NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1, episode 6 showed viewers how deeply Tali felt things even at the young ages of 7 and 12. Although the memories were tough to watch, they revealed that she’s the best parts of her parents. Despite the hardships she has endured due to their past as NCIS agents and their relationship struggles, Tali doesn’t shy away from protecting those she loves. Sophie and Tali’s bond is unmatched.
Through all the good that was achieved, there’s always pain and loss around the corner. Tony breaking down over losing Henry was the worst way to end the episode. My heart shattered for him. From the beginning of the series, fans could tell Tony had a tight bond with Henry to the point he was Uncle Henry to Tali. Seeing that friendship tested, then slightly repaired, only for Henry to be shot by Jonah was gruesome. Not only did Tony lose his best friend, he lost confidence that he and Ziva can protect their daughter when his best friend just sacrificed himself to save their family.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 gives insight into Tony and Ziva’s relationship
The episode opens with Ziva teaching Tali a fighting move while still at the Italy house. Tony comes outside onto the patio, they sit and enjoy a family meal together. He’s raving about the eggs he made, and Tali questions him about being Gen X, the forgotten generation, causing Ziva to burst out laughing. But the real gut punch is when Tali says good to her parents not getting back together. Sadly, it confirms how she hated seeing her parents fighting in those 2020 safe house flashbacks in episode 6.
Ziva is looking in Jonah’s window at Lazar, and the team gets Sophie to ask her about where she stands with Tony. Ziva is confident that they won’t work romantically again, and just like that, they switch back to the mission
Meanwhile, Tony has a deep conversation with Archie, who happens to be a child therapist, about his feelings about Henry, Ziva, and Tali. He is heartbroken that he lost Henry, but he told Ziva to keep going to save Tali. He was glad that he had Ziva beside him because even though they didn’t work romantically, he thinks she’s a great co-parent and solid. Not only that, but he confesses that he filled the hole of them breaking up with work and Tali, and while keeping Tali safe he missed Ziva. He still misses her, as feelings keep arising between them.
Ziva and Tony confessing they are falling back into old habits is so exciting. I have a feeling they are going to keep us guessing about their on-and-off romance until the very last second. But there’s no denying they are more than just co-parents and crime partners. There are genuine feelings behind how they look at each other and how they protect one another. Their chemistry is unmatched.
The next morning, a phone call from Tali painfully sends them back to reality. Their daughter thinks it’s for the best that they didn’t get married, since it would have been for her benefit. That one hurt me. Even more, she called her parents out for Ziva, saying Tony acts like a child, and him being scared to tell her things. Again, she shows fans that she has a level head and is smart as a whip. She reads people and their situations, just like her parents did for work. It is remarkable and painful all in the same sense.
Jonah and Martine’s past and present
Jonah’s booming voice wakes up Martine as the episode switches to their Paris residence. Lazar tells Jonah he lied to him, even though he’s free, he’s now a convicted escapee. Martine calmly walks in and takes over their heated conversation, and tells him they can clear his conviction and reunite him with his son. He tries to dismiss it, but she reveals chat log printouts from six months of her impersonating him, showing him that his son misses him. She reminds him they aren’t just taking down Aaron Graves, but the entirety of Reigning Fire. Lazar agrees to help them, setting their plan in motion.
Aaron Graves giving a speech in November 2014 in Argentina at an expo for Reigning Fire with Martine and Jonah in the audience looking suspicious. The scenes flash back to 2015 and 2016, showing them flirting. A man draws Martine away, and then Jonah gets a text to meet someone. As he’s walking to the room, he hears people fighting; it’s Martine and the man. He helps her clear up her mess. Even though he’s helping her, she points a gun at him and kisses him. Now we know what truly bonded them. In a moment of deep conversation, Jonah reveals he helped Martine bury the guy following her because Graves killed his family. She believes him, but knowing what we know from 2025, he could be lying to her, too. I don’t trust either of them.
In a 2023 flashback, they still don’t have enough to take down Graves for hurting children, including Jonah’s brother. They’ve been cooking up this plan for years because Graves sells weapons to Presidents and hurts children. Somehow, Tony, Ziva, and Henry got roped into their plans. Maybe they needed someone to pin it on, but even so, it is all more complicated than anyone knows.
Can Tony and Ziva clear their names?
In Italy, Claudette and Boris tell the team that Jonah was easy to find. He returned to Paris with Larza as his house guest. Jonah stole millions, faked his disappearances, and got Lazar out of prison, only to return to Interpol? I agree with Ziva that we’re missing something. There’s a Reigning Fire gun expo coming up; they think that may be where Jonah is going. It’s in Paris, in four days, most likely for revenge. Sophie and Boris bond over having the same CIA bug guy, who can bug Jonah’s place since all his appliances are offline. Like Claudette, it was a weird yet hilarious bonding conversation.
