‘NCIS’ Season 24 Episode 3 Recap & Ending Explained: Torres Embraces His Dark Side

Avatar photoValentina Kraljik
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Every undercover agent harbors a part of themselves they wish to keep hidden. For Nick Torres, this hidden persona has a name, a signature weapon, and a past he’s long avoided by using humor. This recap and ending explained for ‘NCIS’ explores what occurs when that buried identity resurfaces.

The episode, titled ‘Sleeping Dogs’, aired on CBS on Tuesday, October 20. Written by Marco Schnabel and directed by José Clemente Hernandez, it features Mike O’Malley as guest star Walt Keller, Torres’ former handler. Known for his lighthearted demeanor, Torres faces a significant tonal shift as the episode delves into his darkest moments.

The story kicks off with a burned body discovered in a car trunk. A registration check links the vehicle to Dante Navarro, a hitman persona Torres left behind when he joined ‘NCIS’. The victim, a paralegal named Mandy DuBrow, was strangled using a garrote wire, the weapon of choice for Torres’ alias.

Torres reveals that only two people knew about Dante: himself and Keller. Kasie soon uncovers that the name is linked to several unsolved murders from the last two years. The victims, who had assumed new identities, all connect back to Sergio Cimino, the leader of a Baltimore crime family that Torres helped imprison while undercover. Each victim had worked for the family and provided sealed testimony during the trial.

Keller’s arrival brings back everything Torres has tried to escape. He taunts Torres, suggesting that Dante is the true self while Nick is merely a facade. When Torres draws his weapon during a tense encounter, Keller appears almost pleased.

Meanwhile, Kasie and Jimmy listen to old wiretap recordings of Torres interrogating a man named Mikey, visibly shaken by how authentic Dante sounded. Mikey confesses to stealing over $10 million from Cimino, and “Grace,” a name that keeps surfacing, is revealed to be the boat where the cash was hidden. Mid-conversation, Mikey is shot dead, and the assailant escapes.

The investigation leads them to a bookkeeper in hiding who claims there’s no money left. A federal agent named Bob Graves offered him $10 million for full immunity. Torres recognizes Graves as one of Keller’s old aliases, and Tony discloses that he had been tracking Keller, who had been making calls on a burner phone.

Kasie traces the money to an offshore account funding a custodial account for a young girl named Sasha Norris. Torres immediately recognizes her as the child from a flashback set 13 years earlier, when he killed a man in a bar who threatened her.

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Torres goes to the same bar and finds Keller waiting. Sasha is the daughter of Ray, the bar owner and informant who entered witness protection. After Ray testified, the Ciminos had him and his family murdered, and Sasha survived by hiding under a bed. Keller admits he sent money to her and claims he came to arrest her instead of killing her.

Sasha arrives and shoots Keller. Torres reveals his identity as Dante and apologizes for failing her father. She lowers her rifle, but Keller shoots her, asserting that she had drawn a second weapon. Tony later corroborates Keller’s account as self-defense.

The episode concludes with a moment that fans will analyze. After a call with Parker, who questions why Torres kept Sasha to himself, Torres drives to Keller’s cabin. He inquires if the CIA side job is still available.

This decision echoes Bishop’s departure, as she left for CIA undercover work and invited Torres to join her. He declined then, but this episode hints he may be ready now. TV Fanatic rated the episode 4.2 out of 5, noting that the flashbacks and Torres’ reckoning were more compelling than the case itself, especially with Bishop set to reunite with Gibbs on ‘NCIS: Origins’ next week.

While there’s no confirmation that Torres is leaving, the review suggests this could merely foreshadow challenges for him leading up to the midseason finale. McGee is also being considered to eventually replace the Secretary of the Navy, adding to the sense of potential exits this season.

Torres told Parker that the case helped him understand who he is, and the cabin scene indicates that this realization may not be a comfortable one. The next episode, ‘Like and Subscribe’, airs on October 27, leaving viewers eager to see how the fallout unfolds.

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