The Tell
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"The Tell" is the 18th episode of the ninth season of the American
police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...
drama '' NCIS'', and the 204th episode overall. It aired on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
in the United States on March 20, 2012. The episode is written by Gina Lucita Monreal and directed by Tom Wright, and was seen by 19.05 million viewers.


Plot

Gibbs and
Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
are on
security detail A security detail, often known as a PSD (protective services detail, personal security detachment, personal security detail) or PPD (personal protection detail), is a protective team assigned to protect the personal security of an individual or ...
with the Secretary of the Navy (
Matt Craven Matt may refer to: *Matt (name), people with the given name ''Matt'' or Matthew, meaning "gift from God", or the surname Matt *In British English, of a surface: having a non-glossy finish, see gloss (material appearance) *Matt, Switzerland, a mu ...
) at a seminar when a shooting takes place and the Secretary is rushed to the hospital. Gibbs and Dr. Samantha Ryan (
Jamie Lee Curtis Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, children's author, and activist. She came to prominence with her portrayal of Lt. Barbara Duran on the ABC sitcom '' Operation Petticoat'' (1977–78). In 1978, she m ...
) work to find out who leaked top secret information. It is revealed that the shooting was staged so that the team can find out where the leak is coming from. They believe that Wickes, a close personal friend of the Secretary and CEO of military contractor Wickes Steel, might be involved. While Ryan believes that Wickes is guilty, Gibbs believes otherwise. As the team investigates further, they track down the hacker responsible for obtaining the top secret information, and find out that the leaked information was just a ruse to distract them. The hacker's real objective was to hack into a secret
AUTEC The United States Navy's Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) is a laboratory that performs integrated three-dimensional hydrospace/aerospace trajectory measurements covering the entire spectrum of undersea simulated warfare  ...
account that was inactive and had accrued over $300 million in interest. Further investigation reveals that Wickes' half brother was responsible for the plot, as he believed the money could have helped save their company from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Gibbs and Ryan's relationship between each other begins to grow closer.


Production

"The Tell" is written by Gina Lucita Monreal and directed by Tom Wright. This is Monreal's second episode on NCIS, the first being "Engaged (Part I)" which aired in November 2011. "I was excited. My second script at NCIS. About the episode, " xecutive producer Gary Glasbergwas thinking a joint NCIS/PsyOps mission, the return of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Dr. Samantha Ryan, and the blooming of Gibbs’ relationship with this intriguing woman". Glasberg told TV Guide "you can't keep haractersalone forever!", hinting Gibbs and Ryan could evolve a relationship on a private level as well as on a professional level. Jamie Lee Curtis returns as Dr. Samantha Ryan, first seen in the episode " Psych Out". This is the second episode of the two-episode arch between Gibbs and Ryan. On March 19, 2012, Executive producer Gary Glasberg confirmed that Ryan will recur in future episodes of the season. Also, Matt Craven is recurring as Secretary of the Navy Clayton Jarvis.


Reception

"The Tell" was seen by 19.05 million live viewers following its broadcast on March 20, 2012, with an 11.9/19 share among all households, and 3.4/10 share among adults aged 18 to 49. A rating point represents one percent of the total number of television sets in American households, and a share means the percentage of television sets in use tuned to the program. In total viewers, "The Tell" easily won NCIS and CBS the night, while the spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles drew second and was seen by 16.17 million viewers. Compared to the last episode "
Need to Know The term "need to know", when used by government and other organizations (particularly those related to the military or espionage), describes the restriction of data which is considered very sensitive. Under need-to-know restrictions, even if one ...
", "The Tell" was up a bit in viewers and down in adults 18-49. Steve Marsi from TV Fanatic gave the episode 4 (out of 5) and stated that "this week's NCIS episode saw the much-anticipated return of Jamie Lee Curtis' Dr. Samantha Ryan, not as an adversary but as a partner - in and away from the field - for Gibbs this time. The joint NCIS and PsyOps operation was compelling from the start, and even though things dragged toward the end and meandered into less interesting territory, it was enjoyable overall".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tell 2012 American television episodes NCIS (season 9) episodes