Over the course of more than 450 episodes and counting, ‘NCIS’ has covered a wide range of thematic territory. One of the show’s emotional high points continues to be an episode from Season 4 that has fans talking more than 15 years after its debut.
In ‘NCIS’ Season 4, Episode 16, titled ‘Dead Man Walking’, Naval Lieutenant Roy Sanders (Matthew Marsden) requests the Naval Cr1minal Investigative Service to identify his murd3rer as he succumbs to radiation poisoning.
He suspects foul play to prevent him from fulfilling his duties as an inspector for the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Special Agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) develops feelings for Sanders, adding a poignant layer to his inevitable d3ath. In later episodes, Ziva wears an orange beanie in his memory.
On Reddit, user u/nodaybuttoday_ proposed that “Dead Man Walking” is one of the saddest episodes of “NCIS.” They expressed sympathy for Sanders in particular and praised Marsden’s performance.
Meanwhile, user u/ptazdba responded that Ziva is the episode’s standout. “It was the first episode in which they showed Ziva’s softer side,” they wrote. “It was a fantastic story and a lesson in the rewards of simple human kindness.”
Many NCIS fans have expressed their emotions in response to Dead Man Walking.
This isn’t the only Reddit thread dedicated to the idea that “Dead Man Walking” is one of the saddest episodes of “NCIS.” User Shy_Moon_, for example, argued in the top comment of another such thread that neither Roy Sanders nor Ziva David deserved their respective fates.
The original poster of the thread then responded, “I cried for a long time, and neither of them deserved it.”
The first post in a similar Reddit thread, which simply shares the episode’s title, reads, “I am crying so hard. Ziva is in a bad way.” Two commenters then stated that the episode is one of their favorites because of the emotions it elicits in them.
Such sentiment appears to be shared by “NCIS” fans on a variety of social media platforms, ranging from additional Reddit threads dedicated to the episode to posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On the X platform, for example, user @fake_morgs shared “Dead Man Walking” as an example of a TV episode that makes them more emotional than most others.
Meanwhile, on the X platform, user @REES1776 praised the episode in response to an unrelated post by Matthew Marsden. “One of my favorite episodes,” they commented. “Excellent acting that hits you right in the feels.”
