A couple in the park to cut down a Christmas tree, find a DB in his underwear in the snow. Gibbs' (Mark Harmon) father, Jackson (Ralph Waite) turns up unexpectedly early. Gibbs asks whose fault it really is for him not being here sooner. As in years ago. Gibbs doesn't have cable and only a black and white TV, also he got rid of the guestroom too. He still has Kelly's bike. Gibbs is surprised he actually came. He needs curtains on his window, loved the snow effect.
Tony (Michael Weatherly) "Man up chilly willy," he says to McGee (Sean Murray) and should embrace his inner "McGrizzly Adams." Ziva (Cote de Pablo) isn't cold and Tony refers to her as a "frigid ice queen" and she's cold blooded like a lady Komodo dragon. Ziva is wearing thermals. Good to know. Tony will give her $50 for them, well they won't fit him for starters and Gibbs isn't even wearing a scarf! The dead Marine's father is Minister Ellis (Joe Regelbuto). Nearby the DB, they find towel and soapy water. Ducky (David McCallum) comments if he had turned around it might have saved his life. McGee notices the recent footprints in the snow, but they didn't necessarily have to belong to the killer, they could be of those who found him. The Vic had a compass as he was praying there. Which is why he had a prayer mat. Gibbs says he was praying when he was killed.
McGee finds he changed religion 8 months ago. Tony comments he's not Tiny Tim but desperate times calls for desperate measures and he took a catalogue from the neighbour's doorstep. Nothing's safe or sacred when Tony's around. He needs a gift for Secret Santa, for Dolores ( Kate Fuglei). McGee recalls he wished her a Happy Valentine's and she threatened him with sexual harassment. Col/Reverend Ellis thinks it could have been a hate crime. His son was married 2 years. Gibbs remembers Col Ellis, he's a Reverend now and blames himself for pushing his beliefs onto his son. His other son, Patrick (Brando Eaton) was an obvious suspect for me, since it had to have been someone in the family who killed him.
Palmer (Brian Dietzen) asks if Muslims really pray five times a day. Ducky replies it takes dedication. He's waiting for the cleric before the autopsy, but finds lacerations to his shoulder and neck, the blow was in a downwards motion. There's paint residue and thread in the wound, so he knew his attacker. Tony accepts some chocolates from Gibbs' father. Gibbs calls Tony "Bubble butt." Tony says his metabolism is slowing with age, that's not all that's slowing. Thomas's wife, Tina ( Lindsay Pulsip) had a fling and he found out. The Chaplin Sayad (Corey Reynolds) likens the Marine code to the Islamic code: of honour, commitment and courage. Ziva comments that ignorance and bigotry remain problems in the military. Thomas tried and found something missing in his life. He changed his name to Tariq Bashir and the others found his need to pray inopportune. They should speak with Lewis Tibbins (Aaron McPherson) as they didn't get along.
Gibbs liked the smell of coal. He's building toys, it's more about the wood for him. His father comments he doesn't believe in Santa but in hobbies. Gibbs wants him to help, the toys are for the childrens' hospital. Ziva says this bar is where "red throats" hang out. Tony corrects her with "rednecks." Thought she would have recalled that distinction and gotten over it by now after season 3's ranger episode, Ravenous. Where they were at a similar bar and she made the same comment about rednecks. But no, she still got it wrong. Tony: "They call you Mr Tibbs." (Hey that's Gibbs' name from McGee's book!) He calls Ziva his probationary sidekick. Tibbins comments how a pretty thing like Ziva has never killed anything. Little does he know. Ziva begins a bar brawl when she cuffs Tibbins.
Tibbins admits no one liked a devout Muslim on patrol. He didn't kill Thomas; but was paid money to convince Thomas to quit the Corps. Tony tells him they were paid to be bigots. The money was wired. Abby (Pauley Perrette) introduces McGee to Carol Wilson ( Meredith Eaton) whom she attended college with and is her best friend. She drinks Caf nog and asks McGee if he can arrange for Carol's nephew, Fisher (Harrison Forsyth) to speak with his mother on Christmas Eve as she's on a destroyer. McGee replies Sat feeds are restricted.
