It’s been five years since Emily Wickersham graced NCIS as Agent Eleanor Bishop. The last time we saw her, she left the team to take part in a classified operation, but the next time we see her, things may not be what they seem.
In the NCIS season 23 midseason fall finale, we learned that Agent Jessica Knight (Katrina Law), who had been recruited to join the Elite team, had an new mission she could not tell the team about. She was tasked with looking for a cyberterrorist, who turned out to be none other than Bishop herself.
Unbeknowst to Knight, Bishop was watching the team, who had just buried Agent Alden Parker’s mother, just steps away from her former partner Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama).
What are the circumstances of Eleanor Bishop’s return to NCIS?
Wickersham spoke with Entertainment Weekly, saying she was “so excited to return to an old family that I love so much. Excited to return as Bishop, as the new Bishop, who’s gone off and lived a new life.”
The reunion with Torres is sure to be emotional and conflicting, especially since he never got over his former partner despite going into the dating scene. In the episode titled “Her,” it seems like Knight won’t be hiding her assignment from her team despite the warnings.
Preview images show Bishop standing next to Torres, while another has him tied up. She is also seen in another photo hugging Kasie Hines (Diana Reasonover).
As for the synopsis, it details that Knight is ordered to target Bishop for arrest. Bishop herself is hoping to escape, and finds Torres to ask for help since he’s the only one she feels she can trust. This will be the first time they see one another since saying goodbye in NCIS season 18.
Valderrama also spoke about being excited for Wickersham’s return, stating “I’m grateful we get to revisit the energy that is this duo.”
Even though we don’t know if this means Wickersham will be back for more appearances, we’re excited to see Torres and Bishop reunite at long last. However, we will have to wait a little longer than expected for the new episode.
NCIS was originally meant to return in February after the Winter Olympics ended. However, it is now scheduled to return on Tuesday, March 3 at 8/7c on CBS. For now, you can catch up with Wickersham’s final episodes from Season 18 on Paramount+ for a refresher before she is back on screen.