NCIS season 20, episode 8 recap: Who was after Agent Knight?

This was a very special episode of NCIS since it was co-written by the show’s very own Diona Reasonover. It gave us a chance to see Jessica Knight and her sister, Robin, over the Thanksgiving holiday. But what happens when a shooter ruins their evening? Let’s go over what happened on NCIS season 20, episode 8.

In the episode, the team is at a turkey trot, an event that includes a race, which Kasie and Jimmy are taking part in. During the event, an explosion occurs that looks like a bomb aimed at the Admiral who was making speech. But they soon find that there was actually a bullet that hit the parade float behind her, causing it to explode.

While the team tries to find out who their shooter is, Kasie goes with Jessica to a Thanksgiving lunch at her sister’s apartment. It’s an awkward affair since the sisters don’t get along. It only escalates when Robin’s boyfriend shows up. Unbeknownst to Kasie and Jessica, he’s the shooter.

Since their phones are placed in a vase under the guise of it being a way for them to focus on each other, the two women don’t find out the status of the case. Thanks to photos taken by a fan of the admiral, Jimmy was able to find the true target in the shooter’s path. Unfortunately, he was aiming for Jessica.

NCIS season 20, episode 8 found Jessica and Kasie in danger

Unable to reach Jessica or Kasie by phone and not finding them at their apartments, the team tries to figure out the motive for the man, who they learned is a man named Charles Samuels. By this time, Jessica has discovered Robin got engaged to Charles after two weeks and he seems to know a lot about her job.

At this point, the team has discovered Charles had a brother named Joe, who committed suicide after years in the army. Jessica was the hostage negotiator with the REACT team but couldn’t save him. When Jessica finds out Charles’ identity, she admits that she does remember Joe, even having his initials engraved on her watch.

Despite being held at gunpoint, the women do their best to survive under the circumstances. Even though Jessica is barely able to get through to him, Kasie tries to reason with him as well. She might be under duress after being held hostage a third time, but she tries to get at the heart of what Charles is feeling.

Thankfully, Jessica is able to eventually subdue him enough for the team to come through. Jimmy also comes in to hug the women as well, now that everyone is safe.

This was a great episode and showed how hard the team worked together to save two of their own. Plus, we also saw that Jimmy and Jessica’s relationship may still be going slow, but they clearly care for one another. Although Jessica might not be too amused that he had to use her childhood nickname to help save her. Maybe he’ll get a reprieve.

There will not be a new episode of NCIS until Dec. 5, unfortunately. But when they do come back, we’re excited to see what the team gets up to next! Let us know in the comments below your thoughts on NCIS season 20, episode 8.

Watch NCIS Mondays on CBS. Catch up the next day on Paramount+.