NCIS: Cote de Pablo discusses Michael Weatherly’s exit, Ziva’s ‘death’
The departure of Cote de Pablo and the Ziva David character remains one of the series’ saddest moments — she was an iconic part of the ensemble who brought so much passion and resolve to the team. She excelled out in the field, but also had a vulnerability that was incredibly appealing and relatable to viewers. Of course, there was also the prospective relationship between Ziva and Tony (Michael Weatherly) that became very much beloved by fans in its own right. Fans waited for years to see something happen between the two and while there was a moment in Ziva’s final episode, it feels pretty clear that many people out there wanted so much more.
Weatherly departed the series in season 13 (and is now the star of Bull), more than two years after Cote’s exit, with a storyline that was tied closely to her character. In it, he learned that Ziva had presumably died and had a daughter with Tony named Tali that he was previously unaware of. Presumably, Tony and Tali are off living a life somewhere else — Ziva’s memory is therefore still alive, and Tony has an opportunity to think about this great love of his life every single day.
So what does Cote think about the way in which Tony’s exit was handled? While at the Riviera International Film Festival in the midst of the Masterclass “For the love of acting: the business and the hearth,” the actress opened up a little bit about Michael’s departure and the storyline that surrounded it. Here is some of what she had to say on the subject:
“I think with Michael’s exit, he did the best with what they gave him. I think it was actually quite beautiful that this child that he didn’t know he had comes to reunite with her father. I think that’s nice.”
CarterMatt reported years ago that Cote decided against appearing in the final episodes, but she still watched the episode and texted with Weatherly about it. Part of the problem with Weatherly’s exit, at least to us, was that it felt relatively rushed in a short period of time. Yet, a big part of that may have simply had to do with the fact that NCIS is the sort of show that almost has to rush things. They are a procedural, and for syndication reasons they often don’t like to stretch storylines beyond an episode or two.
As for whether or not Ziva is still alive (something that we personally believe to be the case — Ziva wouldn’t leave this earth so easily), that’s something that Cote also addressed during the Masterclass appearance:
“For me, it’s very funny, it’s like no body, no crime. In a different world, it would have been great to see those characters reunite and see each other one more time. What happened from there, it is what it is, but I think it would have been interesting.”
Could this reunion still happen?
We’re never giving up hope, though it would take a Herculean effort for it to come together. For starters, the writers would need an incredible strong and smart story to court Cote back to the show. Following that, they would need the time in the season in order to tell it. From there, you’d also need to ensure Weatherly’s availability if you want to tie her return to Tony and Tali. The problem there is that he is over doing Bull on CBS, a series that films almost as many episodes as NCIS on the other side of the country. It would take some very shrewd scheduling and a heck of a lot of planning, but we are someone who likes to take a never-say-never approach with such things. It would be an wonderful TV moment, a chance to both get closure and to see an incredible Cote performance that many out there have been looking forward to seeing.
Related – Be sure to see more news regarding Perrette’s exit
If any more news does ever come out on the subject of Cote’s future, we will be sure to let you know. For now, we welcome your thoughts on the matter in the comments, and be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook for additional insight on all things NCIS — that is where you can also discuss the show with other viewers. (Photo: CBS.)