Tony finds two marines accepted the bribe. Ziva speaks ten languages and Tony suggests Ziva should check out the Interpol lead. Gibbs' fireplace is clogged and he brought his mother's decorations for the Christmas tree. Gibbs leaves his gun in the front room which his father doesn't like and wants Gibbs to listen to him, just this once. Tony finds the money came from the Reverend's account and comments people do things for misguided reasons. His son was a Marine, not people and Gibbs says he was still subject to the same laws. The Reverend didn't want Thomas discharged but only wanted him to stop practising his faith. Gibbs is angry the Reverend paid off men his son trusted with his life. The Reverend refers to Thomas as having a different God. Gibbs: "One and the same Colonel."
Ziva and McGee watch Tony squirm with Dolores. She knows he's her Secret Santa. Ziva suggests he should kill her with kindness. Abby says her job involves the "keen eye of science" and has cooked gingerbread cookies of herself. Which Ziva refuses to eat as she can't eat Abby. She found traces of aluminium and titanium in his wound and the killer was athletic. Gibbs believes the weapon was a baseball bat. Ducky and his father laugh over old stories about Gibbs and the sheep. Ducky has a "roose to be goasted." His father is sweet and more accessible than Gibbs. Clearly Ducky's well into the Christmas spirits! But can still make determinations as to how his father is feeling. Ducky tells Gibbs his father is lonely and under emotional distress and Gibbs isn't Martha Stewart.
McGee says he has orders from Admiral Nicholas Whitebeard of the North and Tony calls him McScrooge. Tony tells them Vance (Rocky Carroll) found out Col Ellis was visiting the SecNav at the time and Thomas's wife drove him. The Chaplin receives a note in the mail saying Thomas died because of him and refuses protection. He speaks to teens and said it's immoral for someone to not accept them. He spoke to Patrick's class too.
Abby feels like Scrooge being visited by the three ghosts of Christmas: Ziva, Gibbs and McGee. It took someone with speed and agility to kill Thomas. Tony comments he has those abilities. Tony calls Ziva Probette and asks where her holiday spirit is. Patrick played Lacrosse. Ziva mentions Abel and Cain who killed his brother (as I suspected.) Well the brother did it. Patrick lost his temper. He killed him for their father as Thomas was embarrassing them. The Reverend slaps him, he found his God, but Thomas was his son. There's the 'his God' comment again. The Reverend thinks he turned his back on Thomas.
Gibbs and his father talk, he spoke with Betty. He was going to be robbed in the store and he had his gun, so he shot the robber. It's not the first time he's killed, but it's the first time he saw his face, cos everything looks different from a cockpit. He wonders how Gibbs did it all these years since he was a sniper. Gibbs says it's not meant to be easy. Tony gives Dolores her present, the doll she wanted as a child but never got. He looked in her personnel file as he has clearance. Fisher gets to speak with his mother courtesy of McGee. Abby believes McGee will make a great Santa. Gibbs takes the sack of toys for the children, looking very much like a Santa.
Plenty of controversy surrounding this episode when it was aired in the US, with some groups angrily suggesting this was not an appropriate subject matter for a Christmas episode. Let's see what was wrong with those comments. Well firstly they didn't show any Christmas spirit, Christmas isn't purely about religion, it's the sentiments involved and what it truly stands for, giving and being charitable. It's not to berate another religion, any religion. And clearly they missed the point completely here. But I won't go on with that discussion here, as this isn't the forum and it's old news. This episode was about fathers and sons, what with Gibbs' own father paying a visit and they had plenty to talk about. The contrast between their relationship, with Gibbs taking the time out to talk and comfort him, not being afraid to show he really does care for his father; to the Reverend making judgements about Thomas, who was his son firstly and religion shouldn't have come into their relationship. Being a Reverend he should have known better and since when do you put down another religion, he's meant to be a man of God, the same God.
Lots to think about in this episode, as well as the fun bits too. More references from Tony to films and shows, such as Hee Haw, The Grinch, Newhart and They Call Me Mr Tibbs. Abby's skeleton Santa. Ziva says "Bah, Humbog" instead of Humbug. Meredith Eaton was married to Michael Gildon, who played Abby's friend, Marty, in season 4. The catalogue Tony takes from his neighbour is called 'Larry and Diamond' an allusion to Larry Fuentes, who does the special effects on the show and Diamond Farnsworth, the stunt co-ordinator and son of actor, Richard Farnsworth. Also hard to believe all that snow was actually paper.
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