By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
CBS NCIS on Monday night delivered the franchise’s 1,000th total episode, including any and all spinoffs. What Easter eggs did writer Christopher J. Waild scatter throughout the hour, for longtime fans to find?
The milestone episode, “A Thousand Yards,” took its wink-wink title from Kasie’s finding that the sniper who shot Vance at his late wife’s grave site in the cold open was that far a distance away.
The first callback to the first NCIS episode, that I noticed at least, was McGee geeking out over the specs for a new Air Force One jet, seeing as “Yankee White” revolved around a Marine’s mysterious death aboard POTUS’ plane. Then, a series of explosions that came not long after Vance’s shooting were found to have targeted the Morrow family crypt (as in former NCIS Director Tom Morrow)…. Dr. Rachel Cranston, sister of the late Caitlin Todd… and former FBI agent Tobias Fornell. Morrow, Kate and Tobias all appeared in “Yankee White,” and recurring player Joe Spano’s Fornell was also on hand for “A Thousand Yards.”
This 1,000th franchise episode took a moment to fold in two spinoff characters — NCIS: LA‘s Kensi Blye-Deeks and NCIS: Hawai’i‘s Jane Tennant, both of whom teased Torres during an MTAC call. We got a mention of at least one Gibbs rule (“There is no such thing as coincidence”). And it was revealed that the young woman whom Vance’s son Jared had met online, had been groomed by Bandium founder Fletcher Voss (Bones vet T.J. Thyne) to shoot Vance, and who’d planted a virus on Voss’ phone, was in fact the daughter of the “patriot” who attempted to assassinate President George W. Bush in “Yankee White.” And here, she, too, aimed to use Air Force One as part of her plan.
Any number of you may have spotted a tinier callback, and I’ll be most curious to read your comments, but the stealthiest one that I spotted was the name of the Secret Service agent that Kasie reached out to during the antepenultimate scene, urging him to ground Air Force One’s imminent flight. That was Agent William Baer, Jr. — as in the son of Caitlin Todd’s boss in “Yankee White.”
What did you think of “A Thousand Yards,” including the pretty great (but too short) NCIS franchise montage that played during Vance’s flashback speech to a wee Jared?
Want scoop on NCIS, or for any other TV show? Email InsideLine@tvline.com, and your question may be answered via Matt’s Inside Line!
I remember TJ Thyne was on an early season of NCIS that also involved a sniper taking out Marine recruiters. Gibbs and Cait had to go undercover in a recruiting office.
He was also staring at Kate’s behind in that episode as well.
Very dis appointing after “hinting” original cast members coming Bach was nothing but lies
I guess I may have to find a new favorite shows how to watch
Kind of wish it was a two-parter and more lead up to the villain!
One of the core components to NCIS has been the writing. Without it there is nothing for the cast to work on.
The 1000th episode was Exceptional in all areas of the production. As one of those who were in since the very first episode it brought a lot of memories and reminded us, if we really needed it, of what NCIS is all about.
High Fives and Fist Bumps to everyone involved. Thank you!
They probably could have made a callback to Jag and the backdoor pilot by having a Harm not or invite back catherine Bell.
Probably got it wrong but the roof where they find the sniper nest was the roof Catlin Todd was murdered on.
Also there was no clip or mention of Director Jenny Shepard
I looked into that speculation. Did a side by side of the episodes. The view from this rooftop was very different.
I don’t know the location where they shot the roof top scene, and it’s possible that the studio uses the same roof top to shoot these types of scenes, because there are only so many places to film these scenes, but as far as the episode it represents a different roof top from the one Ari used to shoot Kate.
Excellent hour. Great case with lots of callbacks, and those flashbacks man! 😭
My only complaint is that Kensi mentioned Kilbride instead of the 1 person that everyone knows would be 100% involved if OSP was ever attacked because seriously, why mention Kilbride instead of Hetty??! She’s not dead, people, say her name!!!
I just assumed that anyone targeting OSP would simply have better luck finding Kilbride than Hetty.
Matt Webb Mitovich deserves an Emmy for his cameo :)
I’m planning to do a careful rewatch just to go back and look for the Easter eggs in this. Loved that it is McGee who gets to be the acting director, and how he treats Curtis, remembering that’s how some people thought of him when he first came to NCIS. A great episode to celebrate this milestone.
Excellent episode and tribute to an amazing franchise. I hope it will continue for more than 1000. The easter eggs here and there, the Gibbs rules, the montage to past mothership episodes and all the other teams was lovely. I understand they couldn’t fit EVERYONE that makes the franchise what it is today, but just seeing those we did brought back memories and prompting some rewatches in the off season. Kudos to the entire NCIS family past, present and future. 👏👏
Hey Matt, I saw you!!! You were great. where should we lobby for your Emmy? 👏😉
Is it weird that I totally squealed like a fan girl when I saw you on the episode, Matt?
It was great
I can’t wait for the update
The flashbacks toward the end reminded me how much I miss NCIS New Orleans
Oh yes
Really miss it
Loved it more than Hawaii
When they did the first shots of Air Force One – it was very reminiscent of the opening of Yankee White.
