NCIS’ 1000th episode case has the team look back at the show’s history, resulting in an Easter egg-filled offering. CBS’ premier procedural has been on the air since 2003, after JAG successfully launched a spinoff show, which became the franchise’s mothership. Much has changed in the universe and the TV sphere since then, but NCIS remains steadfast in terms of ratings for the network. In fact, it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon. There’s a string of new spinoffs that are currently in development and will be ready for airing sometime in the next TV season.
Before those new shows, however, the franchise is focusing on what it has achieved in the present, with a special outing that celebrates its 1000th overall episode. Instead of a massive crossover episode, CBS opts to commemorate the milestone via its parent show, with NCIS season 21, episode 7, aptly titled “A Thousand Yards.” The outing looks back at its rich history, with its latest mystery tying up to the very first case that Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ team worked on in 2003. As expected, the episode is chock-full of references that highlight the importance of the agency’s work.
10. NCIS’ Director Leon Vance’s Wife Death Is Remembered
The monumental NCIS episode opens with Director Leon Vance’s visit to his late wife’s grave at the cemetery, Jackie Vance (Paula Newsome). She had been a recurring guest star on the show for several years as part of the Vance family, but she met her end in NCIS season 10, episode 11, “Shabat Shalom.” Jackie was collateral damage for the assassination plot against Mossad leader and Ziva David’s (Cote de Pablo) father, Eli David (Michael Nouri), who made an unexpected visit to the United States.
9. NCIS Pilot’s Air Force One Case Revisited
Previously, veteran cast member Sean Murray teased about NCIS’ 1000th episode featuring a callback to the show’s pilot, “Yankee White.” In it, Gibbs and his small team of Michael Weatherly’s Anthony DiNozzo, David McCallum’s Ducky Mallard, and the lab-stationed, Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto worked on the mysterious death aboard Air Force One. The case was also their first interaction with then-Secret Service Agent Caitlin Todd, who eventually joined NCIS. A big part of the episode had Gibbs continuously referencing Harrison Ford’s film, Air Force One.
In NCIS’ 1000th episode, Sean Murray’s Tim McGee and Wilmer Valderrama’s Nick Torress discuss the launch of a new Air Force One. The pair geeks out about the make and model of the latest model, although they have opposing views on how it fares against its predecessors. What they didn’t know at this point is that their big case would be connected not just to the new Air Force One plane, but also to the one from more than two decades ago.
8. Vance Is Shot By A Long-Range Sniper
As Director Vance visits his wife’s grave, he is shot by an unknown shooter. The agency scrambles to locate the perpetrator, starting with where the shot came from. Apparently, it is from a random rooftop, about a thousand yards from where he is standing. The shooter uses a long-range sniper for the attack. This references two things in NCIS. Firstly, it was the way Caitlin Todd was murdered by Ari Haswari, Ziva’s half-brother, in the season 2 finale. Her death came as a massive shock to viewers, considering that she was one of its lead characters.
Secondly, Gibbs was a former Marine sniper before joining NCIS. After he completed his service, he joined the agency under his eventual mentor, Mike Franks (Muse Watson). While his team’s job was primarily to investigate crimes that involved a marine or Navy officer, this particular skill had been handy before when they were forced into dire situations. One of the most notable instances of this was when the team traveled out of the country to save the captive Ziva and bring her back to DC.
7. Former NCIS Director Tom Morrow’s Family Crypt Is Bombed
On the heels of Vance’s getting shot, two more attacks rock NCIS, which puts not just Special Agent Alden Parker’s (Gary Cole) team, but the whole agency on alert. There are a couple of bombings that are part of the still-unknown perpetrator’s grand plan, including the bombing of the former NCIS director Tom Morrow’s (George Walsh) family crypt, where he is presumably laid to rest.
Morrow was the head of the agency during the show’s first years of NCIS. On the heels of Todd’s murder, however, he resigned from his post and was replaced by Jenny Sheppard (Lauren Holly). Several years later, he returned to NCIS to work on tying loose ends of an operation from previous years that had gone wrong. Eventually, he was killed by CIA turncoat Trent Kort.
6. NCIS: Los Angeles’ Kensi and Hawai’i’s Tennant Make Cameos
While the celebration of NCIS’ 1000th episode takes place in the mothership series, the milestone is for the franchise as a whole. Ideally, there would have been a massive crossover — something that the universe has done before. It’s unclear why CBS moved away from the idea, but perhaps the shortened season due to the delayed premieres may have something to do with it. Nonetheless, NCIS makes sure to get other notable characters from its spinoffs to be involved.
