Nick Torres spent years joking his way through cases, but the October 20, 2026 episode of NCIS forced him to face a version of himself he thought was buried for good. The CBS procedural aired “Sleeping Dogs“ as its third episode of Season 24, and the hour belonged almost entirely to Wilmer Valderrama‘s character. A retired undercover alias, a former handler with a twisted sense of pride, and a ghost from a bar shooting 13 years ago all collided in a case that ended with Torres asking the CIA for a side job.
Previously on NCIS: What Led to Sleeping Dogs
The first two episodes of Season 24 set the table for Torres’ downward spiral. Michael Weatherly returned as Tony DiNozzo in the October 6 premiere, and by the end of the second episode, “Clean Slate,” Tony had taken over as NCIS director following Leon Vance’s death. Tony’s first move as director was a fake biohazard alarm to test his team, and his hands-on approach frustrated Timothy McGee enough that the team asked McGee to talk to the new boss.
“Clean Slate” also planted two seeds that mattered in Episode 3. Tony let a CIA-linked killer named Linda walk because he believed a larger threat was coming, telling McGee, “I know something’s coming down the pike, something bad, very bad”. And Tony told McGee that SecNav had another job planned for him—her own job—when her term ends in two years. McGee’s possible future as the next Secretary of the Navy carried into “Sleeping Dogs” as a quiet side story.
Torres Faces Dante Navarro Again
“Sleeping Dogs” opened with a flashback. A younger Torres, working undercover as Dante Navarro, shot a man in a bar who was threatening the bar owner over money. In the present, a burned body turned up in a car registered to Dante Navarro. The victim, a paralegal named Mandy DuBrow, had been strangled with a garrote wire—Dante’s signature weapon.
Torres told the team that only two people ever knew about Dante: himself and his former handler, Walt Keller, played by guest star Mike O’Malley. Kasie Hines found the Dante Navarro name tied to several unsolved murders over the past two years. The victims had all worked for Sergio Cimino, the head of a Baltimore crime family Torres helped put away while undercover. Every victim had given sealed testimony at Cimino’s trial.
Keller walked into NCIS headquarters like he owned the place. He mocked Torres as a “house cat” and insisted that Dante was the real man, while Nick was just the cover. Keller told Torres his real addiction was never alcohol—it was adrenaline. “Nick Torres is the cover,” Keller said. “Dante’s who you really are”.
What Happened to Each Character in Sleeping Dogs
Nick Torres carried the weight of the entire episode. Kasie and Jimmy Palmer listened to old wire recordings of Torres torturing a man named Mikey while undercover, and both were visibly shaken by how much Dante seemed to enjoy causing pain. Torres later admitted the truth to Alden Parker. “I did some horrible things in my past,” Torres said. “Which I justified by saying it was in the line of duty, but there was always something that bothered me afterwards. How much I enjoyed it”.
Alden Parker served as the episode’s quiet anchor. When Torres started questioning what kind of man he really was, it was Parker he called. Parker shared that he too had done things he would rather forget, and the conversation drifted to Parker’s recent past—a clear nod to Parker teaming up with Gibbs to avenge Vance’s death. Parker did not lecture Torres. He listened.
Timothy McGee had a smaller but important thread. His meeting with SecNav continued from “Clean Slate,” where she is vetting him as a possible successor when her term ends in two years. McGee did not make a decision in “Sleeping Dogs,” but the show kept the possibility alive.
Jessica Knight had limited screen time in the case, but her partnership with Torres hung over the hour. Valderrama later said Knight would be forced to ask herself, “Do I even know you?” after learning how deep Torres’ undercover darkness ran.
Jimmy Palmer and Kasie Hines delivered the episode’s most unsettling moments. The old wire recordings of Torres as Dante rattled both of them. Jimmy also had a bizarre side plot involving office birthday cakes stored in a morgue cabinet—a detail that ended with Tony finding a litany of cakes stuffed in one of the mortuary drawers.
Tony DiNozzo took a step back from the spotlight after two Tony-heavy episodes. He revealed he had already been tailing Keller, who had been making calls on a burner phone. Tony also backed Keller’s claim that he shot Sasha Norris in self-defense, a decision that kept Keller free and left Torres with a bitter taste. Keller even recognized Tony from his own undercover days, calling him a “legendary undercover guy” before Tony corrected his alias to DiNardo.
The Ending: Sasha Norris and Keller’s Betrayal
The case led Torres to a bookkeeper who said a federal agent named Bob Graves had offered him $10 million for full immunity. Torres recognized Bob Graves as one of Keller’s old aliases. Kasie traced the money to an offshore account funding a custodial account for a young girl named Sasha Norris.
Torres knew the name immediately. Sasha was the 8-year-old girl from the opening flashback—the daughter of Ray, the bar owner and informant who entered witness protection. The Ciminos murdered Ray and his family after he testified. Sasha survived by hiding under a bed. She had been using the Dante Navarro name to kill the people who destroyed her family.
Keller admitted he stole the Cimino money and sent it to Sasha every month. He said he came to the bar to arrest her, not kill her. Sasha arrived and shot Keller. Torres revealed himself as Dante and apologized for failing her father. She lowered her rifle, but Keller fired and killed her, claiming she had drawn a second gun.
Tony later backed Keller’s account. The episode’s final scene showed Torres driving to Keller’s cabin. He asked whether the side job with the CIA was still open. Keller smiled.
“It’s going to open a world of stories,” Valderrama told Entertainment Weekly about the twist.
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What to Expect from NCIS Season 24 Episode 4
Episode 4 is titled “Like and Subscribe” and is scheduled to air on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, from 8 to 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. The official synopsis says a sailor moonlighting as a contestant on an online game show turns up murdered, and the team discovers his death has nothing to do with the show’s prize money. The synopsis also teases that Tony faces a threat “far more intimidating than any killer”.
For viewers in the United States, the episode airs live on CBS and streams live on Paramount+ Premium, with next-day streaming for all Paramount+ subscribers. In Canada, the season airs on Global TV and streams through STACKTV. UK viewers will find the season on Disney+ after it concludes on CBS, though no specific date has been confirmed. International release timing varies by region.
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Stay with VvipTimes for weekly NCIS case breakdowns, character updates, and release details as Season 24 continues.
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