This Forgotten Villain Might Be One Of The Best On NCIS
NCIS is among a small number of certifiable network behemoths still airing on TV. The series is currently approaching 18 seasons and is likely to soon include a 19th as well. Over the course of such a long run, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at the series' core has been responsible for a staggering number of criminal investigations, given the nature of their work and the need for new drama to keep the show running.
In its more than 400 episodes, then, NCIS has featured its fair share of memorable villains behind some particularly heinous crimes. Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin), for example, is Ziva's (Cote de Pablo) half-brother and a recurring villain through the end of season 2 and into the beginning of season 3. Given his closeness to one of the series' leads and the reach of his villainy extending to a nearly season-long story arc, Ari is largely remembered as one of the series' best antagonists.
However, season 2 also features another one of the series' most despicable villains, most likely forgotten by some of NCIS' present-day fans due to having appeared so early in the series' and being confined to a single episode.
A criminal mastermind hiding in plain sight on NCIS
Navy Captain Mike Watson (David Keith) is the secret antagonist of the NCIS season 2 premiere, "See No Evil." In the episode's opening, a computer hacker informs Captain Watson that he has kidnapped his wife and blind daughter and will hold them hostage until Watson supplies him with $2 million.
Over the course of the episode, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and the rest of the NCIS team attempt to aid Captain Watson despite orders from the kidnapper that Watson should remain confined to his room lest his wife or daughter be killed. Eventually, Gibbs and Field Agent Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) are able to deliver Captain Watson some surveillance gear that allows the NCIS team to communicate with him and guide him in his hostage negotiations. Meanwhile, the kidnapper appears to become increasingly murderous, privately threatening to kill Watson's wife even after receiving his money.
Eventually, the kidnapper turns out to be a soldier named Kyle Grayson, who was once imprisoned at Captain Watson's behest. However, after the NCIS team captures and questions Grayson, Special Agent Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander) determines Grayson was not the mastermind behind the kidnapping plot. As it turns out, he was acting under orders from none other than Captain Watson.
Watson, therefore, ultimately ordered the kidnapping and near murder of his own wife and blind daughter in hopes of earning some extra cash. Though nobody ends up dead as a result of Watson's actions, his entirely unsympathetic, sociopathic treatment of his family paints him as one of the most outright despicable human beings to appear in an episode of NCIS.