The character’s love life has been a big talking point on the show, with a recent episode revealing that he was in a relationship – and now it has been claimed that his mystery partner could make an appearance in the current season.
A fresh update on NCIS, whose fans have recently complained about a ‘missing’ element from the show, season 22 has teased when Nicholas Torres’ clandestine romance will start to come to light, possibly stirring up drama and sparking further curiosity about his romantic decisions in the series. The character, portrayed by Wilmer Valderrama, is a key player as a Special Agent and Major Case Response Team member, but it’s his love life that’s been capturing the audience’s attention.
A cliffhanger from a December episode of NCIS, whose executives once feared for the series over a ‘shimmering’ controversy, revealed Torres responding affirmatively to a text asking if their Christmas plans were still on, affectionately referring to the sender as “babe.”
This sparked fan theories, with fans of NCIS: Origins also positing their theories on the identity of a major character, on who could be the agent’s mysterious partner. It’s now suggested that this secret relationship might be a focal point in season 22, episode 10, titled “Baker’s Man.”
With the midseason episode set to air on CBS on Monday, January 27 at 9 PM ET/PT, as reported by TV Line, the unveiling of Nicholas’ love interest could signal a shift towards more personal storylines in the new season.
Screen Rant suggests that the subplot could provide a closer look at Agent Torres and his coping mechanisms under pressure while working with the NCIS team. He previously had a secret affair with Jessica Knight’s sister, Robin, and a short-lived romance with his NCIS colleague Eleanor Bishop, reports the Mirror US.
After an episode aired last month that sparked speculation, fans were given some clues by the show’s executive producer, which led them to continue guessing who Torres might be involved with. Steven D Binder, an executive producer for NCIS, gave some hints about the mystery love interest in an interview with TV Insider.
“I can tell you that we’ve seen this person before,” he hinted. “This will be a character who has been on the show before and will be back again and it’s going to cause some issues with some of his team members – one in particular, may or may not be related,” Steven added.
Fans have been sharing their theories on Reddit. One user speculated: “Does anyone else think this new girlfriend could be Sarah McGee. The show writer has stated that we have seen this person before and that another person in squad room is not going to be happy about it.”
Sarah is Timothy McGee’s younger sister. One fan commented: “We’ve all seen how far McBrother will go for his sister so there’s no telling how overboard this might send him…” Yet, not everyone was on the same page.
Another viewer speculated: “Think it’s Robin Knight because Sarah McGee is so far removed from appearing on NCIS.”
Regarding the speculation about Robin being a potential love interest, Steven remained elusive, stating he “can neither confirm nor deny this rumor.”