As MCRT celebrates Christmas, Knight is restless to learn about her very first ELITE mission in a new NCIS season 23, episode 9 promo clip. While the majority of scripted series in the 2025-2026 TV cycle have already entered their holiday break, CBS’ premiere procedural is saving what could be its biggest outing of the year. That’s a big statement, considering how the procedural has ramped up its storytelling quality this year.
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ScreenRant exclusively presents a clip from NCIS season 23, episode 9, “Heaven and Nature.” In the video below, Knight excitedly comes to work, proudly showing how she scored the most in-demand toy. As it turns out, it isn’t as difficult to get, as McGee, Torres, Parker, and Director Vance all got them. The most standout aspect of the otherwise cheery promo, however, comes from Knight and Vance’s discussion about her very first ELITE mission. Watch the video below:
The official synopsis for “Heaven and Nature” reveals that the Christmas present that NCIS has been working on will end up being stolen, sending McGee and Torres on a hunt to recover them. However, a more interesting tidbit from the brief involves Knight’s personal story in the outing. Per CBS, NCIS season 23, episode 9 will see her “given her first NCIS: Elite mission, which involves tracking down a former member of the team.”
People involved in the show haven’t really addressed this tease. Considering the synopsis, there are several options for the identity of the returning character. There are Tony and Ziva, who were both caught up in a major European conspiracy in their show. There’s also Bishop, who left the show just before Mark Harmon’s character did. Unlike Gibbs’ retirement in Alaska, however, her departure was more complicated.
Apparently, she had been training to be an undercover agent for a while. Once she passed the final test, she left MCRT with very little fanfare, leaving most of her old co-workers, particularly Torres, shell-shocked. She hasn’t been seen since then. Whoever it is, it’s nice to see the series lean into its long history by bringing back familiar faces.
