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'NCIS' Season 17 Episode 3 spoilers tease a therapy session for agents to uplift team morale after Ziva's departure

As fans are still reeling under the rush and excitement of getting Cote de Pablo's character back after four full years, things aren't looking up from the third episode.

'NCIS' Season 17's upcoming episode 3 gets really meta with its newly released promotional teaser as we see everyone's favorite Jack Sloane, ready to offer some counseling on matters more pressing than crime-solving: the sudden gust of wind that was Ziva David.

As fans are still reeling under the rush and excitement of getting Cote de Pablo's character back after four full years, things aren't looking up from the third episode onwards. In that, Ziva will be back for two more episodes this season, but both appearances are listed for the latter half of the 117th installment. And with her sudden comeback and even more shocking exit-slash-hiatus in such a short period of time, fans are having a hard time nailing the coffin on how to feel about the little stint. 

Worry not, Jack has the answers. The teaser for episode 3 'Going Mobile' shows Jack addressing agents Ellie, Nick, and Timothee under the pretext of what she labels are 'unresolved feelings.' She tells them that Vance brought up the topic of 'agent morale' and wants her to 'evaluate things' in the wake of Ziva's "sudden arrival and departure" which could have "upset the team chemistry."

Jack also tells them that if any of them feel like talking, her doors are wide open. Nick immediately assumes this is a result of Ellie and Timothee lying to Vance's face in the previous episode, for which he deduces they are being 'punished.' But even though Jack rhetorically apologizes to Nick as talking to her feels like a punishment to him, the clip's post from the show's official Twitter account has gotten fans talking about the sudden thunderstorm of emotions that was Ziva's very short-lived appearance on season 17.

User @unicareyna1 didn't quite approve of this plot being brought up, and stated: Here we go. Let’s just blame Ziva cuz they’re not being happy-go-lucky." Another fan @H_Jourde, however, made a very plausible assumption and noted: "She (de Pablo) is contracted, if I'm not mistaken, for 2 more episodes, but no more at this time. So if she's not killed off for good, she may be written as going to Paris to be with Tony and the kid."

'NCIS' season 17 airs on Tuesdays at 9pm only on CBS.