NCIS Season 22 Episodes 4 Recap: 10 Biggest Moments & Reveals

Spoiler Alert for NCIS season 22, episode 4, "Sticks & Stones"

NCIS season 22 has been tremendous, and episode 4 doesn't compromise the big moments and reveals the series has delivered so far. In the fourth installment of NCIS season 22, the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) neutralizes what could have been World War III, with Parker (Gary Cole) and his team relying on some pretty unconventional tactics. The episode is a classic instance of NCIS' brand of justice, which sometimes means defying a direct order from a neighboring agency to do what's right.

The episode, therefore, takes a page directly out of the book of the original poster NCIS character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), who defined this approach for nearly two decades. The episode continues Gibbs' legacy while maintaining the franchise's presence without him, operating instead under the leadership of Alden Parker. Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover), and Parker all work together at NCIS Headquarters. Knight (Katrina Law) and Palmer (Brian Dietzen), the remainder of the NCIS season 22 cast, reckon with their relationship.

10 Parker Is Woken Up By Threat Of World War III

There Is No Murder In NCIS Season 22, Episode 4

After waking in the middle of the night, Parker is alerted that the US may be on the brink of World War III. His first call is to McGee, who Parker instructs to call everyone into the office and warns of the imminent threat. McGee informs the team that NCIS Naples intercepted an encrypted message from Belarus, planning a surprise attack on targets across Europe using mobile ballistic missile launchers. NCIS is called to neutralize the danger since Naples picked up the transmission from Belarus using an algorithm created by NCIS Technical Operator Curtis Hubley (J. Claude Deering).

Parker works with FBI Deputy Director Wayne Sweeney and Commander Floyd Brancato to neutralize the threat. They inform him that the NSA thinks the location of the missile launchers is embedded in the transmission, and they want to use the coordinates to take out the launchers with a carrier strike group. Parker wants to communicate with Belarus and NCIS Naples, but his counterparts warn Parker that Belarus could respond poorly to any activity. Parker and his team are vital to the investigation since they can decode the message to plan a counterattack.

9 Palmer Picks Up Knight From Camping Because Of The Unexpected Work

Knight Is On A Solo Camping Trip

In Shenandoah National Park at 3:37 in the morning, Jimmy Palmer wakes Jessica Knight up because of the unexpected work. It initially looks like someone is trying to strangle Knight in her sleep, although Jimmy quickly explains that he was just trying to take her pulse to see if she was still alive. When Jess asks Jimmy why he's in her RV, he explains there's a case, and the team needs her.

It was a fascinating moment for the former couple, who haven't spent much time alone since their breakup in the NCIS season 21 finale. Knight and Palmer broke up after she was offered a promotion to Chief REACT Training Officer at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in California. Seeing Jimmy in Jess's RV is surprising since McGee didn't specify who he sent to alert Jess.

8 Parker & McGee Refuse To Follow Attack Orders & Get Arrested For It

Parker And McGee Go Down Together

As people assume that the disruption to Air Force One's communication is a Russian cyberattack to degrade the United States' communication, Parker's MTAC feed is interrupted by Senator Judd Larmont, who urges his peers that they don't have time to wait for NCIS to read the transmission. Rather than waiting for NCIS or sending in MOAB missiles and ground troops, Senator Larmont suggests they use tactical nukes. Since NORAD can't reach the president and the vice president has a medical procedure, Larmont is the president pro tempore and responsible for making the call.

Parker warns his counterparts that if they use tactical nukes, they could start World War III. Kasie and McGee attempt to decrypt the rest of the transmission as the situation hangs in the balance, hoping to find the location of the missile launchers. As NCIS grapples with risk management between MOAB missiles and tactical nukes, the General reconnects to MTAC and asks for the position of the Belarus missiles. Just as Curtis is about to give the location, Parker tells him to stop since they have a second message to decode, which could be a stand-down order.

While the Commander agrees with Parker that NCIS needs time to decode the message, they have to follow orders from President Pro Tempore Larmont to advance with the tactical nuke attack rather than wait for the second message. Still, Parker refuses to upload the coordinates, which causes the Commander to tell McGee to arrest Parker for defying a direct order. When McGee also refuses, the FBI storms the building and apprehends them both. The group is led by FBI Deputy Director Sweeney (Erik Passoja), who was waiting in the parking lot.

7 Torres Escapes The FBI & Warns Knight & Palmer About NCIS' Situation

Nick Torres Outsmarts The FBI

While the FBI is rounding up NCIS agents, telling them they're under arrest if they interfere with their investigation, Nick is confronted by one of their agents in the elevator. After being referred to as "tiny,"Nick ties up the FBI agent trying to detain him and locks him in a drawer designed for dead bodies in the NCIS autopsy. Once he's free, Nick contacts Jimmy and Knight using the Mate Quest app, warning them about the FBI siege of the building and telling them not to return to NCIS until the coast is clear.

The notification causes tension between Knight and Palmer since Jimmy has to address that he is using a dating app when the notification plays a ringtone on his phone that both parties can hear. The ringtone interrupts an uncomfortable conversation between Jess and Jimmy. The ME confronts Jess, saying they haven't talked since she was back at NCIS. While the Mate Quest call ends up being Torres, it initially makes the moment between the former partners even more awkward.

