NCIS Season 22: Will Torres and Knight Find Romance After ‘Stolen Moments’?
The latest episode of NCIS has ignited speculation among fans about a potential romance between Jessica knight and Nick Torres, while also prompting character Jimmy Palmer to re-evaluate his own life and desires.Airing on the 2025 television schedule, the penultimate episode of Season 22, titled “Stolen Moments,” saw Jimmy Palmer, portrayed by Brian Dietzen, field-testing an AI program – the Data Assisted Workflow Navigator (D.A.W.N.) – under the direction of Director Vance.
The episode served as a compelling exploration of Palmer’s emotional state as he navigated his professional duties and personal feelings. Dietzen, along with Jesse Stern, co-wrote “Stolen Moments,” and shared his insights on the possibility of a Torres/Knight pairing with CinemaBlend.
In the closing moments of “Stolen Moments,” Palmer paused as he prepared to speak with Knight, noticing Torres briefly place his hand on her back as they headed toward an elevator. Mirroring his reservations about the implementation of D.A.W.N. within NCIS, Palmer interpreted this gesture as a sign that the timing wasn’t right to discuss resuming his romantic relationship with Knight.
When asked whether Palmer genuinely believes a connection is forming between Knight and Torres, Dietzen offered a nuanced perspective. “Well, I think that’s for the eye of the beholder,” he stated. “I think that we were very intentional on not trying to spell that out for anybody because for some people they may think, ‘Oh, hey, Torres and Knight, they’re dating right now, and Jimmy’s missed the boat.’ That sort of thing. And others might just think that maybe Jimmy’s misreading something. And then still others may say Jimmy’s recognizing,’Look,she’s got her own life and she’s doing it and she’s not pining for him in any way.'”
The history between Palmer and Knight adds complexity to the situation.The pair began dating at the end of NCIS Season 19, continuing their relationship until the Season 21 finale, when Knight accepted a position as the new REACT instructor in California. Although Knight returned to the Washington D.C. team at the start of Season 22, she and Palmer ultimately agreed that their diverging life goals made a renewed relationship untenable. Palmer subtly acknowledged this reality to Torres in “Stolen Moments,” remarking on the unfavorable timing.
Dietzen suggested that the potential for a Knight/torres relationship has been subtly brewing for some time, noting that viewers may have sensed it after watching “The Sound and the Fury” in October. Regardless of how that storyline unfolds, the actor emphasized the personal growth Palmer experienced in “Stolen Moments.”
“Maybe he might have to build up to a conversation about this, but however it shakes out, I was happy we at least got to see Jimmy recognise that, ‘Hey man, what the hell am I doing? Sitting here down in this basement with these dead people when what I want is upstairs,'” Dietzen explained. “And I think that that was a cool thing to see in action, even if it didn’t turn out maybe the way he had it in his head. He didn’t run upstairs with the music swelling and get the girl, as it were.But like you said, there’s a dichotomy between there’s some good things about this, there’s some sad things as well, and we have both of those at the end.”
Fans will have to wait for NCIS Season 23 to see how Palmer’s journey progresses. The upcoming midseason finale will reveal the truth surrounding the death of Alden Parker’s mother, following the recent discovery of inconsistencies with her death certificate. The show will then go on hiatus due to the Olympics, and further delays may occur before the fate of a potential Knight/Torres romance – or Palmer’s pursuit of happiness – is revealed.
For now, viewers can catch “Heaven and Nature” next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.In the meantime, older episodes of NCIS are available for streaming on Paramount+ until the show’s return on February 24.
