‘NCIS’ Season 23: Director Leon Vance's death has team reeling in disbelief in episode 14
The on-screen death of Rocky Carroll's Leon Vance hit fans hard. In 'NCIS' Season 23, Episode 14, it hit the team harder. The sudden, unexpected killing of one of the show's more iconic characters in a landmark 500th episode took fans of the TV series by surprise. The team mourns the death of their director, even as the update is the department bringing in a name on an 'interim basis.' This shows the series is in no rush to land a new name, even though Sean Murray's McGee was considered his replacement. The storyline sees them tasked with solving a Navy Week murder case. The episode begins on a gloomy note with the team coping with the death of Vance, while also being tasked to hunt down a killer who is on the run after brutally murdering a sailor.
"It’s like we haven’t had a chance to process anything," McGee says at one point, when the orders of clearing Vance's desk come in. Gary Cole's Parker continues to reel from the loss: "You made it look easy, Leon," he tells his late friend, looking at the empty room. The episode ends with a tribute as Parker raises an emotional toast. In the final scene, Parker, McGee, Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), Knight (Katrina Lawyer), Palmer (Brian Dietzen), and Kasie (Diona Reasonover) gather in Vance’s office, not to pack up his belongings just yet, but to toast with what the late director kept in his desk for special occasions (and in a smile-inducing moment, something non-alcoholic for Torres). Parker also brings out an extra glass, which McGee moves in front of Vance’s empty chair. The scene marks an emotional on-screen moment of the team dealing with the death of a friend rather than a director.
"The last couple weeks, been nonstop, one thing after the other, just seems like the world would like nothing more than just to move on, to forget," Parker says. "But the only way I know how to get through this is by remembering him, and there’s no one I would rather remember him with than all of you guys. So, to Leon.” With that, they all raise their glasses to Vance’s empty chair, and the episode ends with the glass on the desk in front of it." Safe to say, the episode confirms that the series will take its time in assigning a new director. Speculations are rife that the new head honcho will now be a new name, but for now, it's wait-and-watch. 'NCIS' airs Tuesdays, 8/7c on CBS.