Tony and Ziva tell Tali they’ve decided she can stay in Italy, but Tony and Ziva are going back to Paris to get proof that they are innocent, and that happens to be where the people are who are framing them. They have to stay in hiding, so both of their apartments are out of the question, so they arrive at Dr. Lang’s residence once they land in Paris. Archie, Dr. Lang’s flatmate, reminds them that they are crossing professional lines by seeking help from Ziva’s therapist.
Ziva scaling a roof while doing recon like the old days while Tony munches on some chips bothering Archie. I love how their old ways are woven into their new lives. It makes the show feel like home, even though they are in Paris and not Washington, D.C. Ziva jumps off the roof and onto the balcony to shoot a listening device for a clear connection into the apartment. She succeeds, and now they listen to Martine and Lazar’s conversation.
Jonah obtains many warrants
Back at Interpol, Jonah lies that Tony and Ziva imprisoned him. The Interpol President isn’t buying it because she doesn’t believe they would imprison him and then blow up the prison he was in. Martine deepens the lie by saying Henry didn’t have enough resources, and it cost him his life. They need her help if they are going to get ahead of Tony and Ziva. They even have a list of warrants to be signed. This isn’t good. Apparently, to stop them, they have to do this the right way, even though they are lying through their teeth and framing Tony and Ziva. The plot thickens, and things don’t look good for the good guys.
Jonah arrives at the flat, asking for Dr. Lang, while Tony stands in the next room. He has one of those warrants so that he can search the flat. Ziva isn’t back from her recon mission. Tony is in a real bind, as he faces a decision to make a run for it. Jonah confirms that someone is also searching Dr. Lang’s office. He calls Ziva and Tony terrorists, even though Jonah and his crew are behind everything. He also lies that Henry was his good friend.
Tony hides on the balcony, barely hidden from the agents, as Jonah questions Archie and Dr. Lang’s military background, aligning with Ziva’s background. Tony throws something on the sidewalk to get Ziva’s attention, and she notices the agent and walks across the street. These calls are too close for comfort. They almost get caught when Jonah sees the chess game and chips, but Archie confirms he’s not on the warrant and gets Jonah to leave. Ziva storms into the flat and immediately wants to know why Jonah was there just seconds ago. Without missing a beat, Archie tells them he was using anti-terrorism laws to breach confidentiality and access their private files.
Jonah’s hiding things from Martine
Lazar and Martine have a heated conversation about what type of man Jonah is and Ziva listens from the balcony through the connected device. Martine is sure that Lazar helping them kill Aaron Graves will prove that Jonah is a decent man. But, she doesn’t know everything like she thinks she does, according to that secret phone call from episode 6. Martine tells Jonah that Lazar thinks he’s like Graves and likes using people, and the end goal is to turn her against him. If she only knew she was onto something. Instead, she loves and defends her man. Jonah plays the reassuring boyfriend to calm her worries.
Jonah and Martine walk Lazar through their plan to kill Aaron Graves as Tony and Ziva listen in. Now, it’s three days until the Reigning Fire expo, where they plan to kill Graves and take the Reigning Fire market shares. You know it’s a crazy plan when Tony agrees it’s a solid market play. Bad men getting other bad men out of business? Such a wild episode.
Jonah confronts Lazar about speaking with Martine about him. He clears up that his brother wasn’t his hero, but he did teach him to code. Killing the man who took out his entire family isn’t about love; it’s more out of blood ties. He didn’t like his brother, but he’ll get justice for his death, since he was family. Then, in the same breath, Jonah threatens Lazar not to speak to Martine about him again, or something will happen to his son. It’s hard to tell who Jonah really is. He’s definitely a dirty cop, even to those working alongside him.
Ziva warns Martine about Jonah
Before Archie can leave, Ziva confirms that Jonah was telling the truth about his entire family being killed when he was a child. He tells them that Jonah is a narcissist, and Ziva agrees, saying he’s using Martine. Although Jonah may feel he loves her, he’s using her. But Martine won’t realize that because she feels understood by him. We know from their past together that they trauma-bonded in 2014. He’s been using her for years without her realizing it, which is crazy considering her people-reading skills. However, even intelligent individuals can be manipulated when they feel secure. Archie warns them to be careful around Jonah and then leaves them to their plan.
Tony and Ziva come to the conclusion that Jonah is lying to Martine. Although she hurt their daughter, Ziva knows she’d want to know if she were in Martine’s shoes. Martine gets a video sent to her phone of the man hurting Tali at the safe house. Ziva walks up behind her. It only takes a minute to confirm that Martine had no idea Jonah planned to hurt Tali; she thought she had gotten him to stop by telling him not to go after him. But with someone like Jonah, no is a challenge.
NCIS: Tony and Ziva airs on Paramount+ on Thursdays.