NCIS pulled out all the stops for its thrilling season 18 finale, and fans were heartbroken to discover that this could be the last they’ve seen of Agent Ellie Bishop.
The last episode of NCIS season 18 took some surprising turns as both Ellie Bishop (played by Emily Wickersham) and Leroy Gibbs (Mark Harmon) seem to have made their last appearance on the show. While some viewers are convinced they’ll be back when the series returns to CBS later this year, this week’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger provided no answers.
Ellie Bishop and Leroy Gibbs’ fates were both left uncertain after Tuesday night’s exceptional NCIS season finale.
In episode 16, ‘Rule 91’, Bishop lands in hot water when she’s implicated in an unearthed NSA leak.
However, the seemingly disgraced agent eventually confessed to Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) that she had torn up her NCIS career on purpose.
Bishop had actually secured a deep undercover role with the CIA that demanded she burn all her bridges with her old team.
After finally sharing a passionate kiss with Torres, it seems Bishop may have finally parted from the show for good.
Although CBS have yet to officially confirm Wickersham’s departure from the series, there’s a strong chance NCIS will return for season 19 later in the year without the presence of Ellie Bishop.
Following this week’s devastating twist, distraught viewers took to Twitter to say their emotional goodbyes in case this really is the last we’ve seen of the fan favourite agent.
One shocked fan tweeted: “That just about gave me a freaking heart attack.”
“You can’t be doing stuff like that! And Bishop, she can’t be leaving. I love her on the show! And that beautiful new boat, just gone! Really!”
Additionally, NCIS’s official social media page ruffled some feathers by simply tweeting ‘You ok?’ once the episode had wrapped up on CBS.
Another disgruntled viewer fumed: “Seriously after the year we’ve had, you end on a cliffhanger?”
This season of NCIS has already featured cliffhangers galore, as it kicked off with Gibbs inexplicably taking shots at his teammate, Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), with a sniper.
Meanwhile, Gibbs’ future with the series was also thrown into question after the audience was hit with yet another last minute twist.
Gibbs and Marcie (Pam Dawber) kept themselves busy during the ex-team leader’s permanent suspension by tracking down a dangerous killer.
Although all seemed well for the retired agent by the end of the episode, the final moments of the finale left fans in a state of shock when his boat exploded after taking it out on the water for the first time.
In response, one upset fan tweeted: “Is this it for Gibbs and Ellie? If so, that’s it for me. No more watching NCIS.”
And one more said: “So Gibbs and Bishop aren’t looking back?! They can’t both be gone next season!”
Thankfully, Gibbs seemed to survive the explosion relatively unscathed, as he was seen swimming away in the last moments of the series.
Even so, viewers were left with several questions that may not get answered until NCIS makes its highly anticipated return after the summer.
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