NCIS season 24 premiere "Wayward Son": DiNozzo returns and is named director

Centre · 2CBS opened NCIS season 24 with the episode "Wayward Son", which marks the return of Michael Weatherly as Tony DiNozzo. 1 2 Centre · 2The episode picks up directly after the season 23 cliffhanger. It reveals that the person shot during Nick Torres's confrontation with Timothy McGee's son, Mateo, was DiNozzo, who was nearby when the standoff happened. 2 1 Centre · 1According to Collider, DiNozzo's wound is only a graze. He is in Washington, D.C. to set up a satellite office for his private security company, Salus Mondiale. 2

Centre · 1The case centres on Mateo, who stole classified information tied to the Secretary of the Navy's security detail. Collider says he was manipulated into doing so by people who could help him find his missing mother. The material is then used to target the Secretary's daughter, Catherine, who is kidnapped and held for ransom. 2 Centre · 1Gabriel LaRoche, the new NCIS director, obstructs the investigation. He suspends Torres, pushes Alden Parker aside and orders the team to stay out of the case, but they pursue it anyway. 2 Centre · 1DiNozzo joins McGee and Torres in the case and helps show that the demand for an old Navy file is a distraction. The real target is a stash of diamonds hidden in the archives. Catherine is rescued, Mateo is cleared of the worst accusations, Parker gets his job back and LaRoche is out. 2

Centre · 2The Secretary of the Navy admits hiring LaRoche was a mistake. She says DiNozzo had been her first choice and that she has already publicly announced his appointment, so he becomes the new Director of NCIS. 2 1 Centre · 1Screen Rant's reviewer calls the premiere one of the show's strongest episodes in recent years. They say it resolves the director vacancy left after Leon Vance's death and the McGee–Mateo storyline, and sets up a season-long arc for the show's future. 1 Centre · 1Screen Rant also names trade-offs. DiNozzo as director leaves McGee stuck as Senior Field Agent, and DiNozzo's move to DC means shifting focus from his company and living largely apart from Ziva David and Tali. 1

Centre · 1Collider calls the promotion a terrific twist that reverses the old joke of DiNozzo teasing McGee as the "probie". It says the show gives a returning character a role that changes how he relates to everyone, rather than recreating the old team. 2 Centre · 2Showrunner Steven D. Binder has said DiNozzo cannot simply return to his old desk. Episode 2, "Clean Slate", serves as his first day as director and follows a murder investigation after a neighbourhood dinner party. NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 PM ET on CBS. 2 1