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NCIS has set up a significant conflict for Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) in Season 23 now that it has officially teased a romance between Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). Until NCIS Season 21’s finale, Knight and Palmer had a good thing going, but Jimmy called it quits when Jess decided to take the position of chief REACT training officer at Camp Pendleton, taking her to the West Coast. While Jess was willing to date long-distance, Jimmy was unwilling to lose another person in his life.

Despite Knight returning to the team in NCIS Season 22’s premiere, Jimmy and Jess have not reconnected, despite reconciling. In the meantime, Knight and Torres have been bonding back out in the field. In “The Sound and the Fury,” a late-night investigation with the B-team brings Jess and Nick even closer, as they confront some of the tension they’re experiencing head-on. While it’s all platonic for now, with the agents talking about their partnership, NCIS has been quietly teasing a potential romance for a while now.

NCIS Season 23 Teases a Romance Between Jessica Knight and Nick Torres

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Even with a two-part premiere, NCIS Season 23 isn’t the first time that the Navy procedural teased a romance between its lead field agents. When Jess returns in NCIS Season 22, the agents bond while the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) investigates an allegedly haunted house, acknowledging that they believe in ghosts when discussing the topic with Alden Parker (Gary Cole) and Timothy McGee (Sean Murray). There was a slight spark between the agents then, early in the season, and the installment continued to tease their connection.

For instance, when Torres is undercover in NCIS Season 22, Knight almost blows his cover and then poses as his fiancée. It leads to MCRT staging a wedding between Jess and Nick to try to catch a powerful crime boss, putting them in a romantic situation. While Nick was dating Jessica’s sister, returning guest star Robin (Lilian Bowden), at the time, she called it quits last season when she realized that Nick’s unwavering dedication to his work contrasted with what she needed from a partner.

With Knight and Palmer’s romance at a virtual standstill, the developments last season set the stage for something to happen between Jess and Nick. In “The Sound and the Fury,” MCRT’s blackmail investigation overlaps with Sawyer’s (Zane Holtz) B-team. Jess works closely with the B-team leader, prompting Nick to feel jealous, which he finally admits in the elevator at the end of the episode. Their conversation builds on an unspoken feeling that Jess alludes to when she tells Sawyer she cares about Nick “more than he knows.”

When asked about Nick and Knight’s connection, NCIS star Wilmer Valderrama said there was “something happening underneath.” He said that Nick’s arc in NCIS Season 23 is “intentionally stitched together,” meaning that viewers should “read into everything… even the smallest little scenes.” Valderrama teasing a big season for Nick could be related to Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) pulling Torres into his office for something that has been hinted at but not clarified. It could also be hinting at the special agent’s romance.

Why Knight and Torres’ Teased Romance Is Great For NCIS

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While Valderrama described the connection between Jess and Nick as “complicated” and “messy,” even the mere hint of a love story is great news for the series. Ever since Knight and Palmer broke up, there haven’t been a lot of romances on NCIS. The last few seasons appear to have been laying the groundwork for a story between Jess and Nick, and that’s promising because slow-burn romances on NCIS, like the one between Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), are among the show’s most memorable stories.

The series also teased a romance between Nick and Ellie (Emily Wickersham) before Agent Bishop’s departure, though it didn’t have the same pull as Tony and Ziva’s love story. Their will-they/won’t they romance stuck with audiences so much that in 2025, NCIS debuted a spinoff focused on the couple, NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which is currently streaming on Paramount+. Considering the long-winded love story between the agents was one of the franchise’s most successful, it makes sense that NCIS would lean into a connection between its leading agents.

Knight And Torres’ NCIS Romance Creates A Huge Conflict For Jimmy Palmer

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If a romance does take off between Jess and Nick, the development is bound to cause a conflict for Dr. Jimmy Palmer, who shared a serious romance with Knight earlier in the series. While the ever-positive Jimmy has so far been supportive of Nick and Jess growing closer, the Medical Examiner has traditionally had a hard time letting connections go. He took it hard when Gibbs (Mark Harmon) left, and then lost Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard (David McCallum) in NCIS Season 21. Moreover, he admits in the episode that it used to make him jealous thinking about Jess and Nick doing fieldwork together.

Jimmy says that he got through his jealousy because Jess always saved the last dance for him, coming home to him at night. Nick repeats this phrase to Knight after he hears Jimmy say it, asking Jess to save the last dance for him, reminding her he’s always had her six, hinting that Torres returns Jessica’s feelings. Even if Jimmy is cool with that, watching his best friend and ex-girlfriend embark on a romance, losing Knight and Palmer’s love story gives the ME a less consistent presence in NCIS outside the case-of-the-week, making a beloved fan-favorite less relevant.