S12·E14 Cadence

Episode recap

In the fourteenth episode of the twelfth season of NCIS, titled Cadence, the major case response team investigates a criminal case connected to the United States Navy and Marine Corps personnel. The plot begins when a murdered Marine, who is an alumnus of a military academy, is found clutching a photograph of a current student at the school. Following this discovery, Tony DiNozzo returns to the military academy that he himself attended as a teenager.

The television series NCIS follows the major case response team of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as they investigate crimes connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel and their families. The long-running crime, drama, and action-adventure series, which originally began as back-door pilot episodes on the show JAG in April 2003, features an ensemble cast. Among the notable characters in the series is Tony DiNozzo, played by Michael Weatherly, alongside other members of the agency who handle investigations ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.

As the investigation unfolds regarding the murdered alumnus and the photograph of the current student, DiNozzo's return to his former teenage military academy ties directly into the team's ongoing efforts to solve crimes involving military personnel.