Over 20 years after Call of Silence first aired, it remains one of the best-acted and most moving episodes out of all 22 seasons of NCIS, partly because the Emmy-winning performer wasn’t acting
One of the best episodes of long-running procedural NCIS has recently been added to Netflix with one of the highest-rated installments of the show finally available for fans to stream.
Over 20 years after the award-winning Call of Silence first aired, it remains one of the best-acted and most moving episodes out of the whole 22 seasons of the much-loved TV show.
Now with NCIS seasons 1-5 and 12-17 recently appearing on Netflix, fans new and old can enjoy the must-see performance of Charles Durning in the stunning episode. Call of Silence is the seventh episode in season 2 of the show, and the highest rated in what is arguably the best season ever produced.
Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) launched in 2003 on CBS and follows the exploits of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), leader of the service’s Major Case Response Team. It quickly became a fan favorite and viewers tuned in regularly to catch Gibbs and his Washington-based team solving crimes involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, among others.
Over its 22 years and 470 episodes, NCIS has earned three Primetime Emmy Awards including one in 2005 following Charles Durning’s tear-jerking performance in Call of Silence. The episode which deals with grief, guilt, and PTSD, is NCIS at its finest and fans will enjoy seeing it for the first time or catching the classic again.
The episode sees a U.S. Corporal Marine Ernie Yost, played by the late Charles Durning, hands himself in for the murder of his friend while fighting the Japanese in the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1944. As the cast grapple with their feelings towards the likable Yost and the uncertainty of his clouded recollections of his supposed crime, Gibbs is forced to go outside the rules to get to the truth.
With a 9.0 IMDb rating, Call of Silence is the highest-rated episode of NCIS’ second season, which many believe to be the show’s best. It sets a gold standard for performance with Durning’s skills earning its first Primetime Emmy. The reason why he was so good in the role is that he wasn’t acting.
Durning was himself a decorated real-life WWII and had a deep understanding of his character Ernie Yost and what it took to portray the character with respect and honor. In the episode, Yost received a Medal of Honor, however Durning was awarded three Purple Hearts for his injuries over the course of WWII. Durning also won both Bronze and Silver Stars for valor and the WWII Victory Medal.
France also bestowed Durning with the National Order of the Legion of Honor in 2008. While he portrayed a Marine in the show, in real life Durning was a First Class Army private who stormed the beaches at Normandy, survived Malmedy, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
It is this insight into the realities of combat and his deep understanding of what the passage of time can do to memories of the battlefield that enabled Durning to portray Yorst with such sincerity and touching candor, making it one of the best NCIS episodes of all time.
NCIS is streaming in its entirety on Paramount+, though the Call of Silence episode is also available on Netflix.