With the season finale of NCIS just days away, and an intricate plot weaved throughout the year at the center of the action, here's a look back at the exciting season so far.

CBS put together this montage of clips from Season 7 episodes condensed into five minutes. Catch up if you missed any (or just want a nice recap) by watching below ...

[video url="http://www.tvfanatic.com/videos/ncis-season-7-in-5-minutes/" title="NCIS: Season 7 in 5 Minutes"] [/video]

Next week's "Rule Fifty-One," is the second portion of a two-part finale, following "Patriot Down." We'd almost consider it three-part, starting with May 11's "Borderland."

Follow the jump for two critical scenes from "Patriot Down" that set the stage for Tuesday, with Abby's investigation coming to a head, and Gibbs captured in Mexico ...

[video url="http://www.tvfanatic.com/videos/patriot-down-clip-1/" title="Patriot Down Clip #1"] [/video]

[video url="http://www.tvfanatic.com/videos/patriot-down-clip-2/" title="Patriot Down Clip #2"] [/video]

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.