Squall (NCIS)

Plot

A navy medical officer's body is discovered during a storm at sea, and the cause is quickly ruled a homicide. The NCIS team heads to the ship to investigate, but McGee is delayed because he was spending time with Adam, a middle schooler he mentors through a Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Upon arriving, McGee is surprised to find his father, four-star Admiral John McGee, on board, and it is clear their relationship is tense. Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva meet NCIS Agent Stan Burley, who joins the investigation.

Tony soon worries that Burley is trying to romance Ziva, who he feels is emotionally fragile after her father's death, and he tells McGee that Burley might "swoop right in, like a hawk going after a sweet, innocent, furry little Israeli." When Tony confronts Burley, however, Burley reveals he is engaged. McGee briefly thinks about leaving the mentoring program but decides to stay and encourages Adam to confront a bully. Several suspects emerge, including a drug problem on the ship, but all are cleared.

Admiral McGee himself becomes a suspect, leading him to confess he has cancer, though he is also exonerated. The true killer turns out to be the admiral's aide, who murdered the medic to keep the cancer diagnosis secret. In the end, McGee chooses to try mending his relationship with his father.

Production

Bill Nuss wrote the "Squall" episode of NCIS, marking his first script for the series as a freelance writer. Tom Wright directed the installment. Executive producer Gary Glasberg praised the episode, noting that sometimes episodes come together beautifully and that Nuss rose to the challenge of a tricky script. Glasberg acknowledged he gave Nuss a difficult assignment that included significant visual effects, a touching storyline about McGee and his father, and a subplot revealing Tim as a Big Brother to a teenage boy.

The season 10 theme of "fallen heroes" extends to Admiral McGee, who is diagnosed with stage four cancer. In February 2013, Jamey Sheridan was cast as Timothy McGee's father, Admiral John McGee. Glasberg described the role as complex and layered with real surprises, and noted the character would help lead into the season's final arc. Joel Gretsch returned as recurring NCIS special agent Stan Burley, a character last seen in the episode "Playing With Fire."

Reception

"Squall" was seen by 18.62 million live viewers following its broadcast on March 26, 2013, with a 3.2/9 share among adults aged 18 to 49. 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, "Squall" easily won NCIS and CBS the night. The spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles drew second and was seen by 14.53 million viewers.

Compared to the last episode "Seek", "Squall" was down in viewers and even in adults 18–49. Douglas Wolfe from TV Fanatic gave the episode 4.5/5 and stated that "You have to admire the work done by Jamey Sheridan as McGee's father: his portrayal of a charismatic boor was outstanding. I think that when an actor can portray a character which affects the viewer the way his did, it speaks loudly of his ability. [...] 'Squall' introduced us to Tim's father as the Admiral of a ship on which a doctor was killed.

It took the full episode to discover that Admiral McGee was suffering from stage-four cancer (we're not told what kind), and that his advancement to a cabinet-level post at the White House would be in jeopardy should anyone find out about his illness." Wolfe also criticized the choice to give McGee father issues, as it was previously established in earlier seasons that Gibbs, Ziva, and Tony all had difficult relationships with their fathers.