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In their first case since Alden Parker (Gary Cole) has officially returned to the bullpen after the hunt for Carla Marino (Rebecca De Mornay) in NCIS Season 23’s premiere, the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) calls back to Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) in Episode 3, “The Sound and the Fury.” When MCRT uncovers a blackmail operation, the case overlaps with an ongoing investigation being conducted by Special Agent Sawyer’s (Zane Holtz) B-team, leaving the A-team to pull an all-nighter. In several ways, the case echoes classic NCIS.

The installment brings back Nick Torres’ (Wilmer Valderrama) nemesis, Sawyer, who buddies up with Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), causing Nick to feel jealous. Something is building beneath the surface between the agents, with NCIS seemingly moving on from Knight and Palmer’s (Brian Dietzen) romance. It’s a dynamic episode for Jess, who gets pulled to train for NCIS Elite by Director Vance (Rocky Carroll), with NCIS continuing a storyline for NCIS: Hawai’i. Amid new developments, though, the team calls back to one of the show’s most beloved characters.

NCIS Season 23’s Caf-Pow Reference Cleverly Nods to Former Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto

Image via Robert Voets/CBS

As Jess and Nick work the overnight shift with Sawyer, involving stakeouts and a near-death experience for Torres, the team calls back to Abby Sciuto. Burning the midnight oil, MCRT gets tired pretty quickly, so Sawyer offers them a drink he discovered in the fridge downstairs called “Caf-Pow.” Jess and Sawyer consume the highly caffeinated energy drink, giving them both jitters. For longtime fans of the series who have followed it for years, the caffeinated drink is an apparent reference to former forensic scientist Abby Sciuto.

A key member of Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon) original team, Abby Sciuto often worked late nights and ran almost exclusively on Caf-Pow and industrial/goth/alternative music. Gibbs would sometimes bring Abby a foam cup full of Caf-Pow to fuel her late-night forensic investigations, with the former Special Agent-in-Charge frequently forcing her, Tony Dinozzo (Michael Weatherly), Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) to investigate through the night. Nick confirms that the drink is Abby’s near the end, correcting Jess when she says that it’s “Sawyer’s Caf-Pow.”

Abby was a key member of Gibbs’ team until Perrette exited NCIS at the end of Season 15. Officially, Abby left the Washington Navy Yard for new endeavors after she was shaken by the murder of Special Agent Clayton Reeves (Duane Henry) and the attempt on her own life.

Behind the scenes, a feud between Perrette and Harmon led to the former’s exit, leaving the actors with irreparable differences. In NCIS Season 16, Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover), who first appeared in Season 15, replaced Sciuto and has been with the team ever since.

NCIS Season 23, Episode 3, Evokes the Golden Era of NCIS

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Between the callbacks to Abby’s Caf-Pow and MCRT’s late night, “The Sound and the Fury” evokes classic NCIS episodes from Harmon’s era. Seeing Nick and Jess in the bullpen in the dark was definitely a reminder of the days that Tony and Kate Todd (Sasha Alexander) would spend the night at their desks. Even though Abby’s Caf-Pow would be well past its expiration date, at best seven years old, it was a fun callback to the show’s golden era. The series had a different tone and overall feel years ago, and it’s satisfying to see a glimpse of that.

NCIS Season 23, Episode 3 also brings back Sawyer, who may remind viewers of Tony DiNozzo with his goofy antics and big personality. Though Gibbs was far away in Naktok Bay, Alaska, after his retirement, he would have approved of the team’s dedication to their late-night case. With characters like Timothy McGee and Jimmy still at NCIS Headquarters, the only thing better than a callback would be an appearance from Abby herself, since other classic characters, like Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs, have made comebacks in NCIS: Tony & Ziva and NCIS: Origins.

Will Abby Sciuto Ever Come Back to the NCIS Franchise?

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Since McGee is still in the bullpen, and Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs have all had character reprisals in the last year, a return from Abby would mean that NCIS could reunite the best team from the original series. While a crossover hasn’t happened yet, recent NCIS spinoffs focusing on well-known characters make the prospect more possible, even if audiences have yet to see Harmon, Weatherly, and de Pablo on-screen together again. That said, a comeback for Perrette seems out of reach, despite recent revivals of other characters.

Perrette has made it clear that she does not want to return to NCIS and has retired from acting in general to focus on other projects. The feud between Perrette and Harmon was part of the actor swearing off the character, and so even though Harmon’s Gibbs exited NCIS in Season 19, it’s probably the last viewers have seen of Abby. That’s why it’s fun to see small nods to Perrette’s character, to remind viewers that she’s gone but not forgotten. Kasie has been an excellent replacement for her forensic predecessor, keeping the MCRT a well-oiled machine.