NCIS's season 23 finale left fans shocked with a major cliffhanger that promises severe consequences going into season 24.
The episode saw Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) confront McGee's (Sean Murray) son, Mateo (Patrick Keleher), due to his suspicious behavior. A gunshot went off at the end of the episode, leaving audiences wondering which of the two men had been shot.
NCIS showrunner Steven D. Binder now assures fans that the cliffhanger will be resolved at the top of season 24.
"We will find out which one of the players was shot," Binder revealed to TVLine, "and that will have repercussions, for sure." He noted that some of these repercussions will impact McGee's relationship with his son. "McGee's wondering if he doesn't know his son as well as he thinks he does... He realizes he missed 17 years, and there's a lot he doesn't know about this guy."
McGee found out he had a son while investigating the murder of a Navy drone pilot in season 23, episode 12, titled "In the Deep."
McGee's ex-girlfriend, Olivia Garcia, went missing during the case, and her son Mateo got involved to try to find her. As the NCIS crew investigated her disappearance, McGee realized Mateo's age coincided with when he dated Olivia. As a result, he had a DNA test done, and it was confirmed that he was Mateo's father. Eventually, Olivia was rescued, and she and McGee had an honest conversation about what the future might look like.
Initially, it seemed that Mateo's presence would serve mainly as an emotional arc for McGee as he wrestled with the thought of being a father to a child he never knew about. However, it has quickly become clear that something more insidious is at play with Mateo. And it will not only impact McGee but also his NCIS family as well.
In the season 23 finale, Torres found out that Mateo secretly accessed NCIS servers after pretending to fill out an intern application. He then tracked the teenager down and confronted him about his behavior. Mateo went on the defensive, advising Torres to stay away and mind his business. When that didn't work, he reached for what we can assume was a gun, and the last thing audiences heard was a gunshot.
It's important to note that Torres is alive and well in the season 24 trailer, so unless there is a time jump, we can assume that he wasn't the one who was shot.
That being said, it's reasonable to assume that Mateo is alive as well. Torres is a highly trained operative who is likely well-versed in human anatomy. He would know how to shoot Mateo without killing him. There is also a possibility that no one was shot. Torres could have fired a warning shot in the air to make Mateo reconsider brandishing his weapon.
Either way, the aftermath of that night will have serious repercussions for everyone involved, especially for McGee.
Season 24 of NCIS premieres Oct. 6, at 8/7c on CBS.
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