The end of NCIS Season 21 was breaking up the band. NCIS Season 22, Episode 1, “Empty Nest” has one purpose: to undo the plot twists of the Season 21 finale, which included Jessica Knight’s career opportunity and Timothy McGee having his eye on moving up the ladder. After all, if both Knight and McGee moved on, the CBS procedural would be down two cast members — including one of its longest-serving regulars. The audience thus goes into “Empty Nest” knowing that certain things have to be resolved.
That doesn’t keep the episode from being satisfying. “Empty Nest” picks up six months later, when both Knight and Nick Torres are working in California. Naturally, something happens to bring them — and the rest of the team — together. There are plenty of twists in this premiere, many of which are predictable as the show works to reset its status quo. But there’s just enough surprise to make it entertaining, and the way the episode is structured helps reinforce the theme of family.
NCIS Season 22 Makes Jessica Knight’s Return Believable
Katrina Law Takes Center Stage Again
“Empty Nest” opens with reaffirming that Knight transferred to California and broke up with Jimmy Palmer. But there’s no real mystery as to whether or not she’ll return to Washington, because the episode uses Jimmy and especially Kasie Hines to express the idea that the team has to come back together. On top of that, viewers who follow offseason news likely saw Collider confirming that Katrina Law appeared in premiere photos — a classic example of how hard it is to keep fans in suspense these days. The hook of the episode thus becomes, how is NCIS going to make Knight’s decision to go back to where she was believable? And for that, the show goes to a tried and true idea: family.
The concept of “found family” is a very common procedural trope, and it goes hand-in-hand with the storyline about a character leaving their unit or group. Sometimes it sticks, as the character moves on in order to grow, such as Blake Gallo on Chicago Fire leaving to spend more time with his family (as but one example). But oftentimes, it’s a surefire reasoning for the character to pass on a major professional opportunity, as the personal fulfillment is much more rewarding in the long-term than a promotion. That’s what happens for Knight, and “Empty Nest” doesn’t hit her or the audience over the head with the idea that she needs to be back with Alden Parker’s squad. It’s a consideration that becomes clear as she’s dropped into the hunt for Torres and is willing to go to extreme lengths to ensure his recovery. The episode orbits around Knight taking a suspected cartel leader hostage… and it’s also not surprising that she’s right about the seemingly mild-mannered priest being the Big Bad.
What sells these ideas is Law’s performance. She anchors the episode, because the script frames the story by having Knight explain it to an attorney named Celia Ross. As scenes go back and forth in time, Law not only serves as the narrator, but the audience can see the progression of how Knight got herself into trouble — not just the evidentiary clues but the emotional arc. The mystery is fine yet it doesn’t matter if the viewer doesn’t believe that Knight would act so rashly, and support her in doing so. When Knight has her moment with Parker near the end of the hour, admitting that she’s not as happy as she thought she’d be, it’s expected but it also feels true. Law illustrates how Knight is just a different person working with the NCIS team.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 1 Is Predictably Entertaining
There Aren’t Too Many Surprises Inside
The NCIS Season 22 premiere plays well within the rules of the procedural genre — and the boundaries the show has set up for itself. The audience can figure out some of the plot twists early on, such as the reverend being the cartel leader and there being a mole. The biggest twist is who that mole is, although that’s essentially a check-down; the characters (and audience) first suspect the agent whose ex-husband works for the cartel, but of course that’s too easy, so suspicion naturally falls on Celia after that. “Empty Nest” tries to take it one step further when McGee points out that there’s more than one leak — yet it’s also very easy to point the finger at that person, too.
Furthermore, the team dynamics are very familiar. There’s Kasie pushing for the team to get back together, everyone talking about how much Jimmy and his daughter miss Knight, Torres being the wild card and Parker having empty nest syndrome (hence the episode’s title). The writers take advantage of the “is Knight leaving NCIS?” questions to further drum up uncertainty for McGee and Torres, but nothing feels that different. And fans will hear characters talking about trust or saying “trust me” on multiple occasions, which comes across as an unintentionally heavy-handed way of reminding people how close this group is. It’s charming, but also awkward because they don’t have anything to prove.
Certain folks have been convinced Wilmer Valderrama is leaving NCIS for years, but the actor is still present in Season 22 and even though he spends a fair part of the episode off on his own, proves why he’s become an asset to the show. Torres’ cover is blown and he has to pretend to be a double agent; the dilemma he faces isn’t a new idea but Valderrama’s reactions illustrate the internal conflict that his character deals with. That’s even more important because it can’t effectively come out through dialogue. Now in his ninth season, Valderrama has gotten better every year. “Empty Nest” lets all of the actors pick up right where they left off — though it doesn’t end with the scene where Knight formally walks back into the NCIS bullpen, which presumably is being saved for the next go-around.
NCIS Introduces a New Deputy Director
Castle Alum Seamus Dever Arrives to Cause Trouble
The other concern NCIS Season 22, Episode 1 has to address is Timothy McGee’s career trajectory. The show’s 1,000th episode “A Thousand Yards” gave audiences a glimpse at McGee as management — but he can’t get that promotion or that would likewise take him off the team, and potentially limit Sean Murray’s storylines. When Director Leon Vance tells McGee that he wasn’t hired, though, everyone already knows who is. Seamus Dever guest stars as Inspector General Laroche, who becomes the group’s new boss literally minutes after McGee suggests that he’s the one who exposed Torres as an undercover agent. Audiences can already speculate on how this plotline is going to go.
It will be a fun watch for crime drama fans, who will remember Dever from his role as Detective Kevin Ryan on ABC’s Castle. But they may not recall that he previously guest-starred in episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i, so he has experience with this franchise, too. The more interesting question is will this show use him as a straightforward antagonist and rival for McGee, or will there be any additional shading or development to the Laroche character as Season 22 goes on? The latter is obviously more interesting and gives Dever more to play, but given how “Empty Nest” shows off everyone’s camaraderie and the actors’ chemistry, it might be better for NCIS to make Laroche just disrupt the happy family and give the viewers someone to hate. This solid episode puts everything back to normal — but it can’t all work out forever.
