NCIS Season 22 is quickly spreading some love in the air for its fellow agents. The side plot for NCIS Season 22, Episode 9, “Humbug” dealt with the team trying to figure out what secret plans Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) had for the holidays. After saying he wants to spend Christmas by himself, the end of the episode sees Torres texting a mystery woman he refers to as “babe” saying they’re still on for their Christmas plans. After a month-long break, the NCIS Season 22 mid-season premiere wastes no time in answering who Torres’ secret romantic partner is, and it’s someone NCIS fans will know.
In NCIS Season 22, Episode 10, “Baker’s Man,” Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) casually talks about hiding Torres’ new relationship with Robin Knight (Lilan Bowden) from her sister Jessica Knight (Katrina Law). Torres initially doesn’t want to tell Jessica about it, but when Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) finds out, she threatens Torres to tell Jessica or else she will. While it’s good that Torres addressed this secret right away, the moment doesn’t feel significant enough for Torres or Jessica’s character arcs.
Torres’ New Arc In ‘NCIS’ Is a Step Back for His Character
When Robin was introduced in NCIS Season 20, Episode 8, “Turkey Trot,” Jessica noted that Robin always falls for the bad boys. Although Robin and Jessica settled their differences, Jessica isn’t too excited to hear that Robin might have a new boyfriend in NCIS Season 22, seemingly because she doesn’t think her sister has changed. With all the growth Torres has experienced, he still has a rebellious persona that fits Robin’s type of boyfriend. Torres could easily just be part of Robin’s phase of bad-boy partners that ends terribly.
Robin and Torres’ relationship just seems like drama for Jessica to go through, since she’s been all over the place following her return to NCIS after briefly leaving at the end of Season 21, as well as her recent break-up with Palmer. While it seemed like both Torres and Jessica would be moving forward in their journeys this season, their arcs have taken detours. Earlier in NCIS Season 22, Torres and Jessica agreed to help each other find new romantic partners. After Torres confesses to Jessica that he’s dating Robin, Jessica half-jokingly says that Robin might already be picturing her wedding to Torres. Despite saying he’s ready to find love again just a few episodes beforehand, Torres says he doesn’t see his relationship with Robin as anything serious. If he’s not going to take his relationship with Robin seriously, it hinders Torres’ character development and ultimately feels unnecessary.
Torres Is Due for a Meaningful Story in ‘NCIS’
If NCIS wanted fans to root for Robin and Torres, there would’ve been scenes of them interacting to buy into their chemistry. Law previously teased that Robin would be returning in NCIS Season 22, so that’ll be the time to see their relationship flourish, but it could also flounder in that same episode if Bowden is only returning for one episode this season. There’s a chance they could stay together without Robin having to be a recurring character. Timothy McGee’s (Sean Murray) wife, Delilah Fielding-McGee (Margo Harshman), isn’t featured as much anymore, but her character is naturally brought up as much as possible.
But NCIS has its work cut out to try to convince fans that Torres and Robin are worth investing in. The show presents slow-burn romances or fiery love, so Torres’ new relationship is still up in the air for whatever direction they decide to take it. If the character has no room to grow within the limits of the series, an NCIS spin-off featuring Valderrama’s Torres would be the best way to give the character a satisfying arc. NCIS is already juggling a lot between Alden Parker’s (Gary Cole) mysterious past and McGee’s investigation into Deputy Director Gabriel LaRoche this season. Hopefully, there’s still enough room for Torres to get more character-focused stories in NCIS Season 22.
NCIS Season 22 airs on Monday nights on CBS in the U.S., and previous episodes are available on Paramount+.