‘NCIS’ Gives Major Update on McGee’s Son Mateo

Will McGee’s (Sean Murray) son Mateo (Patrick Keleher) face legal consequences for the trouble he was caught up in after he turned to the wrong people for help when his mother was missing? The latest NCIS reveals the outcome of that investigation. Warning: Spoilers for NCIS Season 24 Episode 5 ahead!

McGee spends most of the episode trying to perfect his speech at his son’s trial. At the beginning, his draft on his computer reads: “My name is Timothy McGee. I currently serve our country as a Special Agent for the Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). I am also the biological father of Mateo Garcia, the defendant in today’s case. I’m speaking to you now in the hopes that a broader look at the mitigating circumstances around Mateo’s crimes might shed light on the benefits of reducing his sentence. In my opinion, Mateo is another victim here. He’s a young man that was led astray by forces that he grossly underestimated. Therefore, what I’d ask is… My appearance here this morning should hopefully underline my commitment to helping Mateo see the error of his ways. He understands the need to pay for his crimes, but given his unique role in helping the actual kidnappers commit the unspeakable…”

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He’s sent the speech to the rest of the team, and most of them struggle to share what they really think of it. “This is my only shot at getting Mateo’s sentence reduced at tomorrow’s hearing,” McGee explains. Even though he was blackmailed and McGee thinks there need to be consequences, Mateo could be facing 10 years for hacking the NCIS database. All Parker (Gary Cole) and Knight (Katrina Law) share before they get (thankfully) interrupted by a case is that McGee made good points and it’s well-written.

At the crime scene, Parker, Knight, and Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) worry that the speech is just “fine” and maybe “too sappy” and “too much.” Later, Knight and Parker think that they need to be honest with McGee, but they also worry about shaking his confidence before the hearing.

Fortunately for McGee, Palmer (Brian Dietzen) has no problem being honest with him. The ME loved … the effort. As he puts it, the delivery was dry, wordy, and way too technical. McGee knew it, but he’s struggling to find the right words — until Palmer says to just say what he wants most for his son.

“It’s simple: I want him to have a chance to turn his life around,” McGee says. Palmer suggests he keep it simple and “maybe approach it less as a writer, more as a dad.”

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That’s exactly what McGee needs to do and does, with Palmer along for moral support. When they return to the office, Palmer tells the others, “Tim just threw [the other speech] right out, spoke from the heart.”

So what did he say? “I just talked about people I know that have turned their lives around, like our victim Sullivan, he overcame gangs.  You, Parker, you, too, Nick, you guys overcame rough childhoods to do some good in the world. And people like Mateo, who I just know could make that same turn if given a second chance,” McGee shares. According to Palmer, there wasn’t a dry eye in the courthouse.

The judge was affected, too, since she also overcame a rough childhood. “She offered Mateo a one-time alternative to jail,” McGee explains before smiling. “Looks like I’m going to be a Navy dad.”

What do you think of how NCIS resolved this part of Mateo’s story? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS