NCIS Season 22, Episode 5: The CIA Strikes Again, and the MCRT Faces Another Corrupt Agent
In NCIS Season 22, Episode 5, the Major Crimes Response Team (MCRT) finds itself once again clashing with the CIA, a familiar pattern for the agency. The episode kicks off with the investigation of a retired Navy captain, Thomas Butler (John Getz), who has dementia and takes his nurse hostage while speaking in a foreign language. As the investigation deepens, the CIA, represented by Officer Conrad (Tom Schanley), intervenes, demanding that NCIS halt their inquiry. Despite NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) insisting on cooperation, Conrad withholds critical information.
It’s revealed that Butler was a Soviet spy in the 1970s whom the CIA allegedly kept tabs on after the Cold War. However, the CIA’s failure to track Butler raises questions about their oversight. The situation takes a dark turn when Butler steals a file called “Project Laurel,” which Conrad claims is crucial for national security but refuses to explain further. When NCIS digs deeper, it turns out that the file contains a list of crimes committed by none other than Conrad himself.
This marks yet another example of the CIA’s questionable tactics that have caused trouble for NCIS in the past. The episode draws parallels to previous encounters with rogue CIA agents like Trent Kort (David Dayan Fisher), who caused chaos in seasons past. Kort, infamous for sabotaging NCIS investigations, blew up Tony DiNozzo’s (Michael Weatherly) car and later attempted to kill Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Like Conrad, Kort was a dangerous CIA agent who put his own interests above national security.
In NCIS Season 22, while the FBI has shown signs of cooperation, the CIA continues to operate in the shadows, acting with impunity and dishonesty. It’s clear that no matter how much the NCIS team changes, dealing with corrupt CIA agents is a constant theme. With NCIS evolving, the MCRT’s struggle with rogue CIA operatives remains a core challenge for the team.
NCIS Season 22 airs Mondays on CBS, with new episodes available the next day on Paramount+.
