Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22NCISseason 22 has been a massive outing for the Major Case Response Team (MCRT), but the season has some unanswered questions after the mid-season finale the show must answer when it returns. The season kicks off with Jessica Knight rejoining Parker’s team and theNCISseason 22 castin the premiere. Jess leaving the team in theNCISseason 21 finale is an enormous decision. Still, the team is growing closer after her return and continuing to pave a new chapter for the procedural after Mark Harmon’sNCISexit, with Knight and Parker as the team’s newest members.
With a complete set of episodes following a shortenedNCISseason 21due to the writer’s strikes, Parker’s MCRT solves enormous cases as the team hits its stride working together. Meanwhile, there are personal matters to resolve, with Parker’s mysterious hallucination fromNCISseason 21 continuing to appear and a sense of love in the air. Jess and Jimmy navigate the ramifications of their breakup as Nick Torres opens a new chapter, dating a mystery girl thatNCIShas yet to reveal. Even Parker has love on the horizon, setting up exciting possibilities whenNCISseason 22returns.
8Is Gabrielle LaRoche The NCIS Mole?
NCIS Season 22 Suggests LaRoche Is The Mole
One of the most outstanding questions inNCISseason 22 is whether the agency has a mole.In theNCISseason 22 premiere, information regarding MCRT’s case is leaked, and the leak points to a mole due to the discretion surrounding the intel. Furthermore, questions surround who the NCIS mole could be if an informant is within their ranks. The premiere leads some members of MCRT to believe thatSeamus Dever’s Gabrielle LaRocheNCIScharacteris NCIS' latest villain. Still, season 22 could have a shocking twist in store for the team and audiences who are only looking at LaRoche.
NCISseason 2 returns to CBS with new episodes on Monday, June 06, 2025.
WhileNCISis repeating one of its most exciting storylines,NCISseason 22 could have a big shock in store.Eyes are trained on LaRoche as the primary suspect, but that could be distracting from someone else. While LaRoche is a great suspect, he is in plain sight, and the massive television institution likes to pack the narrative with twists. Thus, LaRoche may not be the mole.NCISseason 22, episode 9 muddles LaRoche’s role as a straightforward villain when he assists Parker’s team on a case and even takes the fall for an incident, contrasting his villainous persona.
7Will Jess & Jimmy Get Back Together?
Knight And Palmer Are Post-Breakup
Jess and Jimmy are navigating a massive breakup whenNCISseason 22 kicks off.The couple calls it quits in theNCISseason 21 finaleafter Jessica Knight accepts the promotion to Chief REACT Training Officer. While it is sad to see the couple break up,NCISseason 22 further confuses the relationship when Jimmy and Jess address their relationship status. After Jess returns to the Navy Yard, she and Jimmy eventually agree that while they are still in love, they aren’t ready to get back together, leaving their relationship uncertain as season 22 takes off again.
Roscoe “Rocky” Carroll
Leon Vance
Jimmy and Jess' romance has been on the back burner for the last few episodes after they resolve their separation inNCISseason 22, episode 4. Still, things are awkward for the couple, despite Jimmy getting on a dating app called Mate Quest, with each counterpart trying to move on.NCISseason 22 further complicates Knight and Palmer’s relationship, with the development of Jess and Torres growing closer in season 22, teasing their romance. However, after Nick Torres receives a mysterious text about Christmas plans in episode 9, a romance between Jess and Nick is less likely.
6Will Vance Stay NCIS Director?
Signs Suggest Vance Is Ready To Retire
There have been hints that NCIS Director Leon Vance could retire from his post and leave the agency’s leadership to another capable leader. InNCISseason 22, episode 2, Vance rounds the corner on another life development, paving the way for the director to move outside NCIS. In episode 2,Vance explores his relationship with his casual girlfriend, Lena, as he gets involved in a sensitive case that threatens peace talks between the US and Venezuela. Amid the case’s grave stakes, Leon reevaluates his priorities and makes his relationship with Lena more official, opting to spend more time together.
NCIS Season 22 Just Set Up Director Vance’s Retirement After 16 Years
MCRT’s NCIS season 22, episode 2 case may have just paved the way for Director Leon Vance to step down from spearheading the famed agency.
Vance moving his relationship with Lena forward is one of the more serious steps in a series of minor plot points that point Vance toward retirement.NCISseason 21 sets up the perfect way for Vance to leave the showwhen he finally apprehends Carlos Savina, the leader of the Cali cartel who evaded Vance for years and is responsible for the deaths of two of his agents.Vance catches Savina after he is shot in the backby a sniper while visiting his wife’s grave in the 1000th episode, sparking conversations with his son about his priorities and NCIS.
5Will McGee Stay With MCRT?
Signs Suggest McGee Could Move On
NCIShas also put out signs thatMcGee could move on from NCIS, or at least his current position at an agency. In theNCISseason 22 premiere, Tim is vying for the NCIS Deputy Director position. McGee cites the stable hours as part of why he and his wife, Delilah, believe it is a promising advancement for the agent, which follows squabbles between McGee and his wife fromNCISseason 21, hinting that something needs to change for the senior agent. Alas, Department of Defense Inspector General Gabrielle LaRoche beats McGee for the promotion.
NCIS Season 22 Is Teasing A Major McGee Death & That’s Worrying For Sean Murray’s Future As Tim
After a rather slow start to its year, NCIS season 22 may be setting up an intense second half that could dreadfully include a major McGee death.
