We started off in the aftermath of Harper Dearing's destruction at the Navy Yard. Having planted a bomb in Director Vance's car, his explosion had dramatic effects, such as giving Ducky a heart attack, even though he was miles away. As Jimmy was able to save him, he had to return to DC to autopsy bodies in Ducky's absence.
As Gibbs piled through the wreckage looking for his team, everyone was able to survive. The only complication was McGee getting stabbed with glass, to which he recovered quite quickly. As the team set out to look for Dearing, they thought they'd found him. However, months later, they discovered it wasn't Dearing, but his brother. As Gibbs figured out where Dearing would be, he went to find him by himself. Having found Dearing, Gibbs kills him.
After Ducky's heart attack, his boredom leads him to illegally exhume a body of a man from one of his 12 year old cases. As the body becomes related to NCIS' current case, Gibbs puts Ducky on point to run the case. After some encouragement from the rest of the team, he seems to enjoy himself, and does well. When the case is solved, Gibbs informs Ducky that he is cleared for medical duty again.
One ongoing theme throughout the season is fathers. In episode 5, 'Namesake', Gibbs is reunited with the man who he is named after, Leroy Jethro Moore (Billy Dee Williams). He discovers that him and his father, who used to be good friends, had broken apart. Gibbs later discovers that this was due to 'LJ' knowing about Gibbs' mother's suicide, and not stopping it. After some effort from Gibbs, the two were reunited as friends again.
Jumping ahead to episode 10, it was Christmas time in the nation's capital. However, Tony wasn't visited by Father Christmas. Instead, he was paid a visit from his father, Anthony Dinozzo Sr (Robert Wagner). With all his previous misgivings, Tony was not happy to see his father, however, after Abby and Ziva convince him, Tony decides to give his father another chance. His plan backfires when Senior ends up in Tony's bed with the neighbour across the hall. As Tony tries to throw Senior out of his life, Tony finds a ring that had been passed down his family generations. After seeing the ring, Tony and his father reunite in MTAC, much to the delight of the other team members.
McGee ends up running into his father at a crime scene in episode 19. His father (Jamey Sheridan) is Admiral of the Navy, and having been so for years, him and McGee have been estranged for quite some time. As McGee attempts to patch things up with the Admiral, the feeling is not mutual, as the Admiral attempts to avoid McGee. When the Admiral becomes a suspect in the investigation, he reveals to Gibbs as to why he has attempted to avoid his son - he has cancer. When he helps Gibbs solve the case, him and McGee attempt to reunite in the little time that they have.
The big event from this season came in episode 11. As Ziva's father Eli comes to town - without any security, or anyone knowing he is there - he finds his daughter. He tells her the reason for his visit, which is to negotiate a peace agreement with an Iranian ambassador. Simultaneous with this, he tries things up with Ziva, with a Shabbat dinner. However, the attempt fails when Ziva learns that Eli murdered a man who photographed him at the airport. As Ziva walks out of the dinner at Vance's house, a flurry of shots are fired, killing Eli and Jackie Vance, leaving Ziva and the Director emotionally destroyed.
As the pair attempt to mourn their losses, Ziva discovers her father's killer - Mossad assistant director Ilan Bodnar. As Ziva attempts to hunt him down. After teaming up with McGee in a vacant apartment, the pair attempt to track down Bodnar around the world. With Gibbs' agreement, Tony and Ziva go to Berlin to hunt him down. They come close, managing to capture Bodnar's brother.
In 'Revenge', the team discover that Bodnar never actually left the country. As Homeland threatens Vance and NCIS to stop hunting for Bodnar, Ziva goes off on her own to where she thinks her father's killer is located. After a fight between the two, Bodnar falls to his death. When Vance asks Ziva what happened, she replies, "It's over."
Last week, DOD investigator Richard Parsons (Colin Hanks) came to NCIS to question the team members about Eli's death. Some hard-hitting questions on Ziva brought to light hidden revelations about her friend Adam, as it is revealed that the two were 'together' in what Ziva called "A moment of weakness." After they bug Parsons' phone, McGee discovers that Parsons is not out to get Ziva or Vance, but Gibbs.
The season finale airs on Tuesday, where the team's future is in jeopardy as Parsons attempts to unravel all of NCIS' unconventional methods. Will the team survive intact, or will some of the team take a career-ending hit? Let me know in the comments.
14 year old in England. Love Hawaii Five-0, NCIS, NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, Nikita and Arrow. Aside from TV, a keen cricketer.
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