NCIS season 18 episode 8: How did Jack Sloane leave?

We knew in advance of tonight’s NCIS season 18 episode 8 that Maria Bello was likely leaving — as a matter of fact, the showrunners even told us as much before the premiere! The question came down to how Jack Sloane would depart the story, and whether or not it would be a particularly happy or sad ending.

Ultimately, we’d say the end results here are mixed — are we sad that Sloane is gone? Sure, but at least she left in a way that still has the door open for the future.

For some video thoughts on tonight’s all-important episode, be sure to watch our review below! We talk NCIS after every new episode, so we suggest that you subscribe to the Matt & Jess YouTube Channel to make sure you don’t miss any of them.

After going with Gibbs (Mark Harmon) on a mission to Afghanistan in order to rescue young girls who were kidnapped aboard a bus, Sloane determined that the best way that she could move forward after NCIS was to stay there. She could help a number of people in dire need, and also get the change of pace she so sorely needed. One of her big issues at NCIS was that almost every day, she would have to wake up and put all of her energy into stopping someone from doing terrible things. Now, she could put that energy into doing something good. This is an extremely important difference for her.

Did we mention that Sloane and Gibbs also kissed? It happened! While it was a brief moment (and honestly, you couldn’t even see the actual kiss), this at least answers the question as to how these two characters feel about each other. It also gives us some hope that if NCIS does end over the next few years, Bello could come back and we can envision Sloane and Gibbs together long-term. We hope that this isn’t a forever goodbye, though time will obviously tell with that.

Related – Check out more news on NCIS, including why Bello departed

What do you think about how Jack Sloane left NCIS?

Be sure to let us know in the attached comments! Of course, remember to keep coming back for more news — you don’t want to miss anything that we’ve got coming up next. (Photo: CBS.)

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