Nature of the Beast

"Nature of the Beast" is the first episode of the ninth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS, and the 187th episode overall. It originally aired on CBS in the United States on September 20, 2011. The episode is written by Gary Glasberg and directed by Tony Wharmby, and was seen by 19.96 million viewers. In the episode, Special agent Tony DiNozzo is shot and unable to remember what it all was about. He must work together with Special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Dr. Rachel Cranston to identify the attacker. Scott Wolf is introduced as FBI agent Stratton, while Matthew Willig's NCIS Special agent Simon Cade is shot dead. Plot Special Agent Tony DiNozzo awakens in a hospital after an incident which left him with a gunshot wound, severe head trauma and injuries. Dr. Rachel Cranston, sister of deceased NCIS Special Agent Caitlin Todd, comes to talk and together they piece together Tony's history. Set over the course of several months, the episode follows a series of events surrounding the investigation given to Tony by SECNAV Clayton Jarvis (Matt Craven) in "Pyramid". Secretary Jarvis assigned Tony to investigate an unknown target within NCIS as a possible leak of classified intel, and the rest of the team does their best to try and figure out who the target is after Tony destroys the only photo.