Driven (12 Dec. 2006)
"NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service" Driven (original title)

A Navy Lieutenant dies from carbon monoxide poisoning while testing a prototype vehicle. At first it looks like suicide, but NCIS determines that it was murder.

Director:

Dennis Smith

Writers:

Donald P. Bellisario (creator), Don McGill (creator),

Stars:

Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Cote de Pablo

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Harmon	...	Leroy Jethro Gibbs
Michael Weatherly	...	Anthony DiNozzo
Cote de Pablo	...	Ziva David
Pauley Perrette	...	Abby Sciuto
Sean Murray	...	Timothy McGee
Lauren Holly	...	NCIS Director Jenny Shepard
David McCallum	...	Dr. Donald Mallard
Lawrence Pressman	...	Dr. Russell Pike
Kevin Alejandro	...	Jaime Jones
Peter Giles	...	Torsten Engler
Scottie Thompson	...	Jeanne Benoit
Brian Dietzen	...	Jimmy Palmer
David Dayan Fisher	...	Trent Kort
Corey Stoll	...	Martin Quinn
Sandra Hess	...	Regine Smidt

Storyline

When a highly classified robotic vehicle called "Otto" causes the death of a Navy Lieutenant, Gibbs and the team initially think the cause of death is suicide. But when Otto apparently malfunctions and puts Abby's life at risk, the team realizes that the vehicle had been sabotaged and the Lieutenant was murdered. Meanwhile, Ziva is concerned by Tony's secretive trips to the hospital.

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Plot Keywords:

washington d.c.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 December 2006 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Belisarius Productions, CBS Paramount Network Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Dinozzo walks into the hospital, the nurses are talking about the time it takes to receive test results. One of them comments "Dr. House receives his results in ten minutes."

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Goofs

The show implies that Otto killed Lt. Seabrook (and almost killed Abby) by pumping it's engine exhaust directly in to the cabin. It would be ridiculous to build a car where the engine exhaust line and the internal ventilation system intersect at any point. At the very least, this would probably cause low-level carbon monoxide poisoning in the passengers.

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Quotes

Torsten Engler: All I'm saying, Agent DiNozzo, is our entire team is under a tremendous amount of stress. We're competing against dozens of teams. Three and a half years of work, and it all comes down to a single proof of concept test.
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo: Robot car race?
Torsten Engler: In crude terms, yes.
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo: What do you get if you win?
Torsten Engler: Recognition in my field.
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo: What about one of those cool trophies like they hand out in Nascar?
Torsten Engler: I wouldn't know. I'm a scientist, not a... redneck.
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo: It is the fastest growing sport in the country.
Torsten Engler: I rest my case.

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Connections

References NCIS: SWAK (2005)

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Soundtracks

"The Undercover Song"
(uncredited)
Performed by Michael Weatherly (as Anthony DiNozzo)

User Reviews

Baby you can drive my car

A robot-type car is the site of the death of an officer, and at first the death appears to be a suicide. That is, until Abby finds herself locked in the vehicle with exhaust fumes pouring into the passenger compartment. Gibbs comes to the rescue, and now the team realizes they are dealing with a murder, not a suicide. The suspense builds nicely in the Abby scene, with McGee turned away at a critical moment, immersed in his work and not realizing Abby is in trouble. Mercifully, Gibbs walks in at that moment to see what's going on. Meanwhile, Tony seems to be spending a lot of time at the local hospital, which is making Ziva nervous. She will find out soon enough what's going on.