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When will 'NCIS' return? How to watch 2 new episodes airing after break starting with McGee-Delilah vacation

Both Episode 4 'Sunburn' and Episode 5 'Head of the Snake' that airs back-to-back will feature highly-anticipated plotlines

'NCIS' returns from its Season 18 winter break on CBS tonight, on January 19, at 8 p.m. ET/PT with two back-to-back episodes. Both Episode 4 'Sunburn' and Episode 5 'Head of the Snake' that airs back-to-back will feature highly-anticipated plotlines. 

'Sunburn' will see McGee and his wife, Delilah, on a vacation in the Bahamas. But of course, because this is 'NCIS', how can it be a peaceful one? After many years of marriage, the vacation is the couple's way of reconnecting but they find they have nothing to talk about except their kids and their chores.

This is when Bishop and Torres call up with a request -- Can McGee help them locate some people in the Bahamas connected to a case about a dead escape room manager? McGee reluctantly takes the case but soon Delilah also gets involved as the episode sees the husband and wife duo try to solve the case together and bond in a way they haven't in years.

In 'Head of the Snake', Fornell is in trouble. Gibbs fears the worst when his search for Fornell leads to blood, according to Episode 5's synopsis. Gibbs and Fornell's crusade to find the head of the drug ring responsible for Fornell's daughter Emily's overdose comes to a climax in this episode.

It is revealed in the episode that it has been three months since Gibbs met Fornell undercover at the burger joint. Vance is also at the end of his rope with the Secretary of the Navy who wants them to hand over the case to DEA, who Gibbs believes haven't done anything. He is running against time to solve the case and so he brings the team in, including McGee, back from his vacation. 

It seems Episode 5 will also unravel the mystery set up in the cold open of the season premiere that had Gibbs shooting at McGee. Is McGee trying to apprehend the "head of the snake" aka the head of the drug ring as he tries to escape? That is the most likely scenario since we saw McGee trying to stop a small private plane from taking off.

Then there is the matter of why Gibbs was shooting at his colleague. Fornell is someone Gibbs is close to and it is quite possible that the drug kingpin has Fornell as his hostage and will kill him before he is captured. Gibbs is not shooting to kill but rather impede McGee from going after the drug kingpin.

Sean Murray, who plays McGee spoke about the episode to TV Insider, promised a 'big win' at the end of the episode, so hopefully it will be a case of all's well that ends well. Watch it all go down as 'NCIS' returns tonight.

Watch the episodes on CBS if you have cable. You can also watch it online on CBS All Access or FuboTV (both have a 7-day free trial). It will also be available on Hulu + Live that also has a free trial period. 

'NCIS' returns from its Season 18 winter break on CBS tonight, January 19, at 8 pm ET/PT with two back-to-back episodes. The second episode will start at 9 pm ET/PT.