The last episode of NCIS featured M.E. Assistant Jimmy Palmer as he tried to help a young man who just lost his father. When we first met Ryan Smith, he was arguing with his father in the car after losing his job. His father, Navy Captain Paul Smith, is so upset he almost causes an accident at an intersection. After stopping at the bank, Ryan waits as his father steps out, only to discover moments later a speeding vehicle has hit his father.
At NCIS, Jimmy is cleaning the autopsy table when Abby comes to see him. He is feeling in a blah mood especially since his wife and daughter are visiting relatives for the week. Ducky dispenses advice about even if you are “going through hell, keep going.” Before Abby can give Jimmy special skull cookies, Ducky gets the call from Jethro about the accident just blocks away.
The team goes to the scene of the accident to begin investigating. As Jimmy is preparing to get the gurney for their deceased victim, he sees a young man standing on the ledge of the building. He immediately makes a run for it without anyone noticing.
A witness to the accident is telling Gibbs about the victim’s son crying for him when one of the team spots the victim on the ledge. Just as Ducky begins to tell Jimmy to get the gurney, Alex is horrified to see Jimmy making his way to the young man.
Nick and Gibbs run up after having seen the man and are stunned to find Jimmy has already arrived on the ledge. Now that he is there, Jimmy is not sure this was his greatest idea but he does not want the kid to jump.
Gibbs starts to take Jimmy’s place, but Ryan doesn’t want anyone else near him. Jimmy tries to help as best he can, especially through memories he has with his team. He mentions having messed up himself but just working through it the best he could. Ryan blames himself for his father’s death.
During the entire exchange, the rest of the team has discovered that there were no skid marks on the road where the accident occurred. Someone intentionally ran him down. Upon hearing this, Gibbs tells the team they need to solve his father’s murder.
While the team discusses Captain Paul Smith, who appears to be a stand up guy, they find out it is Ryan’s birthday. Gibbs tries to find out if Jimmy knows that, but Nick can’t hear Jimmy talking on the ledge. They work to figure out how to be able to hear Jimmy and Ryan speaking.
Alex and Gibbs gets ready to interview Smith’s operations manager while Abby works on the security footage from the ATM at the time of the accident. After telling Gibbs and Alex that Captain Smith was loved by everyone, she does admit that he had a situation involving a Commander Morgan, in which he had been given a negative FitRep. There had been threats of a court martial but things seemed to be better. They get his contact information.
Jimmy continues to try and talk Ryan down. He voices some self-help quotes but Ryan is too far gone. He is distraught and feels like he is getting nowhere in life, especially now that his father has died after a fight.
Meanwhile, Abby views footage of the car but there is not enough information to get a plate. But Ducky was able to pull specks of paint off of the victim’s watch so she can use that to match to a car.
Jimmy talks to Ryan about how no one ever talks online about the rough times in their lives. He is trying to show him that everyone has downsides even if they seem like they are perfect. Meanwhile, Tim brings burgers up for them and there is a plan to have Nick put a microphone on Jimmy. However, Ryan refuses to let anyone gets close. Instead, Tim places it on the box of burgers knowing Jimmy won’t litter.
Before the food is brought to them, Jimmy almost falls over when Ryan attempts to escape from him. But when Ryan sees Jimmy is about to fall to his death, he reaches over to save him. His excuse is he doesn’t want Jimmy’s death on his conscious. Jimmy counters that he’d be dead and saving him meant he didn’t want to die.
Just then, Nick uses a broom to push the food to Jimmy.
Soon the team can hear Ryan and Jimmy talking. It is then that Jimmy begins talking about Gibbs and his life. He talks about how Gibbs went through unimaginable pain losing his wife and daughter but he still managed to keep going.
In addition, Jimmy talks about how Gibbs has the weight of the world on his shoulders as the team awkwardly listens, including Gibbs. He also tells Ryan how Gibbs had comforted him after his adoption fell through. Then Ryan talks about how upset his dad was, including almost causing an accident at an intersection.
Without knowing Gibbs is trying to find out which intersection, Jimmy asks Ryan, who tells him. Immediately, the team gets to work in order to find footage from that spot. Tim also finds out Commander Morgan is available to speak. He had left to get away for a few days and tells Tim and Gibbs he is surprised Smith talked to them since he had apologized. He informs them that he had brought Ryan into the fight, calling him a loser. Smith went off on him because his son was his world.
Abby comes to see Alex and Ellie, who are listening as Jimmy tells Ryan a secret he kept from them. He had failed his M.E. test twice but then passed the third time. He didn’t tell anyone because he didn’t want to change the dynamic in his team. Jimmy was opting to be happy where he was.
After learning this, Abby goes to see Tim and Gibbs. She informs them that the owner of the black SUV seen at the intersection where the almost accident occurred had actually rented it. His name is Edgar Stump and he has a history of DWIs and vehicular aggression.
The team finds Edgar Stump and seeing the SUV has signs from the accident, they arrest him. Meanwhile, Jimmy tries one more time to keep Ryan going. He tells Ryan the same advice Ducky gave him earlier that night. Soon, Gibbs arrives to give Ryan his dad’s wallet. Inside was a beat up photo that he clearly showed around to everyone. Gibbs tells Ryan that his father’s killer was a road rager and they needed him to testify at the trial. After being told he was the good thing left of his father, Ryan decides to live and he is taken safely back inside.
As Jimmy is coming in, he slips but Nick immediately catches him before telling Gibbs he was told not to let him fall. Jimmy spots the sound equipment and realizes the team heard everything he said. Ducky comes to see his co-worker and proudly calls him “Doctor Palmer.”
The next day, Jimmy goes to see Gibbs in his basement. Gibbs is silent as Jimmy begins apologizing for talking about his personal life the way he did. Without a word, Gibbs simply gives him a hug.