NCIS Season 24 premiere marks Tony's return and the team gets a new director

NCIS Season 24 Episode 1, titled Wayward Son, aired on CBS on October 6. The Season 24 premiere marked Tony DiNozzo's return: while in DC opening a satellite office for his security firm, Salus Mondiale, he heard chatter about a case from a contact. He decided to meet up with his old friends. Episode 1 wasted no time in revealing that it was neither Torres nor McGee's estranged teenage son Mateo who got shot in the Season 23 finale.

According to TV Line, Tony confronted Mateo at the drop, and Mateo shot him and ran away. McGee arrived at the scene in the NCIS Season 24 premiere and was shocked to see Tony. Thankfully, the bullet had grazed his arm. Kasie filled in for Torres, Tony, and McGee on Mateo. It turns out Mateo stole crucial information on the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), leading to a dangerous case for the trio.

Here's the complete recap of NCIS Season 24 Episode 1.

NCIS Season 24 Episode 1: LaRoche is the new director

The biggest bombshell dropped in NCIS Season 24 Episode 1 was about Vance's replacement as the new NCIS director. LaRoche was now running the place, and he ordered Torres, McGee, and Tony to stay out of the case, as it involved McGee's son, Mateo. Naturally, the trio decided to continue their investigation off the books.

Things took a turn when SECNAV arrived at the headquarters to meet LaRoche and Parker after her daughter was kidnapped at gunpoint. It turns out that the real target was SECNAV's daughter, Catherine, and the kidnappers had demanded a certain file. SECNAV wanted Tony to assist on the case, which did not sit right with LaRoche, and he warned Parker to be extra careful.

LaRoche ordered Torres and Knight to search for the file, which only existed in physical form. After a lot of hard work, Torres and Knight found the file, which was just a request form for office supplies from 60 years ago, with no confidential information.

Parker was fired in NCIS Season 24 Episode 1

Elsewhere, McGee tracked his son down, and they met at a diner. Mateo confessed that he accepted help from some guys in forging documents when his mother went missing. The forgers demanded payback and forced Mateo to steal SECNAV's dossier. Things took a turn when LaRoche spotted the duo in the diner and called a tactical team, instructing Parker not to get any agents involved.

Parker overlooked LaRoche's orders and sent Tony as a waiter, who alerted McGee. McGee sneaked Mateo before the arrival of the tactical team, much to LaRoche's disappointment. While Parker maintained that Tony was not an agent, LaRoche fired him on the spot.

NCIS Season 24 Episode 1 saw a breakthrough when Tony and the team tracked the kidnappers to Baltimore Harbor, through a partial number plate and Catherine's hostage video. While LaRoche ordered Torres and Knight to storm the ship, Tony believed that it was a trap from the kidnappers' side.

Tony gets a new offer in NCIS Season 24 Episode 1

Tony's hunch was right in NCIS Season 24 Episode 1. While LaRoche sent a team to search the harbor, Tony returned to the warehouse where the file was found and was greeted by armed men. It turns out the file was never the target, but the cabinet, which contained a hidden stash of diamonds that the kidnappers were after.

While the kidnappers had the upper hand on Tony, Torres and Knight arrived on the scene and rescued him. The guys were arrested, SECNAV was reunited with her daughter, Mateo's name was cleared, and Parker returned to his position.

In the final moments of NCIS Season 24 Episode 1, SECNAV realized that LaRoche was not cut out for the Director's position, and she offered the job to Tony: