One of the greatest moments in the end of NCIS Season 16 and for four episodes of NCIS Season 17 was the return of Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Here’s why one of the show’s producers said it was a mistake to “kill” Ziva offscreen in season 13.
Ziva David on ‘NCIS’
Ziva came back during NCIS Season 16, Episode 24, titled “Daughters.” Viewers were shocked after seeing her because she thought she died in an explosion in season 13. Her first words to Gibbs (Mark Harmon) were: ‘Hello, Gibbs. No time for socializing; you are in danger. Gibbs was so shocked, he could only react by saying, “Ziver.”
During an interview with CBS about NCIS Season 17 Wilmer Valderrama said Cote de Pablo was his return NCIS was a great way to contribute to the history of the show. “Bringing Cote back to the show was a wonderful tribute to that history,” Valderrama said. “I think it was a wonderful nostalgic moment for the fans who really loved their character and loved what they contributed to the show’s legacy.”
NCIS Executive Producer Frank Cardea described Pablo’s first day of filming NCIS Season 16, Episode 24 as a “magic night.”
“That night she came across that one small, short scene at the end of Season 16 was a magical night,” Cardea said. ‘We keep it quiet ourselves from the crew. Everyone signed confidentiality agreements. It [was a] whole skeleton crew. We literally shouted wrap and sent everyone home – or they thought they were going home. The people involved left and returned 10 minutes later. Executive Producer Mark Horowitz said they are very good at keeping secrets.
Why it was a mistake to ‘kill’ Ziva David offscreen
Many fans were disappointed when the character of the Pablo from the show was written in NCIS Season 13, Episode 14 (titled “Family First”). Executive Producer Steven D. Binder said in a CBS interview that it was “a mistake” to get rid of Ziva as they did. According to him, killing the character offscreen did not give the fans any closure.
“I’m very happy with season 17,” Binder said. ‘Killing Ziva offscreen, if the public thinks about it, I think that was a mistake on our part. I’m glad we were able to correct that and give people closure with a storyline we’ve broken up and then never swung. The Tonyline and Ziva storyline and Tali. I think that played out nicely and [we had] some very strong scripts. ”
Could Ziva return to ‘NCIS’?
In an interview with TV Insider, Cardea spoke about NCIS Season 17, Episode 20 and what’s to be saved for the series ahead. When asked if he and writer Gina Monreal plan to revisit Ziva’s story, Cardea said it had a lot to do with whether Monreal wanted to continue. It seems that there is a possibility for more of Ziva than Monreal (and of course the Pablo) on board. Here’s what Cardea had to say:
When we first even remotely thought about bringing Ziva back, there was a secret meeting between Steve Binder, myself, Mark Harmon, Cote, and Gina. Gina was introduced from Day 1. Gina came up with the basic arc of what the four episodes were. We would only continue the bow as long as Gina is ready.
Frank Cardea, ‘TV Insider’
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