In Back in the USSR, the discovery of a 40-year-old skeleton sends the NCIS: Sydney team down a rabbit hole of Cold War intrigue, revealing a tangled web of espionage, betrayal, and surprisingly timely Russian connections. When the remains of U.S. Naval engineer Lt. Harvey Wilson, who vanished in 1985, are unearthed, the team initially suspects a simple missing person case. However, the investigation quickly morphs into something far more complicated when evidence suggests Wilson wasn’t just stationed at the U.S. Consulate – he was spying on the Soviet Union.
And the plot thickens. The team uncovers signs that Wilson might have been feeding the Soviets deliberately flawed schematics, raising uncomfortable questions about his true loyalties. As if things weren’t murky enough, the present-day Russian Consul-General, Lina Bukovska, inserts herself into the investigation, hinting at ongoing international implications. Clearly, some ghosts of the Cold War refuse to stay buried.
Further muddying the waters is a decades-old love triangle involving Wilson, his wife Diana, and the detective originally assigned to the case, Terry Barnes. Barnes, still haunted by the unsolved disappearance, becomes a key figure in unraveling the truth. It turns out Barnes manipulated the investigation to expose Bukovska’s role in a cover-up of faulty intelligence that cost Russia billions, a revelation that adds a personal vendetta to the mix. Bukovska, desperate to protect her secrets, poisons both the initially suspected killer and Barnes himself with a nerve agent, choosing to silence them permanently rather than face the consequences.
In a final act of selflessness, Barnes confesses the truth to Doc Roy before succumbing to the poison, giving NCIS the evidence they need to close the case. Diana Parkinson, Wilson’s widow, finally learns the truth about her husband’s clandestine life and that he didn’t abandon her and their unborn child. Bukovska, cornered and facing exposure to the Russian government, chooses jail time over potential repercussions back home.
Amidst the espionage and dramatic revelations, the episode offers a touch of levity as the team finally receives their official NCIS gear, with JD’s enthusiastic embrace of his bright yellow vest providing a welcome moment of comic relief.
NCIS: Sydney airs Fridays at 10/9c on CBS.
