NCIS season 17 spoilers: Cote de Pablo on Ziva’s motives

The premiere of NCIS season 17 is just a couple of weeks away and we couldn’t be more excited to board this train to Ziva Town and see what’s in store. Over the course of the premiere we’re going to have a chance to experience a mission like no other as Ziva finds herself hunted, and she looks to Gibbs to both save her own life and also his. It’s a chance to get a good sense of where this character has been, what her goals now are, and who is hunting her — we know that the villain’s name is Sahar, but it doesn’t feel 100% clear that Ziva even knows who is after her or why.

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There’s one thing that we’re getting a greater sense of now — why Ziva isn’t getting a chance to spend time with her daughter Tali. It’s the separation that the two have that is especially sad, since we know that Ziva would love to be close to her and would give anything to make that reunion happen. Yet, she also recognizes that if she is danger, so would her daughter.

Speaking via TV Guide in its latest issue (via TVInsider), Cote knows that her character is “trying to keep her daughter a secret and safe from the people who are trying to get to Gibbs and to her.” By not seeing her daughter, she makes sure that nobody can hurt her. A mother would do anything she had to in order to protect her child and Ziva has given the ultimate sacrifice for Tali to ensure her safety. In no universe is this an easy decision for any parent, but Ziva stepped up to the plate to do what she had to for Tali, even if that meant she missed years of her life.

Do we think that a reunion between Ziva, Tali, and (potentially) Tony is in the cards? We can’t rule that out, but we’d be shocked if that was crammed into the premiere. Judging from the fact that Cote is going to be in multiple episodes across season 17, we don’t think stopping the threats that she is forced to take on is going to be altogether easy or quick. We’ve said it before, but we will say it again – we want a slow ride. We waited years for Ziva’s return and we don’t want her story rushed.

Related News – Be sure to check out more news on episode 2, one that is going to feature Ziva once more!

What do you want to see with Ziva’s story on NCIS season 17?

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This article was written by Jessica Carter. Be sure to follow her on Twitter.