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Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22, episode 11, "For Better or Worse."NCIS season 22, episode 11, was a fun outing with exciting reveals concerning Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama). Nick’s professional and personal lives collided in the outing, building on the budding romance storyline for the agent. In NCIS season 22, episode 10, “Baker’s Man,” Jimmy (Brian Dietzen) revealed that Nick’s secret girlfriend was Jess’ (Katrina Law) sister, Robin (Lilian Bowden). With encouragement from Jimmy and Kasie (Diona Reasonover), Nick tells Jess about his romance with Robin in “Baker’s Man.” Still, the episode left tension between the partners.
Alden Parker (Gary Cole) has a spot of romance in NCIS season 22, episode 10, protecting a local baker, Eleni Kostakis (guest star Melina Kanakaredes), who accidentally finds herself cooking cocaine meringue in the middle of an emerging drug war. Even Vance (Rocky Carroll) moved the needle of his love life forward in NCIS season 22, episode 2, “Foreign Bodies,” when the director decides to take his romance with his casual girlfriend, Lena (Marem Hassler), to the next step. “For Better or Worse” sets up the most complicated development for MCRT yet.
10 Nick's Romance With Robin Continues To Impact MCRT
Nick And Robin Are Still Dating
In NCIS season 22, episode 11, “For Better or Worse,” Nick Torres’ romance continues to affect the Major Case Response Team (MCRT). As Parker hands out paperwork to his team amid a slow day in the bullpen, the team leader finds Agent Torres sleeping, standing up. As McGee (Sean Murray) tells Parker that Nick is dating Jess’ sister, Torres comments that Jessica isn’t okay with the arrangement, calling Knight out for her mixed reaction from episode 10 and the opening.
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Knight claims otherwise, pointing out that Nick has been spending significant time with Robin, which is why he has neglected his work duties. Knight’s comment feels somewhat underhanded, with the episode’s opening bullpen moment establishing that Nick’s romance with Robin will continue to affect the team. The pairing is causing a divide between Jess and Nick. Moreover, the other team members form opinions on the issue as it distracts from their case.
9 MCRT Investigates The Murder Of Vincent Kelso
Vincent Kelso Isn't Who He Seems
An alert about a body in a Washington D.C. park interrupts the team’s slow morning, and MCRT investigates the crime scene of Vincent Kelso. It initially looks like the victim is service member Navy Lieutenant David Fripp, which is why the team gets the call. However, McGee soon discovers that the victim’s military identification is forged. At her lab, Kasie discovers that their victim is Baltimore career criminal Vincent Kelso.
Nick explains that Vincent Kelso is one of Roman’s “top guys.” However, Kelso’s identity ultimately takes another twist later in the case.
When Jess comes down, Kasie explains that Vincent Kelso has a long wrap sheet of crimes and that his past offenses include assault, robbery, and petty theft. Later, in the diner, Nick explains that Vincent Kelso is one of Roman’s “top guys.” However, Kelso’s identity ultimately takes another twist later in the case.
8 Nick's Ties To Keslo's Case Explained
Nick Torres Is Undercover Again
While Kasie is investigating the evidence that MCRT found at the crime scene, one of her tests shows an alarming development. Kasie tells Jess that of the three items found with Kelso’s body, one has another set of prints on it. The concern is that when the results of Kasie’s test come in, the fingerprints match Nick Torres. Parker angrily calls Nick, unaware of why he would be connected to the case. Then, Parker suddenly gets a hunch and goes to the diner to check it out.
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Parker finds Vance and Torres discussing Nick’s undercover mission when he arrives at the diner. The team leader put it together that Nick is doing a secret undercover operation and that MCRT’s victim in the park is part of it. The development explains that Nick left the park suddenly while investigating so as not to blow his cover. Vance explains to Parker that the mission came from SECNAV as need-to-know only and that Nick has infiltrated a Baltimore gang. Nick tells Parker that he saw Kelso last week, which is why his fingerprints were on the flask.
