Question: I am completely shocked and saddened that Cote de Pablo is leaving NCIS. What is behind her departure? — Tina
Matt Roush: By all accounts, including her own statement, this was Cote de Pablo’s choice to depart the show after eight seasons, although she will appear in at least a few episodes in the upcoming season to wrap up the character’s story — and, one presumes, relationships with the core cast (let’s hope without a fatality, since that’s been done, literally to death). This is not uncommon for stars of long-running and successful shows — think ER, which lost just about every one of its original players over time — but it’s definitely an unfortunate development for this series and for fans, especially of the Tiva “shipper” variety. Which leads to this next question, which arrives in the mailbag before the news of de Pablo’s departure.
Question: About the Tiva issue [Tony and Ziva for the non-NCIS initiated]: A few seasons ago, Tony and Ziva were in Paris on agency business, where they had to share the last available hotel room. When Tiva returned stateside, Tony and Ziva casually tell different stories about who slept where. I believe Ziva says that she let Tony have the bed, or he would be complaining about his back for the next week. However, Tony says that he slept on the couch. I expected more to follow that season. But nada followed. I played back the episode several times after the season finale and failed to find total satisfactory closure on the issue. Rather than belabor the issue and diminish my viewing pleasures, I choose to believe that Tony and Ziva had a fantastically rewarding and very private romantic interlude in Paris, which they, thankfully, do not share with their fellow agents, colleagues or the viewing masses, unlike their mentors Jethro and Jenny. Would love to hear additional views or information on this particular episode/issue. — Claudette
Matt Roush: Ah yes, they’ll always have Paris, whatever did or didn’t transpire there, and the show’s producers were very cagey, purposefully so, about keeping the details a mystery, so as to stimulate the imaginations of fans and shippers to this very day. I’m sure you’re not alone in imagining what might have (and very possibly did) happen in the City of Light. One way for the producers to go as they bid Ziva farewell is to shed new light on this infamous incident, giving shippers the gift they’ve so long awaited. Even so, separating Ziva from Tony will not be a happy day for many of the fanbase.