jenny that the story she told wasn't accurate, and it is inferred that Jenny killed La Grenouille, although Gibbs does not take any action, simply stating, "Long live the queen." First appearance of: Leon Vance Final appearance of: Jeanne Benoit Recurring characters: Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, Joe Spano as FBI Agent Fornell, Scottie Thompson as Jeanne Benoit and David Dayan Fisher as Trent Kort,.
109	15	"In the Zone"	Terrence O'Hara	Linda Burstyn	April 29, 2008 (2008-04-29)	14.76[16]
When a Marine Captain is killed during a mortar attack, it turns out that he was shot. Tony and Intel Analyst Nikki Jardine are sent to Baghdad to investigate, while the rest of the team assists by investigating stateside. The team uncovers that the man he contracted to provide soil testing hired a civilian contractor in Iraq to murder him when the captain discovers the soil sample was faked. While in Baghdad, Nikki tries to make up for a Marine mistake that led to the death of the man who helped her brother when he was wounded. Recurring characters: Susan Kelechi Watson as NCIS Intel Analyst Nicki Jardine and Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance Final appearance of: NCIS Intel Analyst Nicki Jardine
110	16	"Recoil"	James Whitmore, Jr.	Frank Cardea, Dan Fesman and George Schenck	May 6, 2008 (2008-05-06)	14.04[17]
Ziva is working undercover to find a murderer who killed five women and cut off their fingers after they died. She leaves with the killer, when Tony finds the fifth victim and the killer, having found out about Ziva, directs her to an abandoned warehouse. Before he can kill her, she manages to get into a fight with him and then shoot him with his own gun. The team is happy with the killer dead but some things are still unclear. A partial fingerprint from his weapon finally leads to a Marine who killed his wife copying the killer. Meanwhile Ziva has an affair with one of the men suspected to be the accomplice of the killer. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer.
111	17	"About Face"	Dennis Smith	Alfonso Moreno, Reed Steiner and Jesse Stern	May 13, 2008 (2008-05-13)	14.88[18]
When investigating the death of a man at a building site, Jimmy Palmer follows a suspicious man who is snooping around, only for the man to shoot at him. Left shellshocked, Jimmy struggles to remember the man's face and thus identify him. In the end, the team finds him but the shooter tries to flee but Jimmy manages to stop him in his car. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance.
112	18	"Judgment Day (Part I)"	Thomas J. Wright	Steven Binder and David North	May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20)	16.52[19]
Two boys discover a dead man, which is later identified as former NCIS Special Agent William Decker. Director Shepard attends his funeral in LA, with Tony and Ziva tagging along as protection. Agent Decker's death was ruled a heart attack, but an encounter at the funeral leads Jenny to suspect it was murder. Jenny sends Tony and Ziva away. The Director secretly brings in Mike Franks to help her investigate, believing the murder is related to a covert mission in Paris 9 years ago, involving herself, Decker, and Gibbs. While searching an abandoned diner, four hitmen track Shepard and Franks down and a shootout ensues inside. Jenny and Franks manage to kill all of the men, but Jenny dies from injuries she receives during the gunfight and her body is found by Tony and Ziva. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer and Muse Watson as Mike Franks. Final Appearance of: Jenny Shepard.
113	19	"Judgment Day (Part II)"	Thomas J. Wright	Steven Binder, David North and Christopher Waild	May 20, 2008 (2008-05-20)	16.52[19]
In the aftermath of Jenny's death, Assistant Director Vance searches for Franks, who escaped the diner after killing the fourth gunman. Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva try to locate the one responsible, while dealing with the fallout of failing in their assignment to protect the Director. The trail points to a former hitman called Natasha, who Jenny failed to assassinate in Paris nine years previously while on an assignment that she and Gibbs were working on together. Since Gibbs killed Natasha's lover, Natasha has returned to the U.S seeking revenge. Natasha, who never saw it coming, is killed by Franks, after Gibbs set a trap for her at Jenny's house. Gibbs burns down the house to cover up Jenny's death, making the public believe she died of smoke inhalation. In the fallout of Jenny's funeral, newly appointed Director Vance shreds a page from his personnel file in the Director's office and terminates Ziva's liaison status (sending her back to Israel), reassigns McGee to the cyber crime division, and sends Tony to the USS Ronald Reagan. Vance then gives Gibbs personnel files for his new team members. Recurring characters: Brian Dietzen as Jimmy Palmer, Rocky Carroll as Leon Vance, Muse Watson as Mike Franks.

