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In NCIS: Sydney season 2, episode 8, Blood Is Thicker Than Vodka, the case delves into a Gothic realm of blood cults and sinister seduction, centered around a vodka empire built on the theme of vampirism. When American Navy Petty Officer Ezra Stokes is found blood-drained in a coffin drifting down the Seine, one harrowing question clenches the NCIS: Sydney team: was this the doing of a new-age vampire—or something more sinister?
But as the squad strips away layers of family secrets and warped ambition, they discover a chilling reality: the killer is not a monster of myth, but Atticus Lazar, the forgotten son of a dominant family. His motivation? Revenge and a merciless attempt to take the legacy he was never meant to own. NCIS: Sydney season 2 episode 8 explores a mix of mystery, myth, and melodrama.
NCIS: Sydney season 2: A macabre discovery sets the stage
The NCIS: Sydney season 2 episode 8 begins with the haunting seas off Sydney, where two kayakers happen to come upon an open casket bobbing on the waves. Their curiosity immediately turns to fright when they peer inside and see a corpse of a dead body identified as 22-year-old Petty Officer Ezra Stokes, an American seaman who'd been out on leave.
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What killed him? Exsanguination. He had been bled entirely of blood, and two neck wounds with puncture marks lent the scene a malignant touch. While NCIS medical examiner Doc Roy playfully alludes to vampires, Agent DeShawn isn't amused—he's shaken by the prospect. When the team investigates Ezra's most recent whereabouts, they come across a ticket to a gothic club known as the "Hell Hole," a haven for individuals who adopt vampire lifestyles.
NCIS: Sydney season 2: A vodka empire with a dark bite
Authorities track the distinctive coffin in which Ezra was discovered back to Dawn Lazar, the mysterious proprietor of "Kiss of Death," a luxury line of vodka that has used vampire-themed marketing. She had a limited series of 25 coffins prepared for a birthday bash at the Hell Hole, where her business provided chilled vodka in ice coffins. Dawn, who has razor-sharp fangs and dark allure, insists the vampire persona is merely branding—although she does confess to sometimes "playing the part."
The team soon discovers Ezra had a personal relationship with the Lazar family. He had a long-distance relationship with Celeste, Dawn's daughter. Celeste, however, never introduced them since she feared Dawn would seduce him—something Celeste knew she had a reputation for doing. There is a strain within the Lazar family, with Celeste disenchanted by the family business and her brother Atticus wanting to increase it.
Eventually, Dawn confesses that yes, she had consumed Ezra's blood—offered to her voluntarily, she maintains—through the use of a medical bloodletting machine at home. Yet she tells of passing out midway through the act and, awakening, to see Ezra lifeless. Weakened from her late-stage breast cancer, the tale makes her story initially believable enough, but contradictions are soon heaped upon her statement.
Doc Roy discovers that the saltwater ruined all the DNA evidence, but it's a break when it is verified that bite marks on Ezra's neck correlate with molds taken of Dawn's custom fangs. Dawn attempts to explain it away as an accident. Investigators remain wary, however, particularly after it's learned that both Ezra and Dawn were poisoned the night she hosted her party.
NCIS: Sydney season 2: The real killer revealed
The actual mastermind proves to be Atticus Lazar. Frustrated by being ignored for Celeste's sake, Atticus regarded Ezra as a threat, not only as a love interest, but as a future business partner within the family firm.
He roofied both his mom and Ezra, used the bloodletting device on the sailor, and choreographed the event so it could look like it happened by accident or because the guy was a vampire. His flub in questioning—happening upon knowledge he was not supposed to have—is what reveals him.
To make matters worse, he had the assistance of his mother's boyfriend, who was more than happy to be part of the cover-up. Both are apprehended, and the case is closed with justice being served—but not before a shiver of a reminder that the most terrible monsters may be those around us.
Meanwhile, back at NCIS HQ, things are lightened. Agent Mackey, annoyed that JD had unearthed her goth-phase high school photos, strikes back in vintage fashion—by exposing an old modeling stint JD did for a hair salon and surprising him with a life-sized cardboard cutout. The team has a well-deserved laugh, wrapping up the dark episode on a lighter note.
NCIS: Sydney season 2, Episode 8 weaves macabre suspense with crisp procedural turns. Though it teases the paranormal, the real horror is human motives—jealousy, ambition, and the desire for power.
Catch the latest episode of NCIS: Sydney season 2 streaming on Paramount+.
