WARNING: This article contains major spoilers in the eighth episode of NCIS season 18. Read at your own risk.
Maria Bello's Jack Sloane officially departed in the most recent episode of NCIS season 18. Prior to the premiere of the current installment, it has been confirmed that the actress is leaving the police procedural drama. Yet, her exit isn't related to something controversial.
Fans were shocked the first time it was announced that NCIS season 18 would be the final one for Bello's character. One of the major reasons why she departed from the series is that the actress wanted to do some other things in her career.
Sloane was first introduced in season 15 after Bello signed a three-year contract in the police procedural. When her contract ended, she still returned in the current installment and be part of eight episodes in order to give fans closure to her arc.
Sloane's final episode is episode 8, titled "True Believer." She and Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) went on a mission in Afghanistan when her name was discovered at the site of an abandoned bus with a dead driver. They searched for the group of girls who were kidnapped on the bus.
This is where Sloane's decision begins to play out. When the duo rescued the young girls, she made a huge choice for her life and career. She decided to stay in Afghanistan to help the people in need and to also get the change of pace she needed.
Sloane's biggest issue in working every day within the department is that she needs to use her energy to someone from doing terrible things. She grew tired of doing this and she could now use her energy in doing something good -- which is a huge difference for her.
Sloane's final episode in NCIS season 18 also showed her and Gibbs kissing, which is a confirmation that the two do have feelings for each other. But then, this means goodbye for them as they're going to live their lives in different parts of the world.
In the next episode, the department is moving forward without Sloane. Titled "Winter Chill," the team will be diving into the competitive world of food trucks. They go on a mission after finding a man frozen to death in the back of one. This is going to be the latest case-of-the-week they have to take on.
NCIS season 18 airs every Tuesday night on CBS.