7 Nick Torres Goes Undercover With A Baltimore Gang
MCRT Gets In On Nick's Undercover Op
When Parker discovers Nick’s connection to the case, Torres explains why he’s been undercover. Nick says he’s been trying to infiltrate a criminal gang operating out of Baltimore run by a man named Roman, who uses fake military IDs to steal goods from Navy bases and sell them on the black market. When Parker presses Vance and Nick on why they didn’t arrest Roman since they have the evidence, Leon explains that Roman is just a middleman and a man named Wilk (Polish for “wolf”) is running the show.
Therefore, Nick returns to the field as “Donny Rico,” impressing Roman when he controversially says that Kelso’s death opens a spot for someone to move up and says that Vincent’s performance was slipping.
Vance then says he’s sending Nick back undercover full-time while Parker’s MCRT works on Vincent Kelso's murder case. The objective is to have Nick infiltrate Roman’s gang more deeply while Parker’s team attempts to discover whether Wilk killed Vincent. Therefore, Nick returns to the field as “Donny Rico,” impressing Roman when he controversially says that Kelso’s death opens a spot for someone to move up and says that Vincent’s performance was slipping.
6 Knight Confronts Torres About His Relationship With Robin
Knight Almost Compromises Torres' Cover
When Jess consults Jimmy about their case in the autopsy room, Knight gets a call from her sister and ignores it. She explains to Jimmy that Robin is calling her again to find out Nick’s whereabouts, since she has been in the dark since Torres went back into the field undercover. Jess remarks that for what's supposed to be a casual relationship, Robin treats her romance with Nick seriously. Jimmy points out that the relationship is serious and that Robin has a drawer at Nick’s apartment, which upsets Jess again.
Jess tells Nick that Robin has been engaged five times, confronting Nick about the reality of the romance that he has embarked on.
Amid the developments, Jess has to leave for her meeting with Nick to get an update on what Torres learned while undercover. Nick tells Jess that Roman’s gang is in the dark about what happened to Vincent Kelso, but she doesn't care about it. Instead, Jess confronts Torres, saying that Robin having a drawer in his apartment will give her sister the wrong impression. She reminds her partner that Robin has been engaged five times, confronting Nick about the reality of the romance that he has embarked on.
5 Robin Knight Officially Makes An Appearance In NCIS Season 22, Episode 11
Robin Knight Shows Up In The Bullpen
After Jess avoids her calls, the younger Knight sister shows up in the bullpen for answers about her boyfriend. This means that NCIS season 22, episode 11 officially marks Robin's return to the franchise. Jess explains to her sister that Nick is on an undercover operation, so he isn’t returning her calls. The appearance marks Bowden’s second appearance in NCIS, following her debut in season 20, episode 8, “Turkey Trot.”
Robin tells Jess she’s trying to parent her again, revealing an interesting element to the sisters' relationship.
Worried about the whole situation, Jess reminds Robin that Nick has a lot of baggage and expresses concern about her handling that complication. Robin tells Jess she’s trying to parent her again, revealing an interesting element to the sisters' relationship. Throughout the episode, Jess is hesitant about Nick and Robin’s pairing, although she claims that she is okay with it.
4 Vincent Kelso Was An Informant For The Baltimore PD
Vincent Kelso Knew Too Much
When Torres gives MCRT a lead on where they can find Kelso’s car, they find ghost guns in the trunk. However, Parker and Kasie can’t quite figure out why Roman’s guys would leave them in the car rather than take them. As Parker discusses the investigation with Kasie, an unfamiliar man walks into Kasie’s forensics lab, claiming to be with the Baltimore Police Department. The man tells Parker and Kasie that Vincent Kelso was an informant for Baltimore PD.
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Detective Martin Alanso explains to Parker and his team that the Baltimore PD busted Kelso three months prior and flipped him to feed them information on Roman and his crew. He says that his department recently discovered Roman’s gang was selling ghost guns and that Kelso stole a few from a recent shipment. However, Kelso died before he could reconnect with Alanso. The detective also confirms MCRT’s intel that Wilk is Roman’s highly elusive boss.
3 Robin Helps MCRT Solve Its Case
Nick And Jess Get Fake Married
When Roman’s guys catch Nick and Jess giving each other a sit-rep in the alley, Jess lies and says she is Nick’s fiancé to protect his cover. Later, Roman congratulates Nick on his engagement, telling him he wants to attend the future ceremony. During his encounter, Nick discovers that Roman uses an old pager and cell phone to communicate with Wilk. At that point, MCRT devises a plan to stage a wedding between Jess and Nick so that they can invite Roman and covertly scan and duplicate the files on his device, which should lead to Wilk.
