The NCIS Team Went To Great Lengths To Keep Kate's Season 2 Death A Secret

As "NCIS" found its footing in the early 2000s, hoping to step out from the shadow of its predecessor, "JAG," the minds behind it went above and beyond to keep viewers tuning in. In addition to assembling a cast of characters fans could relate to and root for, the "NCIS" team put together intriguing stories that proved more than worth setting the remote down to watch. One of the most memorable comes during Season 2 and focuses on the death of Caitlin "Kate" Todd (Sasha Alexander), a secret the crew worked desperately to maintain.

"Only one script page of her being shot was ever printed, and they read it in person, and it was returned every time. The film was broken off from the rest of the film shot for that day. Also, we actually shot an alternate ending," "NCIS" executive producer Mark Horowitz shared with The Hollywood Reporter. He added that not even his wife knew that Kate was on the chopping block. Thus, when they watched her death scene together in the Season 2 episode "Twilight," she just about jumped out of her chair — a reaction numerous other fans of the program likely had upon watching the moment.

Even years after Kate's unexpected demise first reached the airwaves, it's still taking "NCIS" fans by surprise.

Kate Todd's death in "Twilight" has earned its place as one of the most harrowing moments in "NCIS" history. In the episode, she and her NCIS teammates embark on a mission to clear out a warehouse that contains a terrorist cell. Though it seems that they succeed, it turns out that a sniper, Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin), has been positioned to take Kate out as soon as her security detail departs, which he ultimately does. It's a scene that left unsuspecting viewers immensely shocked in 2005, and it's still making folks feel that way almost two decades later.

One Redditor made a thread regarding Kate's assassination and how it shocked them. In response, numerous "NCIS" fans chimed in with feelings of their own, noting how surprised they were when they witnessed the scene for the first time. A fan wrote, "Kate's death was so jarring.... I still miss her." The original poster and several others said that Kate became their favorite character, so it's especially difficult to accept that her time in the "NCIS" spotlight comes to an end in such a sudden and brutal fashion. "Yeah, that was a big shock when it happened. I did not see that coming. It was so sudden and brutal. I loved Kate," u/RosieBuddy said. 

On a YouTube clip of the character's death, similar comments appear. "I remembered when I first watched this I was completely shocked, starring blankly at the tv with no idea what the hell had just happened... Definitely one of those tv deaths I will never get over," one fan wrote.