Over the course of NCIS‘s 22-season span, some finales have left a greater impact than others, such as the Season 22 finale which generated excitement when it was announced for the 2025 TV lineup. Some finales have terminated beloved characters, whether minor or major, and one of the most striking character deaths occurred in Season 2, when Sasha Alexander’s character Kate Todd was fatally shot in the head. This twist took viewers by surprise initially, but Michael Weatherly later revealed an amusing Easter egg that led me to rewatch the episode immediately to catch it.
In the last episode of Season 2, titled “Twilight,” the team makes an attempt to capture rogue agent Ari Haswari, who is now allied with Hamas and heads a Washington D.C. branch of Al-Qaeda, having previously managed to infiltrate the NCIS morgue. In the closing moments of the episode, Haswari fatally shoots Kate on a building rooftop, despite everything appearing peaceful and tranquil up until that point. This sudden death was particularly shocking given its early occurrence within the series.
During a chat with Alexander on their podcast, “Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch,” Weatherly confessed that astute viewers might have speculated about his character’s demise right before it occurred.
When you received that blow to your head, I was positioned behind you at the time. For those watching closely, there’s a subtle Easter egg: if you observe the scene frame by frame, you’ll notice a blood pack on the back of your head, which suggests that Larry Fuentes or whoever caused the explosion. This results in blood splattering on my face. However, it was actually Larry who stood in front of me, so I instinctively flinch just prior to the blood spray.
If someone has ever found themselves in a circumstance where they’re waiting for something to occur and reflexively tense up due to the impending event, then they can relate to Weatherly’s situation. Consider the irritating burst of air that always seems to land on your eye during an eye exam, for instance. You know it’s coming, but you don’t know exactly when, and your body gets ready regardless of how early the event might be.
It appears that’s what happened with Weatherly, and given he was anticipating some fake blood to squirt at him unexpectedly, I can understand his early flinch. Interestingly enough, even a startling scene like that could be somewhat foreseen thanks to Weatherly. Fortunately, it falls under the category of “you won’t notice it if you don’t look too closely.” And despite how many times we rewatch it, the death continues to be a shock.
If you don’t have immediate access through a Paramount+ subscription, here’s a snapshot of Weatherly’s expression just before the gunshot is heard and blood splatters on him.
This thought crosses my mind: Could other deaths on NCIS have been inadvertently revealed before they occurred? That’d make rewatching the series even more enjoyable. Given that NCIS won’t come back for some months, the wait will surely be worth it as long as there aren’t many major deaths in the upcoming episodes.
Following Kate’s passing, the trajectory of NCIS took a different turn. The show introduced de Pablo’s character Ziva David, the sister of Ari and an Mossad liaison officer turned NCIS Special Agent. She remained with the series until Season 11, and although it was assumed that Ziva had perished in Season 13, she reappeared for a brief storyline in Seasons 16 and 17. Now, both de Pablo (as Ziva) and Weatherly are returning to the franchise, launching their own spinoff titled NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which is set to debut on Paramount+ soon. Intriguingly, if not for Kate’s demise, none of these events would have unfolded as they did.
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2025-06-11 03:11