'NCIS' Season 23 finale may answer major Gibbs mystery as McGee's and Mateo's story takes surprising turn

'NCIS' Season 23 finale revisits a deadly bombing as Kayla Vance returns and McGee bonds with his newly revealed son, Mateo.
Wilmer Valderrama, Rocky Carroll, Gary Cole, Katrina Law, Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen, and Diona Reasonover in 'NCIS' (Cover Image Credit: CBS)
Wilmer Valderrama, Rocky Carroll, Gary Cole, Katrina Law, Sean Murray, Brian Dietzen, and Diona Reasonover in 'NCIS' (Cover Image Credit: CBS)

'NCIS' Season 23 is one step away from its conclusion, with the finale set to be released on Tuesday. Most shows don't remain relevant or popular after the initial buzz, but 'NCIS' has become one of the exceptions, having been renewed for another season by CBS. With plenty of speculation about the show's future after CBS's announcements, the network made the official announcement about Season 24 on January 22, just nine episodes into the current season. However, there is no confirmation about the returning cast. Since procedural shows are known for bidding farewell to characters during finales, often through a heart-wrenching death, fans are hoping for an action-packed episode without losing any of their favorite agents.

Still of Kayla from 'NCIS' (Image Source: CBS)
Still of Kayla Vance from 'NCIS' (Image Source: CBS)

According to Parade, the finale episode will focus on two recurring characters, Kayla Vance and Timothy McGee's recently revealed son, Mateo Garcia. Vance has not appeared on the show since her father's death, so viewers will get an insight into how she is dealing with the personal loss. The last few episodes explored how the agents have been coping with the death of Director Vance in their own ways. Parker potentially took justice into his own hands and took out the man responsible for Vance's death with the help of an extremely skilled sniper. Though nothing was said out loud, fans believe that only Gibbs could have taken that shot. The official synopsis for the finale reads, "One year after a deadly coffee shop bombing, a new explosion proves the attack wasn't the work of a lone wolf." The coffee shop bombing nearly killed Kayla the last time. The FBI determined that it was the work of a lone wolf, but it looks like the finale will dig deeper into that story.

A still of Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee with Patrick Keleher as Matteo Garcia (Image credit: CBS)
A still of Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee with Patrick Keleher as Matteo Garcia (Image credit: CBS)

The second recurring character is Garcia. It was previously revealed that McGee's ex-girlfriend, Olivia, hid his existence for 18 years. Hence, Garcia grew up without a father and learned to live with it. When McGee first met him, Garcia made it clear he didn’t need a father. But now that the secret is out, the father-son duo will get to spend some time together. Kayla has already followed in her dad’s footsteps by becoming an NCIS agent, and it will be interesting to see if Mateo finds traits of McGee in himself. The 'NCIS' Season 23 finale, 'Sons and Daughters,' airs on Tuesday and streams the next day on Paramount+.

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