It’s not the time for Nick Torres to exit NCIS, but eventually, Wilmer Valderrama may want to move on.
Then again, creative challenges could lead to a cast switch-up, resulting in the loss of one of the team’s main members.
If the time ever comes for Torres to be written off — not that it has to — the show has already crafted a perfect exit storyline, thanks to the return of Ellie Bishop.
The Door Is Open for Nick Torres to Move On
There’s no sign that Nick Torres is going to leave the team (so breathe), but if he does, NCIS has already set up the perfect exit.
Ellie Bishop’s return during NCIS Season 23 Episode 10 brought closure for all characters.
Everyone finally learned where Bishop had gone, and it finally made sense as to why she had to keep it a secret.
All of the characters got to say their goodbyes this time, including Torres, who took the loss the hardest for good reason.
He and Bishop were an item, and Bishop had made it clear that, while they could keep secrets from the rest of the team, they wouldn’t keep secrets from each other.
She broke that promise, which had to hurt. Torres deserved to know what happened. They meant a lot to each other, and losing someone that way weighs on you.
But Torres finally got his closure, and he also got an offer to leave with Bishop.
With mended fences, they could go off and save the world together, working in the more secretive parts of government organizations.
While Torres said no, it seemed like a “for now” situation. You could tell in the way that he and Bishop parted.
Torres’s role is with the team for now, while Bishop’s is out on the road. Eventually, their paths could cross again.
The way Bishop left kept the door open for her to return again, which would allow Torres to change his mind, assuming he puts everything on hold to wait for her.
NCIS wouldn’t need to do much retrofitting to make the storyline work, since Bishop’s return came organically in the regular story.
Nothing has to come from this possibility, though. There isn’t a rush to push Torres out the door or even any reason to bring Bishop back any time soon.
While there was a hint that Torres could join her if the time is ever right, there was also a sense that everyone could just go their separate ways, but this time, they could stay in touch.
The Importance of Well-Crafted Exits
Too many TV shows have written characters out without even a goodbye, so the idea of Torres leaving with a reason is comforting.
The Dick Wolf universe is the worst at shuffling characters off the canvas without a goodbye, with shows like Chicago P.D. and Law & Order even losing characters mid-hiatus.
They tend to get one-line exits mentioned by someone else when the next episode premieres, and that’s if they’re lucky.
Lisseth Chavez’s Vanessa Rojas didn’t get anything when she was written out between Chicago PD Season 7 and Chicago PD Season 8. She just didn’t come back. It was awkward.
At least NCIS has been better at crafting exits. We don’t always like them — because we don’t often want to say goodbye — but they get farewell episodes.
It’s important for TV shows to offer that, which is why I appreciate setting the stage early just in case.
As viewers, we become connected to characters and mourn their losses, even if we lose them to a fun adventure.
We spent years mourning the loss of Ziva when she supposedly died off-camera, although there was always hope that she would come back. When you don’t have a body, anything can happen.
