There is an old New Orleans saying, “Never mess where you nest.” It means “never fool around with your staff or co-workers, or you may be out of a job.”
On NCIS: NEW ORLEANS tonight, Army General Owen Matthews (guest star John Getz) may wish he had followed that advice.
After a Navy Lieutenant meets her death during a clandestine visit to the General’s hotel room, Dr. Loretta Wade (CCH Pounder) determines that the Lieutenant was poisoned and that anyone else drinking from the same bottle of wine may be suffering the effects of poisoning, as well.
The other person sharing the wine was the General. While the General is “Army,” the deceased is “Navy,” giving NCIS the lead in the investigation.
As the General is up for a high-level post at Homeland, his attaché, Army Colonel Samuel Nilsen (guest star Nicholas Lea), is depending on his old buddy, NCIS Special Agent Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula), to handle the investigation with “discretion.”
Does “discretion” equal “cover-up” in Nilsen-speak? When Pride insists on bringing Lasalle (Lucas Black), Brody (Zoe McLellan) and Loretta (CCH Pounder) to the investigation as part of NCIS protocol, Nilsen gets antsy about too much exposure.
Although the appearance of impropriety (or the actual impropriety) with the dead Lieutenant could be enough to tank the General’s appointment, Dwayne Pride is not one to let politics get in the way of an investigation, regardless of rank, relationship or rationalization.
Even the highest level of discretion must be breached to save a life, however. Determining that poison was in play, Dr. Wade bursts into the General’s room before it is too late to save his.
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS also stars Rob Kerkovich, Shalita Grant and Daryl ‘Chill’ Mitchell.
Additional guest stars on tonight’s episode, “Collateral Damage,” are Jude Ciccolella, Clark Freeman, Katie Savoy, Wendy Miklovic, Denzel Johnson and Trina Lafargue.
“Collateral Damage” was written by producer, Cathryn Humphris, and directed by James Whitmore, Jr.
NCIS: NEW ORLEANS airs tonight at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS in the U.S. and on Global TV in Canada.
