After the season 21 finale, multiple events need to happen when NCIS returns for season 22. The season 21 finale set the stage for some major hurdles to be addressed by the Major Case Response Team in the show’s next outing. Special Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) was offered a promotion to REACT Chief, and NCIS Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) was put through a harrowing, near-death experience.
Character development is one of the things that makes the flagship NCIS series great. This element of the series has a great deal to do with the show’s longevity. NCIS has been on prime time television for over two decades, and that’ll continue for some time, given that the series has been renewed. After the events in the season 21 finale, NCIS season 22 is sure to deliver more stories from its ever-changing cast of MCRT characters. So far, it looks like the biggest event in season 22 will be Jessica Knight leaving her team behind after NCIS season 21’s ending, but the show has demonstrated with its history that anything is possible.
Jessica Knight’s REACT Role Explained
Katrina Law
Although it’s clear that Special Agent Jessica Knight has taken the promotion to REACT Chief Training Officer, what remains unclear is how her role as REACT chief will affect her standing on NCIS. It hasn’t been confirmed that Knight actor Katrina Law is leaving NCIS. Law teased in an Instagram post that viewers would have to wait until fall to find out her fate on the show. The NCIS franchise has made it look like characters left in the past, and then they ended up staying regardless.
If Knight commits to the position at Camp Pendleton, it means that her character will move to California – on the opposite coast of her current MCRT. Knight accepting the role as REACT Chief Training Officer would surely break up her MCRT and allow an opportunity for another agent to come in and take her place. The transition would shake up the main dynamic in the flagship series and allow for new narratives to be explored with a new lead character. That said, the door is open for Law to return until her character’s position on the MCRT is officially recast.
Will Jess & Jimmy Stay Together? Answered
Brian Dietzen and Katrina Law
One of the biggest cliffhangers from the NCIS season 21 finale is whether Jess will stay with her boyfriend Dr. Jimmy Parker (Brian Dietzen), now that she will be working from another coast. Jess suggested in the NCIS season 21 finale that she and Jimmy could continue their relationship long-distance, but the idea upset Jimmy because he had lost so many loved ones recently, and he didn’t want to have to lose Knight as well. It’s possible that the relationship is over for now.
With Law not having officially confirmed that she will depart NCIS, there’s also a chance that the couple will try to continue the relationship long-distance. The arrangement could see the occasional return of Agent Knight. Jess and Jimmy had a conversation at the end of the season 21 finale that seemed to suggest that they had a mutual understanding of where the other was coming from, and it could be amicable terms to end the relationship on, or a foundation to build a future relationship on.
Parker’s Lilly Memory Explained
Gary Cole
One obvious point of exploration for NCIS season 22 is Parker’s memory (or lack thereof) of Lilly, who appears to be Parker’s deceased sister. Parker first sees Lilly when he is trapped on a ship in the NCIS season 21 finale. Parker is experiencing blood loss due to a piece of metal falling on his leg and rupturing his artery, and the loss of blood causes Parker to hallucinate. He first sees Lilly running around the room he is presently in, but it morphs into a memory of him as a young boy chasing Lilly on a Navy ship.
It could be that Parker feels responsible for Lilly’s death.
When Parker is recovering from his injury in a hospital bed at the end of the season 21 finale, Jessica Knight asks him about Lilly, but he doesn’t remember. It’s likely that the loss of Lilly was so traumatic for Parker that he has repressed the memory of her completely. It could be that Parker feels responsible for Lilly’s death, or that he witnessed it and that it was enough to block the memory from his mind as a way to cope. The mysterious storyline surrounding Lilly could unlock more about Parker’s background in NCIS season 22.
Parker’s Clara Logan Romance Explored
Christinia Kirk and Gary Cole
One way for Parker to explore his past is by opening up to Navy Commander Clara Logan (Christinia Kirk), from NCIS season 21, episode 8, “Heartless.” Parker met Logan when his team was investigating the death of her longtime medical partner, Dr. Erik Harper (Tim Russ). When Logan is kidnapped to perform a rare kind of heart surgery, Parker throws himself into the situation and stays with Clara until the very end, in an attempt to catch who killed Dr. Harper. The situation puts the pair in a stressful situation that allows them to slowly open up to one another.
In NCIS season 22, a romantic storyline is what Parker needs. Parker has had relationships in the past, with his ex-wife Vivian Kolchak (Terri Polo) featured in the show in seasons 19 and 20. He also has a girlfriend in season 20 – Joy Sullivan Aaronson (Rachel Ticotin) – but her appearance in NCIS season 20, episode 11, “Bridges,” is her first and last appearance on the show. Parker hasn’t had an on-screen romance that lasts, and it’s a route that would serve his arc well, as it would allow further development of his character in season 22.
