NCIS season 21 episode 6 recap: Killer aliens, nefarious AI, and a mysterious murder

NCIS had an episode that allowed us to consider whether aliens were involved in a murder. When a man named Lieutenant Elliott Green, a fighter pilot, was found dead, it was up to the team to figure out who did it. But then evidence seemed to point to unidentified alien phenomena, was this real?

Green had just recently given evidence in a hearing that was broadcast on the news that he may have seen alien activity while flying. So it looked as though he was killed to cover something up. The team went to the congresswoman who had questioned him and she said that what he likely saw was a drone that the Russians were using.

The team found out that Green had gone to a meeting from the Galactic Watch Society, a group of people who seemed to have had run-ins with aliens. An individual in the meeting, Nestor Quinn, was someone who would attempt to scare people who claimed to have experienced unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) activity. He had been hired to scare Green with alien activity, but before he could, someone else had already taken him out.

The agents met Dr. Daniel Silcott, who they would later learn had developed an AI system that could bring deceased people’s personalities to life. It was recently sold to some characters who were planning to use it for nefarious reasons without his knowledge.

When he saw Green’s testimony, it was clear they were going to reveal what the AI program was being used for when he was killed.

Then the team discovered Silcott had lost his young son, who he modeled the AI after. But with the technology likely about to be used to do criminal activity, he had to shut the program down. Despite having a difficult time doing so, Silcott shut the server down so the bad guys could not use the drone.

During the case, the team had also tried to figure out what a piece of evidence was that they could not identify. Jimmy had found a substance in Green’s wounds, but Kasie could not identify it. It had come from a lab but, based on the element, it was something that no one on Earth had created. So where did it come from?

Green’s death was still a bit of a mystery by the end of the episode since we don’t know for sure exactly how he ended up with so many holes in his body if it wasn’t from a gun. Plus, what was the substance they found? This could be set up for a later arc down the road and it would be fun to explore.

In the secondary plot of the episode, McGee struggled with trying to keep his goatee, which his wife Delilah apparently was growing tired of. There was even a poll created to determine whether or not he would have to shave. Despite everyone teasing him, all but one person voted for him to keep the goatee. 

The next episode, “A Thousand Yards,” will actually not be airing next week, but we’re already looking forward to finding out what is next for the team. With a shorter season, it’s hard to believe we’re halfway through the season.

Watch NCIS Mondays on CBS at 9/8c. Catch up on previous episodes on Paramount+.