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The Best Episodes of NCIS Season 5

Every episode of NCIS Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NCIS Season 5!

Binge this in 13h 56m•Peaking at 8.9/10

From murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines, a team of special agents investigates any crime that has any connection to Navy and Marine Corps personnel, regardless of rank or position.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    NCIS Season 5 Episode 1 - Bury Your Dead
    8.2/10(978 votes)

    #1 - Bury Your Dead

    S5:E1

    The NCIS team uncover a huge secret, as their mission to capture La Grenouille comes to an explosive and deadly conclusion.

    Director:Thomas J. Wright
    Writer:Shane Brennan

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  2. NCIS Season 5 Episode 2 - Family
    7.5/10(845 votes)

    #2 - Family

    S5:E2

    During an autopsy, Ducky makes a startling discovery that turns a murder of a Petty Officer into a search for a missing infant.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Steven D. Binder

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  3. NCIS Season 5 Episode 3 - Ex-File
    7.8/10(869 votes)

    #3 - Ex-File

    S5:E3

    Lt. Colonel Mann joins Gibbs in an investigation of the murder of a Marine Captain who had access to highly classified information. Things get very personal for Gibbs when one of the witnesses in the case turns out to be one of his ex-wives.

    Director:Dennis Smith
    Writer:Alfonso H. Moreno

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  4. NCIS Season 5 Episode 4 - Identity Crisis
    7.8/10(854 votes)

    #4 - Identity Crisis

    S5:E4

    When Ducky realizes that one of his cadavers used for research is actually a victim of murder, the NCIS team identify him as a criminal genius who is capable of deleting the past.

    Director:Thomas J. Wright
    Writer:Jesse Stern

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  5. NCIS Season 5 Episode 5 - Leap of Faith
    7.8/10(863 votes)

    #5 - Leap of Faith

    S5:E5

    The NCIS team are called in to stop a Naval officer from committing suicide by jumping off a rooftop, but when the suicide attempt turns into a murder, the NCIS team will have to find out who did it.

    Director:Dennis Smith
    Writers:Frank Cardea, George Schenck

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  6. NCIS Season 5 Episode 6 - Chimera
    8.4/10(1069 votes)

    #6 - Chimera

    S5:E6

    While investigating a mysterious death on a top-secret Naval research ship at sea, the NCIS team board the abandoned ship and find a deadly secret that may cost them their lives.

    Director:Terrence O'Hara
    Writer:Dan E. Fesman

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  7. NCIS Season 5 Episode 7 - Requiem
    8.9/10(1330 votes)

    #7 - Requiem

    S5:E7

    Gibbs finds himself emotionally challenged when he agrees to investigate a crime connected to a friend of his daughter, who passed away years ago, and the investigation leads to a shocking conclusion.

    Director:Tony Wharmby
    Writer:Shane Brennan

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  8. NCIS Season 5 Episode 8 - Designated Target
    7.5/10(813 votes)

    #8 - Designated Target

    S5:E8

    A murder investigation of a Navy Admiral takes a shocking turn when a woman, a political refugee, returns home to search for her husband.

    Director:Colin Bucksey
    Writer:Reed Steiner

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  9. NCIS Season 5 Episode 9 - Lost and Found
    8.2/10(942 votes)

    #9 - Lost and Found

    S5:E9

    The NCIS team have to babysit a nine-year-old son of a missing man, a survivalist who is somehow connected to a cold case murder. The investigation leads the team into the wilderness, where they discover a shocking truth about the man's past.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:David J. North

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  10. NCIS Season 5 Episode 10 - Corporal Punishment
    7.9/10(924 votes)

    #10 - Corporal Punishment

    S5:E10

    While trying to track down a delusional and violent Marine who thinks he's still in Iraq, the NCIS team learn that the man has been the subject of a secret experiment - and it comes with a high price to pay.

    Director:Arvin Brown
    Writer:Jesse Stern

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  11. NCIS Season 5 Episode 11 - Tribes
    7.3/10(820 votes)

    #11 - Tribes

    S5:E11

    After a young Muslim Marine is murdered near his Mosque, Ducky refuses to perform an autopsy due to his religious beliefs. The NCIS team try to talk to the father of the deceased, and they send McGee to plant a bug in the Mosque, only to discover that the FBI already planted their own bug.

    Director:Colin Bucksey
    Writer:Reed Steiner

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  12. NCIS Season 5 Episode 12 - Stakeout
    7.5/10(835 votes)

    #12 - Stakeout

    S5:E12

    The NCIS team go on a stakeout in a warehouse to catch a suspected thief of a high-tech Naval radar, but they accidentally end up witnessing a murder.

    Director:Tony Wharmby
    Writers:Frank Cardea, George Schenck

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  13. NCIS Season 5 Episode 13 - Dog Tags
    7.7/10(860 votes)

    #13 - Dog Tags

    S5:E13

    When a dog owner is found murdered, the NCIS team must determine if his dog committed the murder or not, and Abby decides to fight for the dog's life by trusting her instinct about the dog's innocence.

    Director:Oz Scott
    Writers:Alfonso H. Moreno, Dan E. Fesman

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  14. NCIS Season 5 Episode 14 - Internal Affairs
    8.1/10(905 votes)

    #14 - Internal Affairs

    S5:E14

    The dead body of La Grenouille surfaces and the entire NCIS is put under investigation by the FBI, with Jenny as the prime suspect for his murder.

    Director:Tony Wharmby
    Writers:Jesse Stern, Reed Steiner

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  15. NCIS Season 5 Episode 15 - In the Zone
    7.5/10(821 votes)

    #15 - In the Zone

    S5:E15

    Two members of the NCIS team are sent to Baghdad to investigate a mortar attack that turned into a murder investigation.

    Director:Terrence O'Hara
    Writer:Linda Burstyn

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  16. NCIS Season 5 Episode 16 - Recoil
    7.8/10(867 votes)

    #16 - Recoil

    S5:E16

    While on an undercover mission, Ziva's life is put in grave danger when the serial killer she's been tracking becomes suspicious of her.

    Director:James Whitmore Jr.
    Writers:Frank Cardea, George Schenck

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  17. NCIS Season 5 Episode 17 - About Face
    7.7/10(804 votes)

    #17 - About Face

    S5:E17

    Palmer is put in grave danger when he becomes the target of an anonymous murderer, whom only he can recognize.

    Director:Dennis Smith
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. NCIS Season 5 Episode 18 - Judgment Day (1)
    8.6/10(1144 votes)

    #18 - Judgment Day (1)

    S5:E18

    When a former NCIS agent is found dead, the entire team is put in danger as they hunt after the killer.

    Director:Thomas J. Wright
    Writers:Steven D. Binder, David J. North

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  19. NCIS Season 5 Episode 19 - Judgment Day (2)
    8.7/10(579 votes)

    #19 - Judgment Day (2)

    S5:E19

    When one of their own is killed, the team must find the killer before they get to another member of the team, Gibbs. In an emotional investigation, the team tries to stay together, against the wishes of Assistant Director Vance.

    Director:Thomas J. Wright
    Writers:Steven D. Binder, David J. North, Christopher J. Waild

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Season 5 Ratings Summary

"Bury Your Dead" is the best rated episode of "NCIS" season 5. It scored 8.2/10 based on 978 votes. Directed by Thomas J. Wright and written by Shane Brennan, it aired on 9/25/2007. This episode is rated 0.7 points higher than the second-best, "Family".