NCIS season 22 was announced a few months ago and it is all set to premiere next month on the fourteenth. However, given the circumstances in which season 21 ended, many have been wondering if Katrina Law’s Jessica Knight will return for the next season or if she is actually gone for good.
As promotional images for season 22 were released by CBS, fans got to see the return of Jessica Knight, confirming the fact that she will be back for more in the next season. For how long and in what context is still a mystery but it turns out that the fans had already called her return months ago.
Katrina Law’s Jessica Knight Returns for NCIS Season 22
At the end of NCIS season 21, Katrina Law’s Jessica Knight accepted the offer to lead a training program for the REACT team. This meant that she had to leave D.C. and move to the West Coast in order to pursue her dream job. This also meant leaving both her squad and ex-boyfriend, Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen).
Fans wondered if this meant the end of Law’s character arc in the show. However, when CBS released fresh promotional images for season 22 episode 01 titled Empty Nest, Knight was right there all geared up and ready for action.
The official logline of the show reads, “NCIS searches for a missing undercover agent in the midst of an active hostage situation.” No wonder they are reeling in Knight, who is an expert in hostage negotiation and high-stakes scenarios.
Also, NCIS should know that they didn’t fool anyone with Knight’s fake-out in the previous season finale. Judging by these comments on Reddit’s r/NCIS, it looks like no one really bought the idea that she is gone for good.
Keep in mind that these comments are from three months ago.
While we don’t know what this means for the character just yet, we can say with certainty that there is a lot of drama fans should look forward to, now that Knight is returning.
NCIS Executive Producer Talks about Katrina Law’s Return
Executive producer Steven D. Binder opened up about Knight’s return in season 22, giving fans an idea of what to expect and what not to. He sat down with TV Insider for an interview where he was asked about the status of Knight and Palmer after their break-up in the last season.
Binder confirmed that season 22 will pick up a few months after Knight’s move to the West Coast. The two ex-lovers are apparently settling into their new lives and shockingly, Palmer is back in the dating scene.
In a hostage situation, Knight will find herself in trouble which in turn will lead to the unfinished conversation between her and Palmer. In the words of Binder,
It’s months later. Knight’s on the West Coast [in her new job as chief REACT training officer]. They’ve settled into the new normal of not being together. Jimmy is dating. We’re going to learn a little bit about that. He’s been busy as a single man; that will make an appearance in the most inopportune time. [In the premiere] Knight encounters a very serious problem involving her skills as a hostage negotiator.
There’s certain things you never do, and that’s what [she] does. As a result, her and Jimmy are going to get a chance to have part two of the conversation that we didn’t see in the finale. There’s a Part 3 to that conversation that we’ll see in Episode 4 when World War III is starting.
Binder also added that the two actors were consulted before the show took the drastic measures of separating their characters. Luckily, there’s only a month left before we can finally understand how things play out for Palmer and Knight.
NCIS is available to stream on Paramount+. Season 22 will be released on October 14.
