'NCIS' season 17: Nick Torres and Ellie Bishop's ship might finally set sail after almost two seasons of flirting
In the fake fight between Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), in NCIS season 17's 'Into the light' episode, Ziva taunted Nick about not telling Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) how he truly feels. To have fan-favorite Ziva instantly hone into the chemistry between Torres and Bishop seems like a promise to fans that season 17 will finally see Torres and Bishop become a couple after two seasons worth of flirting.
Fans have always complained about how the relationship between Ziva and Tony DiNozzo was never properly explored on-screen. Hopefully, it is a mistake that the show creators have learned from and will give the 'Ellick' ship the time and attention that the 'Tiva' ship never received. Emily Wickersham, who plays Bishop, revealed in a CBS interview that “something is percolating” between the two agents but was uncertain about where it would lead.
On any show, the journey of two people getting together is always more exciting to watch than the moments after they become an actual couple. So it makes sense that showrunner Steven D. Binder said in an interview, teasing plotlines about season 17 that he and co-showrunner Frank Cardea were in favor of "not rushing it" the 'Ellick' pairing but they were "thinking about it all the time".
Binder said: "Clearly, there’s something there between Bishop and Torres, but just like with real people in life when there’s something there, you just see where it goes. The road isn’t always linear. We’re seeing where the road is taking them. We get surprised in dailies sometimes with relationship things — sometimes it’s a look. Something or someone can change the whole trajectory and open up new possibilities for us."
Part of the interaction between the two depend on push-and-pull factors. Torres is someone who has been undercover and doesn't share his feelings easily. It explains why the writers had Ziva give him a little push during her guest appearance. She was someone looking at the two of them (and their interactions) from the outside and with fresh eyes. However, Bishop has a complicated past as well. Recently divorced, she has also seen one potential love interest, Qasim Naasir (Rafi Silver) being killed. The show creators have said that they will explore all these factors while building up this "workplace romance".
'NCIS' airs on Tuesday at 8 pm on CBS.