It was a little over a year ago when NCIS, with its first episode set during the pandemic, pulled a Linda Reagan on us and gradually revealed that Dr. Jimmy Palmer’s wife, Breena, had died of COVID. 

Due to an imperfect storm of COVID protocols while filming plus the off-screen time jump, viewers didn’t get to see Jimmy say farewell to his wife.  

But that was rectified somewhat this Monday, when series alum Michelle Pierce reprised her role as Breena in a dream-like sequence.

The episode “The Helpers,” co-written by cast member Brian Dietzen (who plays Jimmy), opened with Jimmy resting his head on Breena’s lap, in the middle of an idyllic field. 

While Jimmy speaks of how much he has missed her, Breena is focused on getting him to open his eyes meaning, we soon learn,  

regain consciousness after he fainted back in the NCIS lab, where he and Kasie had been exposed to a deadly biotoxin.

“The reasoning behind that is not just to give a cool cinematic opening” to the episode, but also because “I wanted to have Michelle back to the set, and she wanted to come as well,” Dietzen added. 

“The fact that we were able to have Michelle come back was just such a blessing, as she definitely has been one of my favorites to work with on the show.”