10 Things We Need to See When Ziva Returns to ‘NCIS’ (PHOTOS)
A conversation between Ziva and Bishop
Bishop was the one who knew Ziva was alive last season, and the two did briefly talk in “Into the Light,” but that’s not enough. And with Ziva alive, we’d get to see something we haven’t before: two people who sat at that desk — and were at one point both new members of the team — talking.
Ziva working with the team
Ziva was very much separate from the team except for a couple instances in the first two episodes. We got a brief look at what it would look like to see her work with Bishop and Torres when they picked up Dwight in Episode 2. Let’s expand on that and see her meeting Kasie (who was the only one who wasn’t eager to meet her).
Ziva reuniting with Palmer and Vance
Palmer tried his hardest to get face time with Ziva, but it just wasn’t meant to be. And Vance was too busy focusing on the case due to his position as director of the agency. But let’s hope that changes when she returns. She may not have been as close to them as the others, but they’re still a family. Plus, Palmer has monthly calls with Tony.
Ziva meeting McGee’s kids
It was sweet to watch them talk about being parents briefly, but let’s hope they have more time to discuss their families and even have Ziva meet his kids. After all, McGee stressed that he sees her as his sister, so it’s only right. Plus, it would be interesting to hear what she thinks about McGee taking over Tony’s apartment and all the crimes that have happened there.
Proof Ziva’s gotten her life back …
Ziva’s been in hiding because she was targeted, but Sahar’s group has all been taken care of. She has no reason to not return to her life now. It won’t be easy, but there’s no reason for her to remain underground.
… But she’s not necessarily 100% back
Just because Ziva can have her life back now — though she will likely still have enemies due to who she is — doesn’t mean that what she went through didn’t happen and won’t (and shouldn’t) have long-term consequences. It was quite a lot, and she’s slated to return in the late fall/early winter. She can’t be completely back to who she was before the past few years (if she ever can be). But let’s see that she’s at least doing better than she was in the first two episodes of the season.
Confirmation that Ziva returned to Tony and Tali
Whether we see it happen onscreen or not will likely depend on Michael Weatherly’s availability, but it’s time we hear more about Tony and what he knows than “it’s complicated” and she “will” tell him. Considering she was fighting to get back to her daughter and the threat is gone, there’s no reason for her to have to live with photos taken as close as she dares to get.
Ziva sharing more scenes with McGee and Ducky
Due to everything happening in the first two episodes of the season, Ziva didn’t have much time to talk to anyone except for Gibbs. We saw how hurt McGee was that everyone else got time with her, and their conversation in the diner wasn’t nearly long enough (nor was her talk with Ducky in Gibbs’ basement).
Tali!
This will probably depend on what brings her back. If she returns just for a visit, she could easily bring her daughter with her to meet her D.C. family. But if she returns to help with a case, it’s likely she’ll leave Tali with Tony. That is, of course, assuming he doesn’t return as well, though they could always leave Tali with Senior.
Resolution for Gibbs and Ziva
Things were tense between the two because she expected him to look for her, but he couldn’t put himself through losing her again if he discovered she wasn’t alive. She waited for him, and he never came, which he admitted was a mistake. But they were still walking on eggshells around each other when she left; she wasn’t even going to say goodbye. And this isn’t something that should be resolved off-screen.
[Warning: The below and gallery above contain MAJOR spoilers for Season 17, Episode 2 of NCIS, “Into the Light.”]
Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) has once again left NCIS behind.
While the beginning of the season did reveal why she faked her death and why Sahar wanted her dead, that was barely the beginning. But at least we know she’ll be back. de Pablo is returning for two more episodes of NCIS in late fall/early winter.
And when she does, we’ve put together a list of things we need to see, including a much-needed conversation considering how she and Gibbs (Mark Harmon) left things, in the gallery above.
NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS
