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NCIS

Outlaws and In-Laws

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Leroy Jethro Gibbs' former mentor, Mike Franks (Muse Watson), returns to NCIS this week, and not under the best of circumstances.

Even Ducky isn't comfortable with the "psychological make-up" of Franks and thinks he's lying. Lying about what? We'll get to that.

Somehow, a boat drifts into a Navy yard in San Diego with two dead bodies on board. That would be Gibbs' boat, which he gave to his goddaughter.

Mike Franks was in possession of the boat, which raises questions.

According to evidence, the bodies of two ex-military personnel have been dead for at least three days, the bodies may have been dragged on board Gibbs' boat, and there are bullets lodged on bullets.

So there's another shooter, right?

The people dragged into the accident include: the head of a private military company where the two worked for and possibly Mike Franks or even Vance.

Gibbs doesn't tell Vance about a recent talk he had with his mentor, and he is incredulous about not being able to haunt "the fugitive."

Outside the hearing range of the trio - Ziva, Tony and McGee - Vance tells Gibbs that he doesn't have much finesse in his method.

He finally tells Vance that Franks and his family are in his house. Tony and Ziva then head to take over babysitting duties, while Franks sets off.

Gibbs doesn't mince his words to the colonel and accuses him of hiring men to the paramilitary company with not-so-pleasant histories.

Then he tells the two - Vance and Gibbs - that the two dead dudes were in Mexico to carry out a "contract."

Asked if it was for Franks, he says he doesn't know who Franks is.

As it turns out, the two guys were hired by Franks' daughter-in-law's family to find her. Apparently, the prominent Iraqi family disowned Layla when Franks' son Liam got her pregnant.

He in turn insists that it was all in self-defense.

However, archaeologist Abby successfully dissects the boat into many pieces. Evidence from the boat should confirm Franks' claims.

But alas, negative, so there's another shooter.

Ziva also has some heart-to-heart with the daughter-in-law, mostly about missing homelands and loves at first sight.

Abby and Ducky do an "intervention" because Gibbs is too attached to the case and can't notice that Franks is lying through his teeth.

As they are about to lay it to him, though, Gibbs is the one who gives it to them, explains that Franks didn't kill the two, but instead shot through the gunshot wounds to cover up the first ones - Franks' daughter-in-law killed the dudes.

Fortunately, Franks doesn't lie further once confronted.

So case solved right? Yes, only Mama Layla (the mother-in-law who hired the two military guys) flies to Washington, and it's up to Franks to question her, and tell her that it's her daughter herself who gunned down those she sent.

Oh, and the colonel is hell bent on carrying out the contract and getting the daughter back, leading to an altercation at Gibbs' house, which Ziva and Tony are fortunately able to win.