Nick Torres’ love life in NCIS has been notoriously unlucky, and his latest romance in NCIS season 22 seems to be causing more risks than benefits. Torres’ last romantic partner was Ellie Bishop, who left Torres brokenhearted after betraying him and the MCRT to work undercover as an unofficial CIA operative in season 18. His long will-they-won’t-they relationship with Bishop left Torres emotionally unavailable for over three years. Their characters shared a brief kiss before Bishop left, but neither one received proper closure before she departed from the team.
Torres has also had smaller relationships with other women in the past, as there was a heavy implication that he was involved with the leader of the canceled NCIS: Hawai’i, Jane Tennant. However, besides Bishop, no other character has really captured his heart in the same way. Torres seemed to have lost hope in love until season 22 when he revealed he was open to dating again, even going as far as downloading MateQuest, NCIS’ dating app. The team has been encouraging of his journey so far, but Torres’ latest girlfriend might imply that conflict is in MCRT’s future.
Torres Hides His New Girlfriend From His NCIS Teammates
Torres Lied About His Christmas Plans
In NCIS season 22, episode 9, Torres hid his new girlfriend by lying about his Christmas plans. When asked about his plans by McGee, Torres said he was spending the holiday with Palmer’s family. However, Torres told Palmer that he was spending time with McGee’s family. When Knight learned about the discrepancy, she asked Torres why he lied, and he said that he was actually spending the holidays alone, but he did not want anyone to worry. His answer was believable enough and Knight dropped the questioning, but it was not the end of Torres’ mysterious holiday plans.
A brief text message near the end of the episode revealed that Torres had Christmas plans with a girlfriend he affectionately referred to as “babe.” No identity was provided, but Torres’ smile after the message clearly indicated that the couple was close enough that they could comfortably spend the holidays together. However, his secrecy about his girlfriend was suspicious given his closeness with MCRT.
Torres’ Lie About His New Romance Suggests He’s Not Fully Comfortable With The Team
Torres Needs To Learn To Be Vulnerable With His Team
Torres has gone through so much with his team, so it was surprising to see him hide his girlfriend. He is not particularly emotional or vulnerable, but it seemed out of character for him to keep his girlfriend a secret from the team, given how happy he seemed about his real Christmas plans. Torres’ discomfort could be attributed to the vulnerability involved in forming a new relationship. Maybe he thinks the relationship is still in its early stages and does not want to risk sharing the news before he is certain.
Torres’ discomfort could be attributed to the vulnerability involved in forming a new relationship.
However, the intimacy of spending the holidays together seems to negate this entirely. It is clear that even with Nick Torres’ enormous emotional development and character growth over his eight seasons on NCIS, he still needs to learn how to be vulnerable with his team. He trusts them enough physically, but he needs to learn to trust them emotionally too. As the team deals with deadly situations practically daily, Nick opening his heart up to his team is the only way to stay safe in the face of danger by trusting his teammates completely.
Torres’ Possible New Girlfriend Makes His Dating Life More Difficult
Torres’ Dating Life Could Cause Problems For The Important People In His Life
Torres’ difficulties with dating could be attributed to his tense work-life balance, as his job at NCIS is incredibly demanding of his time and energy. However, his new girlfriend could potentially make his dating life even harder than it already is. Rumors have hinted that Nick Torres’ girlfriend is none other than Robin Knight, Jessica’s polar opposite sister. The two characters first met in NCIS season 20, episode 8, and likely reconnected sometime early in season 22.
Season 20 revealed that Jessica and Robin have a poor relationship. Their distance was attributed to their different lifestyles, which made it hard for them to get along. Fortunately, the sisters made up at the end of NCIS season 20’s Thanksgiving episode, but it was clear that it would take a while for them to be close again. If Robin really is Torres’ new girlfriend, then the relationship could cause some tension in MCRT. Torres’ secrecy could then be explained as a way to protect the sisters from family conflict.
