As the NCIS director since season 5, Leon Vance has been through a lot, but season 22 may have just introduced his most delicate challenge yet. NCIS season 22 has already featured several exciting storylines, several of which were teased in the NCIS season 21 finale. While Vance is not usually a major character in NCIS’s most stressful stories, season 22’s latest update means that he will be a key player in the most exciting narrative of the season.

The NCIS cast has gone through many changes over the years, and the introduction of Seamus Dever’s Gabriel LaRoche is just the latest addition to a long list of names. But rather than join NCIS as a pleasant addition to the team, LaRoche poses a huge threat. As the newest member of NCIS, LaRoche also complicates Vance’s job as the director.

NCIS Season 22’s Villain Works Right Under Vance

Gabriel LaRoche’s Position Is In Between Parker and Vance

Gabriel LaRoche joined NCIS season 22 as the new deputy director of NCIS, beating McGee for the role. LaRoche had previously been a Department of Justice Inspector before being upgraded and was a key player in revealing that NCIS was being investigated by the DOJ. However, just before he was appointed as deputy director, McGee and Parker discovered that there was a leak at NCIS and the only person who had access and means to spread the information was LaRoche.

As the internal mole of NCIS, LaRoche became the NCIS season 22 villain early on in the show. His interactions with the team have been limited so far, but his position means that he works right under NCIS director Leon Vance. This complicates things for Vance, who may not want to share valuable information with LaRoche once he finds out he is the mole. Vance’s position is complex and having a deputy director should ease his workload, but not if his colleague is a traitor.

NCIS’ Bureaucracy Means It Won’t Be Easy To Out LaRoche

Vance Has To Find A Delicate Balance Between His Job And His Team

Throughout NCIS, the team has on occasion omitted information from Vance to protect him. When Parker found out that LaRoche was the leak, the team decided not to tell Vance yet, as they did not have the necessary evidence to back it up. Revealing it immediately would have caused a huge conflict which would have then been made worse with the reveal that LaRoche was now their superior. By not telling Vance about LaRoche, they are also protecting Vance from having to make the difficult decision of choosing the team over the bureaucracy of NCIS.

Vance will need to balance protecting his team and being diplomatic to the system that put LaRoche in the high position in the first place…

The rules and diplomacy in place mean that even when Vance finds out about LaRoche, Vance will not be able to out him immediately, and he will be forced to continue to work with him to save face. Avoiding LaRoche would not be an option, since it would make him suspicious. As a result, Vance will need to balance protecting his team and being diplomatic with the system that put LaRoche in a high position in the first place. This makes NCIS season 22’s latest complication an extremely delicate matter.