Snakes on Film

Corn Snakes appear in the final episode of NCIS’s second season: first in the teaser, where the victims swerve to avoid one on the road while their assassins run it over; and second, when one wraps itself around Kate’s leg at the crime scene. Tony makes a big scene about its presence, pretending that it’s venomous and making an exaggerated attempt to unwrap it from Kate; McGee spoils Tony’s fun by IDing it as a Corn Snake and asking to hold it. Everything here is accurate: they use a real Corn Snake (though it’s obvious that a fake one was run over); Corn Snakes are found in Virginia; and holding one is the sensible thing to do — they are, after all, the most popular pet snake in the world. Though they’re not necessarily tame in the wild.