AKA, the 'OMG how hot can Abby get' episode.
We open with our Nile queen attacking carving a pumpkin in a manner best left to those with little fondness for their hands (aka, not a doctor). General Custer comes stumbling in, clutching his neck, and Cleopatra assumes he's playing. Unfortunately, the truth is he's been shot.
Back at NCIS, we discover that Tony actually keeps a drawer stocked with wads of paper, ready for basket-shooting. Ziva's getting ready to go out--though we never find out to where--and Tony warns her about the perils of Halloween. Apparently it's not his favorite holiday ever--something that traces back to his career as a cop.
McGee wanders in at this point, buttoning up his shirt over a T-shirt that's suspiciously blue. Tony, of course, notices this fact. At this point I wondered if we were going to revisit Dead and Unburied by having Tony undress Tim to discover what was hidden underneath. But, alas, Tim's secret is given away by a conveniently open bag left by his desk. Haven't you learned not to give your teammates such easy access to teasing fodder, Timmy?
Tony and Ziva start to tease McGee about his Snow Elf costume, but McGee has the laugh this time--his Ice Princess is a hotty Redskins cheerleader. Unfortunately, Gibbs shows up to announce that McGee isn't going to get to go on his date--they have a case.
McGee: Well, ah, I'm going to a costume party later tonight.
Gibbs: Not anymore, Elf Lord. General Custer has been shot and he's got a dead skeleton in his living room.
Tony: What'd I tell you? Halloween.
Isn't Ziva cute in the elf hat? (And note gratuitous wardrobe fondling.)
Gibbs sends McGee to process the scene, while Ziva and Tony are sent to take Cleopatra's statement. Ducky and Palmer arrive, their van covered in egg. And I always knew Ducky had quite the spirit--he's chased down the culprits and sets them to work cleaning up.
Ducky: Release the captives, Mr. Palmer!
Ninja 1: Are we in trouble?
Ninja 2: Where are we at? We said we were sorry.
Ducky: Right. Clean it.
Tony: Nice work, Palmer.
Palmer: Oh, it wasn't me, Tony. Dr. Mallard chased them for three blocks.
Ducky: Oh, please. It's not that impressive. It's not as if they were real ninjas.
Hee!
Tony and Ziva interview Cleopatra, who turns out to be a pediatrician (thus her ability to save Custer's, er, the staff sergeant's, life) and not immune to Tony's charms. (I love the way the realization hits him and the slow smile lights up his face. Yum.)
McGee's processing the actual crime scene, but gets spooked when the brass disappears. He pulls his gun, searching for a perp, when Palmer charges on in like a bull in a china shop. (Good thing there wasn't an actual bad guy lurking around, Jimmy.) Gibbs and Tony check out the area, but don't find anybody.
McGee: Look, I know what I saw. Someone policed the brass, tried to wipe up the blood.
Tony: Who, Probie? The crime-scene fairies? There's no one here.
*cough*
Gibbs takes the opportunity to demonstrate Marine neck-breaking techniques on McGee. (And kagey and I squee, because apparently Tony and Tim talk about such things in their downtime.) Of course, Gibbs isn't just playing around--he's teaching by doing, figuring out what happened by acting out the crime.
Tony returns, only to encounter the crime-scene fairy itself: a Roomba! I thought this was a cute little sequence, although I can say from experience that the Roomba makes enough noise that McGee would have noticed its presence early on. Also, it eats rug fringe. But hey, those are minor things. :) Gibbs solves the Roomba problem in the most expedient, Gibbs-like manner possible by stomping on it. Brass recovered!
The power of McGee's geekitude is flying high in this episode. Ziva returns with what appears to be a less-than-helpful description of the getaway car.
Gibbs: Karuma is Japanese for car, Ziva.
Tony: Your description of the car is 'car'. Nice work, Officer David.
McGee: Karuma is the name of a car in Grand Theft Auto III. It's a Chrysler Sebring sedan.
Tony: McGeek with the save!
Tony sounds so adorably proud of McGee. *swoon*
The wife arrives, distraught, thinking that her husband is dead. Her sister comforts her while Gibbs informs her that the staff sergeant is in surgery. Unfortunately, the daughter is missing--and soon we discover she's been kidnapped.
Back at NCIS, Tony and McGee arrive in autopsy to find Ducky with a now-clean body. They banter about Scotland and Sean Connery for a bit. I love Tim's confusion about Connery's nationality and Tony's response--to me, it seems like they've gone beyond competitive and picking at each other and have now arrived at a point of learning about each other's interests. Very cool.
Another interesting point is the way Tony and Ducky interact here. Tony prods Ducky for clues to the guy's identity, and when Ducky replies that he doesn't know, prods harder. They're relating in a way that's more like Ducky and Gibbs pre-Hiatus. Apparently, some of those leadership skills Tony assumed during the summer are still hanging around.
Palmer arrives, informing everybody that Abby is in the lab–and in costume. Tim and Tony share a look and immediately head off to see. And oh, they are stunned at what they find.

