A brand-new set photo reveals Jessica Knight’s long-term fate in NCIS season 22 after leaving the Major Case Response Team. In a week, CBS’ long-running procedural will return with a fresh year of storytelling. That said, things won’t be the same as before when season 22 debuted, considering what happened in the NCIS season 21 finale. The big change stems from Knight’s decision to leave MCRT and take her dream job with REACT. Several months since she relocated to Camp Pendleton, Katrina Law’s character is still slated to appear in the NCIS season 22 premiere, “Empty Nest.”
Beyond episode 1, however, a new set image from Law’s Instagram reveals what lies ahead for her in NCIS season 22. The photo is from Law’s message to everyone who greeted her on her birthday. She took the clip from the set of Kasie Hines’ laboratory, as indicated by the elephant painting that Leroy Jethro Gibbs gave Jack Sloane. She left it with MCRT’s current forensic scientist for safekeeping. Considering the timeline, this means that Knight will still be working with the team past the NCIS season 22 premiere.
Why Jessica Knight Returns To NCIS After Accepting Her Dream Job
When Director Leon Vance offered Knight the job in the NCIS season 21 finale, she didn’t have much time to think about it. They needed her answer at the end of the day, and that turned out to be a grueling one for MCRT. She and Alden Parker were stuck in an abandoned ship, with the latter suffering immense blood loss that could have almost killed him. NCIS also introduced the mystery identity of Parker’s Lily. However, while the resolution of that narrative is still to come, Knight eventually decided to leave MCRT, even though she was clearly torn.
It was Jimmy Palmer’s understandable but detrimental freak out that ultimately forced his then-girlfriend to leave Navy Yard. Because of this, there has always been a sense that it’s only a matter of time before Knight comes back to her old job and leaves REACT. The specifics about how that will exactly play out are still uncertain. That said, considering Law continuously filming in Kasie’s lab, per the aforementioned image, it’s safe to say that she will be back for good in Navy Yard.
Our Take On How Knight’s Return Impacts NCIS Season 22’s Story
As someone who watches NCIS religiously, I always knew that Knight would eventually come back to MCRT. For starters, there wasn’t any indication that Law wanted to leave the series, and usually, main cast members’ departures are announced ahead of time. On top of that, there’s no benefit for Knight leaving NCIS. She’s the newest member of the team, and therefore, still has so many stories left to tell. Finally, we have seen these fake exits before in the show.
Personally, I could have gone without this narrative for Knight. While she will be back with MCRT sometime in NCIS season 22, choosing REACT caused her and Palmer to break up, and that’s disappointing. The procedural is not known for the depiction of healthy relationships between co-workers. Knight and Palmer were the first ones to be an official couple within MCRT. Now, they will have to move forward awkwardly once they reunite in DC.