Having been engaged several times, Robin Knight helps the team throw a fake wedding.
While everyone hesitates, Parker is convinced that the wedding is the perfect excuse to intercept Roman. Having been engaged several times, Robin Knight helps the team throw a fake wedding. While he’s late, Roman attends the event, and McGee successfully scans his cellphone, which unfortunately was recently wiped. However, the team has a bigger problem when they find Roman dead in the bathroom. The development causes Kasie and McGee to scan the security footage for their killer, who they ultimately catch by tracing the poison back to Lana (Yvonne Zima) on the security footage.
2 Parker’s Team Catches Lana & Arrests The Gang
Lana Is Wilk
Parker’s team keeps Roman’s death under wraps long enough to scan their security footage for who could have killed him. Parker suspects that Wilk showed up at the wedding to tie up loose ends and take Roman out, so they look for any sign of “The Wolf” despite not knowing what Roman’s boss looks like. Parker makes the discovery that breaks the case when he catches Roman drinking whiskey moments before his death, noting that Vance only allowed them to serve beer and wine.
You can catch up with every episode of NCIS season 22 on Paramount+.
Parker, Kasie, and McGee find footage of Lana giving the bartender the poisoned bottle of whiskey, finally uncovering the identity of The Wolf. As Parker and McGee reveal to Lana that they know she is Wilk, she runs and yells into the room that they are cops. The room full of federal agents suddenly draws their guns, and despite making a run for it, Lana is stopped from escaping when Knight pushes the cake cart into her, knocking the criminal to the ground and causing her to get coated in frosting.
1 Jess Finally Makes Peace With Nick And Robin's Romance
Jess Joins Robin And Nick
During the wedding and after, the most significant outcome of NCIS season 22, episode 11, “For Better or Worse,” is that Jess makes peace with Nick and Robin’s romance. While stalling Roman’s crew during the wedding, Jess gives a fake speech about how her father wasn’t happy when learning of the pair, secretly referring to her hesitancy to be happy for Nick and Robin. It shows that Jess has finally realized that she isn’t protecting Nick or Robin but is protecting herself.
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After the case concludes and the team is packing up in the NCIS bullpen, Knight asks Nick if he wants to get a drink to “celebrate their marital separation,” to which Torres says he has plans with Robin after ignoring his girlfriend during the undercover work. Realizing that he let Jess down, Nick suggests he call Robin and cancel their plans, but Jess insists he go ahead. Ultimately, Nick realizes neither he nor Jess must compromise, and she can tag along. Knight accepts the offer, officially turning a new leaf on NCIS regarding her opinion of Nick and Robin’s romance.
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NCIS
Release Date September 23, 2003
Showrunner Donald P. Bellisario
Directors Dennis Smith, Terrence O'Hara, Tony Wharmby, James Whitmore Jr., Thomas J. Wright, Michael Zinberg, Arvin Brown, Rocky Carroll, Diana Valentine, Leslie Libman, Tawnia McKiernan, Colin Bucksey, William Webb, Bethany Rooney, Alrick Riley, Jeff Woolnough, Alan J. Levi, Lionel Coleman, Martha Mitchell, Peter Ellis, Michael Weatherly, Edward Ornelas, Stephen Cragg, Tom Wright
Writers George Schenck, Frank Cardea, Jesse Stern, John C. Kelley, Jennifer Corbett, Christopher Silber, Reed Steiner, Nicole Mirante-Matthews, Jack Bernstein, Scott J. Jarrett, Matthew R. Jarrett, Kimberly-Rose Wolter, Don McGill, Gil Grant, Frank Military, Nell Scovell, Steven Kriozere, Brian Dietzen, Kate Torgovnick May, Jeff Vlaming, Sydney Mitchel, Katie White, Richard C. Arthur, Laurence Walsh
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Sean Murray
Timothy McGee
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David McCallum
Dr. Donald 'Ducky' Mallard
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Mark Harmon
Leroy Jethro Gibbs
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English (US) ·