And she is stunning, isn't she?
Yes, Abby was at a Halloween party in a cemetery (in those shoes?), and she's still gussied up as Marilyn Monroe. She doesn't seem to understand the guys' reaction to her, but there is definitely a reaction. Open-mouthed gaping, lip-licking, tie-loosening, out-and-out ogling--even picture-taking. They are definitely impressed.
(Oh, my ship, it sails so smoothly.)
McGee, however, is so befuddled that he can't even think. Tony gives him a well-deserved headsmack when he can't get it together enough to hand over the camera to Abby. Oh, Tim. And you wanted the ice princess, why?
Abby: McGee, what is wrong with you? You look three cans short of a six-pack.
McGee: Nothing. It's just, you, you look different.
Tony: He means the Halloween costume. Marilyn.
Abby: Oh! Right. Sweet, huh?
Tony: Yeah, yeah.
*flails* The guys are all breathy and dazed and guh...
Okay, plot. Right. Gibbs calls to report a lead, and Tony reports their progress. The question is: what's motivating the kidnapping? The sergeant is by no means rich. Ziva is supposed to run the picture of the dead guy by the mother, but manages to put her foot in her mouth instead. Gibbs steps in and reminds Ziva that the woman has a reason to be distraught, and also points out that there were marital problems between the two.
Tony and McGee are cute together interviewing a zombie, at which point they discover a smashed pumpkin with secrets of its own.
Tony: You got a time of death on the Great Pumpkin here, Charlie Brown?
The mother is unable to identify dead skeleton man, and gets even more distraught when her sister tries to comfort her. (That was a pretty dead giveaway moment that one of the two ladies was guilty. At that point, though, I wasn't sure which.) Gibbs goes to comfort the mother, and lets down enough of his guard to let some of his personal history come through. He's always been good at doing that with victims, but now he seems to open up even more. Like he's prepared to give even more of himself for the cause. It's an interesting contrast with how he is with his team.
Back at the ranch, it's obvious that witness!zombie has led to further discussion of the creatures and the movies that feature them. Tony insists that quick zombies are blasphemy, but Abby and Tim keep reminding him of exceptions to his rule. I love this scene, because they're all so obviously familiar with each other. Over and over again during this episode, I really got the feeling that Tony and Tim in particular spend time together, talking and probably watching movies.
McGee: Didn't you say Al Pacino in Scarface was the best--
Tony: Okay. But my point is, zombies should be slow.
Abby: Tony, there's nothing scary about a zombie dragging his butt around.
Tony: Well a zombie's not a zombie unless it's dragging its butt around.
McGee: You liked 28 Days Later. Those zombies were really quick.
Tony: Okay, enough with the zombies already. Did we find an impression on the vegetable, or not?
McGee: Technically, it's a fruit.
*flails*
While still ogling Abby, they manage to uncover the pumpkin's secret: the license plate number of the getaway car. Unfortunately, it turns out it was a stolen rental, so no quick solution to the kidnapper's identity there.
As a side note, I'm curious about this exchange from a canon perspective (as opposed to a shipper's perspective):
McGee: I think you mean Abby and I did it again.
[Abby hits McGee.]
McGee: Ow! What was that for?
Abby: Those days ended the moment you started sexing up the cheerleader.
After Bloodbath, I had the impression that Abby and Tim were more off than on in their on-and-off relationship. But here, it almost sounds like there was something for Abby to call a halt to at this moment in time. DPB does like to keep us on our toes about these two.
The kidnappers make their demand: a hundred grand in cash. Gibbs confronts the mother, trying to figure out what she's been hiding. She admits that she's been having problems with her husband, because he discovered that the daughter's parentage is in question. The ex-boyfriend has been causing problems--and that's possibly an important lead.
Tony and McGee try to run down the ex-boyfriend via computer, with some success. God, I adore how they're always in each other's space:
The mother and her 'sister' exit to the bedroom for some rest while Gibbs takes off to track down the ex, leaving Ziva to watch over them. Meanwhile, Tony and McGee drive to the apartment, Tony explaining his last experience dressing up for Halloween.
Tony: My costume was fantastic, though. Wicked awesome. I was a spaceman. No ventilation, though. Burnin' up. Sweatin' like Roger Federer after a five-set tiebreaker. And stinky. Stinky like cheese. But man, what a haul. I made off with more candy than I could carry.
McGee: God, I imagine this story's coming to an end soon.
Tony: But when I got home, the old man made me throw it all away. Even the apples.
McGee: He was concerned about your teeth.
Tony: Oh. No, I made my astronaut costume out of one of his three-thousand-dollar designer ski suits.
(That high-pitched noise you heard? Is kagey squealing about Tony using wicked in true Bostonian fashion.)
Tony spills these types of stories fairly often. The question remains: how much is truth, and how much is it just Tony being Tony? I can never make up my mind. But either way, Tony does like to talk about himself with his friends, and I like this.
