NCIS ends its 2024 run of episodes with a long-awaited Christmas-themed episode, five years since the last one. Season 22, Episode 9, “Humbug,” continues the trend of most NCIS holiday specials by having smaller stakes, but a heartwarming story. The Major Crimes Response Team (MCRT) is tasked with stopping the release of a tell-all book that threatens a veteran’s bill from being approved. With the suspicious NCIS Deputy Director Gabriel LaRoche (Seamus Dever) returning to “assist” MCRT with this case, the team sneakily operated behind his back to get the job done. Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) is given more of a spotlight in this episode as he helps the author of the tell-all book deal with their grief and move past it. Although there isn’t a dry eye during this NCIS ending, the end of the episode features a huge development regarding Torres’ personal life.
Throughout NCIS Season 22, Episode 9, Torres lies about his plans for the holiday. He tells Tim McGee (Sean Murray) and Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) that he has plans with Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen), but Jimmy tells McGee that Torres claimed he had plans with McGee. When Knight and Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) try to find out what Torres’ actual Christmas plans are, he says he just wants to spend the day relaxing by himself. But the last moment of the final NCIS episode in 2024 sees Torres texting someone he calls “babe” that they’re still on for their Christmas plans. While less stressful than most TV mid-season cliffhangers, it’s an interesting revelation that has NCIS fans intrigued.
Who Is Torres’ New Romantic Partner in ‘NCIS’?
NCIS fans might be quick to assume that Torres’ new girlfriend could be Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham), since they were part of a slow-burn romance that lasted about three seasons. Although they finally shared a kiss in the Season 18 finale, it was done to give the audience something they’ve been waiting for since Ellie exited the series in the same episode. In an interview with TV Insider, NCIS executive producer Steven D. Binder confirms that Torres’ “babe” in Season 22 is a character previously featured in NCIS, but his hint sadly seems to rule out Ellie. He notes, “It’s going to cause some issues with some of his team members—one in particular, may or may not be related.”
While Binder doesn’t confirm or deny that Torres’ new beau is Jessica Knight’s sister, Robin Knight (Lilan Bowden), it seems fairly obvious that it will be, considering that it’s already been announced that Robin will be returning in NCIS Season 22. If Torres’ girlfriend really is Robin, this will be a big shock to Jess since she and Nick agreed to help each other look for a romantic partner. It makes sense that Torres is hiding this secret from Jess and Palmer since they recently broke up, and this connection is too close to home for them. But the longer Torres hides this from them, the worse it could be for his friendships with Jess and Palmer. Although Torres has been getting a lot of development in NCIS Season 22, he still seems to keep his personal life private at work.
Torres Dating Robin Knight Could Have Consequences in ‘NCIS’
The first and last time Robin was on NCIS, she and Jess seemingly settled their differences. One point of argument, however, was that Robin tends to fall for the bad boys (her last boyfriend tried to kill Jess), so Jess might be worried that Torres is just part of that pattern. Torres gives off that image with his deep voice and constant use of a leather jacket, but he’s a sensitive guy at his core. As much as Jess may not approve of them together, she wouldn’t want to see either of them hurt. Torres could get hurt if this is just part of Robin’s phase of bad boys. As for Robin, Torres still has a lot of baggage from his past to deal with, from his parents’ struggling relationship to his undercover work, and the fact that the last person he confessed his feelings to (Ellie) abandoned him.
Now that it’s been four seasons since then, Torres confessing to Jess that he’s ready to look for love was a major step in his character development. Just like how Jess is in need of a new love interest, Torres having a romantic partner is an opportunity to show the different layers of his character. Whether it be Robin or another surprising NCIS character, viewers will have to wait until the series returns in 2025 to learn more after this Christmas cliffhanger.
NCIS Season 22 returns on CBS with new episodes in the U.S. starting January 27, 2025. The series is available to stream on Paramount+.