Shell Shock (Part I)

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"Shell Shock (Part I)"
NCIS episode
Shell Shock 1.jpg
Gibbs and Tony find Westcott
Episode no.Season 10
Episode 6
Directed by Leslie Libman
Written byNichole Mirante-Matthews
Original air dateNovember 13, 2012 (2012-11-13)
Guest appearances
  • Brad Beyer as Marine Captain Joe Westcott
  • Mark Rolston as George Westcott
  • Glen Powell as Marine Sergeant Evan Westcott
  • David Hoflin as Randall J. Kersey
  • Chris McGarry as Lieutenant Commander/Doctor Peter Sanger
  • Vinicius Machado as Sam Mathis
  • Doris Morgado as Andrea Aldridge
  • Hector Atreyu Ruiz as Marine First Lieutenant Michael Torres
Episode chronology
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"The Namesake"		Next →
"Shell Shock (Part II)"
NCIS season 10
List of episodes

"Shell Shock (Part I)" is the sixth episode of the tenth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS , and the 216th episode overall. It originally aired on CBS in the United States on November 13, 2012. The episode is written by Nichole Mirante-Matthews and directed by Leslie Libman, and was seen by 17.05 million viewers. [1] [2]

Contents

When a Marine Lieutenant who recently returned home from the Middle East is found dead from a brutal attack, the NCIS team questions the victim’s friend, Marine Captain Joe Wescott. Gibbs realizes the Captain is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but knows his experience overseas may also provide a key link to the crime.

The plot continues in "Shell Shock (Part II)".

Plot

The episode begins with two men trying to run from a gang but they are eventually caught and beaten badly. The gang then drags one of the men into the darkness while the other flees. The next morning, the team is called over to investigate the body of the man who was dragged off, Lieutenant Michael Torres. They find out that Torres was with his commanding officer, Captain Joe Westcott and track down Westcott at Torres' house. Westcott tells the team about the attack and how he feels guilty that he didn't try to save Torres. However, Gibbs is not convinced that Westcott is telling the whole truth. More inconsistencies surface when Ducky's autopsy reveals that Torres was not beaten by a gang of men, but by only a pair, which contradicts Westcott's account. Surveillance footage of the attack does not provide any conclusive evidence either since the tape it was recorded on is corrupted.

Gibbs then has Westcott tell him about the story of how his squad was ambushed by insurgents in Iraq shortly before their tour of duty ended. Several of Westcott's men were killed and Westcott himself witnessed one of his men getting captured. However, rather than try to help him, Westcott fled in fear. Though the captured soldier was rescued by another squadmate, he died shortly after due to his wounds. Westcott can't forgive himself for succumbing to cowardice and it is revealed that he suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, as he is constantly reliving the ambush in his mind.

The team manages to clean up the surveillance footage and sees that there were only three men involved in the fight: Westcott, Torres and another man named Randall J. Kersey, who claims never to have seen Westcott nor has he been outside the country. They surmise that Westcott suffered another PTSD episode; he believed Kersey was one of the insurgents and began to assault him. Torres tried to intervene but was knocked down and struck his head on the pavement, dying instantly.

After sending Westcott to therapy to have his PTSD treated, Gibbs has McGee obtain satellite photos of the insurgent base where Westcott had been ambushed. To the team's shock, they discover that Kersey was indeed present at the base as one of the insurgents. The team raids Kersey's house but are too late: Kersey has already fled but the team discovers evidence that he had already built two bombs and is planning an attack.

Meanwhile, Tony finds an old camera with photos of his mother, who died when he was eight years old. Unfortunately, McGee gets hold of Tony's embarrassing old high school portrait and Ziva gives him a relentless amount of grief.

Production

Brad Beyer guest starred as Marine Captain Joe Westcott, a marine with posttraumatic stress disorder. Brad Beyer on Set.jpg
Brad Beyer guest starred as Marine Captain Joe Westcott, a marine with posttraumatic stress disorder.

