Once again, New Orleans' most plentiful treasure is proven to be its colorful history.

It's a treasure hunt on NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 17.

This episode's case of the week lands smack in the middle of the Louisiana Pirate Festival.

I'd never really thought about the role that pirates played in the city's history. It makes sense though, that there would be pirates nearby where the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River meet. With all those bodies of water around the city, there's plenty of hidey-holes for ill-gotten booty.

This was also a fairly light-hearted episode, well, once you get past the dead Navy captain who got killed for her treasure map.

Related: NCIS: New Orleans Season 4 Episode 16 Review: Empathy

It gave Sebastian the chance to geek out, never a bad thing.

And who would have suspected that Pride was a pirate geek, well-versed in the annals of local pirate history?

The episode started bizarrely, with a female lieutenant commander hanging dead upside, with one arm skinned. The could have gotten spooky fast, but thankfully it headed in a different direction: a treasure hunt.

Is the Napoleon Fleur-de-lis a real thing? I dunno. Google failed me.

But hey, it makes for a better buried treasure than a Saints helmet.

Killer smugglers were a different choice of villain. You just don't think of antiquities being a dangerous game, and this allowed the dead woman's father, Tom, to speak to that.

Related: Ch-ch-changes: How to Handle Evolving Casts Without Killing the Show

He made it sound like treasure hunting was just something in which he and Elaine dabbled. But he certainly had more knowledge about the local players than your average amateur

Procuring relics is obviously a big-money occupation if people are willing to kill to find antiquities.

The most enjoyable part was early on when it was Pride and Sebastian using Elaine's map coordinates to find the all-important next clue.

It was handy to have a pirate authority on staff in Pride, even though he ultimately had to focus more on the big prize: solving Elaine's murder.

It rapidly became clear that the two treasure hunters/suspects weren't the brains behind this crime. Instead they just sat there, hoping NCIS would leave them to the treasure. Which did work in the end, although that was only thanks for their hidden boss, Michelle.

Michelle's treachery was disappointing. It was great fun watching she and Sebastian crack the puzzle box (kind of like a low-rent Da Vinci Code) as they tee-hee'd like a pair of teen-agers, as Gregorio rolled her eyes and provided snark.

I had to wonder how Michelle knew that NCIS would be coming for her, and how she knew when to hide in the closet so she could play the victim. That all happened way too smoothly.

Related: NCIS: New Orleans' Shalita Grant Exits

I like Gregorio paired with Sebastian. As the other newbie, she's protective of him, and gives him more respect than the others, who still remember him largely as the lab tech. Well, he still pretty much is that

The problem is that they keep getting into dangerous situations when together. How many fires can they walk away from?

Tom Dodd was an interesting addition. The grieving father dug up all the informaton he could to help the team find his daughter's killer.

Still it was a fun twist when he and Pride went into the field. I thought the ex-Green Beret would arm himself and save Pride, not have two thugs get the drop on him. But in the end, he started the brawl that ended up in the defeat of the killers.

His plan to give the fleur-de-lis to the city in his daughter's name was sweet.

And was anyone surprised when Pride called Laurel at the end?

Now it's on to our weekly subplot, which I call "What's wrong with Percy?"

With Shalita Grant leaving the series, the disentanglement of Percy has begun.

First was Gregorio wondering why her roomie never wanted to go out and party, a jail-able offense in New Orleans. Next was LaSalle wondering what he had done to offend her, because, well, he often does something. All the while, Percy had that restless look on her face.

Expect more of this in the coming episode, as I don't expect a parting until maybe the season finale. Let's hope they don't kill off the character, so an occasional visit remains a possibility.

Just don't expect any light to be shed next Tuesday, when it's encores on CBS all night.

To follow Percy's gradual fadeout, watch NCIS: New Orleans online.

How soon were you suspicious of Michelle? Did you enjoy the treasure hunt? Didn't Sebastian use his special skills well? Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.