It’s been five seasons since NCIS fans have seen Emily Wickersham’s Ellie Bishop — and her upcoming return to the series won’t be without its hiccups.
Wickersham, who played Bishop from 2013 to 2021, explained to TVLine on Thursday, February 19, that her character has “been through such a change since leaving NCIS.”
She teased, “We don’t exactly get into totally what it is — we skirt it — but she’s seen some stuff, some stuff that she had not seen when she was working at NCIS.”
Wickersham, who will make her show return during the Tuesday, March 3, episode, noted that it was “cool to come back with that baggage, this new Bishop, this almost … I guess I don’t want to say darker, but just baggage.”
According to CBS, Bishop is a wanted cyberterrorist that is being looked at by NCIS Elite, a team that NCIS special agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) is a part of. To make it even more messy, Knight is currently partnered with Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), whom Bishop used to work with and kissed before her exit.
“A lot of why I was excited to go back also is this relationship between Bishop and Torres that I’ve missed playing so much,” Wickersham shared. “I love working with Wilmer, and we have such a fun time on set and off set.”
She noted that the agents had a rapport “right away, and over the years, as you know, the two characters shared so much friendship-wise, bubbling romance-wise, and just, like, a vibe.”
Katrina Law, Wilmer Valderrama. Robert Voets/CBS
Wickersham pointed out that after Bishop and Torres kissed, she did basically disappear on him and the NCIS team, taking a job during season 18, episode 16, with ex-CIA instructor Odette (Elayn J. Taylor) where she was pretending to be a disgraced NCIS agent. Those feelings, however, didn’t completely subside.
“Torres is such a special person to Bishop and has always remained there. It’s not like he just went away,” the actress explained. “I love that scene so much of them parting ways and the last kiss, and I don’t think that that moment was easy for either of them. I know it wasn’t for Bishop, but he’s always been there.”
Wickersham played coy about whether Bishop and Torres’ kiss will be addressed on the upcoming episode, saying, “Maybe,” with a laugh.
“We’ll definitely see the two of them side by side, and I think you’ll see the chemistry that just never went away,” she confirmed. “You know how it is when you just have a connection with someone, even if it ends, it doesn’t go away necessarily.”
Torres does have a strong connection with Knight — although they are platonic for now — which Wickersham said Bishop can see.
“I think right away, the way it was written and everything, Bishop sees that they’re great partners and they have a great thing going,” Wickersham said. “I thought of it as Bishop only wants the best for Torres, I would imagine.”
Emily Wickersham, Brian Dietzen, Diona Reasonover and Sean Murray. Robert Voets/CBS
She confessed, “Maybe deep down, there’s some jealousy that Knight gets to be there every day with him, but ultimately, I think Bishop’s happy for her and him.”
When it comes to Bishop’s work, however, and her alleged part in a cyberterrorist plan, Wickersham noted it won’t be as easy to untangle.
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“She’s been in the trenches doing this work that I don’t want to completely reveal, but it’s been different from what she was doing at NCIS,” Wickersham said of Bishop’s life away from NCIS, noting that “the way their paths crossed aligned perfectly.”
She teased that with her new job, Bishop is “definitely operating in a somewhat gray area, a dark area,” which doesn’t sit well with Knight.
“I don’t know if Knight really trusts Bishop,” Wickersham explained. “Bishop and Knight didn’t share that many moments together [before she left]. So, Knight, I would imagine, is very wary of me, of Bishop.”
NCIS returns on CBS Tuesday, March 3, at 8 p.m. ET.