NCIS fans are still reeling from the exit of Rocky Carroll after 18 seasons of playing NCIS Director Leon Vance, so perhaps it wasn’t the most ideal timing for the show to unexpectedly sideline another key character just two episodes after Vance’s sendoff.
The show’s April 8 episode, “Knick-Knack,” followed the NCIS team as they investigated the murder of retired Navy Captain Miles Griffin which quickly turned into an Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code style treasure hunt connected to a rare dinosaur bone worth millions. It was a fun episode, but it was sadly without a key member of the NCIS team, with Diona Reasonover’s forensic scientist Kasie Hines unexpectedly sidelined for the episode.
Although it’s unclear why Reasonover missed this particular episode of NCIS, it’s likely the result of the cost-cutting measures many long-running shows must take these days. While in the past being a series regular on a show meant appearing in every episode, today it is common for series regulars to miss a few episodes throughout the season for budget purposes. This was likely the reason Reasonover did not appear in the episode.
As for why Kasie was not present in the episode? Thankfully, the writers gave us a direct update as to why Kasei was not present in the episode and working with the cast with her colleagues.
Upon returning to NCIS Headquarters after gathering evidence at the crime scene, Agent Knight headed down to the lab to see if there were any findings. Rather than walking in to see Kasie working on analyzing the evidence, Knight found NCIS Cyber Unit technician Curtis Hubley processing the evidence. As Curtis remarked about how Kasie makes things look easy, Knight replied that she had earned her trip to Iceland.
Curtis then explained that Kasie was attending a quantum optics conference before assuring Knight that Kasie had spent weeks training him to cover her lab. The conversation quickly moved on to the evidence from there, but the show included another quick nod to Kasie’s absence later in the episode.
“Kasie’s gonna be mad she missed treasure hunts and mystery bones,” Parker remarked to Knight as the investigation continued, and they began piecing together the killer’s motive.
It was certainly a shame that Kasie did not appear in the episode, as this is a case that would have truly excited her, and she would have been thrilled to be part of a treasure hunt for priceless bones. We’re sure she might even bring the case up upon her return via a throwaway line touching on how she can’t believe she missed out on the fun while in Iceland.
As for when we’ll see Kasie back from her trip to Iceland? While not confirmed, we expect to see Kasie back in NCIS season 23, episode 16, “S.O.S.,” which is scheduled to air on Tuesday, April 14.