The cast of NCIS has changed over the years, especially since all the original main cast members have left the series. Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) are the last two stars from NCIS Season 1. Although they were initially recurring characters, their appearances were enough to earn them bigger roles, and eventually be part of the main cast. In Jimmy’s case, he was a replacement Medical Examiner Assistant to Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum). Ducky’s original assistant, Gerald Jackson (Pancho Demmings), was on leave after being shot by Ziva David’s (Cote de Pablo) half-brother, Ari Hiswari (Rudolf Martin). When Ari returned to use Gerald as a hostage again after killing Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander), Jimmy officially became Ducky’s permanent assistant.
Jimmy started as comedic relief for NCIS, but as the series went on, Jimmy evolved as a character. He married the love of his life, Breena Palmer (Michelle Pierce), had a daughter, Victoria Elizabeth Palmer (Elle Graper), with her, and became NCIS Chief Medical Examiner. As new characters were introduced to the series following the exit of Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva, Jimmy’s stories were cut down. But Victoria was brought back into the series as a young girl in one of the best NCIS episodes, Season 19, Episode 13, “The Helpers,” co-written by Dietzen.
Victoria Palmer Is a Welcome Addition to ‘NCIS’
NCIS Season 19, Episode 13 not only featured the introduction of Graper’s Victoria Palmer, but it was also the start of the heartwarming friendship between Jimmy and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). They aren’t the ideal NCIS pairing on paper, but their dynamic enriches their characters. When Torres was introduced in the series, he had a rough exterior and preferred to be a lone wolf. But similar to how Jimmy evolved as the seasons went on, Torres showed a softer side to his personality and began to let people into his life. One of the big connections was with Jimmy, who was dealing with Breena’s off-screen passing from COVID-19. Torres would watch over Victoria while Jimmy visited Breena’s grave or when he needed time to process his emotions.
In Season 19, audiences see how Torres and Victoria have become so close to one another with how she confides in Torres. Torres doesn’t treat her like a child because she’s already talking like a young woman with the lessons she takes from him. As Jimmy is close to dying, he and Victoria have a very mature conversation about death, with Jimmy saying “It’s not how we die, but how we live” that matters. Thankfully, he’s saved at the last moment to continue strengthening his bond with her. But when she returns in Season 22, Episode 14, “Close to Home”, their relationship has shifted now that she’s a teenager. Victoria brings a new case to the NCIS team through Torres because she trusts him and considers her dad “just an M.E.” (medical examiner). Jimmy is not only unhappy that Victoria hid things from him, but he’s also upset that Torres didn’t fill him in on what was happening. After losing Breena and Ducky passed away due to medical reasons, the very field he’s in, Jimmy feels helpless about how he can protect his loved ones. Understandably, he’s become more possessive of the people still in his life.
Victoria Palmer Needs To Be an ‘NCIS’ Mainstay
As Dietzen notes, Jimmy has experienced a lot of trauma over the years as many of his loved ones have moved away or, unfortunately, passed away. With Victoria and Torres hiding things from him, Jimmy feels isolated again. He’s still dealing with the fallout of his breakup with Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), and Torres and Victoria were the two major supporters in his life that he could lean on. As much as Jimmy is not ready to accept that his daughter is growing up, he understands that it’s going to happen with or without him. Victoria’s inclusion in NCIS Season 22, Episode 14 is more than just character development for Jimmy and Torres, but also for Jessica and McGee.
When discussing how much Jimmy has become a “helicopter dad” to her, Victoria unintentionally helps Jessica realize how much her dad, Feng Zhao (Russell Wong), was just looking out for her and her sister, Robin Knight (Lilan Bowden). Through her romantic relationship with Jimmy, Jessica saw how much of a caring father he was to Victoria. Even though Jimmy can be a little too protective, Jessica sees that it’s because he’d do anything to protect Victoria from harm. She empathizes with Victoria because of her relationship with her own father, but she still encourages Victoria to talk with Jimmy because she knows firsthand how it could save their father-daughter dynamic. As for McGee, when he overhears this conversation between Jessica and Victoria, he starts to tear up because he has twin teenagers with his wife, Delilah Fielding-McGee (Margo Harshman), and will do anything to keep them safe from the dangers of the world. Having Victoria around and interacting with the NCIS main characters in one episode has effortlessly made them more relatable.
Jimmy Palmer Is the Heart of ‘NCIS’
NCIS is more than just a police procedural series following agents solving crimes related to the Navy. At its core, NCIS follows a family as they try to get justice for other families who have their own loved ones. In the case of Victoria, she may be Jimmy’s daughter, but she’s spiritually a daughter to the main NCIS team. In just two episodes, she’s helped Jimmy, Jessica, Torres, and McGee grow as characters and make them feel even more relatable than they’ve ever been before. It’d be exciting to see Victoria show up in more episodes and build upon these relationships.
NCIS has always done a great job of bringing in great actors to portray family members of the main cast, from Ralph Waite as Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) dad, Jackson Gibbs, to Spence Moore II as Leon Vance’s (Rocky Carroll) son, Jared Vance. Jimmy has become a fan-favorite character since his first appearance on NCIS, and focused stories like “Close to Home” are an excellent reminder of why the show has gone on for over 22 seasons and is renewed for Season 23. Even though Jimmy is typically relegated to the basement of the NCIS building, he is the show’s emotional core. Having Graper’s Victoria around will only make the heart of this show beat even stronger.
