For any old-school NCIS fans who’ve been concerned that the show’s gotten caught up in terrorist/espionage plots or too much zigging and zagging with Ziva, the Halloween episode was all trick-less treat. “Code of Conduct” was a reset to NCIS at its most light-hearted and angst-free, offering nothing but comfort food… or comfort candy corn. Even the soft little bit of mock-spooky music that played over the initial end credits reinforced that we’d just seen an episode with about as much real gravity as a Simpsons/”Treehouse of Horror” installment… and, arguably, more solid chuckles.

The plot was prototypical crime procedural, throwing out as many bits of misdirection about possible murder suspects as possible before finally offering up the seemingly least logical guest star as surprise culprit. A soldier just back from Afghanistan was found in an exhaust-filled car in his driveway, but eagle-eyed Ducky (David McCallum) pegged it as a non-suicide almost from across the street, even before pulling out a piece of the dude’s throat that looked like a delicious slice of white chocolate. Turned out he’d gulped down liquid nitrogen. (Wouldn’t the nitro freeze and crack the victim’s thermos before it would freeze and crack his throat and lungs? Just asking.)

Who could’ve dunnit? Pretty much anyone or everyone in his squad overseas, since they’d already kicked the tar out of him and put paint thinner in his coffee, since they didn’t appreciate his penchant for pranks on the battle field. But no, it was his shifty stepdaughter. We could have guessed that, if we’d really been thinking straight, from (a) the excessive amount of seemingly unimportant detail offered up in the initial interrogation of the wife and stepdaughter, and (b) the fact that it couldn’t have been the soldier’s wife, because cocksure DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) was so certain—to poor, probationary Ziva—that it was the wife, and thus clearly bruising for a comeuppance.

So when we empty out our Halloween bags onto the floor to examine the goods we collected over the course of an hour, what are we left with? Plenty: Tony calling Ziva (Cote de Pablo) and McGee (Sean Murray) “my probie sandwich.” The mental image, if not the actual sight, of McGee having dressed up as a Jonas Brother last Halloween. Gibbs (Mark Harmon) bringing everyone cider for the world’s shortest-lived refreshment break. The knowledge, courtesy of Ducky, that we take 18,000 breaths a day. Ziva banging on a curmudgeon suspect’s door and yelling “We don’t want candy,” followed by Tony quipping, “Speak for yourself, David.” (Also: “Open up or we’ll send the kids in.” And, “No, we’re just asking you really nicely if you did it.”) Gibbs’ order to a paperwork-dependent McGee to “Wait faster.” Gibbs treading carefully in Abby’s (Pauley Perrette’s lab), trying to avoid setting off the motion-detecting ghoul heads. Gibbs giving Abby a sweet, congratulatory kiss… and giving the suddenly “brilliant” Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) a sweet, congratulatory (?) head slap. Ziva giving Tony a Bluetooth for the holidays.

…And, good enough that it deserves its own paragraph, Tony in the interrogation room breathlessly telling the hot mom: “Now you need to convince a jury of your peers. That would be a jury of tall, leggy, blonde bombshells.” (Only to be diverted by Gibbs, mid-handcuffing, in a case of arrestus interruptus.)

Next week is a rerun for NCIS, giving everyone extra ample opportunity to anxiously await the unveiling of Gibbs’ living room—and the return of Mike Franks—in the Nov. 3 episode. As Gibbs would say: Wait faster.

What was your take on this lark of an episode? And while we’re inquiring, what did you think of Abby’s literally phoned-in crossover appearance on NCIS: Los Angeles?