Is ‘NCIS’ Teasing a Knight & Torres Romance?

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for NCIS Season 23 Episode 3 “The Sound and the Fury.”]

Uh-oh, Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) is clearly jealous in the latest NCIS episode, but does that mean things are about to get really awkward around the office? After all, just because Knight (Katrina Law) and Palmer (Brian Dietzen) broke up doesn’t mean that they’re completely over — the latter even uses the present tense “love” in the episode.

The episode begins with Knight in a good mood after Vance (Rocky Carroll) offered her a “pretty sweet opportunity,” to train for future missions with NCIS Elite now that it’s starting up again. But, as Torres reveals, the director offered him the spot first (it’s why he kept him back in the previous episode) and he had to say no. (We wonder why.) He insists he’s not implying that’s the only reason Vance offered it to her.

Then, Torres is clearly jealous when Knight works with night shift’s Agent Sawyer (Zane Holtz) on the case. She also confides in the other agent. “He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?” Sawyer asks while the two are on a stakeout. “More than he knows,” Knight admits.

At the same time, Palmer calls out Torres on being jealous. “I have zero romantic feelings for Knight,” the agent insists. But the medical examiner points out there’s such thing as professional jealousy, which can be just as toxic. He knows it must hurt to see his partner with a rival. “Save the last dance for me,” Palmer says, explaining how he felt when he saw the woman he loves out fighting crime alongside an amazing special agent. But she always came back to him, and he always got the last dance … until he didn’t.

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Then, after Torres is affected by acoustic sound waves and goes after Sawyer with a bat, insisting he stay away from Knight (who ends up being the one to subdue her partner), Knight admits he scared her. Torres refuses to accept that he was jealous.

That changes at the end of the episode, as Knight and Torres leave for the night. He’s the one to stop the elevator. He admits he didn’t like seeing her with Sawyer, and she comes up with an explanation that rules out romantic feelings. “When you were dating my sister, what I felt was jealousy was actually a fear that Robin would somehow cost me you, My valued friend and partner,” she says.

“I don’t want anyone, Jess, or anything, to cost me this,” he says, adding that whatever comes her way, “just don’t forget who really has your six. And maybe save the last dance for that guy.” She agrees, with a pinky swear (overused in this episode).

Elsewhere in the episode, Knight, Palmer, and Kasie (Diona Reasonover) continue to keep secrets from Parker (Gary Cole): the fact that there are major discrepancies between the autopsy report and Parker’s mother’s death certificate and the unidentified person who was drinking wine with his father before his murder (the DNA in the lipstick is not Carla’s). “Parker doesn’t need to know what we know until we’re sure about what we know,” Palmer insists. (Friends flashback anyone?)

How do you feel about the way NCIS is exploring jealousy with Torres and Knight? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS