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NCIS: Ex-File

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Lt. Colonel Mann joins Gibbs in an investigation of the murder of a Marine Captain who had access to highly classified information. Things get very personal for Gibbs when one of the witnesses in the case turns out to be one of his ex-wives. Read full recap »

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Writers:: Alfonso H. Moreno

Director:: Dennis Smith

Stars:: David McCallum (Dr. Ducky Mallard); Pauley Perrette (Forensics Specialist Abby Sciuto); Mark Harmon (Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs); Michael Weatherly (Special Agent Tony DiNozzo); Sean Murray (Special Agent Tim McGee); Cote de Pablo (Mossad Agent Ziva David); Lauren Holly (NCIS Director Jenny Shepard)

Recurring Role:: Susanna Thompson (Army Lt. Col. Hollis Mann)

Guest Star:: Myk Watford (Army Major Eric Sweigart); Lilli Birdsell (Jill Reynolds); John Mallory Asher (Fred Rinnert); Kathleen York (Stephanie Flynn); Robin Dunne (Army Lt. Joseph Marsden)

TRIVIA: A recurring theme is apparent in Bellisario created programs NCIS included. The tapes that Gibbs' wife and daughter sent to him while he was abroad serving in the Marine Corps, are similar to aspects of both JAG & Magnum p.i.. In Bellisario created programs the respective main characters Harmon Rabb and Thomas Magnum both received tapes from their fathers who were serving overseas and like Gibbs the main characters would listen to the tapes even after their loved ones had past. The only difference is that NCIS' case it is that it was Shannon & Kelly who sent tapes rather than Gibbs and this was simply done to reveal more about Gibbs' character. edit »
GOOF: When Lt. Col. Mann is questioning Flynn and Flynn is shown through the glass we can hear Flynn saying "well that was then this is now" but her mouth is not moving. edit »
TRIVIA: The Hebrew rap song Ziva listens to at the beginning of the episode is "Bela Belisima" by the Hadag Nachash. The song praises Bela Froind, an orthodox woman who stopped a public lynching of a terrorist on May 12th 1992. The Palestinian terrorist, Adnan Al-Afandi stabbed two Israeli teenagers in a market in Jerusalem, then the public attacked him. Froind laid on the body of the terrorist to prevent his murder until the police arrived. edit »

International Air Dates:
Germany: March 16, 2008 on Sat1
The Netherlands: March 26, 2008 on Veronica
Sweden: March 30, 2008 on TV3
Australia: April 8, 2008 on TEN
Denmark: November 13, 2007 on TV3
UK: June 1, 2008 on FX UK
Italy: September 21, 2008 on Rai2 edit »
CBS repeated this episode on January 22, 2008. edit »
The Elements Song from this episode is performed by comedian-musician Tom Lehrer. edit »
The song Kelly played on the piano is Hush Little Baby Don't You Cry. edit »

Tony: (to Rinnert) My acting boss says you're not going anywhere! edit »
Mann: We've shared a lot right?
Gibbs: Yeah.
Mann: Divorced three times.
Gibbs: Yeah I told you that.
Mann: Married four. You never told me about your first wife Shannon... or that you had a daughter, Kelly. Why Jethro?
Gibbs: They're dead. End of story. edit »
Mann: How long have we been together?
Gibbs: (pauses) Weeks.
Mann: Months!
Gibbs: .. which means, many weeks! edit »
Abby: I work like 16 hour days.
Rinnert: Wow! That's like... two eight hour days stuck together! edit »
Jenny: NCIS and Army CID will be working hand in hand; (looks at Gibbs and Mann) I mean, side by side... co-operatively. edit »

The title is a reference to the long running science fiction show, X-Files. Furthermore, Susanna Thompson (Lt. Col. Hollis Mann) was in the 1993 episode of the show, Space, about the sabotage of NASA spacecraft by an alien entity. edit »
Stephanie Flynn: We'll always have Moscow.

This is an illusion to the famous line "We'll always have Paris" from the movie "Casablanca." edit »
Abby: ...Flesh-eating Foundation...

Flesh-eating Foundation is an industrial goth band out of the UK that came together in the mid-90's. However, their debut album was just released in the summer of 2007. edit »
Abby: Yes, because neither rain, nor sleet, nor any class of simple atomic substance will keep me from my appointed duties. Sir!

Reference to the perceived motto of the U.S. Postal Service: Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds. However, the U.S.P.S. doesn't have a motto. The original saying was "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds" and was said about 2500 years ago by the Greek historian, Herodotus. He said this adage during the war between the Greeks and Persians about 500 B.C. in reference to the Persian mounted postal couriers whom he observed and held in high esteem. edit »
Tony: ...She's like that professional cleaner in Pulp Fiction...

Pulp Fiction is a movie released in 1994 and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The movie had several plot lines that were interconnected in some way.

This time though, Tony got his movie references wrong, because "Pulp Fiction" doesn't feature a professional cleaner. He is most likely thinking of Tarantinos later work "Curdled" that he did in 1996 as an executive producer. It features Angela Jones as a woman obsessed with violent crimes working for a post-murder cleaning service. Jones also played a taxi driver in "Pulp Fiction".

Edit: There was actually a cleaner, hired to clean up Vincent Vega's (John Travolta) mess when he accidentally shot a man in the head in the back of the car. edit »

10
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vicky24c
member since: Apr 25, 2006
Ex-File
The Bottom Line: "Character development"
A great Gibbs episode ! ...Continue »
08/29/08 01:04pm | report abuse
10
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sfviewer
member since: Jul 28, 2006
Ex-File
The Bottom Line: "Fine example"
great episode ...Continue »
04/09/08 09:33am | report abuse
8.8
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Andrew-R
member since: Oct 30, 2007
Ex-File
The Bottom Line: "Well written"
We finally met a piece of Gibbs' past. Mixed up with present. ...Continue »
04/03/08 02:37am | report abuse
3
01
aloha46
member since: Jan 23, 2008
Ex-File
The Bottom Line: "Painful to watch"
Anyone who has touched a computer should realize certain inaccuracies. I have never heard the term "Password Cracker" used in the place of "Keygen". I love how Hollywood must think computers work. ...Continue »
01/22/08 06:40pm | report abuse
10
10
vonkie_1991
member since: Jul 11, 2007
Ex-File
The Bottom Line: "Well written"
What's not the love about this episode. ...Continue »
01/03/08 06:20am | report abuse