NCIS: Hawai’i introduced the sometimes difficult relationship between Special Agent Lucy Tara and FBI Special Agent Kate Whistler right at the start before settling things between them in the emotional season finale. In the end, Kate and Lucy agreed to give their relationship another shot, culminating with Kate singing “Make You Feel My Love” to Lucy. In an exclusive interview with PopCulture, Tori Anderson, who plays Kate, broke down the “tumultuous journey” for the two characters before Season 2 debuts in September.
The relationship went through its “ups and downs, many downs,” Anderson noted, but she was “happy to see it resolved” in the Season 1 finale. “Especially because throughout the whole season, Kate really realized how much she genuinely loves Lucy,” Anderson explained. Kate has also realized that Lucy, played by Yasmine Al-Bustami, is a “remarkable” person who can change her life for the better. “I will say it was very nice to start [Season 2] in a very happy place, in a day-to-day realm, in a domestic place, [and] that they’re good, so that was a relief.”
Kate’s performance of the Bob Dylan song at the end of Season 1 was an “exciting” gesture for the character, Anderson said. It took Kate out of her comfort zone, but Anderson admitted to being “nervous” when performing the Say Anything-inspired moment. She “accidentally” revealed that she sang opera while in university, prompting writer Matt Bosack to include her singing in the episode. Anderson was also curious to see how NCIS viewers would respond to a big romantic gesture like that since they are so rarely seen in the franchise.
In the future, Lucy’s influence on Kate will see the character “change a little bit,” but Kate’s steadfastness will remain, Anderson said. “When she’s at work, it is work. And they do deal with really high stake situations. So I think there’s always that internal pressure,” Anderson explained. Kate has also grown more comfortable around the other members of NCIS Pearl Harbor. She’s not always coming in with a roll of red tape to derail an investigation in Season 2. “There’s a bit more softness and a bit more looseness,” she said.
NCIS: Hawai’i is breaking the NCIS mold in several ways, not just with Vanessa Lachey’s Jane Tennant as the first female team leader. The show is starting off with a young cast, and Kate and Lucy’s same-sex relationship is still a rarity in network crime dramas. Anderson is “immensely proud and excited to be bringing” the relationship to life.
“Queer characters taking up the same space as heterosexual relationships is so vital,” Anderson continued. “So it’s a success story. I think if you see the reaction, it just shows that this is essential and that this is something that deserves to hold the same space as heterosexual relationships. And we need to see the world that we live in reflected on screen.”
Fans will get to see how the relationship between Kate and Lucy continues to play out when Season 2 premieres on CBS on Sept. 19 at 10 p.m. ET. The premiere is the second part of a crossover with NCIS. The complete Hawai’i first season is available to stream on Paramount+. NCIS: Hawai’i – Season One will be available on DVD starting Sept. 6, with CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment dropping the six-disc collection. It will feature 45 minutes of bonus content, featurettes, deleted or extended scenes, and a gag reel.
