Trama

A familiar face defends Gibbs in Parson's investigation. While the team tries to help Gibbs, they must solve the murder of a Navy SEAL.

Parsons continues to badger Gibbs; Gibbs finally breaks his silence but only slightly. To the surprise of Parsons, AJ Chegwidden, a retired admiral and a retired judge advocate general (JAG) of the US Navy, arrives to defend Gibbs (because Vance has called him); Gibbs breaks a slight smile. Ducky and Palmer find bugs; AJ and Gibbs find that someone has tossed Gibbs's pad; Tony and Ziva join them; they all go to Gibbs's secluded cabin. McGee shows up and collects Tony and Ziva, then they investigate the death of a SEAL lieutenant; the widow has received his head in a cardboard carton; Palmer learns that it's radioactive. Tom Morrow, from the DoHS, gives some startling news to Vance; the three musketeers turn in their badges; Vance shreds one file, and Gibbs burns even more; Morrow hands Parsons a letter in which the IG of the DoD cancels the investigation; Parsons babbles; Gibbs goes on a top-secret mission. Four months later Gibbs takes a shot. [To be continued next season.]—DocRushing

Gibbs fishes in a boat on a lake and imagines talking to his late mentor Mike Franks. They have a meaning-heavy conversation about catch and release then Mike takes out his gun and shoots into the water. Gibbs sees bodies float up around him, his team stands on the shoreline.

Gibbs' reverie is broken by DOD IG Investigator Richard Parsons (Colin Hanks), questioning him in the conference room. He says Gibbs' actions have been "inappropriate" and the deaths of Eli David and Jackie Vance have opened doors to an investigation.

"Step up, take responsibility. I'll leave your people alone. All I want is the truth," Parsons says. "You weren't there," Gibbs tells him.

Tom Morrow hangs out in Vance's office, complaining about Parsons. Vance doesn't understand why he's not the one in the crosshairs.

"Parsons recognizes the political fallout of going after a man who's lost everything because of his agent's poor judgment.... To an investigator like Parsons, Gibbs is a hell of a trophy," Morrow says.

Back with Parsons, Gibbs' lawyer arrives, even though he didn't call him. Rear Admiral AJ Chegwidden, the former judge advocate general, arrives. Vance called him, he and Gibbs go way back.

DCIS comes and takes NCIS's old files. Gibbs tells the team to back off, but they decide to ignore him and look into Parsons.

In the lab, Abby takes out her aggressions on a shooter video game with Parsons as the target. Duckie and Palmer stop by to show her a listening device they found in the morgue.

A judge gives AJ 48 hours to get a defense prepped for Gibbs.

The whole NCIS staff meets in the elevator. Palmer found another bug in the ladies room. Vance asks if anyone knows anything else that could hurt Gibbs. Abby mentions all the stuff at Gibbs' house.

Gibbs and AJ return Gibbs' place to see the place trashed. Gibbs draws his gun when he hears a noise, but it's just Ziva coming in the back door.

AJ wants to go somewhere secure to talk. Gibbs takes AJ, Tony and Ziva to the cabin he built in the woods. They go inside when a helicopter circles overhead.

Later at night, AJ reads Parsons' bio. There's a knock at the cabin door, McGee joins them with the body of the week: a dead Navy SEAL in Virginia.

At the crime scene, the victim's wife came home to a box shipped from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with Chad McBride's head in it.

In the morgue, Duckie and Palmer examine the head. Palmer announces he and his wife are adopting.

Then he takes out a Gieger counter and it goes crazy detecting radiation.

Out in the woods, Gibbs imagines hunting with Mike, who talks to him about not being able to control every little thing. Gibbs takes aim at something and imagines seeing Vance breaking the news that Jackie is dead.

Gibbs wakes up to AJ bringing coffee.

At the office, Parsons gets on the elevator with Ziva, who ignores him as he tells her he's trying to catch bad guys just like her, "good people who have made bad decisions."

He accuses her of throwing Bodnar off the ship and killing her brother, Ari (which she did) and says she'll have to pay.

In MTAC, Vance talks to Capt. Wayne, McBride's CO. He says McBride was on top secret recon and seems surprised about the radiation. He tells Vance not to tell anyone about it.

In the lab, Abby says McBride was beaten with a stick.

Upstairs, McGee finds Parsons has tons of secure files, including sensitive personal documents belonging to high level justice department people.

Out at the cabin, AJ asks about all the people Gibbs' team has killed. Gibbs has no regrets.

Parsons meets with Vance in his office. Parsons mentions a missing file: the one with Abby's results on a Mexican shooting (the one that proves Gibbs shot the man who killed his wife and daughter).

At the cabin, Tony, Ziva and McGee present their intel on Parsons, including the fact he's essentially a blackmailer. They want Vance to show it to the Inspector General, but Gibbs tells them to stay out of it. "It is not your job!" Gibbs says.

"This is not about my job, it is about my family," Ziva says and storms out.

Tony follows her. She tells him she's sorry if she hurt him, she cares too much about their friendship. She doesn't want it to be awkward. "Nothing's awkward between friends," he tells her and kisses her on the forehead.

Vance meets with Morrow, who tells him there's a connection between McBride's death and what's happening with his team.

The CIA needed Iran to believe Mossad was responsible for Arash Kazmi's death, as a distraction. Bodnar didn't kill Kazmi -- the CIA did so that Bodnar would be a fall guy and Iran and Israel could fight while the US focused on domestic threats.

Parsons doesn't know anything about it. Vance asks about McBride. "It's not good, Leo," Morrow says.

Back at his ransacked house, Gibbs imagines Mike Franks accusing him of running. Mike tells Gibbs he should come clean and admit there are good reasons he did the things he did.

Back at NCIS, the team is surprised to see Gibbs come in.

Gibbs isn't surprised when Vance tells him the CIA was behind Kazmi's death. Gibbs doesn't plan to fight by Parsons' rules. Vance says Morrow might have a solution, but it might kill Gibbs.

Alone later, Vance shreds Abby's report on Gibbs' Mexico shooting.

McGee, Tony and Ziva talk and agree to do what's necessary, even though Tony warns Ziva she might not like how it ends. They go upstairs and all resign, turning in their badges.

Back at his house, Gibbs opens a hidden compartment in his basement and takes out Mike Franks' old files. He burns them one by one, refusing to play Parsons' blackmail game.

The next morning, AJ, Vance, Morrow and Wayne with JSOC show up to meet with Parsons. Gibbs is on special assignment for JSOC. Morrow presents Parsons with a letter from his Inspector General boss telling him to back off the investigation. Once the team resigned, Gibbs was sent on assignment.

"Is agent Gibbs so valuable that you would allow this to happen?" Parsons asks.

Four Months Later

In a dark room at night, Gibbs tries to stop Wayne's bleeding, but Wayne urges him to "do it."

Gibbs goes to the window, lines up his sniper rifle and takes aim at someone getting out of a town car on the street below. Agent Tobias Fornell ends up in his rifle sights. Gibbs pauses. The screen goes black. We hear a gunshot.