Spoilers below for NCIS' latest episode, so be warned.
Tonight's episode of NCIS gave fans some pretty strong closure for the ill-fated and heavily cloaked relationship between Ellie Bishop and translator Qasim Naasir, who was killed in a recent episode, and we found out that he died before she had a chance to accept his marriage proposal. And smack dab in all the emotional beats was a peculiar moment where Congresswoman Jenna Flemming hinted to Gibbs that he may have a future as the NCIS Director as a replacement for Vance, but the matter was promptly dropped. When asked about this potential promotion, actress Emily Wickersham said this:
When we got to that moment at the table read, I was like, 'Wait, what? Hold up....' We all kind of turned to each other. It was like a little tiny thing, but it was a big drop, so I am super-curious about that, because that would be a big deal, and a big shift.
As you might have inferred from her specific wording, Emily Wickersham isn't even attempting to be cagey about the matter, and doesn't try to mask the fact that she doesn't know how that possibility will play out on NCIS. Her character is the one whose entrance stunts Flemming's conversation with Gibbs, and the current Senior Special Agent neither had a sustained reaction to the Director mention nor a firm reprimand for Bishop going rogue earlier in the episode. Instead, he just told her there was a price to pay for that kind of behavior. He knows a thing or two, having faced a rogue agent who tried to kill Tony DiNozzo some years back.
Actually, Gibbs knows way more than a thing or two about all aspects of the NCIS, from the protocol to the team members, because he's basically been busting his ass at the same level of management for at least the past 14 years. It's definitely time for a change for Gibbs, who could do his job in his sleep at this point, and I think we all know he'd be better in the position than Vance and his mustache.
Actor Rocky Carroll joined NCIS in Season 5 as Assistant Director Leroy Vance before taking on the top spot in Season 6 and beyond. After nine years on the job, perhaps it's time for him to hang up his hat, or just let Gibbs have it. But he can still stick around, of course, assuming he would be leaving the Director chair for some other lofty position.
Unfortunately, it might very well be a while before further development on Gibbs' job title overshadows stories about cases and other characters. In her interview with TVLine, Emily Wickersham was asked whether the topic gets broached in any of the upcoming scripts she's read, and here was her answer.
Nothing since --- but I will keep my eyes peeled for you.
Not the kind of mystery we like the most from this show, but we'll take it. Still kicking hard in the ratings, NCIS airs Tuesday nights on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET, where it will be for years to come. Head to our midseason premiere schedule to see what else is hitting the small screen soon.
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