**Just Stand Back and Let Gary Cole Be Funny, Y’all**
When the world’s best heart surgeon is found dead with someone else’s blood on his scrubs, the man to solve the mystery is Dr. Emmett Trowbridge, aka Alden Parker (Gary Cole). How does the impeccably coiffed agent end up wielding a scalpel and a fake identity? It involves a kidnapping, a cartel, and a wicked crick in his neck. Let’s recap!
Dr. Erik Harper (Tim Russ), a renowned rare-tumor cardiothoracic surgeon, is found shot dead after being abducted from the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center parking lot. The team heads to the scene with a slow-moving Parker in tow; what he claims to be just a stiff neck is bad enough to jeopardize his performance in the upcoming two-on-two basketball tournament with Torres (Wilmer Valderrama).
Parker grimaces but complies when Palmer (Brian Dietzen) summons him to examine Dr. Harper’s body at the bottom of a short incline. His grimace deepens when Palmer suggests acupuncture, reminding us of Parker’s fear of needles (trypanophobia).
When anesthesia is found in the blood on Dr. Harper’s scrubs, the team speculates that he was forced to perform surgery for someone powerful and scary. McGee (Sean Murray) jokes about Putin or Kim Jong Un, but the real lead comes from Kasie (Diona Reasonover), who recovers Dr. Harper’s mostly melted digital recorder from the kidnappers’ torched van. The recording mentions El Viento, the nickname of ruthless cartel boss Carlos Savina.
Deputy Director Vance (Rocky Carroll), still recovering from a sniper wound, joins the investigation. Vance has a personal vendetta against Savina, who killed two agents during a botched operation years ago.
Despite the team’s best efforts to help Parker’s neck with inversion tables, ointments, and muscle stimulators, nothing works. Meanwhile, they learn that Dr. Harper had stopped performing surgeries due to a hand tremor and was being treated by physiatrist Dr. Carrie Moran (Krishna Smitha).
Parker visits Dr. Harper’s longtime surgical partner, Dr. Clara Logan (Christina Kirk), who is devastated by his death. She didn’t know about Harper’s tremor but says it would have made heart surgery almost impossible, explaining why the cartel might have killed him.
When cartel members show up at the hospital to kidnap Dr. Logan for another surgery attempt, Parker quick-wittedly dons a white coat and insists he’s necessary for the operation. After a brief hesitation, he introduces himself as Dr. Emmett Trowbridge and ends up cuffed in a van with Dr. Logan, exacerbating his stiff neck.
In the makeshift operating room, Savina (Juan Javier Cardenas) is skeptical of Parker’s credentials, prompting Parker to channel his inner Alec Baldwin from *Malice*. Dr. Logan coolly supports Parker, and they proceed with the surgery. Parker and Logan share an entertaining, whispering exchange of movie quotes while performing the operation.
As Parker fumbles through the surgery, Dr. Logan seizes an unattended phone to call for help, but a cartel member breaks her wrist, leaving Parker to handle Savina’s exposed heart. Fortunately, McGee tracks down the cartel’s location, and the team storms the operating room just in time.
Parker heroically overcomes his fear of needles to inject a cartel member with a fatal dose of potassium, saving Dr. Logan. Vance arrests Savina, who wakes up in a real hospital.
In a heartfelt moment, Parker visits Dr. Logan, who asks him to call her Clara. Parker’s neck issues are finally resolved thanks to Torres’s bear-hug spine crack. The team leaves Parker and Clara alone, hinting at a potential romantic future.
**Stray Shots:**
– It’s a shame we never saw Parker and DiNozzo face off in a movie quote battle.
– Kasie’s Rosie the Riveter jumpsuit and bandanna were adorable.
– The final scene with McGee laughing at Parker and Torres horsing around was delightful, whether in character or just Sean Murray enjoying the moment.
– This episode, promised by Brian Dietzen and Wilmer Valderrama to showcase Gary Cole’s comedic talent, did not disappoint. Two more episodes to go this season!