The world of NCIS thrives on complex character dynamics and high-stakes interpersonal drama. No relationship has embodied this recently quite like the mature, unconventional romance between Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) and Special Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law). Their “Knight-Palmer” pairing was a breath of fresh air—a rare healthy relationship that formed after Gibbs’ famous “Rule 12” had lost its iron grip on the MCRT team.
However, Season 23 has introduced a storyline that threatens to unravel the emotional progress of the last few years and potentially leave a fan-favorite character isolated: the undeniable teasing of a romantic connection between Jess Knight and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama).
The subtle, yet persistent, flirtation and professional closeness between the two field agents—especially in the wake of Knight and Palmer’s breakup—has created a significant “Jimmy Palmer Problem” for the series. It risks reducing the beloved medical examiner to a grieving third wheel and undermining his hard-won journey toward personal happiness after the devastating loss of his wife, Breena.
💔 The Haphazard Breakup: Setting the Stage for the Rift
To understand Jimmy’s current predicament, one must look back at the relationship decisions of the past season. Jimmy and Jess’s romance, which began spontaneously in Season 19, concluded abruptly in the Season 22 finale.
The Knight-Palmer Dilemma
- The Catalyst: Jess Knight was offered a highly coveted promotion to Chief REACT Training Officer at Camp Pendleton in California. She initially accepted the job, willing to try a long-distance relationship.
- The Obstacle: It was Jimmy Palmer who decisively ended the relationship. Traumatized by the death of his wife, Breena, and the fear of losing another loved one to a physically distant career, he stated that he could not handle the instability and the potential for a long-distance heartbreak.
While the breakup was framed as a mutual decision rooted in different life needs—Jess needing spontaneity (“Indiana Jones”) and Jimmy needing stability—the writers essentially created an obstacle course for Jimmy’s future happiness. His decision, while emotionally understandable, was rooted in a fear of abandonment that has now become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Knight returned to D.C. in Season 23, but the breakup stood, leaving them in an emotional limbo that has allowed a new dynamic to flourish.
⚡ The Torres & Knight Spark: A Predictable Pivot
With Knight back on the MCRT and her romantic connection with Palmer severed, the narrative space has opened for the writers to explore the long-dormant chemistry between the two main field agents.
The Evidence of the Tease
The show has been quietly laying the groundwork for a Jess-Nick connection:
- Shared Trauma and Trust: As field partners, Torres and Knight share a deep bond built on literal life-and-death trust. This kind of professional intimacy often becomes fertile ground for romance in procedurals (as seen with Tony and Ziva).
- The Jealousy Factor: In a key Season 23 episode, Torres was visibly jealous when Knight spent time on a case with another agent, Dale Sawyer. Though Torres initially dismissed the feeling as “professional jealousy,” Knight’s subsequent confession to Sawyer that Torres means “more than he knows” suggests the feelings are deeper.
- The Staged Wedding: They have previously been forced to pose as an engaged couple (and even had a staged wedding) for an undercover op, a classic narrative device used to expose hidden feelings and build romantic tension.
This pivot to a potential Jess-Nick romance presents a classic, yet potentially damaging, television trope: turning a healthy relationship (Knight-Palmer) into a painful stepping stone for a slower-burn “will-they/won’t-they” pairing (Knight-Torres).
😔 The Jimmy Palmer Problem: Undermining the Arc
The potential for a Jess-Nick pairing creates a profound problem for the character of Jimmy Palmer.
The “Job” of Jimmy Palmer
Jimmy Palmer has been a consistent source of optimism and heart in the NCIS family for over two decades. His story of healing after Breena’s death and finding a second chance at love with Jess was deeply resonating.
- More Grief, Less Growth: If Jess moves on with Nick, Jimmy will be forced to endure another agonizing loss—this time, watching the woman he still loves date his trusted colleague. This continuous cycle of grief and romantic failure risks turning him into the perpetually unlucky widower, halting his individual growth and making his character arc stagnant.
- The Third Wheel Dynamic: Placing him in a love triangle where he has to work side-by-side with the new couple is dramatically potent but incredibly painful for the character and the audience invested in him. It compromises the collaborative, family-like dynamic of the MCRT, creating unwanted tension between the field team and the ME’s office.
- Wasted Potential: Showrunners initially suggested that Jimmy’s storyline would involve him dating again, even teasing an undercover assignment that makes Jess jealous. This suggests an opportunity for both characters to grow through dating others before a possible, more mature reunion. The fast-tracking of Jess and Nick jeopardizes this more complex, satisfying path.
Jimmy Palmer has already endured tremendous loss. The show should be focused on solidifying his happiness, perhaps even giving him a new romantic interest who values the stability he offers, rather than subjecting him to the trauma of a workplace romance triangle.
✅ The Path Forward: Saving Jimmy’s Arc
For NCIS to resolve its “Jimmy Palmer Problem” without sacrificing its core values of family and redemption, it must handle the Torres-Knight tease with extreme care.
- A Platonic Connection: The show could confirm that the intense feelings between Jess and Nick are platonic, an elevated form of friendship and partnership that fills the emotional void left by their own respective losses and breakups (Torres’ heartache over Bishop; Jess’s self-inflicted breakup with Jimmy).
- A New Love for Jimmy: The best resolution for Jimmy is a strong, stable new love interest who appreciates his maturity and devotion to his daughter, Victoria. This would force Jess to confront her own feelings of regret or jealousy, giving her a new, powerful reason to examine her desire for “spontaneity.”
- Focus on Individual Growth: Both Jess and Nick need to focus on their personal trauma—Torres on his commitment issues and the loss of his sister’s relationship, and Jess on her inability to commit to a singular path. This is what the breakup was supposed to achieve.
The fan investment in Jimmy Palmer’s happiness is immense. To sacrifice his emotional well-being for a standard, predictable love triangle risks alienating the very audience that appreciates the show’s departure from the old Gibbs-era rules. The fate of Jimmy Palmer’s heart in Season 23 is currently the biggest mystery at the Navy Yard.
