NCIS: Sydney is returning to CBS soon, and the drama’s third season is set to give us a lot more of plenty of things. That’s partly because the show will just have more episodes to play around with character dynamics than the 8 it had in Season 1 and the 10 it had in Season 2. But it’s also because there’s been enough development now that characters can start moving forward. And does that mean there’s romance in the way for Mackey and JD?
It’s hard to say it has not been teased. And though showrunner Morgan O’Neill recently told TVLine that what happened with Etienne in the NCIS: Sydney Season 2 finale might have set them back a bit. “Have [she and JD] both kind of gone back into their shells? It remains to be seen,” just the fact that she brought it up probably means there’ll be a little bit of that. And hey, the acknowledgement that it set them back a bit means there’s something, right?
But, there’s more! O’Neill also teased that, “I don’t know whether, intellectually thinking, ‘this was a bad idea’ is ever as powerful as the emotional pull of ‘this is a good idea,’” which gives credence to the notion that the two will at least be contemplating the possibility.
“So, I think Season 3 will definitely pierce that tension,” the showrunner promised.
When we talked to Olivia Swann, who played Michelle Mackey, during Season 2 of the show, she spoke of the will-they/won’t-they dynamics and how fun it has been developing the rapport with Todd Lasance. “I loved working with Todd this season on just the building and blossoming of their relationship, which then leaves it up to interpretation. I think that’s more exciting than making a firm choice and committing to it. It gives it so much more scope,” she teased then.
But that doesn’t mean there can’t be more. They already have the foundation. “What I love about them both is that no matter how much their friendship grows, and their trust grows, they will always hold each other accountable,” Swann also said. And with Season 2 showing us so much of their deepening friendship and how much they rely on each other, it feels like the next step is kind of obvious.
This is, after all, the procedural way. We’ve been there. We know where this story goes. And NCIS: Sydney doesn’t have to commit yet. But it would be good if it took some clearer steps towards the romance that fans are already invested in.