"Shell Shock (Part I)" is written by Nichole Mirante-Matthews and directed by Leslie Libman. The episode is a tribute to "all of our brave men and women overseas, as well as our veterans here at home", Mirante-Matthews said. [3] The theme of the episode is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and showrunner Gary Glasberg gave Mirante-Matthews (Part I) and Gina Lucita Monreal (Part II) the task of writing the two-part story arc in May 2012. The writers had to use "several weeks of research and conversation" to get enough information about PTSD and its effect on people in the military. [3]

On September 13, 2012, TV Guide announced that Brad Beyer would guest star as Marine Captain Joe Westcott, who "shows signs of post-traumatic stress disorder". [4] Together with Beyer, Glen Powell was cast to portray Westcott's brother Luke and Mark Rolston as their father George.

Reception

"Shell Shock (Part I)" was seen by 17.05 million live viewers following its broadcast on November 13, 2012, with a 3.1/9 share among adults aged 18 to 49. [2] A rating point represents one percent of the total number of television sets in American households, and a share means the percentage of television sets in use tuned to the program. In total viewers, "Shell Shock (Part I)" easily won NCIS and CBS the night. The spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles drew second and was seen by 15.77 million viewers. [2] Compared to the last episode "Namesake", "Shell Shock (Part I)" was down in both viewers and adults 18-49. [5]

Carla Day from TV Fanatic gave the episode 4.5 (out of 5) and stated that "[the episode] started out as a fairly routine NCIS case when a marine, Michael Torres, was found beaten to death in an alley. The investigation became more complicated when his fellow marine's story didn't check out and Gibbs figured out he was suffering from PTSD. That was a compelling story, but NCIS ended with a surprise that blew the top off the entire mystery." [6]

Related Research Articles

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that develops from experiencing a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a person's life or well-being. Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in the way a person thinks and feels, and an increase in the fight-or-flight response. These symptoms last for more than a month after the event. Young children are less likely to show distress, but instead may express their memories through play. A person with PTSD is at a higher risk of suicide and intentional self-harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thousand-yard stare</span> Informal term for dissociative gaze

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Combat Stress is a registered charity in the United Kingdom offering therapeutic and clinical community and residential treatment to former members of the British Armed Forces who are suffering from a range of mental health conditions; including post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Combat Stress makes available treatment for all Veterans who are suffering with mental illness free of charge.

Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that many soldiers experienced during the war, before PTSD was officially recognized. It is a reaction to the intensity of the bombardment and fighting that produced a helplessness, which could manifest as panic, fear, flight, or an inability to reason, sleep, walk, or talk.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-traumatic stress disorder after World War II</span>

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results after experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event which later leads to mental health problems. This disorder has always existed but has only been recognized as a psychological disorder within the past forty years. Before receiving its official diagnosis in 1980, when it was published in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-lll), Post-traumatic stress disorder was more commonly known as soldier's heart, irritable heart, or shell shock. Shell shock and war neuroses were coined during World War I when symptoms began to be more commonly recognized among many of the soldiers that had experienced similar traumas. By World War II, these symptoms were identified as combat stress reaction or battle fatigue. In the first edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I), post-traumatic stress disorder was called gross stress reaction which was explained as prolonged stress due to a traumatic event. Upon further study of this disorder in World War II veterans, psychologists realized that their symptoms were long-lasting and went beyond an anxiety disorder. Thus, through the effects of World War II, post-traumatic stress disorder was eventually recognized as an official disorder in 1980.

References

  1. ↑ "(#1006) "Shell Shock - Part I"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 Bibel, Sara (November 14, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice', 'Parenthood' & 'NCIS' Adjusted Up; 'Go On', 'Hart of Dixie', 'Happy Endings' & 'The Mindy Project' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 17, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Mirante-Matthews, Nicole (November 12, 2012). "Insider's Blog: "Shell Shock (Part 1)"". CBS. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  4. ↑ Bryant, Adam (September 13, 2012). "NCIS Scoop: Jericho Alum Books November Sweeps Arc". TV Guide. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  5. ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 31, 2012). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Dancing With the Stars' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  6. ↑ Day, Carla (November 13, 2012). "NCIS Review: The General". TV Fanatic. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
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