When it comes to police procedurals, it’s not often that the fallout from storylines still affects the characters years after they’ve happened. The characters will typically move on after a certain amount of time, if not by the next season, to keep the story moving forward. For example, NCIS, which is nearing 500 episodes in Season 23, has been through so many changes over the years. Many of the best NCIS episodes deal with status quo shifts that change the way the audience sees the show. This is more apparent when a character dies or a cast member exits the show. As of Season 23, there aren’t any NCIS cast members who’ve been with the show since the series premiere.
However, Sean Murray’s Timothy McGee and Brian Dietzen’s Jimmy Palmer made recurring appearances in NCIS Season 1 before officially joining the team in later seasons. The characters have come so far from where they started, as Palmer took on the role of NCIS Chief Medical Examiner after Donald “Ducky” Mallard stepped down. As for McGee, Season 22 saw the former probationary agent almost become NCIS Deputy Director. Outside his upward trajectory at NCIS, the biggest change to happen to McGee occurs in NCIS Season 11, which forever changes who he is.
McGee and Delilah Experience a Life-Changing Event in ‘NCIS’ Season 11
NCIS Season 11, Episode 1 “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” features the first appearance of McGee’s girlfriend, Delilah Fielding (Margo Harshman). Delilah works at the Department of Defense and specializes in web security and counter-terrorism. After Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) exited the series, the MCRT (Major Crimes Response Team) was sorely lacking a member. Delilah assisted the team in Season 11, Episode 5, “Once a Crook”, and even joked with Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) that she was joining them. With how much Tony jokes around with McGee, Tony wasn’t ready to see that McGee’s girlfriend would have such a sense of humor. The episode also highlighted Delilah’s chemistry with Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette). Gibbs was like a proud father to McGee with how happy he was to see him and Delilah together. It took Abby some time to warm up and trust Delilah, but she ended up respecting her as a fellow computer aficionado and McGee’s new girlfriend (Abby and McGee previously dated). In just a couple of appearances, Delilah became a fan-favorite character.
But NCIS took a dark turn in Season 11, Episode 12, “Kill Chain,” when the team and Delilah work together to track down Benham Parsa (Karan Oberoi), a terrorist who stole a drone that could be used for a large-scale attack. When Delilah and McGee attend a gala being held in her honor for her exceptional work in counterterrorism, DiNozzo calls McGee to warn him that Parsa is planning to bomb the event. Before McGee can act, he spots the drone, and a huge explosion goes off with Delilah and tons of people still inside. NCIS Season 11, Episode 13, “Double Back,” picks up with Delilah in the hospital. When McGee quickly returns to work to help with catching Parsa, everyone is concerned about Delilah and his well-being after going through a traumatic experience. He tells them that everything is fine, but Kate Todd’s (Sasha Alexander) sister, Dr. Rachel Cranston (Wendy Makkena), tells Gibbs that Delilah is paralyzed after the bombing.
Real-World Events Inspired Delilah’s ‘NCIS’ Storyline
It took some time for McGee to process the news of Delilah’s condition, but Gibbs gave him wise advice to express his feelings to her. After the death of his wife and daughter, Gibbs would do anything to see them just for a moment and express everything he’s held back. Delilah remained paralyzed and stayed in a wheelchair from this moment forward. It was a huge change that affected McGee’s storyline, and even though McGee and Delilah have moved past it emotionally, it’s good that the NCIS creative team never tried to undo this.
During a Television Critics Association press tour, former NCIS showrunner Gary Glasberg shared that this story was inspired by the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013. Glasberg vividly remembered seeing a group of women “pull their lives back together” after the traumatic event, and he wanted to have Delilah emulate that in NCIS. His intent was “to show a really smart individual take control of her life and rise up after all she’s been through.” While Ziva could’ve gotten this treatment before her exit, this moment made Delilah even more of a beloved character than she already was. Instead of focusing on her struggles or McGee adjusting to this change, the couple only became stronger.
McGee and Delilah Are the Strongest ‘NCIS’ Couple
There have been many couples throughout NCIS, like the slow-burn between Tony and Ziva, the short-lived romance between Gibbs and Dr. Samantha Ryan (Jamie Lee Curtis), and the most recent couple of Palmer and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), but the best of the bunch is McGee and Delilah. After experiencing one of the most challenging moments in their lives, they navigated it together and would go on to get married and raise twins. Even though McGee was trying to limit Delilah’s workload and keep her out of assisting NCIS with their cases, Delilah always advocates for herself and proves to him that she’s far more capable than he thinks.
McGee and Delilah are also the healthiest NCIS couple as they continually voice their feelings to one another. Even after Gibbs exited the show in Season 19, his teachings still impact McGee in terms of being a good husband, father, and agent. With NCIS Season 23 being more character-forward like NCIS: Origins, it’d be great to see Delilah pop up more often and get an episode dedicated to her. It’s also time to explore how McGee is doing after losing out on the Deputy Director position. Fans don’t have to wait too long for what’s next for these beloved characters as NCIS Season 23 will premiere on October 14.