As it becomes clear that the agency as a whole is being targeted, Torres gets on a conference call with some of their allies. The emergency meeting is attended by Daniel Ruah’s Special Agent Kensi Blye-Deeks from NCIS: Los Angeles and Vanessa Lachey’s Special Agent in Charge Jane Tennant from NCIS Hawai’i. Both are eager to be of help to the main team but are also concerned about keeping an eye on their respective posts.
5. Caitlin Todd’s History With NCIS Is Re-Examined
Like Morrow’s death, Todd’s murder is also re-examined during NCIS’ 1000th episode. Aside from being linked to the very first case of the show, where she was still with the Secret Service, her sister, Rachel Cranston’s office also getting bombed, makes it clear that she is also somehow involved in Parker’s current case. Considering that Todd has been dead for around two decades now, it poses an interesting question for the agency. Ultimately, her connection to the attacks on NCIS stems from her days with the Secret Service and her final stint as their agent aboard Air Force One.
4. Ex-FBI Tobias Fornell’s NCIS Connection Is Highlighted
One of, if not the most unexpected return in NCIS’ 1000th episode is Joe Spano’s Tobias Fornell. While he was never a series regular in the franchise, he is its most prominent recurring guest star. He worked with the FBI for years but also had some strange loyalty to the titular organization, and thanks to his friendship with Gibbs, he was always getting involved with NCIS cases. Fornell reaches out to Parker’s team after he becomes a target of the anonymous perpetrator terrorizing the agency. It’s worth noting that Fornell was also an integral player in “Yankee White.”
3. NCIS Remembers Tim McGee’s Author Days
Aside from its weekly cases, NCIS’ other main draw is its core cast. The writers know that hence why it regularly develops their personal arc. One of the most intriguing Special Agent storylines is McGee’s time moonlighting as a writer. During his probie days in the agency, he was able to publish fairly popular books inspired by the people he worked with. While he doesn’t seem to have the time to publish more novels, McGee is still famous for being an author, as is mentioned by villainous CEO, Fletcher Voss in “A Thousand Yards.”
2. NCIS Pilot’s Very First Suspect Haunts The Agency
Ultimately, it is revealed that the current attacks on NCIS are tied to the events of “Yankee White,” where a sleeper agent, Leonard Riche’s attempt to assassinate the president was foiled by Gibbs and Todd. Two decades later, Riche’s daughter, Lindsey Wexler (previously Riche) is not only seeking revenge against the agency, but she also endeavors to finish what her dad started. It’s worth noting that in the NCIS pilot episode, very little was revealed about the perpetrator, with Fornell’s press conference telling the public that they would continue digging deep into the identity of the suspect.
None of the original agents are still with NCIS, so the team isn’t able to crack the mystery much earlier. While McGee has been part of the team since season 1, he didn’t become part of Gibbs’ team until later. That said, since Fornell was leading the FBI when the incident happened, he has first-hand knowledge of it. He recognizes Lindsey’s “the history of liberty is the history of resistance” quote and realizes that it’s Riche’s subsequently-discovered manifesto. It’s unclear if Gibbs or other agents from that time were aware of this information, or if it was FBI classified.
1. NCIS’ 1000th Episode Pays Tribute To All Of Its Spinoffs
In the end, Vance survives his shooting. As his agents stop another planned attack on Air Force One is reported on TV, he wakes up with his son by his side, and the pair finally get their much-anticipated talk. There, Vance essentially repeats the same speech he gave Jared when he was still young about the importance of the work that he and his people do at NCIS. The show takes this opportunity to do a montage of scenes from the franchise’s past.
Aside from snippets of Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, Ziva, and other members of the core NCIS team. it also features shots from characters from other parts of the CBS universe. The list includes NCIS: Los Angeles, with Grisha Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Sam Hanna (LL Cool J), NCIS: New Orleans, with Dwayne Cassius “King” Pride (Scott Bakula), NCIS: Hawai’i, with Tennant and Ernie Malik (Jason Antoon), and NCIS: Sydney, with Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) and Dempsey (Todd Lasance). Vance highlights how integral they are by saying that “the only way light can grow is by passing it on.”
