What Happened To Bishop & Is She Back With Torres? Emily Wickersham's NCIS Season 23 Return Explained

Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS season 23, episode 10, "Her."NCIS season 23 brings back Emily Wickersham, revisiting Ellie Bishop's past and setting up her future. The last round of CBS shows have finally returned for the second half of 2025-2026 TV cycle, with the network's premier procedural now back with a fresh episode. Not wasting any time dealing with the aftermath of the cliffhanger from the midseason finale, NCIS season 23 opens the new year with an intense outing with Bishop's return.

As Jessica Knight's first ELITE team target, "Her" opens with Bishop being hunted down by the squad. With her own reputation and undercover operation on the line, Wickersham's character seeks the help of Nick Torres, despite their less-than-ideal separation five years ago. The reunion eventually leads to Bishop also coming face-to-face with the rest of the MCRT, resulting in some heartfelt reunions, allowing for addressing lingering resentment about how she left in NCIS season 18.

What Happened To Bishop During Her Return In NCIS Season 23

Bishop is touted as a traitor for the most part of NCIS season 23, episode 10, as she is framed by one of her trusted teammates. Instead of coming clean and fully asking for the help of Director Vance's agency, suspicion of dealing with the mole forces MCRT to deal with the matter on the down low. In the end, Bishop is exonerated. Frankly, with her current standing with the team, Bishop could have easily stayed. Instead, "Her" ends with her leaving for her next adventure.

The biggest benefit of Bishop's return, other than seeing Wickersham's comeback, is how it allows NCIS to make some amends with some of the worst parts of her exit back in season 18. Firstly, she has finally been able to properly explain to Torres why she actually left — she wanted to push herself to be better, and she intentionally didn't want to say goodbye, because she was afraid that he could convince him to stay. As revealed earlier in the episode, the pair was in a secret affair towards the end of Wickershams' stint.

Secondly, Bishop also cleared things up with Timothy McGee — an underrated relationship but a significant one on the heels of Ziva David's exit from MCRT. Like Torres, the veteran Special Agent's last interaction with her before her NCIS season 23 comeback was less than ideal. Finally, and perhaps more importantly, Bishop gets a proper send-off, with some of her closest friends from MCRT bidding her goodbye, as she resumes her work as an undercover agent.

How NCIS Season 23 Paves The Way For Bishop's MCRT Return

For the longest time, Bishop's NCIS return felt like a far-fetched dream primarily because of how she left MCRT. This was why bringing her back in season 23 required a particular storyline, as she couldn't just simply drop by for a visit, like the way Tony DiNozzo Jr. appeared during Ducky Mallard's send-off. With her professional and personal status with MCRT now cleared, CBS will have an easier path to do another story involving her.

Increasing the chances of Bishop coming back is her final conversation with Torres, where she invites him to join her. He, unsurprisingly, declines, but the exchange makes it clear that the pair still has some feelings for each other. This should be enough reason for CBS to stage another reunion for them at some point moving forward in NCIS.

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