After what was a truly up and down season when it comes to the character dynamics in Season 22, NCIS Season 3, Episode 3 ‘The Sound and the Fury’ delivers a great hour showcasing the Nick and Jess friendship, and what Jessica Knight has come to mean to this team. That the hour does this while still giving us a pretty solid case, some spooky vibes, and a hint of where the relationship is going for Jessica and Jimmy is just icing on the cake.
NCIS has always known how to do character work, but last season, it felt like they missed an opportunity to use Torres dating Knight’s sister to cement the relationship we actually cared about, which was Knight and Torres. Plus, Season 22 clearly had no clue what to do with Jessica and Jimmy, which meant we got a year-long limbo instead of any actual development, for better or worse. It’s only been three episodes of Season 23, but it already feels like the show knows what it wants to do in Season 23, and that… well, that’s a pretty welcome change.
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WHO SAYS MEN AND WOMEN CAN’T BE FRIENDS?
In most other shows, Jessica and Nick would be the obvious ship. Partners. Clearly care about each other. Banter a lot. Two very attractive actors. And yet, here, it’s clear that as much as they love each other, that love isn’t romantic. And that’s fine. That’s good! Procedurals might have taught us otherwise, but not all important relationships in our lives have to turn romantic. We can just have a partner we love and who has our back, and not want to sleep with them. It happens.
But the fact that the show doesn’t treat their friendship, their connection, as just a given and that it gave them this hour to verbalize—in their own way—how much they care about each other, is important. We don’t see many relationships between a man and a woman on TV that stay strictly platonic, particularly not relationships that are as meaningful as the one they have. And TV, in many ways, teaches us things. Even when we don’t think it’s doing so. If NCIS’s message with this episode, this relationship is that men are women can be friends, well… it’s a good message.
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SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR… JIMMY?
The fact that I’ve been able to write about Jessica and Jimmy’s relationship for three episodes in a row should tell us everything has changed. Because it’s not even about them getting back together right now—even though the love is still clearly there. Last year, they weren’t even sharing scenes! It’s like the show was going out of its way to keep the characters apart, and it felt very unnatural. Now, NCIS is just allowing them to talk, and the rest is natural chemistry.
Because yes, we still want them together. We still think they can work. The main reason Torres and Knight wouldn’t ever work as a couple is that we’re already very invested in Jessica and Jimmy. And it’s not just a superficial investment, either. We’ve seen how good they are for each other. We’ve seen how they complement each other.
Right now, we don’t know how the show solves the fact that they are at different places in their lives, want different things. But we do know that this is *the* ship of the show right now. Hopefully, that means NCIS is going to find a way to deliver in some way. We don’t want to have to wait for a spinoff to give us closure in a decade or two. This time, the show has a chance to get it right the first time. We’ll hold them to that.
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Things I think I think:
- It’s so weird to see Knight on a stakeout with Sawyer, truly.
- Did no one notice how Torres’ eye was twitching?
- “No, not a chance.” OKAY I LIKE THIS.
- So all the Elite thing was just… a mention? Setup?
- Oh, so he offered it to Nick, too. Sneaky Vance.
- No, you really should not have said anything, Nick.
- “We’re all Gucci. No more frenemies.” Somehow that didn’t sound all that convincing.
- Traffic cam footage was the excuse, and Parker fell for it. He’s clearly not doing okay.
- “I never said it was a good idea.” At least Kasie knows it!
- Look, if it turns out Parker’s mother is alive, I swear to God…
- Poor man needs a break. A yoga retreat in a mountain somewhere. Go hide out with Gibbs.
- A pinky swear is kinda adorable.
- Knight and Torres listening through Vance’s door, lol.
- Vance taking a case from the A team? Whuuut?
- We just need an excuse for Sawyer to be around because there’s literally no one else.
- Okay, but why call a ghost Henry? Give him a more interesting name!
- “Warmer and fuzzier interior,” lol, and to say that to Sawyer. Betrayal, Jess. Betrayal.
- “He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”/”More than he knows.”
- Words are a thing.
- Aww, he called Knight his partner.
- Zero romantic feelings indeed. And the “no offense” to Jimmy.
- “Till I didn’t.” Jimmy, you’re killing me. We know you still love her.
- So many feelings this episode, am I even watching NCIS? I say that as a compliment, don’t get me wrong. Let’s keep doing this.
- I think Nick’s gonna be glad it was Jess who took him down.
- See, I told you.
- He did deserve to take out the bad guy.
- “Valued friend and partner”? Say bestie.
- “Don’t forget who really has your 6.”
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS Season 23, Episode 3 ‘The Sound and the Fury’? Please share with us in the comments below! And if you have any thoughts about the show, leave a review/rating of your own in our NCIS hub!
NCIS airs Mondays at 8/7c on CBS.