Gibbs, Tony and McGee arrive at the apartment, discovering the missing Sebring with Sarah's princess hat in the truck. They storm the Halloween party and get a less-than-impressed reception, complete with CSI joke. They find their suspect in Klingon garb and less than cooperative–until McGee steps up to the plate with his geekitude once again, and translates his Klingon insults. After a little encouragement Gibbs-style, our Klingon asserts that he's innocent and that he was in fact the one being threatened. Gibbs isn't dissuaded that easily, but he does have Tony call Ziva to find out what the deal is.
Unfortunately for Ziva, the two women have snuck out the bedroom window. Oops!
Gibbs stares down our Klingon in interrogation.
Tony: Is General Kang crying, or is that just sweat?
McGee: Half hour alone in a room with angry Gibbs? Even Klingons have their limits.
Tony is such a closet geek. He might not know Star Wars, but he has an awful lot of Trek knowledge popping out all over the place.
With no one left to guard, Ziva seeks solace with Ducky and his tea. (I will never get over people drinking and doing...other things in autopsy.) She's upset that she screwed up, and Ducky tries to console her. Which leads to a convoluted discussion about bears that I'd rather not get into. (Though apparently Tony's also watching movies with Ziva. Is this one of those team-bonding things that sprang up over the summer?) Together they come up with the theory that maybe the mother is the kidnapper. She's trying to keep her daughter safe. Ducky asks what Gibbs thinks, and Ziva confesses that Gibbs isn't speaking to her. She's in deep doo-doo.
Also, Ducky looks very good in this scene.
Our Klingon is cracking in interrogation, but unfortunately for our heroes, he has no story to tell. Abby does, however. She calls Gibbs down to the lab, where we have the Tony and McGee Drool Hour Redux. The boys are all but glued to her side. Abby, of course, imparts some important information, but Gibbs has to give a double headsmack to get them moving. Hee!

Then Gibbs does a little noticing of his own. Nice. :)
He starts to take off, but Abby's been saving desert for him (Mr. President)--she's treated the burnt piece of paper from the Sebring and discovered our Klingon's address written on it. Ziva shows up with her mom-the-kidnapper theory, but Gibbs isn't sold. He does agree that Ziva screwed up, however, leaving Ziva worrying about her own devouring bear.
Abby: Is there something I should know?
Ziva: I think he's planning on devouring me.
Abby: And they say blondes have all the fun.
Mmm. Can we say crush?
The team finally puts the clues together and figure out that the kidnappers are trying to get the mother to do something for them--and that that something is at the law firm she works at. They reach the law firm, Ziva and Tony going to find the girl while Gibbs and McGee search for the mother and kidnappers. Gibbs and McGee announce themselves, and the guy kidnapper goes for his gun--leaving Gibbs and McGee no choice but to take him out.
(McGee was so competent during this whole sequence. And for me, competent = hot. Mmmmmm.)
Point of order: Is this the first person McGee's shot since Probie? I think it is, but I might be misremembering.
Ziva and Tony find the little girl. And oh, guess what? The sister isn't really a sister, she's one of the kidnappers. Mom takes her out good, though, proving the whole mother bear theme. I'm amused that Gibbs and McGee stand back and let the mother kick the snot out of the woman for a good period of time. A bit of Gibbs' Biblical justice, as Agent Lee would say.
And we have a bit of a sweet ending: Abby's taking Sarah around NCIS for trick-or-treating. I get the impression from what was said that it was Tony's doing. Aww, Tony. You really hate Halloween because you never got to have a good one, don't you?


So where does this leave us? Ziva kind of had a tough episode, which she was due for, I think. Ducky was adorable, as usual, and while he applied his new psychological analysis to the case, I was relieved that he was wrong this time. Not that I don't like Ducky kicking ass, but last week he felt a bit too over the top with his new knowledge. I'd rather not see Ducky Sue on the show. *g*
I didn't mention Gibbs very much in the recap, and I think this is very much a symptom of his distance from the team. He's got a softer approach, yes, but he's pulled back from everyone a great deal. He doesn't seem to connect with everybody the way he used to. His relationship with Ducky has cooled from their earlier heated antagonism, and now is at a very distant, professional level. I'm not sure Gibbs even talked directly to Tony this episode, and while he obviously has a soft spot for Abby, he's not bringing her Caf!Pows or playing her games. Strangely enough, he seems to have the best relationship with McGee.
While this is disheartening for Gibbs fans, I do think it's leading somewhere. We've seen changes in how he reacts to people in every single ep so far this season. And I have a feeling that when Gibbs comes out on the other side, it's going to be a very good thing.
I, of course, adored all of the Tony and Tim stuff, and the Tony/Tim/Abby stuff in this ep. Over and over I got the impression that Tony and Tim hang out, that they're friends. And the way they stared at Abby was so cute. They weren't trying to hit on her or push themselves on her. They were just openly admiring her. Yum. :)