NCIS season 20 episode 16 recap: What happened to Knight’s father?

NCIS season 20, episode 16, “Butterfly Effect,” saw the team working a potential bio terror case in addition to one of their own going through a family emergency. Of course, not all is what it seems in the world of NCIS so let’s talk about it!

In the episode, a seemingly ordinary day takes a turn where an apparent toxin causes people to pass out in a parking garage. After determining the source of the gas can used to release the toxin, they find that the victims all appear to be okay. Despite this, they’re taken to the hospital to make sure nothing harmful went into their systems.

Kasie figures out the toxin was a bovine tranquilizer which someone used to incapacitate their victims while also not leaving them affected health wise. One of the victims is a contractor and he realized his phone and keys were stolen. They find that he has plenty of clients who are politicians and military officials. Plus, there have been robberies lately involving high-value targets.

The team finds evidence that connects them to a man named Phillip Legrand, who is wanted for theft but has never been found. When they discover a robbery in progress, it turns out to be Dorothy, one of the “victims” of the parking garage attack.

NCIS season 20 episode 16 finds a team member in a crisis

Dorothy had been following the orders of someone else, who wanted her to steal a senator’s hard drive she had in her safe. They had kidnapped her father in order to get her to cooperate.

Eventually, Dorothy works with Jessica and NCIS to trick the kidnapper and find her dad alive. The man, who had appeared to also be a victim from earlier in the episode, is supposedly named “Nate Billings” but there is no record of him. He refuses to talk but wants to call the Russian embassy.

He is soon given extradition papers, meaning the state is now taking over. However, NCIS was able to find out that the senator’s hard drive, which appeared to contain innocuous family photos, also showed her with three spies they dealt with before. Evelyn Shaw, and Renee and John Watts. They’re going to work quietly to figure out their connection to the senator.

Meanwhile in another storyline, Jessica’s father has an accident on his bike in Japan. Even though it seems to be a minor accident, his health takes a turn for the worst. Jimmy is able to find out that he had gotten an infection in his cut, but that he would make a recovery. This was amazing to see Jimmy in such a supportive role as Jessica’s partner. He was there for her when she needed him and he got answers for her even if he may have gone about it not so legally.

Either way, we got to see Jessica in a vulnerable situation, but she still focused on doing her job and making sure she helped Dorothy. She has grown in the time we’ve known her and we love every second of it.

We’re already looking forward to a new episode on March 20! In the meantime, you can catch up on the new episode when it airs on Paramount+.

Let us know your thoughts on NCIS Season 20, Episode 16 in the comments below.