Warning! The following contains spoilers for the NCIS Season 20 episode "Black Sky." Read at your own risk!
NCIS Season 20 was where the core lineup really found its groove for me, so it's a shame that the season finale twist could jeopardize the team's chemistry going forward thanks to the actions of Wilmer Valderrama's Nick Torres. The final scene of the episode featured Nick in a situation that has me concerned for the character in Season 21.
If you missed the episode, now would be a good time to pick up a Paramount+ subscription and binge before reading on. Otherwise, let's dive into whether Season 21 could open with Nick Torres murdering another man with supposed ties to his past.
Torres Crossed Paths With A Mysterious Figure From His Past
Torres began the episode in deep cover as an inmate in prison working on a case when he spotted a familiar man visiting a younger inmate at the prison. The NCIS agent approached the inmate asking for more information about the guy and learned he was the boyfriend of the inmate's mother. The inmate told Torres their lives went to hell when this man entered it, which seemed to interest him.
Later on, Nick reached out to his sister and told her that he "found" the man and that "The bastard's alive, and he's still doing it." It seemed apparent the man Torres recognized had something to do with his past and his family if his sister knew who he was. NCIS moved on with its core plot, so we didn't get an update on this situation until toward the end of the Season 20 finale.
Torres Confronted The Mystery Man At His Home
NCIS wrapped up its main adventure of the season finale, but closed the episode with Torres sitting in the dark in an undisclosed location. A man entered the room and turned on the lights, and asked why Torres was in his house with a gun. Torres asked the man to take his time trying to recognize him, to which the man eventually remembered him as "Nicky." The man asked Torres what he wanted, to which Torres responded while standing with the gun, "To watch you die."
Will NCIS Season 21 Open With Torres Murdering Someone?
NCIS closed out Season 20 with Torres holding a gun, but will Season 21 open with him pulling the trigger? It seems that, whoever this guy is, he managed to harm Torres and his family members long ago, to the point Nick is willing to kill him for revenge. Surely an NCIS agent as prestigious as Torres wouldn't cross that line, would he?
It's hard to say, especially when considering the actions of a former main character: Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Mark Harmon's iconic character did a lot of good over the years, but one of the main things to know about the character is that he murdered the man responsible for killing his first wife and daughter. Many NCIS team members were in on this secret, including Nick Torres. Could Nick and NCIS justify this potential murder by likening it to what happened with Gibbs?
It could be some time before we find out, as the WGA writers strike could prolong the amount of time before we see the Season 21 premiere of NCIS on CBS. We'll just have to wait and see, and cross our fingers in the meantime that whatever happens to Torres doesn't ultimately end with Wilmer Valderrama being written off the show.
