‘NCIS’ Star Wilmer Valderrama Addresses His Character Torres’ Relationship With Bishop

NCIS shippers have more to look forward to when it comes to Nick Torres and Ellie Bishop‘s slow-burn relationship, Wilmer Valderrama told Entertainment Tonight after Tuesday’s deep dive into his character’s family life and past. The two special agents have had a close bond for a long time, but the “seeds of a closer and deeper connection” have been planted in a way that will play out soon, Valderrama shared.

“They can trust each other. They know they’re not emotionally available to one another or to the world. I mean, they’ve been through too much for them to break their own rules and figure out how you make that work,” he explained. “I think that’s why it’s so slow. They just don’t really know how to be in a relationship.” Bishop and Torres have both felt the bite of being emotionally available, and the two have the tendency to throw themselves into work rather than deal with it.

“They’re playing Tetris with their minds and they don’t really know where they fit with one another. But I will tell you, this is the season you’ll find out,” Valderrama teased, adding, “There’s something exciting that you can explore the psychology of both of them or where they come from. Whatever the fans have been wondering about — what it really is, what it isn’t, they’re going to get their answers this season… It’s vague but it’s incredibly loaded. That’s all I can tell you.”

Torres faced some tough truths about his family history in Tuesday’s episode, learning that his father (guest star Steven Bauer) was not dead as he had previously believed, but an undercover agent working for various agencies like the CIA. Coming to terms with the fact that his dad had been looking out for his family from afar the whole time, Torres was sent reeling when his dad survived a near-death experience with him, only to disappear again.

“In the last couple of years, you’ve seen Torres softening up a little bit and being more of a positive team member, and about his teammates, and about having each other’s backs. In this episode, you really see it come to a dramatic halt,” Valderrama said. “It confirmed that he shouldn’t trust anyone anymore. That is going to do a number on him, and something fractured and broke in Torres. You’re going to see that play out.” NCIS airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS — catch up on Paramount+, which you can subscribe to with a free trial here. PopCulture is owned by ViacomCBS Streaming, a division of ViacomCBS.

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