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Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22, episode 10, "Baker's Man"
NCIS season 22, episode 10 sees Alden Parker and his team tackle a bakery robbery-turned-murder. In the previous outing, the heat was out in the Navy yard bullpen, and MCRT investigated the case of a leaked tell-all book that threatened a vital Veteran's bill. The episode teased exciting developments in NCIS season 22, including Special Agent Nick Torres' secret girlfriend.
NCIS season 22, episode 10, follows up on some of those developments from the midseason finale while setting other enthralling stories into motion. Despite the flagship seeing some of its lowest ratings in recent years, the NCIS season 22 cast is amid exciting developments that could lead to one of the show's most thrilling finales in recent years. Still, the midseason return, "Baker's Man," has a standard case for MCRT, with a few key exceptions.
10 Parker’s Favorite Greek Bakery Is Robbed At Gunpoint
Eleni Kostakis Runs The Kostakis Bakery
Parker is at his favorite bakery when the NCIS season 22 midseason premiere kicks off. His presence in the opening scene is concerning, indicating that he will somehow be involved in setting up the episode's crime. Parker makes it out of the Kostakis Bakery unscathed after picking up a box of Greek goodies. However, Parker misses a significant detail about his encounter, which Timothy McGee discovers in the bullpen as pastries are taken from the bakery box.
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Back in the bullpen, McGee notices something written in black marker on the bottom of the pastry box. The Kostakis employee who served Parker at the bakery acted suspiciously, and McGee's findings uncover why. When McGee pushes the pastries aside, there's an urgent message from Virgil to Parker, now covered in powdered sugar.
9 Virgil Leaves Parker A Help Message (But He’s Dead When MCRT Arrives)
Parker Can't Save Virgil
McGee's findings show Virgil left an urgent message in Parker's bakery box, asking the patron to call 911. Parker can't believe that he missed the vital message, with the special agents rushing back to the Greek bakery to check up on Virgil. However, when they arrive, Parker and MCRT realize they are too late. MCRT finds Virgil unresponsive and face-down in a giant container of baking batter.
Parker seems to have a romantic connection with Eleni, making the case's twists all the more fascinating.
While the team is investigating Virgil's death, which initially looks like a robbery, Eleni returns to her bakery. She is devastated to discover that Virgil is dead. Eleni grieves her employee, but as Parker and his team investigate, the bakery owner's involvement in the investigation takes several twists and turns. Parker seems to have a romantic connection with Eleni, making the case's twists all the more fascinating.
8 Jimmy Reveals Nick Is Dating Jess’ Sister Robin Knight
Jess Knows Her Sister Robin Is Dating
In NCIS season 22, episode 10, the show finally reveals Nick's mysterious girlfriend, as he also clarifies why he kept the details a secret from his team. As it turns out, Nick is dating Jessica Knight's sister, Robin. He claims he hasn't brought it up to Jess yet because it isn't a big deal. The development first comes up as Jessica discusses that her sister is dating someone but won't tell her who it is. Jimmy is the first to confirm that Nick is Robin's mystery boyfriend, having been informed by his co-worker about the development.
You can catch up on NCIS season 22 on Paramount+.
Nick tells Jimmy to keep the secret discreet, but Dr. Palmer can't keep his mouth shut. When Kasie gives him peanut candies, Jimmy reveals to the forensic scientist that Nick is seeing Agent Knight's sister. Armed with the knowledge of Nick's girlfriend, Kasie tells Nick she will spill the beans if he doesn't tell Jess that Robin is his secret girlfriend. Kasie is one to stick up for her friends, so her threats about Nick's secret make sense.
7 Kasie Discovers Eleni Kostakis Was Using Meringue Cookies To Smuggle Cocaine
There's High Amounts Of Coke In Eleni's Meringue
As MCRT investigates what happened at Eleni's bakery, some details don't add up. While it initially looks like Virgil died in a robbery, the crime scene has missing pieces. The money from the cash register was stolen. However, Virgil's wallet remained intact. When Kasie does some digging in the lab about what's in Eleni Kostakis' baked goods, she uncovers a shocking detail about her meringue cookies, which are laced with cocaine.
Kasie has a theory Virgil learned to bake from Eleni and uses her recipes to smuggle drugs. However, she proves that making a good coke meringue requires a skilled touch.
When looking at the delivery records for the bakery on the morning of Virgil's murder, the record shows that Eleni made a trip to a man named Charles Barbieri during the time that her employee was killed. MCRT doesn't initially know whether Virgil or Eleni was attracting all the criminal attention to the bakery, but the agents continue to investigate. Kasie has a theory that Virgil learned to bake from Eleni and used her recipes to smuggle drugs. However, she was proven wrong when she discovers that making a good coke meringue requires a skilled touch.
6 Virgil’s Killer Charles Barbieri Is Found Murdered
NCIS pinpoints Charles Barbieri as a person of interest in Virgil's murder case. However, Eleni claims that Charles is just another customer. Things get all the more complicated when Parker is called to the scene of another murder, and this time, Charles Barbieri is the victim. The latest mystert points to a more significant operation at play, confirming MCRT's suspicions that Virgil's murder is more than just a robbery that went bad.
Parker connects the murders to Eleni's bakery, finding a blue baking box at the crime scene.
The scene of Charles Barbieri's death also has another victim — Paul Gomez, who has a history of conflict with Barbieri. The probation officer for Sutherland Prison, who calls Parker to the scene, confirms that Virgil and Charles' deaths are related to a drug war. He tells Parker that there's a new drug on the street, and everyone wants a cut. Parker connects the murders to Eleni's bakery, finding a blue baking box at the crime scene.