Curtis Hubley Needs More Screen Time
J. Claude Deering
In season 22 of NCIS, Curtis Hubley (J. Claude Deering) is deserving of more screen time. The character has appeared sparsely in NCIS since season 9 (in seasons 9, 14, 19, and 21), and started to make more regular appearances in season 21. In the NCIS 1000th episode, Curtis provides intel to help solve the case. He steps into the interrogation room, taking on the role successfully. He even drops hints throughout the episode that he is looking to become an NCIS probationary agent – bringing the team coffee. Hubley would add a welcome sense of humor to the mix of agents.
Kasie Hines Love Life Explored
Diona Reasonover
Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) has appeared in seasons 15 through 21 of NCIS. Although she has been a regular character for six of those seven seasons, Kasie hasn’t seen a lot of action in her love life. Kasie briefly has a relationship with Piper (Tess Aubert), who is a tech in the NCIS cyber division. The relationship is relatively short-lived, however, reaching its conclusion by season 20. Hines actor Diona Reasonover has hinted at the return of Kasie’s love life in NCIS season 22.
In a recent interview with TVLine, Reasonover said she wants Kasie to get into online dating, and see what her profile would be like. A relationship for Kasie in the flagship series would be a great way to bring an LGBTQ+ relationship back on the screen for the franchise, especially since the cancelation of NCIS: Hawai’i was a massive loss for that aspect of the franchise. Reasonover suggested that Keke Palmer would be her ideal choice for the role of her romantic partner in the future, and featuring the musician would be a great way to uphold a NCIS franchise trend.
Leon Vance Conflict Resolution With Son Jared Vance
Rocky Carroll and Spence Moore II
NCIS Director Leon Vance needs to resolve the conflict with his son highlighted in the NCIS 1000th episode. Vance’s son Jared (Spence Moore II) called his father out on some pretty major upsets from his childhood in the 1000th episode. While Jared begins to see the significance of his father’s role by the end of the episode, the relationship is far from healed. One way to provide more resolution for the father-son pair would be to feature Jared working with the MCRT again in NCIS season 22, as he showed he was capable of in the 1000th episode.
The Return Of FBI Agent Rose
Kim Matula
FBI Agent Rose (Kim Matula) appears in season 21, episode 1 of NCIS. She is working with the FBI and comes to NCIS headquarters to investigate the team for accessory to murder. She began as the team’s adversary, much like Agent Parker when he first entered the series to track down and arrest Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). Parker eventually ends up helping Gibbs after seeing that he did his job the way he needed to, and the series sees a similar evolution in FBI Agent Rose when she provides the team with the FBI files surrounding the case.
At the end of the episode, Agent Rose is fired from the FBI.
In the episode, they need someone to fill a position in the NCIS cyber division. They have Special Agent Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) filling in. While tasked with proving that Agent Torres is guilty, Rose showcases her technical skills when she shuts down the whole NCIS network to collect evidence on the team. At the end of the episode, Agent Rose is fired from the FBI, and she reveals to the team that she has applied for the position in the NCIS cyber division. There needs to be more Rose in NCIS season 22.
“Strange Invaders” Storyline Resolved
Gary Cole
NCIS season 22 needs to do some explaining about what happened in NCIS season 21, episode 6, “Strange Invaders.” The episode was extraterrestrial in nature and almost created a plot twist that would have broken NCIS. After finding that their killer can levitate, and their victim has mysterious, other-worldly wounds in his chest, the team actually begins to believe that their killer could be an alien. They are relieved to discover that it’s actually an artificially intelligent drone, but who manufactured the drone and what the weapons manufacturer is after remains to be seen.
NCIS: Hawai’i Character Featured
Yasmine Al-Bustami
In NCIS season 22, the show will need to feature a cast member from NCIS: Hawai’i. A guest appearance could begin to repair the cliffhanger from the season 3 finale. The cliffhanger needs to be resolved because the NCIS: Hawai’i season 3 finale will now serve as the series finale after the show has been canceled before it returned for season 4. The series finale was looking like the perfect (albeit bittersweet) end to the show, until Maggie Shaw (Julie White) is waiting for Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) unexpectedly on her couch just before the episode ends.
With the cancelation of NCIS: Hawai’i coming unexpectedly, the characters need to be featured on the flagship show – where possible – to mend their storylines. Although it doesn’t fix the fact that it feels like NCIS: Hawai’i was canceled prematurely, featuring some NCIS: Hawai’i cast members in the mothership would at least allow for characters to have more time in the franchise to develop their storylines, even if it is just to resolve them. Furthermore, the flagship series could fill Knight’s vacancy with a cast member of NCIS: Hawai’i.
Although Knight’s career is of major significance to her, it’s clear that she didn’t want to break up her current team, and it’s possible she could shock the audience by returning to the MCRT. It seems like one possibility since Law’s departure from the show has not officially been confirmed. After the season 21 finale, it’s likely that NCIS season 22 will focus on Parker’s past, and give him the storylines needed to develop his character. Hopefully, more development from characters like Curtis Hubley, Kasie Hines, Clara Logan, and FBI Agent Rose will also play out in NCIS season 22.
