Contains spoilers for “NCIS” Season 22, Episode 14 — “Close to Home”

Part of NCIS Chief Medical Examiner Jimmy Palmer’s (Brian Dietzen) story revolves around him doing his best to raise his daughter Victoria Palmer (Elle Graper) after losing his wife. Victoria has been a big part of his character arc despite rarely appearing on the show. When she did eventually show up in Season 19, it was a special moment for Dietzen, because he co-penned the story. “It was the first episode that I co-wrote with Scott Williams called ‘The Helpers,’ and we found Elle in the midst of COVID casting,” Dietzen told TV Insider. “She was so wonderful and we were so lucky to have her out on our set and she made such an impression on us.”

Graper reprised the role of Victoria in Season 22’s “Close to Home.” She’s now very much a teenager, and their relationship reflects that – Victoria thinks that her dad is painfully uncool. She sees his position as a medical examiner as somewhat lame compared to the cool agents in the field around him, like Jimmy’s ex Jessica Knight (Katrina Law). However, her perception of her dad’s work has changed by the time the credits roll, with Jimmy playing a vital part in identifying a serial killer called The Saratoga Specter.

The interactions between Jimmy and his teenage daughter feel very genuine, and that’s because Dietzen has a daughter around the same age as Graper in real life. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her. And so I was really feeling that a lot, the protective father thing that all dads go through and those precious connections,” Dietzen told TV Insider when asked about their on-screen relationship, adding, “We’re just really, really connected, and I feel really blessed that I have that in my life, and I’m really glad that Jimmy has it, too.”

Elle Graper has appeared on “NCIS” twice as Victoria so far, and she has also started to establish an acting career for herself outside of her dad’s work. She played the young version of Busy Phillips’ Summer Dutkowsky in an episode of “Girls5Eva,” and she played the character Lucy in the festive Hallmark movie “A Holiday Spectacular.” She also popped up in the “Sopranos” prequel film “The Many Saints of Newark,” though her appearance as a Catholic school girl was uncredited. Going back even further, Graper was in an episode of “Sesame Street,” appearing as one of the kids in Season 51’s “Family Day.”

There’s more to her than Victoria Palmer, though it’s definitely the role that’s had the biggest impact on her so far, both in terms of her career and the relationships she’s made. Graper clearly loves working with Brian Dietzen as much as he loves working with her, and she isn’t shy about letting the world know. She called Dietzen “the best TV dad ever” in a sweet Instagram post she shared on the day that “Close to Home” aired. “There is literally no place I would rather be than working on this show with the incredible cast and crew,” she added.