In this episode of The Biollywood Podcast, the Director of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council, Dr. Asha M. George, Associate Director for Research, J.T. O'Brien, and Associate Director for Government Relations and Policy, Robert Bradley, discuss S02E10 of NCIS: Origins, Lean on Me. We are joined by special guest, Patrick Cady, who directed the episode.

Patrick is an Emmy-nominated cinematographer-turned-director known for his visual storytelling on acclaimed series like Bosch and Insecure. He began his career working with legendary filmmaker John Sayles on films like Passion Fish and Sunshine State, and his cinematography credits include the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Girlfight. As a director, he has helmed pivotal episodes of Rectify, Interrogation, and the series finale of Bosch.

Premise: A Marine captain, Brian Polanco, stumbles into the NIS office at Camp Pendleton exhibiting symptoms that initially appear to be intoxication. When Gibbs attempts to place him in the drunk tank, Polanco begins seizing violently. Paramedics arrive and suspect the Lenkah virus—a fictional pathogen with a 95% mortality rate that last appeared in 1924—triggering a full office quarantine and lockdown. With Mike Franks sidelined by a thrown-out back and most of the team trapped at a bar offsite, Gibbs finds himself as the senior agent in charge during what appears to be a bioterrorism event.

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at Atlantic Council. Learn more about the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense here.

Follow us on X (@Biodefensecomm), LinkedIn, and Facebook for more updates.

Email us with recommendations on what to review next: biollywood@biodefensecommission.org

Pluribus begins with astronomers at the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico detecting a mysterious signal originating 600 light-years from Earth, repeating every 78 seconds. The signal is initially mistaken for Morse code split four ways, but scientists eventually decode it as the four nucleotides of RNA forming a complete genetic sequence for a novel lysogenic virus. Researchers synthesize the RNA sequence, convert it to DNA using reverse transcriptase, and inject it into laboratory animals at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). When the animal testing appears inconclusive, a scientist is bitten by an infected lab rat, triggering the first human infection.