NCIS season 22 has been relatively great for romances, but the show in itself hasn’t been so great for relationships overall. NCIS season 22, episode 16, “Ladies Night,” has particularly shown how relationships often come second to Alden Parker’s team. The NCIS characters all deserve to find love, but the episode raises the point that maintaining a relationship comes with a lot of sacrifices.

“Ladies Night” showed the NCIS men and women separating for their own activities after solving a tragic case. The ladies’ night even brought Robin back to the show and featured her, Kasie, and Jessica participating in what should have been a fun pottery night. However, the episode proved that romance and relaxation are not always the top priority for NCIS agents.

Ruined Ladies’ Night Reveals Robin’s Grudges Against Nick
Work Is Prioritized Over Nick’s Relationship With Robin

After Kasie and Jessica can not stop thinking about the case and the circumstances surrounding it, they use one of the pottery kilns to test out their theories about a melted necklace on the victim. While doing so, they damage one of the kilns and ruin Robin’s pottery night, as they are quickly kicked out of the event. Later, Robin reveals that Kasie and Jessica’s intense thought process behind their activities only mirrors Nick’s own actions when he’s supposed to be relaxing with her.

Robin’s feelings show that it is hard to be in a relationship with an NCIS agent because they are always working. Even Jessica and Kasie could not put their brainstorming aside for one night to enjoy Robin’s planned ladies’ night. The sentiment is likely strengthened in Robin’s relationship with Nick because, instead of feeling like a top priority as a romantic life partner, she feels cast aside in favor of his work.

Being Part Of MCRT Demands A Lot Of Sacrifices From Its Agents
NCIS Agents Need To Think Like An Agent At All Times

Nick and Robin are not the first NCIS couple to struggle with balancing their romantic and personal lives. Ellie also struggled with these same issues with her first husband. Behind the scenes, not many NCIS members were even able to maintain long-term romantic relationships, and it was likely because of their work. Even Gibbs struggled, partly because of his trauma from the deaths of Shannon and Kelly, and partly because of his commitment to the job. He had romantic interests, but he had more breakups than successful partners.

The agents have a hard time maintaining any personal relationships because of how demanding their job is.

The MCRT agents have a hard time maintaining any personal relationships because of how demanding their job is. They are called to scenes at all times of the day and are always working or thinking like an agent. To have a successful relationship, the agents’ partners need to be understanding and accepting of that. If Robin and Nick want to have a strong relationship, they need to be open about their concerns and talk them out. Otherwise, they might just be added to the list of broken NCIS couples.