‘NCIS’ season 21 finale, explained

NCIS has been delivering high ratings for CBS and wowing fans with tense storylines since the popular procedural premiered back in 2003. While there are five series in the NCIS franchise, fans keep coming back to the original thanks to the strong character development and epic season finales.

It’s not easy to keep viewers interested after 21 seasons, but thankfully, the season 21 finale of NCIS didn’t disappoint. It also featured a shocking cliffhanger with a fan-favorite character… and we need to know if they’re going to still be there next season. What happened in this action-packed episode, and is a popular actor leaving?

What happened during the NCIS season 21 finale?

There was no shortage of drama in the NCIS season 21 finale. In episode 10 of the popular police procedural series, “Reef Madness,” Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) and Alden Parker (Gary Cole) are working a sad case: three people whose bodies were found on the USS Goddell, a ship that is going to become an artificial reef.

While the smart characters investigate the deaths of a John Doe, a teacher named Susan Sidor, and a construction worker named Thomas Mackin, Knight and Parker are trapped on the ship. This is of course terrifying… but this being NCIS, the two do their best to solve the problem. Knight fails when she tries to save herself and Parker by attaching a rope to both of them and they are both trapped in a hatch. Thankfully, the other members of the team saves them just in time.

Although this case is fairly interesting, the real drama is focused on Jessica Knight and her shiny new job offer… which affects her romance with Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen). Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll), the NCIS Director, asks Knight if she wants to be the chief training officer for REACT. This would mean moving to California, working at Camp Pendleton, and leaving the NCIS team and her boyfriend behind.

An angry Jimmy tells Knight that she should accept the job offer, which emphasizes the relationship issues that the two had in NCIS season 21 and proves that neither character is being vulnerable enough. After Parker suggests that taking this big risk is a good idea, the NCIS season 21 finale ends with Knight telling Vance, “Hell yeah, sir. Let’s do it.” While it would be totally out of character for Knight to say no to such a flattering offer (and she would never put love over her career), this was still a surprising moment.

Did Katrina Law leave NCIS?

While Jessica Knight’s new job might suggest that Katrina Law is exiting NCIS, that might not be the case. Unfortunately for fans who really want to know, there is no official answer as of now.

In an interview with The Wrap, Steven D. Binder, who is the showrunner along with David North, said, “we like to keep the audience guessing, and surprise them.” Binder also hinted “the audience will be pleased.” Since Knight is a beloved character, that might mean that she isn’t going anywhere. Even if fans are unsure about Knight getting a new opportunity, Binder explained that this storyline is a way to explore the future of her relationship with Jimmy.

Katrina Law told TV Line that she believes the plotline makes sense for her character since Knight is “ambitious” and hasn’t done all that she wants to do in her professional life.

Since NCIS was renewed for season 22 in April 2024, fans will have to wait a little longer to find out exactly what Knight’s thrilling new job means for her and the procedural’s future.