Spoiler Generali 10 Stagione

PREVIOUSLY ON NCIS Big bad Harper Dearing (played by Richard Schiff) scared off Dr. Ryan (Jamie Lee Curtis) and car-bombed the NCIS building, leaving Gibbs, Abby, Tony, Ziva and McGee in peril (and killing Scott Wolf’s Jonathan Cole). Upon hearing of the tragedy, Ducky suffered a heart attack.

COMING UP NEXT | … is perhaps not as much dramatic tension as show boss Gary Glasberg would like, given the public nature of the actors’ contract renewals that took place over the summer. “That’s just the nature of the business,” he shrugs. “All I can do is tell the best stories I can.” To that end, he promises “much more significant” ramifications to the explosion that even the savviest of fans might imagine. “It really rocks [the agents’] world, and the trauma of it will carry throughout the season.” For starters, “Things become very personal” for Gibbs now that Dearing has brought the fight to NCIS’ literal back yard, Ducky experiences “an emotional discovery” in the wake of his health scare, Abby is prompted to “look deeper into herself and her family,” and Tony and Ziva “emotionally connect” during their hours trapped in the elevator. (And once they’re free? “I hope fans embrace the Tony/Ziva relationship stuff that we have in mind,” Glasberg teases.)

Jericho and Third Watch alum Brad Beyer has booked a two-episode arc on NCIS during November sweeps, TVGuide.com has learned.

Beyer will play Marine Capt. Joe Westcott, an upstanding unit leader who returns from a tour in Afghanistan after his best friend and many more of his men lose their lives. As Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and other federal investigators question him, he begins to unravel and perhaps shows signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some of Westcott's issues may stem from his tense relationship with his gruff father, himself also a former Marine. As such, executive producer Gary Glasberg tells us Gibbs and Westcott will make a "real connection" over the course of these two episodes.

Given the events of last year's NCIS finale, during which a car bomb exploded at NCIS headquarters, it's safe to say that some of the team members may also be dealing with their own post-traumatic feelings. Could some of those issues perhaps bubble to the surface during this arc?