NCIS season 17 will premiere later next month, and news about the return of Cote de Pablo's Ziva David keeps on coming. Just recently, CBS released a new photo of de Pablo's character, and she will reportedly come back for additional episodes.
The network unveiled a new photo featuring Ziva by herself, she's alone in some sort of a pipe or a tunnel, and it seems like she's thinking about something. The primary question here is: what is she doing there? It's possible the character is hiding, though she also has to live somewhere since there aren't any places she can call home right now.
Ziva has been off the grid, and she has been separated from her family, and for a moment, it felt like there's no way for her to get back to the people that she loves. These may be some of the factors why the character returns in NCIS season 17, as she might have grown tired being separated from her family and life.
But, aside from that, there are other serious reasons as to why she came back now. There are people who are after Ziva, and she feels like some of these people are also after Gibbs (Mark Harmon). However, how much the latter knows about this or if he knows anything?
Ziva returns in the upcoming season because Gibbs' life is in danger and she wants to make sure he'll survive. This isn't the first time she saved his life, as long-time fans will remember she killed her half-brother Ari Haswari (Rudolf Martin). But this time around, she's putting her own life in danger by coming back to help save his.
Meanwhile, the good news is that Cote de Pablo's character will still return following NCIS season 17 premiere, for at least a handful of episodes this new season. According to a report via Parade, executive producer Frank Cardea revealed Ziva would be in four episodes: two early on and two on fall or winter.
This is good news for most fans, as the only thing that was previously confirmed is that Ziva will be back within the premiere episode. The first episode of the upcoming season should give more insight as to why she stayed in hiding for many years and who's really after her. Then, the subsequent episodes should unfold her story - giving the character a satisfying conclusion.
NCIS season 17 will return on Tuesday, September 24, on CBS.
