NCIS Just Confirmed What Fans Have Been Saying About Torres And Knight For Years

Contains spoilers for "NCIS" Season 23, Episode 5 — "Now and Then"

Leave it to Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia) to utter the truth wrapped in a bit of snark. She returns for the "NCIS" Season 23 episode "Now and Then," and she points out a vibe that fans picked up on a long time ago. She's on the scene at NCIS headquarters because of an escaped convict who has old ties to a case the team is diving into, and when she sees Jessica Knight (Katrina Law) and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) interacting, she wonders aloud, "Who are they? The new Tony and Ziva?"

Fans of "NCIS" will be well aware that Tony DiNozzo and Ziva David's relationship timeline is a real rollercoaster. The pair recently got their own spin-off (here's Looper's review of the Paramount+ show "NCIS: Tony & Ziva"). Vera's knowing wink to the show's history definitely positions Nick and Jessica as a future couple. The writers have been throwing them together a lot lately, which has been leading to noticeable romantic friction and sparks. But would their coupling be a good thing for the show?

Should Jessica Knight and Nick Torres get together? That's the question some "NCIS" fans have begun to ask as they pick up on the chemistry between the two of them — and the results have been mixed, to say the least. The fact that Nick dated Jessica's sister Robin (Lilan Bowden) obviously makes the whole situation kind of awkward, but one of the main sticking points for viewers is that it's not what they want for Jessica as a character. "Not cool to make Jess the pass around girl in the office if they are headed that way?" remarked u/No_Calligrapher2005. She was, of course, with Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) for a little while, though "NCIS" Season 22 gave fans an update on Jessica and Jimmy's relationship, confirming that it's no longer romantic.

The door is seemingly wide open for Jessica and Nick to couple up, but some fans feel that it's too soon. As u/10robins pointed out on Reddit, the most successful "NCIS" couples have taken their time to get together. "The reason a lot of people loved the Ziva/Tony and Kensi/Deeks stories was that they were a slow burn. We got to see WHY and HOW they fell in love. With these current stories, there's none of that." Are Nick and Jessica truly meant to be? Some fans are behind the idea, but the writers will have to come up with something that feels more natural if they want to get the full fandom on board.