‘NCIS’ 500: What Happened in ‘Hung Out to Dry,’ Episode to Watch Before Milestone?

Ahead of NCIS Episode 500, executive producer Steven D. Binder told us that fans should watch the series’ second episode, “Hung Out to Dry.” All he’d say was, “I think it will land.”

The official description for the milestone, “All Good Things,” airing on March 24, reads: “When the son of a Marine that Gibbs [Mark Harmon] once helped comes to NCIS in desperation, the fractured team reunites off the books. But chasing justice without a badge may cost them more than their careers.” As was revealed at the end of the episode before it, NCIS is being shut down.

So, what happened in NCIS Season 1 Episode 2 “Hung Out to Dry”? And who could that son be? Below, we take a look back at those (very) early days, 22 years ago.

What was the case in NCIS Season 1 Episode 2 “Hung Out to Dry”?

In Kate’s (Sasha Alexander) first case with the team as an NCIS agent — the series premiere, “Yankee White,” which the series went back to for the franchise’s 1000th episode, didn’t count since she was Secret Service, Ducky (David McCallum) said — a Marine, Sergeant Larry Fuentes, was killed when his parachute didn’t open during a night training jump. His reserve seemed to be fine, but initial speculation was that painkillers he was taking for a previous injury could have affected his reaction time and explained why he didn’t open it.

However, during the course of the investigation, with his fellow Marines suspects, the team realized that someone tampered with the shroud lines using sulfuric acid and switched out his reserve (which had also been soldered shut so it couldn’t open) after he fell to his death. And to get that person to confess, Gibbs and Tony (Michael Weatherly) joined the next jumping exercise, with the latter wearing Fuentes’ reserve.

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Right before the jump, Tony made a fuss about having “unlucky” 13 as his reserve and asked Dafelmair (Rick Pasqualone) to switch with him. Dafelmair hesitated but agreed, then, as they were about to jump, Gibbs called him out on killing Fuentes because he discovered he was selling drugs (residue was found on the shroud lines of Fuentes’ chute). Dafelmair eventually agreed to make a deal after Gibbs cut the line of his main chute, which would have left him to jump with no backup, since he had Fuentes’ reserve. The ensuing scuffle with other Marines led to Tony being pushed out of the plane, but he opened his chute and instead just enjoyed the jump he’d wanted to do in the first place.

Who did Gibbs help on NCIS in “Hung Out to Dry”?

During the investigation, Gibbs went to see Larry’s wife Rosemarie (Christina Souza) and son Billy (Austin Marques) and found the latter in the treehouse his father never finished building for him. He assured Rosemarie he’d find who was responsible for her husband’s death (he kept that promise) and also told Billy not to be ashamed of crying at his dad’s funeral but rather to salute him.

At the end of the episode, Gibbs returned to the Fuentes’ house and began working on finishing the treehouse. Billy joined him, with the perfect password (Gibbs told him treehouses needed one): “Semper Fi,” the Marine Corps’ motto.

Who is “the son of a Marine that Gibbs once helped” in NCIS Episode 500?

So far, we don’t know. It could be Billy Fuentes returning — or even the son of one of Fuentes’ fellow Marines whose innocence was proven in that episode — or this episode could touch on a similar sentiment, of Gibbs helping out someone else like he did in “Hung Out to Dry,” perhaps even in a case we never saw onscreen, allowing for the show to tell a new story with Gibbs (without Mark Harmon present) and for those who know him to get to see another side of their former boss (much like the Origins crossover did, with glimpses of Austin Stowell‘s version in the present via interrogation tapes) they hadn’t and he’ll likely never tell them. Either would certainly be a treat for fans.

We’ll have to wait and see, since the previews (including our exclusive sneak peek) and photos for NCIS 500 are focused on the team and the agency being shut down.

What are you hoping to see in NCIS 500? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS, Episode 500, Tuesday, March 24, 8/7c, CBS