Warning! Spoilers ahead for the NCIS season 22 finale, "Nexus."NCIS has just wrapped up its 22nd season, but has not come anywhere closer to resolving its Jessica Knight and Palmer dilemma. NCIS season 22 heavily implied it would address the couple's breakup following Knight's decision to leave MCRT in the NCIS season 21 finale. While there have been some shared moments between the couple following their split, Knight and Palmer's relationship remains largely unresolved even after 20 episodes.
The pair is on good terms and still work well together professionally, but there have not been many updates regarding their love lives. NCIS season 22 has been particularly vocal about the NCIS characters' personal arcs, with Knight and Palmer's breakup, Torres' new romance with Robin, and even Parker's crush on the bakery owner. However, despite all the positive signs in the season, Knight and Palmer still remain in a new, somewhat awkward stage in their relationship.
Knight & Palmer's Break-Up In NCIS Season 21 Never Made Sense
The Fall-Out Was Never Directly Addressed
Jessica Knight and Jimmy Palmer's breakup in NCIS season 21 was incredibly shocking for several reasons. Firstly, the couple's relationship seemed stable. The pair broke up when Knight decided to accept a promotion to become the Chief REACT Training Officer in California. However, the breakup was only confirmed in NCIS season 22 after a time jump. While Knight and Palmer could have done long-distance, they ended up splitting off-screen instead.
There was also so much tension and excitement built up over Knight's potential decision to leave NCIS that her breakup with Palmer seemed unnecessary when she eventually made her way back to the team a few months later. If Knight had decided to stay with REACT, the split would have made more sense. But, with the way everything turned out, it seemed unfair to the couple to have them split only to bring them back together again shortly after. The new tension between them even changed their relationship, as it was awkward for them to work together at first.
NCIS Season 22 Delaying Knight & Palmer's Reunion Makes Their Unnecessary Split Worse
Knight & Palmer Still Have Feelings For Each Other
After their breakup at the end of NCIS season 21, it was assumed that they would get back together at some point in NCIS season 22. When they did not, their delayed reunion became even worse. Throughout season 22, it was clear that Knight and Palmer still have feelings for each other. NCIS season 22 has shown the pair having vulnerable and intimate conversations, and each time they had a shared moment, they seemed to be closer to getting back together within the season, but the NCIS season 22 ending proved that was not the case.
From their actions, it is all but confirmed that Knight and Palmer will eventually get back together. The biggest clue is the way they both get jealous of the idea of the other one dating someone else. While neither has gotten into a relationship following their breakup, they have both tried dating other people and have even attempted to find a match on NCIS' dating app, Mate Quest. Knight and Palmer work so well together professionally and personally, but NCIS continues to delay their reunion.
Why NCIS Season 22 Didn't Bring Knight & Palmer Together Despite Their Clear Feelings
Binder Wanted To See How The Characters Might Grow
As frustrating as Knight and Palmer's breakup has been, there has been a good reason behind their delayed reunion. In an interview with TV Insider, NCIS' showrunner, Steven D. Binder, revealed the true reason why Knight and Palmer continued to broken up by the NCIS season 22 finale, and it had everything to do with character growth. Binder said that the writers did not want to have Knight and Palmer's relationship be defined by a back-and-forth romance. Instead, he said, "we broke them up to bring them to a new place." Read his full quote below:
What we’re probably not going to do is now they’re dating again and then they’re just dating again. We did that. We had that. We ran with that and it went where it ended up going, which is someplace more interesting to a breakup and then seeing what it’s like to work with a coworker who you’ve broken up with or seeing them dating. I want to make sure that this season is reflective of the fact they had a relationship and find a place that’s more interesting or conflict is the wrong word, because that sounds like I’m implying conflict between two of these characters, but I’m using that word in a dramatic narrative writer sense. Where’s it interesting? Where’s the conflict for this dynamic between these two? And I think we’re going to go there now. Could they end back together again? Absolutely. But for now, we broke them up to bring them to a new place. And we’re still in the process of going to that bench touchstone first before we figure out where we’re going to take us. We still have a little more to do.
After Binder's quote, Knight and Palmer's breakup finally makes sense. The characters clearly love and care for one another, but their delayed reunion has nothing to do with their feelings and everything to do with the new place they are now in. This way, Knight and Palmer can continue to redefine their relationship on their own terms, at their own pace. While most NCIS relationships have been slow-burns, Knight and Palmer's has not been. With their delayed reunion, they can continue to redefine what an NCIS romance looks like for them, instead of following what past NCIS couples have done.
Can NCIS Season 23 Finally Bring Knight & Palmer Together?
It Is Still Unclear At This Point
Knight and Palmer's feelings towards one another heavily imply that they will get back together soon. However, their feelings have not changed since the NCIS season 22 premiere, and the couple has not gotten back together yet. As a result, Knight and Palmer's feelings alone are not enough to reunite the couple. As much as I would like to see them together again, their feelings have not been a strong enough motivator to reunite them, as NCIS season 22 has shown.
However, their feelings can not be dismissed so easily. NCIS season 23 will bring new storylines and new motivators, particularly in how Roman's death will impact how Parker runs his team. As a result, there could be some changes in the next season that push Knight and Palmer enough to want to initiate their reunion. Knight and Palmer want to get back together again. Their feelings signify that loud and clear, but there needs to be something more for them to give in. NCIS season 23 could have the answers.
Source: TV Insider
