As NCIS reaches the end of Season 21, one of the team is going to be “at a crossroads.”
In the May 6 finale, titled “Reef Madness,” Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) offers Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) a unique opportunity. “It’s a legacy offer, her dad’s position [Special Agent-in-Charge of the NCIS Far East Field Office] that she was interested in at some point,” Carroll tells TV Insider, but it’s not just that he thinks she might want it now. “I also think Vance knows that Agent Knight is at a crossroads personally and professionally, and a change of venue, a change of scenery might do her good.”
That comes from his own experience as well. “He knows that sometimes change of location allows you to clear your head,” explains Carroll. “There’s a lot of things going on personally— her relationship with Jimmy [Brian Dietzen], her relationship with her dad… I think he’s thinking a fresh start might just be the thing for her.”
Speaking of Jessica and Jimmy’s relationship, it’s really the first one that Vance has had to deal with in the office; NCIS has a history of nothing happening with will-they-or-won’t-they romances until one half is leaving. “Exactly,” Carroll agrees, noting, “this relationship hasn’t gotten to the point where it interferes with their work, but it is part of the reason why Knight is hesitant about taking this job, because of her ties now because of relationship with Jimmy. And so it’s going to be interesting to see how it shakes up.”
The finale also sees Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) and Knight discover three bodies on an old Navy ship that’s about to be sunk and turned into an artificial reef, only to then suddenly be locked inside by a mysterious figure. “It’s probably not a big stretch to tease that things don’t go swimmingly,” says Carroll. After the agents “stumble upon these bodies that are mysteriously there, things get even more complicated.”
Vance, as the agency’s director, will have to deal with what the star calls “a political football. There’s all this publicity, there’s all this press about it. There’s the environmental [side], the upside about having done this, and now there’s this grim discovery. So of course accusations start flying and everybody’s pointing fingers, and then Vance has to deal with it.”
The season does end with some “loose ends to tie up,” Carroll teases, including something involving a case they thought was solved. “We realize that there’s an even bigger issue here.”
This finale is, because of what’s going on with Knight, “a bit more personal” than previous ones. “A lot of times the other season finales or cliffhangers have been dealing specifically with a case or some global threat or something like that,” says Carroll. “But now you have one of our main characters who has to make a personal decision as well. So I think it stands alone in that aspect.”
Carroll joined NCIS in Season 5 as Vance, and since then, there have been quite a few changes. But the director “understands that as much as the cohesiveness of the unit is [important], you don’t want to stop somebody’s chance of moving forward and spreading their wings,” he says.
Looking ahead to Season 22, would Carroll want to see Vance in the field again? While he likes those episodes, “I’m okay with Vance being a bureaucrat,” he admits. “Whenever we do our flashbacks, we realize that he spent his time in the field. And there’s the difference between Vance and, let’s say, Gibbs [Mark Harmon]. You could never see Gibbs as a bureaucrat, being behind a desk, but Vance was okay making that transition from being a field guy to a guy who’s now in a suit every day and behind a desk. But I do like when we do episodes where you get to see Vance’s investigative skills are put to use. I’m hoping that we get a few more of that.”
He’s also quick to remind us that Vance is computer-savvy. “I like when we remind audiences, ‘Oh, yeah, that’s right. He understands. He can walk into a room and lay out forensically what happened,’” he adds. “I like when we get a chance to see him dust off those skills.”
He’s also hoping to explore more with Vance’s kids, with his daughter an agent and his son struggling with the agency and his mother’s death and coming to understand why they do what they do. “This was an abbreviated season,” Carroll points out. “I think if this had been a normal season, we probably would’ve seen Jared again following up on that episode. Now that we’ve established that they’re starting to mend fences, there is some mileage to be had out of that relationship.”
What are you hoping to see in the season finale? Let us know in the comments section, below.
NCIS, Season 21 Finale, Monday, May 6, 9/8c, CBS