NCIS fans are asking about Ziva due to her appearance during the fall finale this evening. Viewers who missed the beginning of Season 17 may have not seen that she returned to the show.
Likewise, viewers who are tuning in tonight for the first time in a while may have been shocked that Ziva David is back with the NCIS team.
When Cote de Pablo originally left the show, it appeared that she had been killed. In recent seasons, though, there were hints that she was still around and might have faked her death.
When did Ziva come back to NCIS?
During the Season 16 finale of the show, Gibbs was in his basement following a really rough case. He had been seeing his ex-wife, who had died during a previous season, leading viewers to believe he was hallucinating a lot.
In the final moments of the episode, Ziva David appeared at the top of the stairs. She had a message for Gibbs and issued a statement that he was in danger. But was she really there? Did Gibbs imagine it all?
The myth. The legend. #NCIS pic.twitter.com/2nGPZlQjcs
— NCIS (@NCIS_CBS) December 18, 2019
Over the summer months that followed that quick glimpse, it was revealed that Cote de Pablo was indeed guest-starring on the NCIS cast for Season 17. Ziva then appeared in the first two episodes to help get Gibbs (and herself) out of a jam.
Following Season 17 Episode 2, Ziva went back to doing her own thing and viewers hadn’t seen her on the show since then. She has returned for the fall finale, hoping to elicit the help of Gibbs to finish something that will allow her to re-join her family.
While this isn’t exactly Ziva re-joining the show as a full-time player, it shows that she is still part of the team and a big draw for viewers. Fans are definitely going to want to watch Season 17, Episode 10 and then tune back in for the winter premiere when it finally arrives in January.
NCIS airs Tuesday nights at 8/7c on CBS.