Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22, episode 3, "The Trouble with Hal"NCIS season 22 makes it clear that Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) and Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) need to address their breakup, and they're running out of time. The Major Case Response Team members were dating before they split in the NCIS season 21 finale, prompted by Knight's promotion to Chief REACT Training Officer. The team's Medical Examiner said he had too many people dipping out of his life, so he called the relationship quits, wanting to end it before it suddenly ended on him.
The whole breakup seems unnecessary now that Knight and Palmer are back under the same roof at NCIS Headquarters. Jess declined another promotion in Camp Pendleton in the NCIS season 22 premiere and returned to MCRT, admitting that it was what she wanted. Still, it's unclear how they feel about their current situation, considering Jess and Jimmy have not openly discussed what's next for them in NCIS season 22 now that she is back in Navy Yard.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 3 Continues To Dance Around Palmer & Knight's Situation
Jimmy And Jess Need To Talk
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore
Jess has been back with the rest of the NCIS season 22 cast for two full episodes, which makes it even weirder that neither she nor Jimmy has addressed what happened in the season 21 finale. While it's normal for couples to break up and never talk about it, Jess and Jimmy work together, so that's hardly an option for them. Rather than address their breakup openly and move on, Jess and Jimmy skirt the subject when they are in the same room. They avoid the topic with others and assure questioning team members that it's okay.
Still, the past is not in the past, and Jess and Jimmy's conflict from the NCIS season 21 finale has come up several times throughout season 22. Understandably, the couple wants to avoid the unpleasant conversation. If they continue to do that, however, their colleagues tend to bring it up instead. If they allow the people they work with to lead the conversation about the direction of the breakup, Knight and Palmer will lose their ability to discuss their romance without others interfering.
NCIS Season 2 Cannot Further Delay Palmer & Knight's Difficult Conversation
Waiting Only Makes It Weirder
The other team members are curious about Knight and Palmer's NCIS dilemma, and it's understandable. The couple had a workplace romance, so their colleagues are involved in the conflict because they watched it unfold from both sides. Jess and Jimmy's conflict resolution is as much for their co-workers as for themselves. The entire MCRT seeks answers to how their relationship will play out because it is intertwined in their workplace and, therefore, their daily lives. Whether they decide to get back together, start over, or stay broken up, Jess and Jimmy need to discuss it.
If the NCIS couple doesn't resolve things soon, Jess and Jimmy's awkward, unresolved breakup will become the new normal. The breakup is looming over Parker's NCIS team now, but everyone could just used to their new normal. If NCIS season 22 continues to delay Knight and Palmer's reconciliation, they may lose the opportunity to reach an adequate resolution. It would be a shame since Jess and Jimmy have had a primarily healthy NCIS romance.
When NCIS Season 22 May Finally Address Palmer & Knight's Relationship Status
There Will Be An Inflection Point
Knight and Palmer's relationship will likely have an inflection point, and the series is just waiting for the right moment. A lot happened in NCIS season 21 that season 22 needs to address; Knight and Palmer's breakup is just one of many storylines unfolding. Still, one of the most important and anticipated developments from the season 21 finale needs resolving. Fortunately, Katrina Law commented on the NCIS romance, teasing that Jess and Jimmy's season 22 story would come to a head in episode 4. Law's comments suggest NCIS is waiting for a climactic moment to spark the resolution.
A situation where Knight and Palmer are "by themselves, alone, and they cannot leave" will instigate the conversation. The couple may not realize their former better half wants to discuss it since they're both set on pretending everything is okay. In the NCIS season 21 finale, Jimmy assumed Jess was leaving him. Likewise, Jess probably assumes that Jimmy doesn't want to be with her because he is the one to call it off. Only time will tell if the NCIS couple that defied TV's will-they-won't-they couple trope"will" again, but time is running out.