Another fascinating development for McGee is the return of his book career as crime thriller novelist Thom E. Gemcity in season 22, episode 9. The return of McGee’s forgotten career suggestsMcGee’s life is in flux, and anotherNCISseason 22 update confirms it. AnNCISseason 22 update confirms Delilah is returningviaTV Insider, along with circumstances that showrunner Steven D. Binder says will be"life and death.“With so much in flux for McGee and a massive start to the season behind him, it’s hard to say where McGee will land at the end of season 22.
4Who Is Lily & Is Parker Okay?
Parker Continues To Hallucinate Lily
Parker experiences a strange hallucination in theNCISseason 21 finale. Parker’s mystery girl has returned throughoutNCISseason 22, causing challenges for the agent and promising a massive story to come. In the season 21 finale,Parker sees a little girl running through the ship’s engine roomas his leg bleeds out, trapped inside a decommissioned Navy ship. As Parker loses consciousness, his vision of Lily becomes a vivid flashback where he and Lily are kids playing on a boat. The vision also features Parker’s mother, who resurfaces with the mystery in season 22 as Parker confronts it.
Who Is Lily In NCIS' Season 21 Finale? Parker’s Mystery Girl Explained & What She Means For Season 22
The tense NCIS season 21 finale introduced a brand new mystery concerning Alden Parker and the unknown identity of a young girl named Lily.
Parker begins to work through whatever trauma is causing his visions of Lily inNCISseason 22, episode 8when seeing Lily on the side of the road causes the agent to swerve into traffic.Parker claims he has no recollection of Lilywhen he begins to talk about the visions with Dr. Grace Confalone, the therapist who serves NCIS agents, and he is hesitant to talk about his mother. While Dr. Grace slowly progresses, who Lily is and whether Parker is okay remains unknown. After the last time Parker sees Lily, she leaves him an ominous message.
3Is Something Happening Between Parker & Dr. Grace?
Parker Lacks A Love Life In NCIS
NCISseason 22 finally brings back Dr. Grace Confalone, who hasn’t appeared on the show sinceNCISseason 20. The doctor is needed in season 22 after Knight and Parker experience traumatic incidents in the season 21 finale. However,there may be more to Dr. Grace’s appearance in season 22. Parker first visits Dr. Grace at his home. They plan to meet the following day to revisit the subject, but Parker blows Dr. Grace off because the therapist wants to have a more robust conversation about Parker’s mother. Then, something interesting happens when the pair reconnects.
Parker has an intense energy when talking about Lily and his mother, and his bizarre behavior takes a riveting turn when he kisses Dr. Grace on the head as they part ways.
Parker returns to Dr. Grace, with the encouragement of Jimmy and Kasie, and he tells the therapist he doesn’t want to discuss his mother but is open to exploring Lily. Dr. Grace accepts and is gracious yet firm in her advice. Parker has an intense energy when talking about Lily and his mother, and his bizarre behavior takes a riveting turn when he kisses Dr. Grace on the head as they part ways. Parker’s advance and Dr. Grace’s response, which wasn’t discouraging, suggestsomething could happen between Parker and Dr. Gracein the second half of season 22.
2Is MCRT Safe From Carla Marino?
The Kansas City Mob Boss Is Free
NCISseason 22 has explored Parker’s background in multiple ways, including the return of a villain from his past,Kansas City mob boss Carla Marino.Carla returns because she is connected to an attempted murderinNCISseason 22, episode 6, which turns out to be Marino’s attempt to kidnap the mother of her granddaughter to get her granddaughter back. While Parker’s team can link the murder directly to Marino and halt her attempt to kidnap her granddaughter, her henchmen confess to her crimes, and NCIS has to set the mob boss free. That said, Marino is on the loose.
Parker’s Kansas City Mob Connection May Be The NCIS Season 22 Arc He Needs
Not much is known about Alden Parker’s history before joining MCRT, but NCIS season 22 just excitedly revealed his connection to a major mob.
With Carla at large, Parker is likely sleeping with one eye open, wondering when his longtime foe will strike again. MCRT reunites a mother with her daughter in the episode, and without adequately protecting the daughter, Carla will likely make another attempt to kidnap her granddaughter. Whether that happens or not, Carla will likely return in some form now that she knows about Parker’s new position and has confirmation that he will continue to hunt her down. As such,NCIShas positioned Carla Marino as a subtle yet brutal villain, and she could strike when the team least expects it.
1Who Is Nick Torres' New Girlfriend?
Nick Is Hiding His Love Life
As we head into the second half of theNCISseason 22 story,we still don’t know who Nick Torres' girlfriend is. Nick reveals to Jessica Knight inNCISseason 22, episode 3, that he is trying to date again. The agent joins Mate Quest as Jimmy’s wingman but then decides to test the waters himself. The development has caused Nick to be more open, showing his vulnerable side as he connects with the other agents, such as bonding with McGee over their absent fathers when they investigate a double agent and alleged Russian spy in episode 5.
Catch up withNCISseason 22 on Paramount+.
The mid-season finale confirms that Nick has finally found love, with the agent receiving a text from an unknown sender to confirm mysterious Christmas plans.When Nick responds, he calls the sender"babe,“suggesting Nick is seeing someone. However, Nick keeps the relationship secret from his team, claiming he had no Christmas plans throughout episode 9. The second half of season 22 needs to reveal Nick’s mystery woman and explain why Nick kept her a secret. It’s an exciting development forNCISsince Torres hasn’t been open to love sinceEmily Wickersham’s Eleanor Bishopcharacter exited the series.
NCIS
Cast
NCIS is a television series that follows a team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Premiering in 2003, the show explores various cases involving Navy and Marine Corps personnel, ranging from murder and espionage to terrorism and stolen submarines.
