'NCIS' Star Brian Dietzen Explains Breena's Return in Season 19

NCIS Season 19 saw the surprise return of Breena Palmer (Michelle Pierce) in its latest episode, "The Helpers," which aired on Monday, February 28.

In 2020, it was revealed in Season 18 that Breena had passed away after contracting COVID, in a move that shocked NCIS viewers at the time.

But even with the character's unexpected passing, that didn't mean she wasn't able to return for a special moment.

How Did Breena Return in 'NCIS'?

Episode 13's opening scene sees Jimmy laying his head on his late wife's legs, looking up at her as he reminisces about their time together.

As they relax in an idyllic field, Jimmy tells Breena that he has missed her terribly since her untimely death.

Pierce reprises her role as Breena, and while Jimmy looks back at their love, Breena tries to get him to open his eyes, revealing shortly thereafter that he had fainted at the NCIS lab after breathing in a deadly biotoxin.

The scene is notably moving because Breena died off screen in Season 18, and because of the show's time jump viewers weren't able to see her and Jimmy share an emotional farewell. But this episode changes all that.

What Brian Dietzen Has Said About Breena's Return

Dietzen was heavily involved in the creation of "The Helpers," having co-written the episode alongside Scott Williams.

The actor spoke with TVLine about making the episode, and in particular his thoughts on Breena's return.

"One of the big reasons why I wanted to put this [scene] in there was because Jimmy never got to say goodbye to his wife on-camera, and the audience never got to see her and say goodbye either," he told the publication.

"The reasoning behind that is not just to give a cool cinematic opening... I wanted to have Michelle back to the set, and she wanted to come as well.

"The fact that we were able to have Michelle come back was just such a blessing, as she definitely has been one of my favorites to work with on the show."

Dietzen also commented on how "The Helpers" allowed Jimmy, Breena and their daughter Victoria (played by Elle Graper) to be together on screen once more, because the family appeared in the episode even if they weren't in the same scene.

He added that the episode acted as a way for Jimmy, who has mourned Breena's death for a year and is still wearing their wedding ring, to "say 'I'm moving,'" as he now has his wife's permission to focus on his future and be a more present father.

NCIS airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on CBS.