6 Torres & Parker Accidentally Shut Off All Power At NCIS Headquarters

McGee Blasts Rock Music At NCIS To Mask The Sound

While the FBI tries to upload the coordinates, NCIS continues to fight. Curtis interrupts the FBI's upload and buys the MCRT time. During the temporary disruption, Parker and McGee create a diversion in the elevator as they are being detained and successfully knock out the FBI agent holding them. Parker and McGee climb through the elevator shaft and air ducts to get to Kasie's lab. Kasie has been watching the security cameras and is still working to access the second message while the FBI's systems are down.

Parker and McGee craft another plan to keep the FBI disconnected after Curtis' temporary block is up. They want to cut the power to the MTAC system to keep the FBI in the dark, thus preventing them from uploading the missile coordinates. Since Kasie has access to the security cameras, Parker and McGee can move through NCIS covertly to cut MTAC's power manually. When they find their access point, McGee plays loud rock music while Parker and Torres pound into the wall with sledgehammers. They cut the FBi's power, but they disconnected Kasie's power, too.

5 FBI Deputy Director Wayne Sweeney Holds Off On The Nuclear Attack

The FBI Director Hears Alden Parker Out

After Parker and McGee shut off power in the entire building, FBI Deputy Director Sweeney discovers that Parker is still in the Navy Yard. When Sweeney comes to arrest Parker and McGee, Alden attempts to convince Sweeney of the severity of the situation. Parker warns Sweeney that if they give up the coordinates, they'll launch a nuclear strike, and McGee pleads with the deputy director to give Kasie more time to decrypt the second message since the power is back on.

Kasie chimes in that she's close to decrypting the message. With much hesitation, Sweeney agrees to give NCIS three more minutes, holding off the nuclear attack for one moment more by pausing the upload of the missile coordinates. Sweeney tells Parker the situation is serious if he is wrong. Still, Parker urges his adversary to know the severity of launching a nuclear attack, especially if it's not warranted.

4 Kasie Decodes The Mysterious Code

The NCIS Forensics Expert Saves The Day

Just as the three-minute mark ends, Kasie storms into the NCIS garage with the decoded message. She breathlessly hands it over to Parker, clearly having run there, who gravely reads it and then passes it over to the FBI Deputy Director. The message reads that Ukraine took out the Belarus missile strike, allowing the United States to stand down. It's a massive revelation since the second message would potentially neutralize the need for an attack, and it did.

At this moment and in several others, Kasie takes heroic actions to help her team. She doesn't falter under pressure but instead works behind the scenes to keep her team on track. The forensics expert is one of the most helpful team members in the episode despite not having any forensics to analyze. Kasie's heroic role contrasts Jimmy's inability to contribute to the case. The medical examiner is also prevented from performing his conventional role.

3 Knight And Palmer Admit They Are Still Both In Love (But Decide Not To Get Back Together)

Jess And Jimmy Agree To Work On Themselves

When they are still in Jess's RV, Agent Knight circles back to the former couple's uncomfortable conversation about their relationship. Jess admits that she still loves Jimmy, and Jimmy reveals that he shares the same feelings for her. Still, the couple commit to their breakup, noting they have things to figure out. The conversation by no means shut the door on Knight and Palmer's relationship forever. However, it seemed to shut it down for the time being.

Jess and Jimmy's decision to stay separated makes sense since their breakup revealed severe differences between the better halves. Jimmy told Jess that she deserved an "Indiana Jones" kind of boyfriend who would follow her across the country for her job, and Jess told Jimmy that she hoped he would find someone who could give him the stability he needed. The couple's ability to discuss their issues is refreshing, especially since their season 21 finale split desperately required resolution.

2 Air Force One's Snafu Is A Remnant From Leonard Riche's Daughter's Failed Attack On NCIS

NCIS Season 22 Called Back To The 1000th Episode Of NCIS

After NCIS successfully neutralizes the attack, Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) calls Parker and Sweeney to his office to discuss the situation. The scene was a classic NCIS fakeout. It looked like the pair would be reprimanded for their wrongdoing, which included defying direct orders and destroying the building, but they were praised for their instincts to go off the books and take matters into their own hands instead. Vance recalls a situation in 1956 where a series of ill-timed coincidences nearly started World War III.

Vance recalls how, in the year, the US was moments away from launching a nuclear attack against Moscow, but it was prevented due to individuals who made good judgment calls. Vance talks about how the communications failure aboard Air Force One was a similar coincidence. He reveals the communication disruption is a remnant from the failed attack in the 1000th episode of NCIS, wherein Leonard Riche's daughter attempted to take down the plane with a virus rather than a Russian attack.

1 Director Vance Awards Parker And Sweeney The Medal Of Public Service For Preventing World War III

Parker And Sweeney Are Unlikely Allies

While he initially acts displeased that the agents defied direct orders, Vance reveals to Parker and Sweeney that he and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs are recommending to the president that they both be awarded the Medal of Public Service for their exceptional efforts protecting their country and NATO allies. Vance compares Parker and Sweeney's actions to those in 1956, attributing the neutralization of another massive world conflict to the two agents standing before him. It's enormous praise for the agents, with a warning not to do it again.

Vance reveals that Ukraine's forces had already destroyed the missile launchers when NCIS received the transmission detailing Belarus's attack, comparing their actions in the present to those of those in command during the Cold War. This moment formed a bond between Parker and Sweeney, an unlikely alliance between the FBI Deputy Director and a former FBI agent. Parker previously worked with the agency before he was fired for helping Gibbs in NCIS season 19, which was another moment the FBI agent defied a direct order to do what he believed was right.