NCIS season 16: Three reasons why a Cote de Pablo return is necessary
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At the end of this past installment of the show, we had a chance to see for the first time real, tangible evidence that the character is still out there — and of course that leads to most of the internet clamoring for more. how could it not? If you’ve got a beloved character in the mix, why wouldn’t you want to lean into that a little bit more? The question here does still remain, though, as to how and when to make it happen.
Our argument is simple — you can’t sit on it forever. We know that NCIS is not a serialized show and they don’t often tell the same story from one week to the next, but we do think that they’re going to need to bring you back some shred of story here by the end of the season. If you don’t, the entire buildup and the big reveal will feel like a waste! They should’ve just waited, then, to when they actually planned to address it further.
Below, we like to think that we lay out our argument well using three specific reasons why the time for Cote to return is sooner rather than later.
1. The tease is already out there – It’s awesome that the writers made the gutsy move to bring this character back, but do you really think that this is and this alone is going to enough to satisfy people? Far from it. This is basically giving someone a tiny taste of something tasty only to then yank the rest away before they have a chance to sink their teeth into it. There does need to be something more, something that drives excitement and attention to the show in a way that there hasn’t been in a while.
2. The ratings – It almost goes without saying but bringing Ziva to the show almost certainly equals bringing more ratings to the show. The episode “She,” where she was seemingly revealed to be alive, posted some of the best ratings of the season. It’s clear that this is a beloved character and even suggesting that she could return is something that brings eyeballs to the show. Just imagine how much attention could be paid to an episode in which she actually shows up … provided that it is actually teased in advance.
For those wondering, we remain somewhat conflicted on this subject. We do think that there is an incredible rush that comes from a surprise Ziva reveal. Yet, simultaneously, we don’t think that CBS would completely want to do that. You’re taking away numbers that will be there if they know that there’s a chance that she could show up. That’s why what they did with “She” was, upon reflection, so brilliant. They promoted it using Ziva, but didn’t tell you how she was going to factor in. We were admittedly prepared to lose it at this episode being mostly fluff until that big reveal at the end of the episode. That changed just about everything.
3. The closure – We don’t exactly expect Cote to come back to NCIS as a regular; we just want there to be so much more closure than there’s been. We think that we deserve an opportunity to be able to see a more fitting end to her story (at least for now), one that potentially brings her closer to Tony and the happiness that she deserves. That’s not closure we got either in the season 11 finale or in “Family First.” This is a chance to pay it all off and satisfy so many who were disappointed by the original outcome.
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How do you think we could be seeing Cote de Pablo return as Ziva, and do you think such a return is necessary this season? Share in the comments. (Photo: CBS.)