NCIS season 21 episode 9 recap: Knight and Torres encounter murder and meth in Texas

Not only did NCIS have a case involving the murder of a missing marine who was presumed dead, but we got to see Delilah once again! It’s always a treat to see her and McGee together so this was a fun episode to watch just before the season finale of the series. Find out what happened in NCIS season 21, episode 9, "Prime Cut."

The case involved the murder and dismemberment of Tom Riley, who was presumed dead two years earlier after a helicopter crash which killed the rest of his crew. He had disappeared only to be found dead in Washington, D.C.

Through some digging, the team discovered that Tom now went by Tom Wade and had been living in Texas. He worked on a ranch for a wealthy businessman named Carl Bannon, who recently acquired more land to add to his property.

Knight and Torres went to Texas and met Bannon, as well as his son, Jack, who was closer to Tom than originally thought. He eventually told Knight that he and Tom were in love but couldn’t be open about their relationship. 

Jack found out that Tom may have been killed after learning some troubling news surrounding the ranch. Despite his heartbreak, he was adamant that his dad was not involved in the murder. When Bannon was questioned, he also told Knight and Torres he was not involved and he would call his attorneys if they came to question him again.

Kasie eventually figured out that evidence of chain mail left on Tom’s body came from armor that meat cutters use to protect themselves. Bannon owned a meatpacking factory and when an employee was questioned and suffered a psychotic break, Jimmy had Kasie test his blood.

It turned out that he somehow ingested meth and this had happened recently to other employees. As the team discovered, one of the cow carcasses had bags of Meth hidden inside. Tom had found out that someone was smuggling drugs and he was killed to hide the evidence.

The butchers who killed Tom eventually reveal who ordered his murder. It was one of the ranch employees, the woman Nick spoke with earlier in the episode, who ordered him to be killed. She attempted to escape after shooting Carl Bannon to distract the team. However, Nick was able to stop her and she was arrested for Tom's murder.

Tom’s death was truly heartbreaking, as he had been healing from his past and found happiness before he ultimately lost his life trying to do the right thing. But as always, NCIS made sure to find justice for those he left behind. 

The side plot for the episode involved McGee and Delilah trying to remodel their kitchen. But despite the opportunity to be part of a reality show, which did not work out because they never disagree on anything, they both realized they did not want to change a thing. Their home holds memories of their children growing up and they don’t want to lose that. We don’t see a lot of McGee and Delilah together, but when we do, it is always a great time.

The next episode of NCIS will be the season finale. It is hard to believe we’re already at the end of the season. But at least season 22 will be much longer and that is something to look forward to!

Tune in to NCIS Mondays on CBS at 9/8c. You can catch up on the entire season on Paramount+.