NCIS season 22 episode 14 recap: Was Wendy Hill the real Saratoga Specter?

The police procedural television series NCIS season 22 returned with a new case this Monday, March 3, 2025. Despite completely replacing the original cast, the series, in its 22nd season, has managed to attract viewers.

Close to Home, the fourteenth episode of NCIS season 22, premiered on CBS on March 3, 2025. The episode kicked off with Jimmy's daughter Victoria finding $35,000 cash near a trash can, which eventually became a ladder to reach a legendary bank robber, the Saratoga Specter.

Initially, Jimmy's flirtatious neighbor Wendy Hill came onto the MCRT radar, but the truth turned out to be stranger than their theory. Hill was not the real Saratoga Specter. The series stars Rocky Carroll, Diona Reasonover, Katrina Law, Brian Dietzen, Gary Cole, and Sean Murray.

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Veronica found $35000 cash near a dumpster in NCIS season 22 episode 14

This week's NCIS episode combined the usual mystery and drama surrounding a new case. But it also showed some fun and heartwarming father-daughter moments involving Dr. Jimmy Palmer and his teenage daughter Victoria.

The episode started with a deliberate misdirection, as Victoria was shown giving Agent Torres a bag full of cash and not mentioning it to Palmer during their earlier phone call. However, the mystery was revealed in the very next scene as Jess was slightly offended that Victoria had called Torress and not her after finding a bag full of cash near her library.

The complicated aspect of the matter wasn't the $35000 of cash, as the MCRT agents are quite competent in solving mysteries. It was Palmer's lack of knowledge about what happened to Victoria last night. She called Torres before contacting him, which was bound to make him upset and panicked, given that he is a great dad who deeply cares about his daughter.

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The cash was linked to the infamous Saratoga Specter

Back in the MCRT office, Kasie did her forensic magic and found that the cash was linked to the infamous robbery at the Saratoga Springs Bank. The culprit was never caught and eventually became a legend known as the Saratoga Specter. She also found a fingerprint on one of the notes belonging to Carson Marcone.

The man in question was originally from Saratoga, so it was assumed that he might be the Saratoga Specter. However, when the team went to his apartment, they found him murdered. This led them to assume that the real Saratoga Specter killed Carson. They also checked the library footage and realized that Victoria had lied to them about finding the money near the library, as she had never been there in the first place.

She lied to her father because she was hanging out with her friends in the woods. A disappointed Palmer asked her why she called Torres before him, to which she gave a brutal reply, saying that the latter is a federal agent and he is just a medical examiner.

Through Kasie's forensic work again, they found that the culprit must be someone from Palmer's housing society. Now, they had to get the suspects' DNA and match it with those found on the notes. To get the DNAs, Palmer organized a party at his place and offered his special drink to suspected Saratoga Specter.

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Wendy Hill's father was the real Saratoga Specter in NCIS

At the party, a new resident of the society, Wendy Hill, aggressively flirted with Palmer. When Kasie examined the DNA from the cups, the results showed that the Saratoga Specter indeed attended Palmer's party. The team's suspicion went straight towards Wendy, who was still with Palmer at his house.

Palmer and Wendy were enjoying a romantic moment together when the NCIS team barged in with their guns pointed at Wendy. She appeared confused and shocked and blamed Jess for being jealous of her getting closer to Palmer. Wendy was brought to the interrogation room and told the reason for her arrest.

However, she revealed that her late father was the real Saratoga Specter. He told her the truth moments before his death. The DNA results confirmed her statement, but the mystery of Carson's murder remained unsolved.

Wendy said that Carson had been visiting her house frequently before his death. But the security guard, Rhonda, erased this information from the logbook. She was spying on the residents with the help of the community app and killed Carson because of her greed. Palmer and Victoria faked a phone call, to which Rhonda was listening, and lured her right into the NCIS trap.

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Stay tuned for more news and information about NCIS season 22 and other shows of the NCISverse.