All the Ways the ‘NCIS’ Writers Went Wrong With This Character: Fans Weigh in
After seventeen seasons — and multiple actors who come and go — hoping to use the show as a springboard for future opportunities, it should come as no surprise that not every NCIS character has received the same degree of adulation.
While most NCIS fans adore Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo and Cote de Pablo’s Ziva David, the NCIS writers haven’t created all characters equally. When it comes to Agent Torres, there are a few major problems with the character’s whole shtick. So, let’s break down the primary issues at play, and see what fans have to say.
1. Agent Torres is too similar to Tony, but he can fight like Ziva
When analyzing Agent Torres’ primary attributes, he’s a charming, good-looking guy who likes to joke around. Does this sound at all familiar? But wait, in hand-to-hand combat, he’s virtually the next Ziva David. Fans explained:
…the writers seem to be trying to force the Tony similarities when they really really aren’t needed or frankly wanted.
Reddit Discussion / User
Maybe the NCIS writers deemed a Tony-esque presence a necessity. Or, did they simply fail to see the multiple ways to characterize handsome men — for looks do not have to imply anything about one’s personality (something Hollywood is very slowly coming to learn).
In short, Agent Torres may be a bit more level-headed than Tony, knowing when not to crack a joke, but he’s not a far departure from DiNozzo. And, the show gained its fighter back via the same character. When viewing Agent Torres from a general perspective, he encompasses the qualities inherent to two fan-favorite characters, yet fails to live up to the grandeur, the originality, or the subtle quirks inherent to each.
2. Torres became a bully with a big ego in ‘NCIS’
Many feel that Torres can also be a bit of a bully, and he needs to learn when to take it down a notch. One fan stated:
I agree. At first he seemed to play up being a bit of a douche, i felt he knew what he was doing and just kinda jokingly played with the Bravado/Egotism. But lately they’ve just written him as that bully, some of his comments you would expect from a child.
Reddit User
Confidence and arrogance are not one and the same, and if the writers want viewers to like Torres, and respect him as an NCIS agent, they’re going to have to finesse this quality into something more appealing. For, right now, the bravado is definitely not sitting the way it should.
3. The Torres and Bishop thing needs to go
Torres is already too similar to Tony and Ziva via characterization; thus, the romantic plot line between him and Bishop only heightens the copycat nature inherent to his character. Tony and Ziva were “Tiva,” and the chemistry between the two actors was palpable. Speaking of Torres and Bishop as a potential couple, one fan asked:
How could a relationship between these two possibly benefit NCIS?
Quoted by The Cheat Sheet
This romance seems forced, and it is not necessary for the show to succeed. “Tishop” does not need to become the next NCIS slow-boiling romance; that arc should remain reserved for Ziva and Tony.
