Warning! The following contains spoilers for the NCIS episode “Unearth.” Read at your own risk!
NCIS tackled another big-time mystery this week, and unfortunately, the party responsible for a heinous crime managed to take two of the department’s own hostage. Laura San Giacomo’s Dr. Grace and Wilmer Valderrama’s Nick Torres were taken by thieves in search of gold, and one of them left the encounter a little worse for wear. After the episode, Nick was sporting a nasty gunshot wound and a sling, but should fans be worried about him?
It’s natural for fans to worry about anything that happens to Nick lately. Especially with Wilmer Valderrama’s growing list of commitments outside of NCIS like Disney’s Zorro, there are those wondering if his days are limited on the CBS series. With those stakes in mind, let’s break down how Torres was injured, and how fans should feel about his status on the show going forward.
How Nick Was Injured
Nick and Dr. Grace were locked up by two criminals who believed the therapist had information on their former partner who helped them smuggle gold they no longer knew the location of. Grace denied she knew anything, and while one of the criminals believed her, the leader didn’t. He fired a gun directly into Torres’ arm and refused him any kind of medical care until Grace agreed to help them.
The NCIS team eventually rescued Torres and stopped the criminals, but at a cost. Torres met up with Grace later that night in her office and was sporting a sling that would definitely impact his ability to perform in the field. In all honesty, it looked much better than the initial gunshot wound, but still enough to keep Nick away from the action for a while.
Why Fans Shouldn’t Worry About Nick’s Injury
Nick Torres is a tough dude, or at least NCIS wrote him to be one. He revealed that he’ll only have to spend two weeks in the sling, and after that, he’ll be back to solving crimes and fighting with the rest of the team. The viewer might assume we won’t see Torres doing much in the next two weeks, but it actually looks like he’ll be out in the field as early as the next episode. Check out the trailer for “Leave No Trace,” which briefly shows Torres a couple of times and even walking with his gun drawn and no sling:
It looks like Torres will be able to join the NCIS team when they head to a national park to track down an alleged serial killer. I guess it’s no surprise that Nick was able to bounce back so quickly, especially considering how he’s recovered from some of his more serious injuries in the past. (The actor isn’t always able to bounce back as quickly.) It may not be entirely realistic, but at least we don’t have to worry about NCIS writing off Wilmer Valderrama this week.
NCIS airs on CBS on Mondays at 9:00 p.m. ET, and viewers can catch up on the season with a Paramount+ subscription. Now is a perfect time to catch up on every show in the franchise, as a big crossover event is in the works that will incorporate all three shows.
