Gibbs and FBI Agent Tobias Fornell won’t know what hit ‘em in the Nov. 1 episode of NCIS, when a case brings their ex-wife Diane Sterling (Melinda McGraw) to their doorstep, and EW has your exclusive first look at the trio’s encounter.

Executive producer Gary Glasberg says Sterling, who fans know was married at separate times to both Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Fornell (Joe Spano), will be quite a force to be reckoned with. “When this part first came up it was a big question of who we could find that would be able to spar and really make something of the banter that we wanted between this character’s two ex-husbands,” he tells EW. “[Gibbs and Fornell] are two formidable, very unique characters, and it would take a very specific type of woman to handle both of them.”

One of the most humorous aspects of the episode, he adds, was the sense of an established, frank relationship shared among the trio. “There’s no hesitation and no qualms of holding back in anyway. She just lets them have it.” What’s even better? “They just take it,” Glasberg laughs. “It’s almost as if they’re used to it. I mean, they dish it back when they can, but that’s what’s fun about the way that Steve Binder and Reed Snyder wrote this character. There’s a familiarity that exists and you feel like you’ve been a part of it before.”

Glasberg says her visit will also be an informative one, as “a lot of feelings and memories come back as to why they were drawn to each other in the first place” and “will learn something about Gibbs and this specific wife,” he teases.

Looking forward to the episode, NCIS fans?

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