NCIS: Sydney promotes side character to official team member

NCIS: Sydney has been a beacon of light in the fall TV season. While the actors strike led to the delay of most procedural shows, NCIS: Sydney, which was already completed before the strike, has drawn high ratings and even set a streaming record for a CBS show on the Paramount Plus platform.

Part of the show’s appeal lies in its solid storytelling. The characters have been well-established, and the storyline has been intriguing and easy to follow. NCIS: Sydney has even decided to take a fan favorite supporting character and promote her to the role of official team member in the third episode!

What is Blue’s job on NCIS: Sydney?

The character in question is Bluebird “Blue” Gleeson (Mavournee Hazel). Blue was introduced as an AFP forensic scientist in the pilot, which means she worked crimes scenes for the Australian Federal Police and often worked with Michelle Mackey (Olivia Swann) and the rest of the NCIS team. That being said, there was a clear divide between the two professions… until episode 3.

Most of the episode is spent with Blue being down on herself because the forensic scientist she’s been filling in for is coming back. She even plans a farewell party for herself, and Mackey and the rest of the NCIS team downplay the farewell as though they aren’t particularly mindful of her sad state.

Special Agent DeShawn Jackson (Sean Sagar) finally breaks the tension. “I can’t do this anymore,” he says. “You Aussies, you’re cruel. He then brings out a “Welcome Aboard” cake for Blue, which confirms that the character has officially been brought on to the NCIS team.

It’s a sweet moment, and one that NCIS: Sydney showrunner Morgan O’Neill had been excited to stage since the pilot. According to him, Blue was always going to be stick around because of how charming Mavournee Hazel is in the role.

“We had a lot of fun writing that episode, and Blue was so great,” he told TV Insider. “I’m biased, totally, but I find [Hazel] is so watchable on screen, and I love her character from the moment she walks in. But Episode 3 is that classic case of office miscommunication… And everyone’s so busy that they don’t really get the chance to explain exactly what has happened, which is that they’ve all decided that she’s amazing and that they want her on the team. They’ve just never got around to talk.”

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Blue’s promotion to full-time team member also reinforces the theme that the NCIS: Sydney team are ultimately, a group of misfits that have failed to fit in elsewhere. Mackey pretty much spells it out during the episode, when she makes the case for Blue.

Sgt. Jim “JD” Dempsey (Todd Lasance) asserts that the NCIS organization is not a refuge for “misfits with personality disorders,” and Mackey counters by saying: “You sure about that?”

We’re excited to see where the character of Blue goes, and how she will play a larger role in the rest of season 1.

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