Is Ziva’s Story Finished on ‘NCIS’? Pros & Cons for ‘In the Wind’ as Her Farewell (PHOTOS)
PRO: That final scene certainly seemed like a goodbye
Once Phineas was safe, it was time for Ziva to reunite with her family, and she said her goodbyes to almost everyone — Palmer was driving her to the airport — in the bullpen. After sharing a moment with each person, Ziva took a moment to look around the office before stepping into the elevator and leaving.
CON: But her last exit seemed pretty final, too
The last time Ziva left, she had made up her mind not to return to NCIS. And then she was (presumably) killed off-screen. She could have very well been dead had this return arc not been crafted and had de Pablo not come back.
PRO: If she comes back, it would likely mean trouble
It’s hard to imagine NCIS bringing Ziva back for just a friendly visit; there was talk about McGee going to Paris to visit Tali at the end of “In the Wind,” not Ziva and Tony bringing Tali back to the States. Therefore, the only reason we’d likely see her again would be if she was in danger or had gotten word that one of the team was in danger due to something connected to her past.
CON: We’d love to see more of her with the present team
Though Ziva’s return initially had her mostly interacting with Gibbs, she did reunite with Ducky, McGee, Palmer, and Vance and meet Bishop, Torres, Jack, and Kasie. She’s offered advice about his love life to Torres, seen how important Jack is to Gibbs, and assured Bishop of her place on the team — and potential future training with Odette. Wouldn’t it be fun to see a rematch between Ziva and Torres? To see Ziva getting a look at what’s to come for Bishop? See McGee and Ziva in the field together again? And, of course, see more of Ziva and Palmer because their conversation in autopsy wasn’t nearly enough.
PRO: Let Ziva be “free”
With things coming “full circle” and “to an end” — she killed Ari to save Gibbs, and he killed Sahar to save her — she told Gibbs that she’d be “free” once they found Phineas. Bringing her back would likely only open old wounds.
CON: There’s still so much to explore with the new Ziva
Ziva compared her past few years to that of a combat vet and wondered if she could return to “some sense of normal.” Though Gibbs assured her she could, she wasn’t so sure. “My anxiety did not die with Sahar. What if I’m too damaged to go back to who I was?” She worried. And while that’s not exactly something NCIS would explore with a non-series regular character, perhaps seeing Ziva in a few years and seeing how she then operates in a similar high-stress situation to that of an agent could be worth seeing.
PRO: Let her be with Tony and Tali
Ziva had been fighting for years to reunite with her family, and by the end of the winter premiere, she was ready to do so. Why not let the three of them have their happily ever after together?
CON: We haven’t seen the three of them together on-screen yet
Though the fall finale revealed that Tony knew all this time that Ziva was alive — and had even seen her — they had only had limited contact. He sent her a photo and video of Tali once he was sure it was safe, and she left to go be with them, but fans are still waiting for that Tiva reunion on-screen.
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 17, Episode 11 of NCIS, “In the Wind.”]
Cote de Pablo’s five-episode return to NCIS is over, but is Ziva’s story?
The winter premiere did seem to wrap things up in a neat bow for the former agent after she stayed in DC to help Gibbs (Mark Harmon) find the missing Phineas. And we even learned that was partly because she wasn’t sure she was ready to return to Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Tali. But by the end of the episode, she was on her way to the airport for her family reunion.
Click through the gallery above as we make a case for and against “In the Wind” being Ziva’s final episode.
NCIS, Tuesdays, 8/7c, CBS
