NCIS season 18 episode 7 photo: A time jump for Mark Harmon, cast

For the majority of NCIS season 18, we have seen the entirety of the team work to solve cases in the past. Yet, for the first time, it seems as though we are working our way into the present next week!

Want proof? All you have to do is look above for a first-look image from “The First Day,” which is set to premiere on CBS this coming Tuesday. This image features Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in the field, wearing what very much seems to be a mask. (He doesn’t have it fully on, but it looks like he’s outdoors and away from some other team members.) This is the first time all season we have seen NCIS address the pandemic in some shape or form.

For some more news on NCIS in video form, be sure to watch our take on this past episode below! After you do that, subscribe to Matt & Jess on YouTube and then also view our show playlist. We’ll have more discussions after each episode.

As for how long we imagine they will focus on this subject matter, the answer may be “not long.” Remember that NCIS: Los Angeles is set mostly in a post-pandemic world, and we haven’t gotten a sense all season that the writers are planning to bring a lot of the virus into the story here. With that being said, there may have been a desire to at least briefly acknowledge it — it’s just been such a part of all of our lives. Giving it a presence on the show, while not changing what NCIS is, seems to be the balancing act that the team is trying to pull off.

As for what the case is going to be for “The First Day,” think in terms of a quest to stop a dangerous ghost-gun operation. This was introduced in a promo last night, which you can watch over at the link here.

What do you think about NCIS season 18 finally choosing to address the pandemic?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! We’ll have more updates leading into “The First Day” coming on the air. (Photo: CBS.)

This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.