Two awkward love stories in NCIS: Sydney demonstrate what the franchise overall has been lacking in recent years and why the organic chemistry of NCIS: Tony & Ziva scratches such an itch among fans right now. NCIS has always loved its slow-burn romances, but NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s story may be the first in a while to do it right.
It’s not unique to the flagship series that launched a million sister shows nor to the NCIS franchise spinoffs themselves that unresolved sexual tension often serves to spice up long-running character arcs. That can be a treat when done sparingly and with a sense of purpose, but NCIS: Sydney season 3 faces multiple romance arcs that simply don’t feel natural.
NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Has Two “Will They/Won’t They” Romances To Resolve
Mackey And JD Are Progressing At The Same Rate As Evie And DeShawn
Thanks to a major terrorist plot in the NCIS: Sydney season 3 premiere, the series should at least get a brief reprise from romantic subplots that haven’t found their footing. But that’s almost more frustrating because Evie and DeShawn’s dynamic took a wildly on-the-nose turn when he showed her his budgie snuggler. (Sorry, Aussies, but DeShawn’s pronunciation just makes sense.)
DeShawn teaching Evie how to swim was a perfect way to naturally move the relationship forward after their pirate adventure. The resulting scene is both quirky and intimate, but it ultimately has little effect on their romantic progression. DeShawn looks as smug as he is snug in that thing, and Evie notices, but there’s still no payoff a season later.
Evie and DeShawn are basically NCIS: Sydney’s Tony and Ziva, something that started to become clear in the very first season when Evie reveals the partner she shares these humorous flirtations with is also the man she wants to hear her dying words. The problem is that NCIS: Sydney wants Mackey and JD to be Tony and Ziva as well.
Although they’ve currently still neither snuggled nor smuggled budgies with each other, the story leading up to Evie first hinting at deeper feelings for DeShawn is one of NCIS: Sydney’s best episodes. But JD and Mackey have barely even spent time bonding over their shared experiences with parenthood, even though Mackey revealing her son was presented as a significant moment.
JD and Mackey have some cute moments that seem to suggest a possible relationship between the two, but they don’t make sense. They feel so much like mere coworkers that paying off their relationship would feel inorganic, and it won’t feel less so simply because the series prolonged it for a few extra seasons. This isn’t a new problem, either.
Slow-Burn Romances Haven’t Worked Well In NCIS Since Tony & Ziva
It Can’t Be This Hard To Realistically Show Two People Being Single
Looking at Tony and Ziva’s relationship timeline in NCIS, it becomes quickly apparent why they worked so well as a slow burn. It took two full seasons for DiNozzo and David to even trust each other enough that a future relationship might be possible, at which point they’d developed enough organic chemistry for fans to want to see it happen.
The NCIS: Sydney couples can’t say the same. Hints at their futures have been obvious since the beginning. Evie and DeShawn have significantly more convincing chemistry than Mackey and JD, but their relationship still feels so unearned by the actual story that it comes across as the actors’ chemistry rather than the characters’. And that’s not unique to NCIS:Sydney.
Gibbs and Lala’s NCIS: Origins romance took so long to gain real traction that she might have died waiting. He took so long with Sloane in NCIS that she practically had one foot in Afghanistan by the time they even kissed. But Nick Torres and Ellie Bishop could be one of the most frustrating slow burns in NCIS relationship history.
Much like with Gibbs and Sloane, there was an obvious romance simmering with Torres up until Ellie Bishop left NCIS. In this case, however, it feels more on the nose because Nick and Ellie were direct replacements for Tony and Ziva. But, while they had their own disputes and separate relationships keeping them apart, the cute moments began more quickly.
Bishop’sNCIS romance with Torres ultimately failed for career reasons, but it was problematic as a story much longer for the same reason as most other slow-burn relationships in the franchise. None of these relationships started with the initial distrust that Tony and Ziva had to overcome, so they have less clear reason not to just go for it.
When there’s no interpersonal conflict preventing the relationship and everybody’s working in a place that clearly supports office romances, it’s bizarre to see two characters flirt and go to goat yoga together before getting huffy about their own choices to date other people. It’s also baffling because the solution seems extremely obvious.
How NCIS: Sydney Season 3 Can Easily Fix Its Current Romance Problem
Resolving Even One Of Them Would Make A Sizable Difference
While NCIS: Tony & Ziva’s shift away from procedural format promises a more character-driven story in which their romance can thrive, Tiva worked best as a slow-burn romance in the early days when NCIS was still basically a cop show with romance added for flavor. Having two such romances in NCIS: Sydney draws too much focus from the intended plotline.
Naturally, the easiest way to manage this is simply to take one of them off the burner. Have one couple finally get together, or even have them decide against it. With their chemistry, Evie and DeShawn could reasonably resume their friendship if romance doesn’t work out, and seeing them reach that conclusion after a disastrous date could provide comedic satisfaction.
By contrast, it doesn’t take a bad date to see that Mackey and JD haven’t developed any further chemistry over two seasons. That subplot could be dropped with zero explanation, and it really wouldn’t hurt the show’s overall storytelling.
Ultimately, it’s not that NCIS: Sydney needs to feel more like what fans might expect from NCIS: Tony & Ziva. It’s about recognizing what made DiNozzo and David work in the first place. If Evie and DeShawn make better friends, or if Mackey and JD have zero chemistry, perhaps it’s time for at least one couple to get the axe.
Enjoy ScreenRant’s primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check “Network TV” in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.
