6 Ways ‘NCIS’ Could Write Jack Sloane Out in Season 18
NCIS has said goodbye to team members before, and fortunately, not all of them have left in body bags. But will Maria Bello‘s forensic psychologist Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane be as lucky?
Bello is reportedly exiting the CBS procedural drama after eight episodes of its upcoming 18th season. She joined in Season 15, and her contract was only for three seasons. And until that unfolds, all we can do is speculate about what we’ll see from Jack in those episodes in the list below.
See Also Should 'NCIS' Replace Maria Bello's Jack Sloane in Season 18?
NCIS, Season 18, Fall 2020, CBS
Jack dies
Unless she’s hiding a medical condition, the only way she could be killed off would likely be something case-related. It could connect to her past or be what kickstarts an ongoing investigation for the team in the episodes that follow her last.
It's a mystery
Jack’s last episode could be the beginning of an ongoing mystery, with almost everyone in the dark about where she is except Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) and maybe Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). The latter’s team would definitely be given a cover story to explain her absence.
It's Faith-related
NCIS fans watched Jack reconnect with the daughter she gave up for adoption, and they’re slowly but surely building a relationship. While we expect Faith Tolliver (Kate Hamilton) to be in at least one of Jack’s episodes, perhaps she’s also part of the exit storyline as well. Could Jack decide to take a step back from her work at NCIS to be more involved with her family?
A new post elsewhere in NCIS
Remember back in Season 4 when Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) was offered his own team after briefly filling Gibbs’ shoes? (His boss had quit after an on-the-job injury.) Tony hadn’t taken it, but maybe something similar will be used for Jack’s exit: Vance offers her a job stationed somewhere else, perhaps connected to a high-priority case.
Jack takes a sabbatical
Jack could choose to leave HQ without having a set plan for what the future may hold. Maybe she’ll travel. Maybe she’ll simply take time off to be with her family. Maybe she’ll plan to return at some point. But if it isn’t labeled as a permanent exit, there will at least be enough up in the air that she’ll say her farewells.
Something case-related
We’ve seen Jack get very involved in cases before, and it’s possible one arises that grabs her attention and/or pulls her away. It could lead to a temporary reassignment (that later becomes permanent) or cause her to rethink her priorities.
