Contains mild spoilers for “NCIS” Season 21, Episode 10 — “Reef Madness”
It looks like there could be some big changes ahead for Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) as the 21st season of “NCIS” finally comes into port on May 6. Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) might be offering her a bit of a career boost, per the episode summary from CBS — or at the very least, as the summary refers to it, a “unique opportunity.” As “NCIS” fans know, that could mean anything from word coming through about Knight’s possible transfer to the Far East division of NCIS to some new duties being tacked onto her job.
Either way, Knight is slated to have her hands full during “Reef Madness.” She and Alden Parker (Gary Cole) find themselves on a decommissioned boat set to be sunk and turned into part of a reef when three dead bodies are discovered aboard the ship. Before Knight and Parker can find the culprits, they realize they’ve been locked down in the vessel. Though it’s doubtful the twosome will end up sinking to the bottom of the briny blue in the ship, the danger is there — though hopefully things will be more like “The Poseidon Adventure” than “Ghost Ship” for the colleagues. In the end, one just hopes it won’t become one of those questionable things fans ignore about “NCIS.”
It’s a plot that adds to Knight’s interesting Season 21 story arc, which has seen her get a little closer to a certain colleague, consider a big move, and work in the field with her pop.
Jessica Knight has had quite a busy Season 21
In a format change that seems popular with a lot of the cast, including Wilmer Valderrama, Season 21 of “NCIS” has decided to focus on its characters’ personal lives. Jessica Knight’s Season 21 arc has been no exception to that rule. Much of this development surrounds her slowly evolving romance with Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), which has had us worried with its ups and downs over the past few episodes. Jimmy — who has been slowly recovering from the death of his wife from COVID-19 — told Jessica he loves her at the tail end of Season 20, and that confession has proven to be quite reciprocal. The relationship has been going along smoothly — well, until the end of Season 21.
Unfortunately, when Jessica’s dad (Russell Wong) shows up to help her out with a case, it turns out Jessica hasn’t told him about Jimmy and the two men do not have an easy relationship. Then Jessica’s dad recommends she be put in charge of the Far East office of NCIS. That plotline hasn’t been resolved yet, as the team has been distracted by far-out alien-related conspiracy theories and tracking down Vance’s attempted assassins. Audiences will see if things come full circle for Jessica when the 21st season of “NCIS” wraps at the top of next month.