SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for NCIS Season 23, Episode 13.

NCIS Director Leon Vance dies in NCIS Season 23, Episode 13. Fans know he’s dead because the episode is called “All Good Things,” and because Vance gets the sentimental goodbye montage. But while this twist makes the CBS drama’s 500th episode memorable, it doesn’t feel like it had to be done.

Post-episode media reports have revealed Carroll didn’t want to leave the series; it was a creative decision to write out his character, as executive producer Steven D. Binder wanted something in the 500th episode that would create “shockwaves.” Having one of the show’s longest-tenured cast members depart certainly accomplishes that, and there’s no doubt that the episode gives Carroll plenty to do and a respectful send-off. But NCIS has no need to grab viewers’ attention just because it’s hitting episode 500. It doesn’t need to make a massive change, to make a milestone.

The whole episode centers around NCIS’ merger with its Army equivalent, and connects back to the NCIS Season 1 episode “Hung Out to Dry.” Billy Fuentes, the kid that Leroy Jethro Gibbs befriended back then, is all grown up now and wants NCIS to clear his sister’s name. Now audiences know that NCIS can’t really be disbanded, because otherwise there wouldn’t be a series. Perhaps Binder was playing defense against that false jeopardy with the Vance twist. But the connection back to Season 1, as well as other little elements like Kasie Hines finding some of Abby Sciuto’s old stuff, gives this episode enough emotional heft. And the stakes are big enough waiting to see how NCIS is going to come back together. Fans know they will, but the how could be a million different things. Bringing down the corrupt head of Army CID certainly makes a big enough splash, too.

This episode really belongs (as it should) to Rocky Carroll, as it repeatedly cuts back to Vance trying to explain things to a random interrogator. He’s an incredible actor, going back to his breakout role on the sitcom Roc and of course, his years opposite Mark Harmon on Chicago Hope. When it’s just him and another actor in a room, that allows the audience to focus in on the details and nuances of his performance. Down to his very last emotional moment (which one suspects didn’t require much acting), he’s brilliant.

And it’s also a lovely choice to bring back Adam Campbell as the young version of Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard. NCIS is taking a big page from the British TV series Ashes to Ashes here, as young Ducky serves the same function Gene Hunt did—to move the protagonist on to the afterlife. Instead of a pub, Vance gets the door to his assistant’s office. It’s not quite as impactful as Ashes to Ashes, but it’s fitting that the last few moments of the episode are simply Rocky Carroll alone.

But here’s the caveat: what’s the overall point, beyond shocking the viewers just to do so? This is not a “new” plot twist; NCIS fans will remember that Vance’s predecessor Jenny Shepard was also killed off the show. (And speaking of killed off, it would have been nice to actually see Paula Newsome reprise her role as Jackie Vance, rather than simply hear her; maybe that’s a financial decision, but Leon’s exit would have been even more powerful to physically see that reunion, because Newsome and Carroll were always so good together.) Vance’s death doesn’t necessarily make the plot work; he’s just in the wrong place at the wrong time. One could argue it’s an “end of an era” type thing, but NCIS is going back to business as semi-usual. This might have been an interesting card to pull in one of the last episodes of the final season—the loss of the NCIS director and the big montage signifying how things really are winding down. But not quite now.

“All Good Things” is a great Rocky Carroll showcase. It highlights what gave Leon Vance his staying power for so many years. It even finds an interesting way to wrap up the short-lived NCIS vs. CID subplot. But is it a great episode overall? That depends on how fans feel about Vance’s death. That’s going to be all viewers will remember about this story, for better or for worse.

NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of CBS.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.