Sorry but there is no chance that a civilian with a few months of training are going to be able to hit a shot from 1000 yards away…through obstructions. Even trained military snipers would have some trouble with a shot like that. Long range shooting is a complicated and difficult thing. OK it was a callback to Ari shooting Kate but they should have made some explanation other than, “she took a few classes”. I know it’s literary license but my first thought when they revealed the bad guy was “no freakin way”. and it pulled me out of the moment.
The ending was also similar for me. Federal Agents or not, the secret service isn’t allowing anyone to crash a car or cars through a gate at an airport Air Force One is, much less getting to the taxiway and blocking the plane.
Totally agree 💯 Steve! I was like where are the military snipers! Where is the tank, the fighter jets, or the national guards! How in the heck did they get that far on the runway, after crashing through airport gates no less, to block not just a plane but freakin Air Force One!!! Really!!! That scene was totally unbelievable to me and could have been done better!
Yep. You really had to turn your brain off to enjoy it fully. No way she can make that shot after little training and no way any cars can bust through a gate and get that close to air force one.
The Secret Service would also NOT ignore a credible threat presented to them by another federal agency. In the real world they would have aborted takeoff and transferred to the backup plane(which is always on standby). The team standing on the runway holding up their badges looked cool and all but it was another “No F’n way”
As there was no way that gibbs could shoot someone from extremly far away and move to where the team was, in the episode 7×01 (best episode ever despite this) in merely seconds.
I thought the very same thing.
Well, if she had been good (or trained longer), then Vance would have been killed instead of just wounded. Maybe it was a lucky shot.
Also (I assume, having worked in UK offices on Government projects) no one, especially not someone as tech savvy as McGee is supposed to be, would let a stranger plug a random device in even just for power.
.
That particular rule has always been fast and loose in NCIS though, in one ep McGee and Abby had a laptop in a faraday cage then a few years later McGee plugged a random seized server in with predictable results.
Such an enjoyable episode with many memories flooding my brain as it unspooled. Had a big smile on my face when Matt crossed our screens a couple of times. Good job!
I never saw Matt. What scenes was he in?
https://tvline.com/lists/ncis-1000th-episode-set-visit-secrets-season-21-episode-7/
Am I wrong in thinking that the rooftop where the snipers nest was found was also the rooftop where Kate was shot?
You are wrong.
If for no other reason, the character of Kate was shot on a rooftop near Norfolk, while Vance was shot visiting his wife’s grave in the DC area. But I get the callback to that and every other time there’s been a sniper on the show, but it’s just that.
I also loved the little Abby homage in Kasie’s lab when she’s talking to Jared. Just a peek about the 26 minute mark.
Loved it. I was surprised how moving it was when the four agents faced down Air Force One, mostly because they publicized that scene heavily in the week’s leading up to this episode. I found myself with a lump in my throat as I teared up. Definitely wanted a longer montage. They left out key people such as Abby, Ducky (who was IN the very first episode), some of the previous cast on the mothership show and important folks from the other franchises. Overall, a great way to celebrate the franchise.
I imagine they left out Ducky in the montage because they just had an episode dedicated to his history on the show, including old clips. I think a clip of Abby was included in that show.
The Gremlins reference in the interrogation reminded me of all of Tony’s movie quotes and references.
Any chance that they make McGee officially Vance’s #2 since now that it is twice that when they needed an Acting Director, Vance turned to the erstwhile Deep Six Author ?
No Ducky or Abby ? Both of whom were also in Yankee White?!
Fornell needing a couch to sleep on is a wonderful callback to the episode when he invades Gibbs’ home and drives him crazy.
I liked the main story line, but found the cars crashing through the fence onto the runway laughable. I don’t care how many badges they held up, they likely would have been shot before they got anywhere near Air Force One. But maybe the arrogant, incompetent Secret Service agent Kasey called was meant to be the fall guy when the incident is discussed in later episodes. No other way they could explain that happening. On the other hand, I think the NCIS Hawaii episode that followed NCIS may be the best episode they’ve ever done. I really enjoyed every moment of that one.
I didn’t see Abby if she was shown it was quick.
It was certainly the best, most well orchestrated episode this season. Loved the Easter eggs planted thruout. A great nod to NCIS, sneak peeks of Gibbs and other past players. Hope the storyline continues.
I didn’t notice any mentions or clips of Ducky or Hetty or Jenny either and a few other stalwart characters were missing, so that was disappointing. But apart from that I though it was an excellent episode.
I don’t know what to call it, but towards the beginning of the episode they did one of those three point focusing in like they did the first season. The sound effect is pretty distinctive. Thought that meant they were going to do that throughout, but think it as more effective just doing it once.
One glitch though: they left off the “C” in Tennant’s title when she and Kelsie were talking to Torres.
Re the 1000th NCIS episode Easter eggs: they completely omitted any reference to Director Jennie Shepard (Lauren Holly) who after all was killed in the line of duty.