airdate: October 23, 2007
written by: George Schrenk, Frank Cardea
directed by: Dennis Smith

• Abby getting caught by Gibbs when she is impersonating him.
  
  
• Tony and McGee gay couple moment
  
  
• McGee's fear of heights
  
  
• Tony and McGee "love you" moment
  
  
• Look on Jardine's face at thought of the caviar.
  
  
• Tony tormented Nikki by flicking water on her and pretending to sneeze on her. Gibbs in the Director's office with Jen and Nikki, deliberately running his hand over the door handle (covering it with "germs") to torment Nikki. Naughty Boys! Both of them! Like father, like son?

• Gibbs is preoccupied with the effect the sailor's death will have on the 17 year old sister: he thinks about it from the instant he knows of the sister, mentions it to Jenny and makes the phone call at the end. The overwhelming impact of death is something that makes him despondent. For someone who is so bad at opening up and talking, he is super-sensitive to the potential for emotional distress in people who are 'innocent victims' of a situation. His sympathy for the husband kicks in early in "Light Sleeper" (the wife is a reformed North Korean spy, who killed the other spies). Theory: is it this empathic aspect of the acerbic Gibbs that makes us all such softies about him?
  
  
• Abby fears being taken for granted and not being wanted, loved or appreciated. The despondent Gibbs has not been doing team maintenance, and it manifests itself in Abby's reaction to the pressure from the others to do magic loads of work.
  
  
• Gibbs fears Abby leaving: but he confronts it out loud by berating her and asking whether she shouldn't just take that job offer. When she berates him for doubting her fidelity to their family (and says families are allowed to vent), he smiles for the first time in the episode. He doesn't mind her venting, if she is staying. He punishes DiNozzo for spreading rumours...but he must have feared they were true to have reacted so strongly to Abby's rant.
  
  
• McGee is confronted with his fear of being thought gay (in the doctor's office where Tony hams it up) and of being found out to be scared of heights. He redeems himself in the end, when it is necessary to lean over the balustrade to rescue Tony.
  
  
• Ziva won't acknowledge any sentiment about the risk of Abby leaving. She is in "get over it" mode to Tony. She teases him about his fear of commitment, which betrays her preoccupation with the concept.
  
  
• Nikki is obsessive about germs. She of course sees herself as normal. She resents Gibbs' rudeness, but is charmed and pleased by his compliment to her work.
  
  
• Palmer is incredulous: he reports to Ducky that Abby has been offered 200 grand, a car and her own caf-pow machine. Ducky just chuckles. He is not fooled by 20th-remove whispers.
  
  
• Jen can read Gibbs: his failure to enforce his own rules is a measure of his despondency over the sailor's demise. She tries to use logic to talk him out of his reaction. She finds the diplomatic way to describe Gibbs' behaviour to Jardine. She gives Gibbs a lot of leeway. Cute moment is when Gibbs is so familiar with her that he grabs her reading glasses to be able to read a text on his phone...he doesn't ask permission (he acts like a husband). She does not protest (but let's face it, what would be the point? - probably prefers to acquiesce than risk getting her specs broken)

• Gibbs cell phone number: +1 (202) 345-6905 (nice departure from the 555-xxxx fake phone numbers), as seen when he received a text message.
  
  
• This is the first episode where the intro's end-of-scene *blip* freeze-frame shows after the opening credits (i.e. the opening scene is split in two sections, before and after the credits; previously the credits came after the freeze-frame).
  
  
• When Tony "sneezes" on Nikki, the position in which she is holding the phone changes between camera angles.
  
  
• Gibbs rules: rule #15 - Always work as a team.
  
  
• Robin Thomas (Therapist "Dr. Neil Fleming") is an old acquaintance of Mark Harmon. Together, they played 1987 in the movie "Summer School". Robin Thomas played the role of "Vice Principal Phil Gills".
  

• ADD DISCUSSION THREAD
  
  
• ADD DISCUSSION THREAD

• 5.06 Chimera
  

• Titus Welliver (Navy Capt. Roger Walsh)
  
• Robin Thomas (Dr. Neil Fleming)
  
• Adam Huss (Navy Seal Lt. Michael Amett)
  
• John Vickery (Interpol Inspector Hugh Benson)
  
• Mark Matkevish (Jake)
  
• Deanna Russo (Ashley)
  
• Edward Conna (Metro Police Sgt. Frank Thompson)
• Kimberly Atkinson (NCIS Special Agent Roberta Wells)
• Alaina Kalanj (Dana Arnett)

• Brian Dietzen (Jimmy Palmer)
• Susan Kelechi Watson (NCIS Intel Analyst Nikki Jardine)

• Blog Entry - Leap of Faith
  
  
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