Tonight on CBS NCIS: airs with an all-new Tuesday, October 6 2026, season 24 episode 1 called, “Wayward Son” and we have your weekly NCIS recap below.
In tonight’s NCIS season 24 episode 1, “Wayward Son” as per the CBS synopsis, “While dealing with the fallout from the shooting involving McGee’s son, the team investigates a mysterious new threat to the Secretary of the Navy.
They receives help from an unexpected source: Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly), newly arrived in D.C. to open a satellite office of his private security firm,”
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In tonight’s NCIS episode, Mateo hadn’t into a gunfight with Torres. There was a single shot that went off in that back alley. It just wasn’t either of them that got shot. There had been more people there and it was actually Anthony “Tony” DiNozzo that was left bleeding. Tony was back in DC trying to start up a new office.
He went into private security after leaving NCIS. He’s been living overseas until Ziva swooped in and helped wreck his life in different ways, but that’s not important. What is important is the fact that McGee’s son had shot Tony and everyone has questions about it. And that included NCIS who have taken over the case.
The weapon had been aimed at a stranger. Mateo didn’t know Tony. They never met. Tony didn’t even know about the kid before now and it still ended in NCIS’s hands because of Torres’s involvement.
Torres was the active agent. He had been following Mateo that night. He never shot back at the kid because this was McGee’s kid. Torres was hoping that whatever he got involved in that it could be fixed. Only it doesn’t look like it. Torres went back to the office after informing McGee and he brought along Tony. The three of them then ended up getting kicked out by the new Deputy Director.
LaRoche was in power. He wanted to do everything by the book. It meant Tony couldn’t work the case because he was a victim. Torres couldn’t work it because he hadn’t properly opened an official investigation into Mateo.
McGee also couldn’t work it because the perp was his son. The three weren’t allowed in the building and that was a direct order from LaRoche. Naturally, the team ignored it. Parker and Knight filled in Jimmy. They got Kasie looking for the files that Mateo stole. They were in constant communication with the others at Tony’s new office.
Tony also figured out how to find exactly what Mateo stole from NCIS. He had been in that alley that night because his hacker friend warned him about a kid stealing stuff from them. It was a tip from a dark website that Tony knew how to reverse. There was a lot that changed with the guy who once glued McGee’s fingers to his keyboard.
He’s matured since then. He credits it to becoming a dad. Tony helped Kasie who realized what Mateo stole was SecNAV’s itinerary. They thought there was a threat against the Security of the Navy. They had been wrong.
Much to SecNAV’s detriment. Mateo passed on the information he stole and he dropped his gun. The last part being especially important because it was used in the murder of two NCIS Agents that were guarding SecNAV’s daughter. The girl was abducted. The agents had been focusing on the mother when they forgot about adding to her whole family’s security. It was a lapse in judgement. One that LaRoche was quick to pin on everyone else because he didn’t want to say he forgot about the family. LaRoche also got upset with Parker.
SecNAV wanted to speak to Torres and Tony for being the first to suspect an ongoing crime. Parker covered for LaRoche by saying they were already on their way in. It was true because he called them. He just didn’t tell LaRoche about it. LaRoche’s lats order was that they couldn’t enter the building. He then got upset with Parker because he went around that order. LaRoche warned him not to do it again or risk facing punishment. Parker pretended not to hear him. He was used to Vance for forgiving him. LaRoche proved to be a different beast.
Mateo’s cell phone came back on. It was a warning signal to his dad. He wanted help. McGee followed up on it and he had his son meet him at the diner. Parker and Knight followed them there. They were going to go in to properly bring in Mateo. LaRoche found them before they could. He ordered them that no agents could enter that diner. They sent in Tony because he technically wasn’t an agent. Tony got McGee to peacefully bring Mateo in. Mateo’s mom had been abducted a year ago. He went undercover at her job to find her. He needed fake paperwork that he thought he bought from the dark web. It turns out they wanted more than money.
They wanted a favor. They knew his dad was NCIS. They knew he had access. They threatened to harm his mom if he didn’t assist them. Mateo should’ve gone to his father, but he’s still a dumb kid in a lot of ways. He thought to handle things on his own until they got out of hand. He was being followed. He knew. He was worried about getting killed now that he was no longer useful. He had no clue what he stole or why it was needed. The kidnappers demanded a file in exchange for the girl. Not that it mattered to LaRoche. He fired Parker for sending in Tony.
LaRoche suspended McGee. He came close to firing Knight and Torres for not pursuing things the way he wanted them down. He was a tyrant. SecNAV saw that it in person. Its why she went back to her first choice after he helped find her daughter and figure out what the kidnappers were truly looking for. They hadn’t been after a file. They had been after the file cabinet. It hid diamonds. Tony knew what they were up to when he suspected they were reenacting “Goonies”. Tony helped find the diamonds and later brought the girl home safely. And so SecNAV offered him the job again.
This time, she didn’t accept his rejection and merely appointed him as the new Director.
THE END!