Warning: Spoilers for the NCIS season 21 finale

Summary

• Jessica Knight's move to Camp Pendleton shakes up the MCRT, setting the stage for new dynamics in NCIS season 22.
• Uncertainty surrounds Knight's departure from the team, leaving room for potential future appearances and relationship developments.
• Parker's survival and past trauma hint at a deeper storyline for him in the upcoming season, exploring his character's history.

The ending of NCIS season 21 carries massive repercussions for the Major Case Response Team and their season 22 story. In the NCIS season 21 finale (episode 10, "Reef Madness"), the team is investigating the discovery of three bodies on a decommissioned Navy ship that's scheduled to be sunk. When NCIS Supervisory Agent Alden Parker (Gary Cole) and Special Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) get locked inside the ship, it sets the course for NCIS season 22.

Jess is processing the job offer she received from NCIS Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) and how her potential role as REACT Chief will affect her relationship with Dr. Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen). She and Parker get locked inside the ship's engine room, and as Parker is losing blood after a metal support pillar falls on his leg, conversations between Parker and Knight seemingly set up major shifts in the NCISverse. It's been a pivotal season for the flagship series, which has paid tribute to David McCallum's Dr. Mallard character and celebrated NCIS' 1000th episode despite a shortened season.

Is Jessica Knight Really Leaving NCIS? Why She Agrees To Lead REACT

Agent Knight walked in on Director Leon Vance conversing with someone called Moondog, Mr. Brian Mooney, who Knight knows from REACT and Camp Pendleton. Vance remarked that Moondog will be "kicking butts at the Far East office," revealing that Mooney has accepted the position of Knight's dad's old post after she turned the position down. When Knight asks who is taking over Mooney's job as Chief REACT Training Officer (a job she applied to the candidate list a couple of years ago), Vance revealed that she is now the top candidate, and offered her the job - which she ultimately accepted.

Jessica Knight debuted in NCIS season 18 episode 15, 'Blown Away'

It looks like Jessica Knight is leaving the MCRT after agreeing to accept the Chief REACT Training Officer post at Camp Pendleton. Knight agrees to the promotion because it's a position she has envisioned herself in since losing her former REACT team. When Parker asks Knight why she didn't take over her father's job the way he wanted her to, she reveals that she felt programmed to rebel but eludes that there is more to the explanation. During the finale, Knight shows that she's capable of the position she's been chosen for when she goes swimming to attempt to rescue Parker.

Jessica Knight's NCIS Departure Isn't Confirmed

It hasn't been confirmed that Jessica Knight actor Katrina Law is leaving the show. To the contrary, Law shared an Instagram post following the season finale with the caption "Guess we gotta wait for CBS FALL." The caption, which accompanies three press photos (two of Law and one of the NCIS cast) suggests that there is more to come for Law's character. The post is accompanied by Alice Cooper's "School's Out" song, which states, "Schools out for summer. School's out forever." The song choice propagates the mystery surrounding whether Law is out of NCIS forever, or just for the summer.

While it's unclear whether Jess will be permanently leaving the show, the character probably won't be a series regular in the mothership anymore, considering she has agreed to a post at Pendelton on the other side of the country. That said, in an interview with TVLine, Law advises to "tune in for that season opener!" to see if her character will be back for season 22. The interview even quoted showrunner Steven D. Binder seeming to tease that Law could return in season 22: "We’ve had people look like they were going away and then it turned out they weren’t."

What Jess Leaving Means For Her & Jimmy

When Jess shares the news with her boyfriend, Dr. Jimmy Palmer, things get rocky. What Jess' departure means for her and Jimmy is unclear, but hints in the season 21 finale give context to what will happen next. When Jimmy points out to Jess that Pendleton is on another coast, Jess suggests that she's open to a long-distance relationship, saying that "it's not like a long-distance relationship is the worst thing that could happen." Jimmy is clearly upset, and when Jess attempts to reason with him, he cuts her off, saying that he's lost everyone.

The concluding conversation between the pair suggests that Jess and Jimmy can both see the point that the other has made and reveals that, at worst, the pair will end the relationship on good terms. The amicable separation could mean that Jimmy and Jess could explore a long-distance relationship in NCIS season 22, and it could be a way to incorporate Knight's character in the future. That said, even though the couple's conversation was open-ended, it felt conclusive for their relationship. Regardless of the future, a door for a relationship of mutual care and respect has been left open.

Who Is Lily? Parker's Childhood Memory Explained

During the NCIS season 21 finale, Parker has a mysterious hallucination of a girl running around the engine room of the ship he is trapped on, who he refers to as "Lilly." His vision becomes a flashback that eerily crosses over into his future. In the vision, Parker is playing hide and seek with Lilly as a young boy on the deck of a Navy ship. The vision gives the impression that Lilly is Alden's deceased sister and that something fatal happens to her on the ship, which could be why Parker dislikes being on them.

When Jess stays behind to talk to Parker as he recovers, she asks him who Lilly is. Parker says he doesn't remember. His response could have a few explanations. It's most likely that Parker has repressed a traumatic childhood memory of his sister's death, and that he truly doesn't remember the details of her passing. It could also be that Parker is simply lying to Knight to avoid the subject, but Parker doesn't have a history of hiding things from his team. Another explanation could be that, in the wake of his injury, Parker has temporarily lost some of his memories.

The Importance Of Parker Surviving His Leg Injury