NCIS Review: Blown Away (Season 18 Episode 15)

On NCIS Season 18 Episode 15, “Blown Away,” an explosion kills an NCIS REACT team, leading the agents to work with survivor Agent Jessica Knight.

It’s been hit or miss for the franchise lately, so it’s genuinely nice to see NCIS return to its best form. We don’t want the show to feel formulaic, but we do want it to feel like the show we’ve loved all these years.

This episode has the right blend of mystery, emotion, personal connections, and found family, to make it fit right in with the series’ most popular episodes.

“Blown Away” sees the introduction of Katrina Law as NCIS REACT Agent Jessica Knight.

She’s set to appear in the final two episodes of Season 18, with a possibility of returning as a series regular in Season 19.

Knight is pushy yet likeable. She manipulates the others to get her way, but everyone is in on it, so no one actually feels manipulated.

The way Vance understands it’s pointless to argue with her ends up portraying Jessica as a more nuanced female Gibbs.

Law makes Knight more layered in her approach to law enforcement than the others. Working in REACT means she sees the absolute worst of society, but must still find a way to “imagine a happy ending, then make it happen.”

The REACT team is sent to arrest a petty officer, and when he finally surrenders, an explosion kills him and the agents. Turns out their experimental armor is toxic. Their boss knows but kills the whistleblower instead.

A rule that always works on these types of shows is to never trust the government contractor. Sure enough, we have Kessler Gear pegged from the moment we see the boss “helping out.”

However, even with that predictable element, the episode has some interesting twists.

The way Knight takes down her former boss proves that she belongs with this team. She makes it clear she can’t work in REACT anymore, so we’re already anticipating Law becoming a regular.

Knight’s scene at the end with McGee is a nice moment that lets our probie really feel like the boss. It is a touch of the family connection that sets NCIS apart from the rest of the genre.

Law has memorable scenes with every member of the team, but her talk with Jimmy about survivor’s guilt really highlights how spectacular Brian Dietzen has been this season.

Beginning with Breena’s death, we’ve seen Palmer mature into more than just everyone’s kid brother. Don’t get us wrong, he’s still the awkward comic relief when we need it.

However, he’s now a trusted confidant who has reached a place where he can use his devastating loss to help his friends.

While everyone grieves the lost agents, Gibbs helps Marcie investigate the murder of her best friend. She doesn’t think the police have the right person.

We’re not surprised that Mark Harmon and Pam Dawber are adorable together. Their chemistry is just so easy and effortless. Gibbs’ scenes with Marcie are the only bright spots of his suspension.

There’s obviously more to this case, and we can expect it to play out in the Season 18 finale.

Whatever the outcome, we hope the finale also provides some closure to the Gibbs’ suspension storyline.

NCIS is the blueprint of the procedural genre. After 18 seasons we still love it, which is why it’s so frustrating when it goes so completely off the rails. Luckily, it appears things are getting back on track.

What did you think of this episode of NCIS? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on CBS.

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