Gut Check (episode)

Gut Check is the ninth episode of NCIS Season 11 and the 243rd episode of the entire NCIS series.
==Synopsis==
A briefing being held in MTAC is interrupted when it's discovered that SECNAV Sarah Porter has been bugged, sending Gibbs, Tony and McGee on a manhunt to investigate the circumstances of the event with the case soon having issues of national security at stake and even murder while working alongside a young NSA Analyst who predicted two years ago that the security breach would occur.
==Prologue==
In MTAC, as a CGI image of a ship sailing through an ocean appears on the screen behind her, SECNAV Sarah Porter announces that this is the Zumwalt Class-destroyer, demanding the best from the Navy and companies constructing her.
It then shows four businessmen sitting in MTAC, all of them also wearing the NCIS Visitors Badge as they look on at the presentation.
Porter tells the four men that they represent the next wave of U.S. defense companies who will improve the lives of their military personnel by keeping them safer and better equipping them to defend us.
As this happens, both NCIS Director Leon and NCIS Special Agent Timothy McGee are looking on.
As the screen changes showing the four companies' logos: United Equinox Electronics, Galaxy Mission Corporation, Dearborn Dynamics Systems, Inc and Berninger Marine Incorporated, Porter remarks to the men that together they are the future of the United States Navy.
Once the briefing's over, everyone begins applauding with Vance and McGee joining in.
Ward Davis then asks Porter why is his logo smaller than Marc Attencio's?
He points out that Berninger Marine laid down a million tons of raw steel this year while United Equinox made a tiny screw.
As this happens, Porter rubs her head, obviously frustrated.
Marc Attencio states that there's a correction and that they made a teeny-tiny screw that could withstand a 1,200 degree temperature swing and that they made a crapton of them.
Suddenly, the alarms begin blaring, causing McGee and Vance to look on, concerned.
A "System Shutdown" then pops up on screen.
As the screen goes black, Porter asks McGee if this is another dramatic touch?
McGee tells Porter or Madam Secretary not exactly and that network security detected an unauthorized electronic transmission and that everything shuts down automatically.
As this goes on, Vance begins walking around.
Porter wonders if someone's trying to hack in from the outside.
"No", McGee replies. "Lockdown only happens if the attack's internal".
It then cuts to Vance who states that the threat is in this room.
==Act One==
==Act Two==
In the elevator with Gibbs, Porter states her need to clear the air right now before revealing that she has no idea where she got that pen.
==Act Three==
==Act Four==
==Act Five==
==Major Events==
*It's revealed that Tony now owns two goldfish, naming his second one after Ziva David.
*NSA Analyst Eleanor Bishop is introduced for the first time.
*After the case, Bishop becomes the official NSA/NCIS liaison officer.
==Trivia==
*This is the second episode to briefly feature the in-development Zumwalt-class destroyer. The first was in the Season 5 episode Stakeout (episode).
*In this episode Tony says Bishop "pulled a Palmer" on the suspect. This is a reference to About Face (episode) where Jimmy drove a car into Tesla Suskavcevic's truck.
==Cast==
===Series Regulars===
Name 	Portrayed by 	Role
Leroy Jethro Gibbs 	Mark Harmon 	Special Agent in charge of the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Anthony DiNozzo Junior	Michael Weatherly 	Senior Special Agent and second-in-command of the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Timothy McGee 	Sean Murray (actor)	Special Agent for the the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
Abigail Sciuto 	Pauley Perrette 	Chief Forensic Specialist for the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
James Palmer 	Brian Dietzen 	Assistant Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team. Despite being credited, Dietzen does not appear in this episode.
Leon Vance 	Rocky Carroll 	Director of NCIS.
Donald Mallard 	David McCallum 	Chief Medical Examiner for the NCIS Major Case Response Team.
===Recurring Cast===
Name 	Portrayed by	Role
Sarah Porter	Leslie Hope 	The new SecNav and Clayton Jarvis's replacement.
===Guest Cast===
Name 	Portrayed by 	Role
Eleanor Bishop 	Emily Wickersham 	NSA Analyst who later becomes the official NSA liaison to NCIS.
Ward Davis 	Alan Ruck 	A man who appears in the episode.
Marc Attencio 	Geoffrey Blake (actor)	A man who appears in the episode.
Rudolph Stalin 	Gideon Emery 	A man who appears in the episode.
Norma Hench 	Nichelle Hines 	NCIS Special Agent.
Chad Flynderling	Tim Peper 	NSA Agent and main murder victim
Thaddeus Nox 	David Anthony Buglione	Bugger and posing as "Edward Gracey".
Library Patron 	Grace Noble 	A woman who appears in the episode.
  v - [ e] - dNCIS Season 11
♦ Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (episode) ♦ Past, Present, and Future (episode) ♦ Under the Radar (episode) ♦ Anonymous was a Woman (episode) ♦ Once a Crook (episode) ♦ Oil and Water (episode) ♦ Better Angels (episode) ♦ Alibi (episode) ♦ Gut Check (episode) ♦ Devil's Triad (episode) ♦ Homesick (episode) ♦ Kill Chain (episode) ♦ Double Back (episode) ♦ Monsters and Men (episode) ♦ Bulletproof (episode) ♦ Dressed to Kill (episode) ♦ Rock and a Hard Place (episode) ♦ Crescent City (Part 1) (episode) ♦ Crescent City (Part 2) (episode) ♦ Page Not Found (episode) ♦ Alleged (episode) ♦ Shooter (episode) ♦ The Admiral's Daughter (episode) ♦ Honor Thy Father (episode)
Category:NCIS Episodes
Category:NCIS Season 11 Episodes
Category:NCIS Thanksgiving Episodes
Category:NCIS Episodes written by Christopher J. Waild
Category:NCIS Episodes directed by Dennis Smith
Category:NCIS Episodes featuring Sarah Porter