Question: I was soooo sad to hear Cote de Pablo is leaving NCIS. She has been so cute the way she interacts with Michael (Tony) and of course everyone else on the show. I will definitely miss her cute smile on the show. I just hope they don’t kill her off like they did Sasha Alexander (Kate). I hope they will leave the door open if she decides to come back in the future. A faithful fan of NCIS forever. — Cindy

Matt Roush: Again a popular topic in the e-mailbag this week. I would bet, especially in light of the way the Kate and Jenny characters left the show — violently — that even if Ziva’s exit isn’t peaceful, it will at least come with an open-door policy. The most popular suggestion among those writing in this week is for her to return to Israel as the new head of Mossad or some such position. (Sounds like a good idea to me.) Not everyone is so accepting, though.

Question: I’ve pretty much decided I’m done with NCIS because I get the feeling that Cote was not offered a good contract. I love this show, but I almost quit watching after they killed off Kate (Sasha Alexander) and I really can’t stand their (NCIS producers) way of killing off characters. Tell me that it is really true that Cote just wants to do other things and I will watch. Be truthful, because I have decided not to watch anything of this show (reruns included) ever again if they kill off Ziva and if this is just a money thing. — Robert

Matt Roush: I’ve seen at least one unconfirmed report that money had something to do with it — when a show is this successful for this long, contract negotiations never get easier — but by all accounts, the decision was hers, and until she gives an interview to elaborate on her reasons, we should at least be appreciative that the parting is amicable enough that she’ll stick around to play out her storyline. It seems a pretty universal opinion (at least in my mailbag) that she had better not be killed off, which would be a huge turn-off to fans. And finally …

Question: I have been a fan of NCIS since it began and I am a little sad that Cote de Pablo has decided to move on from the show, and I wish her continued success with her career. As a fan, the only possible ending the producers should consider is to have Ziva end her career as an NCIS agent and replace her father as director of Mossad. I seriously hope they do not “kill” her character off! My questions/comments to you: 1. Why can’t CBS just replace Cote with another actress? Ziva could go undercover, be presumed “dead,” then have another actress replace her, Ziva is so important to Team Gibbs. 2. Will we ever see Tony and Ziva share a kiss that we as viewers have waited to see? — DeDe

Matt Roush: The kiss I would hope is a given. As for recasting the role: I can think of no scenario that would be more likely to upset fans and disrespect the actor than having her appear so replaceable that they could just bring someone else in to play Ziva. (After what, an explosion forcing complete reconstructive surgery? This isn’t NCIS: Dynasty.) I would be surprised if this idea had even been floated. Better to bring a new female character on board, acknowledging the fact that Ziva’s will be some mighty big boots to fill.

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