Warning: Spoilers ahead for NCIS Season 21 finale
NCIS Season 21 ended with a twist when Katrina Law’s character, Special Agent Jessica Knight, accepted a job offer at a different branch of the agency, and fans are now wondering what that means for her future on the show.
“Well, we set something up there,” NCIS co-showrunner Steven D. Binder told TVLine. “And I will point you to our track record where you just never know. We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it turned out they weren’t, and then we had people who just disappeared, like Gibbs. So I will say this: We do aim to please and we think the audience will be satisfied with where they see this go.”
While Binder’s response leaves Knight’s future just as ambiguous as before, it remains to be seen how taking a job across the country could leave fans feeling satisfied. Law, however, reinforced the message, assuring fans she is optimistic about her character’s future.
“I think that ever since Jessica’s dad showed up, it’s kind of put Jimmy and Knight into a bit of a whirlwind. It’s made them look at the future in longer terms than they originally had planned,” Law told TVLine. “All of the sudden, I think a lot of Jimmy’s demons are rearing their ugly heads, with all the people he’s lost in his life, and I think he went into panic mode and self-preservation mode in order to make sure his heart isn’t broken by Jessica also leaving him.”
“Whereas for Jessica Knight, she is asking herself through her dad, ‘Have I settled? Have I sat back on my heels? Am I living up to my full potential?’ And I think that [Jessica and Jimmy] may also be questioning, ‘Are we each other’s rebounds of a sort?’” Law continued.
“I think that at the end, Jessica has to take this position because she knows deep down this is what she wants. She wants a career, she’s very ambitious, and to her a long-distance relationship isn’t the end of things. At the same time, maybe if is, if it doesn’t work out. She has to go forward and see where things lead, she can’t settle into something she know will ultimately make her angry and have regrets,” she added. “And I think Jimmy is in the same place – he had a chance to basically say, ‘Please don’t take this job’ and he didn’t. He instinctively knows that Knight needs to go do this, and then they can see where they are after.”
Law hasn’t confirmed that she’s leaving the show, though. She teased that fans will have to wait to find out until the Season 22 premiere, saying, “Hmmm…. Better tune in for that season opener!”
Binder told The Wrap when asked about Law’s possible exit, “…we hope it means good things for Jessica’s future for sure. As for Katrina’s future, you know, we like to keep the audience guessing, and surprise them. So I think what that means is surprises you’ll have to guess at?” adding, “I will say that we strive to please, and the audience will be pleased.”
While the ending to the episode was certainly a shock, Rocky Carroll (Director Vance) had warned that this season was going to end on a very personal note.
Movieguide® previously reported:
Rocky Carroll discussed the personal end to NCIS Season 21 and why he believes that this finale is set apart from previous ones.
The finale features Director Leon Vance, Carroll’s character, offering Agent Jessica Knight a position in a different leg of the agency, filling in a role—Special Agent-in-Charge of the NCIS Far East Field Office—that her father used to hold.
“It’s a legacy offer, her dad’s position that she was interested in at some point,” Carroll told TV Insider. “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.”
“[Vance] knows that sometimes change of location allows you to clear your head,” he continued. “There’s a lot of things going on personally—her relationship with Jimmy [Palmer], her relationship with her dad…I think he’s thinking a fresh start might just be the thing for her.”