Special Features on DVD

• Cast and Crew Commentaries on Selected Episodes
• Requiem Revisited
• N.C.I.S. Season 5: Stem to Stern
• The Dressing Room: The Costumes and Wardrobe of N.C.I.S.
• N.C.I.S. on Location
• From Pauley to Abby: Hairspray, Lipstick and Tattoos

See also

• List of NCIS episodes

References

1. ^ Michael Ausiello (May 5, 2007). "Exclusive: NCIS Boss Exits!". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/Exclusive-NCIS-Boss-8335.aspx. Retrieved 2009-03-22. ;
   "Creator-producer Bellisario exits 'NCIS'". The Hollywood Reporter. May 6, 2007. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ie9108c1dc34a16eadef6486c4cf3b732?imw=Y. Retrieved 2009-03-22. ^{[dead link]} (subscription required)
2. ^ "THE EIGHTH SEASON PREMIERE OF "CSI" IS THE NUMBER ONE SHOW OF THE WEEK". CBS PressExpress. 2007-10-02. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=16891. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
3. ^ "CBS WINS WEEK TWO IN VIEWERS AND ADULTS 25-54". CBS PressExpress. 2007-10-09. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=16927. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
4. ^ "CBS COMPLETES A TRIFECTA IN WEEK THREE". CBS PressExpress. 2007-10-16. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=16990. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
5. ^ "A WEEK OF GROWTH FOR A DOZEN CBS PROGRAMS". CBS PressExpress. 2007-10-23. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=17060. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
6. ^ "CBS'S RATINGS IN A MOST ATYPICAL WEEK THAT INCLUDED FOUR WORLD SERIES GAMES". CBS PressExpress. 2007-10-30. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=17119. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
7. ^ "CBS PLACES FIRST IN VIEWERS AND ADULTS 25-54; STRONG SECOND IN ADULTS 18-49". CBS PressExpress. 2007-11-06. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=17173. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
8. ^ ""CSI"/"WITHOUT A TRACE" CROSSOVER EPISODES ARE NUMBER ONE AND NUMBER TWO IN WEEKLY RATINGS". CBS PressExpress. 2007-11-13. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=17247. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
9. ^ "CBS WINS THE WEEK IN VIEWERS WITH SIX OF THE TOP 10 PROGRAMS". CBS PressExpress. 2007-11-20. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=17299. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
10. ^ "CBS GIVES THANKS FOR ANOTHER WEEKLY WIN IN VIEWERS". CBS PressExpress. 2007-11-27. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=17335. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
11. ^ ""TWO AND A HALF MEN" HITS SEASON HIGH RATINGS IN VIEWERS, MATCHES BEST ADULT 18-49 RATING AND TOPS "SAMANTHA WHO" IN FIRST HEAD-TO-HEAD FIRST RUN MATCHUP". CBS PressExpress. 2007-12-04. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=17384. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
12. ^ "CBS HAS THE WEEK'S TOP FOUR SCRIPTED PROGRAMS". CBS PressExpress. 2008-01-23. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=17735. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
13. ^ "CBS's SCRIPTED SERIES REMAIN STRONG IN THEIR FIRST-RUN RETURN". CBS PressExpress. 2008-04-15. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=18390. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
14. ^ "CBS's SCRIPTED PROGRAMS DOMINATE SERIES PROGRAMMING". CBS PressExpress. 2008-04-22. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=18452. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
15. ^ "CBS RECLAIMS NUMBER ONE SPOT AMONG VIEWERS". CBS PressExpress. 2008-04-29. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=18509. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
16. ^ "CBS IS NUMBER ONE IN VIEWERS FOR THE SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK". CBS PressExpress. 2008-05-06. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_network/release?id=18574. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
17. ^ "CBS IS NUMBER ONE AMONG VIEWERS FOR THE THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK AND THE FOURTH TIME IN THE LAST SIX". CBS PressExpress. 2008-05-13. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=18633. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
18. ^ "CBS WINS MAY SWEEP". CBS PressExpress. 2008-05-20. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=18719. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 
19. ^ ^{a b} "CBS HAS 7 OF THE TOP 10 SCRIPTED PROGRAMS FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT WEEK". CBS PressExpress. 2008-05-28. http://www.cbspressexpress.com/div.php/cbs_entertainment/release?id=18778. Retrieved 2009-11-13. 

General references

• "NCIS Episodes". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/ncis/episodes-season-5/100320. Retrieved October 31, 2009. 
• "Shows A-Z - ncis on cbs". the Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch.aspx?id=ncis&view=listings. Retrieved March 22, 2009. 
• "NCIS: Episode Guide". TV.com. http://www.tv.com/ncis/show/16772/episode.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=tabssh&season=5&tag=list_header;paginator;5. Retrieved October 31, 2009. 
• "NCIS Season 5 Episode Recaps". http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis/recaps/index.php?season=5. Retrieved October 31, 2009.