Jessica Knight and Jimmy Palmer finally had “the talk” about their relationship in this week’s NCIS episode — but their fate might not be set in stone.
Warning: Spoilers ahead from NCIS season 22, episode 4.
“It takes potential nuclear warfare to get them to actually speak about their feelings,” Brian Dietzen, 46, exclusively told Us Weekly of the pivotal moment during the Monday, November 4, episode, in which his character, Dr. Jimmy Palmer, finally discusses his future with Special Agent Knight (Katrina Law), while off grid during the FBI’s takeover of their NCIS office.
“They’re literally forced into a situation where they cannot avoid each other and they have to have a chat about their relationship,” Law, 39, said during a joint interview, noting the pair “put their hearts on their sleeve, which is very typical of the relationship.”
Law noted that it’s Knight who “opens the door” to a possible rekindled romance, asking Palmer if he’s interested in getting back together.
NCIS’ Katrina Law Teases Knight and Palmer’s Future: They ‘Don’t Speak’
“Do you want anything to change?” Knight asked in the episode, noting that the “one thing” that remains is the fact they both still love each other. “Wouldn’t it be nice if that were enough?” she added.
Palmer, however, pointed out that they “both have things we need to work out.” He brought Knight to tears when he said she deserves someone “who will chase down future job opportunities” with her, like “Indiana Jones,” but confessed, “That’s not me … at least not right now.”
Knight understood where he was coming from and revealed that Palmer deserves “security” that she can’t give him.
“He very gently kinda shuts it down and says, ‘I still don’t think we’re ready for it. Neither one of us. I think we both need things that the other person cannot provide at this moment,’” Law exclusively told Us of the heartbreaking scene. “Which still stands true. The door hasn’t been slammed shut, but it’s gently closed at the moment.”
Dietzen added that despite the pair confirming that they are broken up — they technically called it quits at the end of season 21 when Knight left for a job in California — the characters will “always have love for one another.”
The actor explained that moving forward, there will be hurdles, teasing a reconciliation isn’t completely off the table.
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“Figuring out how to navigate that, how to potentially find happiness as friends and maybe find happiness with other people, in a romantic way is gonna lead to some really awkward scenes,” Dietzen said.
He reiterated, “It’s not as though the door is closed on a romantic revival at some point, but man, the twists and turns are gonna have to happen for that to occur.”
While Law revealed that she’s asked the writers to “have Jimmy date” so she can have a few “hilariously awkward scenes,” she confessed the future is literally unwritten for them.
“There’s definitely still looks between Jimmy and Knight. The attraction is still alive and, you know, these two are still kind of checking each out randomly throughout the series,” she said of the next few episodes. “It’s not gone. … People date, sometimes it works out, some people keep breaking up and getting back together, breaking up, getting back together. Or maybe they just break up and it’s always something there.”
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Law played coy about where Knight and Palmer lie in relation to the romances she described, but told Us, “There’s definitely an underlying attraction and love between them that you will feel throughout the rest of the season.”
Dietzen agreed, saying that as he and Law move forward in season 22 they have to figure out the “extra layer on top” of their characters’ dynamics.
“Is there a line that we’re gonna cross again? Or is that set in stone or are we never gonna tread back there again?” he asked, confessing that the showrunners “don’t tell us” exactly what they have in mind.
Law, however, teased that fans shouldn’t give up hope for Knight and Shining Palmer to make a comeback.
“They have promised us some juiciness later on in the season and going forward,” she told Us of the writers, adding, “I’m excited to see what it is.”
NCIS airs on CBS Mondays at 9 p.m. ET.