5 Nick Tells Jess About Robin With Kasie's Encouragement (& She Eventually Claims To Be Okay With It)
Jess And Nick Investigate A Factory
After he is left with no choice, Nick reveals that he and Robin are secretly dating while investigating a factory. This development arises because Jimmy and Nick act weird when Jess comes to recruit Agent Torres to team up with her. She initially assumes the weirdness from her teammates is due to her breakup with Jimmy. Jess insists that she is cool with her breakup and that Jimmy can date whoever he wants, but Nick reveals that the weirdness is actually about his love life.
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Nick tells Jess that the romance is complicated due to a work conflict. Jess tries to guess who the NCIS girlfriend is, unsuccessfully, so Torres gives Agent Knight a hint that the work conflict is due to him dating someone that a co-worker is related to. When Jess takes a moment to stop and guess who it might be, she puts two and two together, discovering that Nick is dating her sister. However, a development at the factory cuts their conversation short.
4 Nick And Jess Discover Arturo Is Holding Eleni Against Her Will To Make Cocaine Meringue
Eleni Is Involved In The Operation Against Her Will
MCRT discovers that Eleni's lawyer, who they met previously, is somehow connected to the gang-related drug killings. The lawyer represents criminals on both sides of a gang war. NCIS exchanges protection for answers from the lawyer about who's responsible for the recent string of crimes. While the man at the other end of the call doesn't pick up, the lawyer goes to call a man named Arturo, who he implies is forcing Eleni to make cocaine meringue.
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When Nick and Jess find where Arturo is holding Eleni hostage, literally shackled to her kitchen station, it becomes clear that the Greek baker isn't the mastermind behind the drug ring. Arturo finds Nick and Jess and discovers they are federal agents, but he lets them live so that they can help Eleni bake due to a rushed timeline. Meanwhile, Eleni's lawyer fills Parker and McGee in, telling them that Arturo involved her in his operation because the entrepreneur needed a $50,000 loan.
3 The Probation Officer For Sutherland Prison Is Blackmailing Eleni
Eleni Needed Arturo's Loan Due To Blackmail
Parker still can't understand why Eleni needed the massive loan she garnered despite knowing that Arturo was forcing Eleni to make cocaine meringue cookies to secure the other half of a $50,000 sum. Parker understands that the funds at Kostakis Bakery are tight because Eleni said as much, but he has trouble connecting the dots to such a large total. However, as Parker ponders the mystery, Kasie provides the connecting evidence.
The messages suggest that someone was blackmailing Eleni to protect a resident at Sutherland Prison, and Parker connects the dots that the resident, Manuel Lopez, is "Manny," Kostakis' nephew.
Kasie traces the first $25,000 half of Eleni's loan to a paid credit card service account. Looking into Eleni's account on the app, Kasie finds evidence within its messaging segment that someone was extorting Eleni for the $50,000 she tried to secure from her lawyer and, thereby, Arturo. The messages suggest that someone has been blackmailing Eleni to protect a resident at Sutherland Prison, and Parker connects the dots that the resident, Manuel Lopez, is "Manny," Kostakis' nephew.
2 MCRT Saves Eleni From The Blackmailing Operation & She And Her Nephew Manny Are Returning To Greece
Parker And McGee Save Eleni, Nick, And Jess
Nick and Jess get roped into Eleni's cocaine meringue operation while Arturo holds them at gunpoint. Due to their limited timeline and the threat to their lives, the special agents have to think quickly to save their lives and Eleni. They create a kitchen explosion using a stove burner and a bowl of cocaine. The explosion alerts Parker and McGee to where their team is so they can come in and provide cover.
MCRT initially suspects that Charles Barbieri is Virgil's murderer. Eleni believes Arturo killed Virgil. However, Parker points out that it doesn't make sense that Arturo would kill Virgil and then leave $100,000 worth of drugs at Kastakis Bakery. The development leads to their real killer: the Sutherland Prison parole officer.
Jess tipped off Parker to their location by calling Parker "boss" when the supervisor called to check in, alerting him of the danger despite Arturo's demand to maintain discretion. After Eleni is safe from Arturo, Parker gets the complete story from the baker. Manny is her sister's child, and she stayed in the United States after her family returned to Greece to look after her nephew. However, the unfortunate conflict has a silver lining, as she can finally return to her country.
1 Parker Makes Baklava For Eleni And Reveals He Learned To Bake From His Mother
The Conclusion Is A Classic NCIS Twist
Parker comes to Kostakis Bakery at the end of the outing, personally delivering Eleni a fresh breakfast. During the visit, Eleni revealed that the timeline of her bakery reopening is up in the air due to her tentative travel plans to return to her family in Greece. When Alden talks about Manny, Eleni's nephew, and why she previously stayed behind, the baker tells Alden that Sutherland Prison is releasing him.
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Parker then reveals he has baklava to share, having made the treat for them. Eleni is pleasantly surprised by Parker's baking skills, and the moment suggests a relationship could blossom had Eleni not opted to return to Greece. When Eleni asks where Alden learned to bake, Parker tells Eleni that his mother loved to bake and that he knew the skill from her. Therefore, the episode leaves a tiny breadcrumb regarding Parker's mystery in NCIS.
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NCIS
Release Date September 23, 2003
Showrunner Donald P. Bellisario
Directors Dennis Smith, Terrence O'Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright
Writers George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh
Cast
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Sean Murray
Timothy McGee
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David McCallum
Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
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Mark Harmon
Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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English (US) ·