NCIS Season 21 Cliffhanger May Give Credit to This Constantly Ignored Character

NCIS ’ season 21 finale left fans with quite a lot to ponder over after revealing some major cliffhangers that will get their explanation as the next season hits the screens.

The final episode proved that there was indeed some significant reason behind Alden Parker’s fear of boats, as he ends up seeing visions of him and a mysterious little girl he calls Lily, while his colleague Jessica Knight has to face all pros and cons of her big promotion which will surely take her away from the MCRT.

Though it’s still a bittersweet moment for Jessica and all of her teammates, her inevitable departure may come as a way to finally make it up to another character who’s been mistreated for far too long.

NCIS’ latest seasons have been quite clear about Knight’s developing romance with her colleague, NCIS Chief Medical Examiner James Palmer. Despite the slightly rocky nature of their relationship, they are still determined to get to know each other, though Jessica’s promotion will surely make things even more complicated for both of them and especially for Palmer.

In the light of Jessica’s departure, the worst case scenario for now is Knight and Palmer’s mutual decision to remain friends and say goodbye to each other, but that’s actually not a very bad option for Palmer.

Throughout the years of the show’s run, Palmer was probably the one who suffered the most from losing his loved ones, and it got even harder given that he wasn’t even able to say a proper goodbye to them.

Palmer loses his wife of many years, Breena, after she gets COVID-19 in season 19 and, given all the certain circumstances, he doesn’t get a chance to talk to her before she passes away.

At work, Palmer has always kept a pretty close relationship with his other colleague, Donald Horatio "Ducky" Mallard, who also dies in the second episode of season 21. The close friend’s death leaves Palmer yet once again heartbroken as he tries to numb the pain by adopting Ducky’s dog, Solo.

Palmer’s constant struggle to spend some time with the loved ones he’s about to lose is quite literally NCIS’ slap in his face, and, ironically, this is what his possible breakup with Jessica Knight may finally resolve.

Though the chances of their relationship moving forward are quite slim, given Knight’s obvious priority regarding her career, her reaching out to Palmer for a proper goodbye moment may still give him a deserved feeling of being appreciated and cared about, even if this won’t return him to the happy life he used to have before.