NCIS fans were delighted by a surprise return of a character in the season 23 finale, but there’s a chance they could return for season 24!
The season 23 finale of NCIS was an interesting one. The team investigated a connection to a bombing of a cafe that happened a year before. Among those in the area was Kayla Vance (Naomi Green), who hadn’t been seen since season 21. Flashbacks showed how Kayla became obsessed with finding out who was behind the bombing. At first, her father, Leon (Rocky Carroll), opposed it, only to let her set up a private group to hunt the bombers.
Kayla would help the team find the guilty parties and clear her father’s name of any wrongdoing. Speaking to TV Line, showrunner Steven D. Binder indicated that there are plans for Kayla to return in season 24 in some capacity.
“Yeah, I think we will see her again or hear from her again. That character will be involved in some way, absolutely, next season. And that's on my checklist. What that looks like is TBD.”
Season 24 is a bit off, so it’s uncertain how Kayla can work into the storyline. That includes whether her future is with NCIS or on her own.
Coukd Kayla join NCIS full-time?
While Kayla is happy with NCIS, she also seems to enjoy setting up a private group that infiltrates online chat rooms to find would-be extremist factions and stop them before they can pull off attacks.
Binder hinted that while Kayla may want to follow her father’s legacy at NCIS, it could also be hard for her to work in the same building where her dad died and she wants to make it on her own.
“Yeah, I think her idea is you go one of two ways in a situation like this. It's, 'This is my father's legacy, and I want to honor it and follow it. I honor my love by following in his footsteps.' Or you can't bear to be in the building. That's the other way to go. And I will tell you, we will go in the direction that seems like it'll give us the most interesting episodes for the longest amount of time. But the answer to what that is, I don't know quite yet.”
It would be an interesting direction for Kayla to join the team, even in a part-time capacity. She would have a lot to prove to them, and as Binder said, she’d be tempted to honor her father and do the same job he loved to the fullest.
At the same time, Kayla has to be uncomfortable working on the same job that cost both her parents their lives. She loved seeking justice but also felt hamstrung by the military rules and red tape, which is why she set up that group to begin with. Kayla may figure she’s better off working without such oversight and she can do more good with her activist group and perhaps create a network to stop extremist factions.
That offers a lot of storyline options, as Kayla’s missions may interfere with NCIS investigations, especially if she’s protecting her sources and agents. She can also aid the team in cutting corners that they can’t. Either way, Kayla’s return continues to honor her father’s name in NCIS, and fans are eager to see her back.
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