{"id":1998209,"date":"2025-09-05T02:05:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T02:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1998209"},"modified":"2025-09-05T02:05:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T02:05:14","slug":"tony-ziva-boss-breaks-down-tivas-relationship-status-that-spoiler-mention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/tony-ziva-boss-breaks-down-tivas-relationship-status-that-spoiler-mention\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony &#038; Ziva\u2019 Boss Breaks Down Tiva\u2019s Relationship Status &#038; That [Spoiler] Mention"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/show\/ncis-tony-ziva\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva<\/em><\/a> Season 1 Episodes 1 \u201cNo Country Is Safe,\u201d 2 \u201cNo Friend of Mine,\u201d and 3 \u201cCover Story.\u201d]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cPart of what makes their being able to trust each other in terms of maybe rekindling the relationship <em>is<\/em> how well they work together,\u201d notes showrunner <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/john-mcnamara\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:John McNamara;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">John McNamara<\/a> of Tony (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/michael-weatherly\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Michael Weatherly;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Michael Weatherly<\/a>) and Ziva (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/cote-de-pablo\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Cote de Pablo;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Cote de Pablo<\/a>), who are exes in the present day of this\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/show\/ncis\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:NCIS;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>NCIS<\/em><\/a> spinoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But the two are on the run together, after his security company is framed for the theft of a significant amount of money (that\u2019s just the beginning), did sleep together in 2020 after they were reunited, are growing closer in the present (especially after an encounter with Tony\u2019s girlfriend, who turns out to be married), and as they co-parent Tali (Isla Gie).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Below, John McNamara breaks down the major moments from the first three episodes (streaming now). Plus, read what Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo had to say about these episodes <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/1212724\/ncis-tony-ziva-premiere-recap-michael-weatherly-cote-de-pablo-interview\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:here;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><strong>here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>We see the reunion that we\u2019ve been waiting to see ever since it was revealed that Ziva is alive. What had you wanted to do with those moments in the flashbacks? It\u2019s balancing what it means for them as a couple, but it\u2019s also addressing what she\u2019s gone through.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>John McNamara:<\/strong> More than anything, I wanted to be true to those characters, the way that their stories were told on the mothership show. I didn\u2019t want to deny the fact that she had terrible PTSD. I thought that was an incredibly powerful arc for her and for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/mark-harmon\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mark Harmon;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Mark Harmon<\/a>. I thought it was really, really wonderful, and I wanted to honor the fact that I think Tony has always, always been there for her. And the fact that he gets a second chance, that she\u2019s literally comes back from the dead, I thought, that\u2019s not going to be easy for either of them. It\u2019s going be great at first because you\u2019re going to have that kind of rush. But they both have a lot of adjusting to do. If you look at them as real people, they have huge gulfs, emotionally, psychologically. And then I believe what the writer, William Goldman, who wrote <em>Butch Cassidy<\/em>, said: \u201cYou think your heroes are in enough trouble, put them in more trouble.\u201d And that\u2019s, to me, what the whole espionage 9.4 story was. It was like this relationship was already just barely functioning, and then you just throw them into the f**king deep end.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in &#8216;NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Marcell Piti \/ Paramount+<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Because their relationship is obviously best described as it\u2019s complicated, whether you\u2019re talking about the flashbacks or the present day. But then it seems like by the end of Episode 3, they\u2019re moving more in the direction of seeing why they do work well together in the present day. So where had you wanted to keep them at that point? Because now they\u2019re on the run together, they\u2019re dealing with all this stuff, but they can\u2019t forget or ignore about their personal relationship.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Also I think part of what makes their being able to trust each other in terms of maybe rekindling the relationship <em>is<\/em> how well they work together. I think the realization is we couldn\u2019t possibly be this in sync in work if there\u2019s not something else at play that we\u2019re both afraid of and maybe even in denial about. I think a lot of human experiences is denial, and a lot of overcoming denial is overcoming adversity. So I try to bring to the surface and make text the ambivalence. And then the minute you have guns and car chases, that ambivalence kind of goes away a little bit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>So in the flashback in Episode 3, when they\u2019re kissing after dinner, Ziva says that this part has \u201calways\u201d been easy for them. So what were you saying about their history and just how long something had been on that wasn\u2019t shown on <em>NCIS<\/em>? Because that had always been vague.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Yeah. There was a reference to a night in, I think it was in Paris \u2026 There was an offscreen liaison that resulted in Tali. And I think the fact that it was kind of vague was actually really helpful for me and the other writers because we then could kind of fill in a few more blanks and we felt strongly that two things worked really well for them once they would overcome. One is working together, worked well for them. They always were in kind of sync, even though they could often butt heads. And the other was I think they had a really great physical attraction that took a long time. But when it finally came to a boil, it really came to a boil.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Episode 3 is also when we learned that Tony was in a relationship, and then we get the reveal that Nicole\u2019s (Sophie Mousel) married.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">To a cop.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Why was Tony ready to be serious enough with Nicole to introduce her to Tali? How much was it about running from what happened and could happen with Ziva?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He does explain that he really felt like he devoted all of his time and energy to, at first, being a family with Ziva and Tali, then when that didn\u2019t work out with Ziva, to really devoting himself to Tali and being the best co-parent he could, but now Talia\u2019s at the cusp of leaving. And I think it was that sense of, \u201cWell, what am I going to have in my life? I\u2019m not going to be with Ziva and Tali\u2019s going to be at college.\u201d And so that sort of opened him up. But again, I think Tony himself would say it wasn\u2019t the greatest decision on Earth. That\u2019s what I love about all these characters. They\u2019re incredibly flawed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"James D'Arcy as Henry and Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo \u2014 'NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva' Series Premiere &quot;No Country Is Safe&quot;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"855\" height=\"570\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/6XxrfDTeX.NzJdte6xh77w--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/tv_insider_639\/9fe4684b072de6d206d91396c2f7c71c\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>James D&#8217;Arcy as Henry and Michael Weatherly as Tony Dinozzo \u2014 &#8216;NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva&#8217; Series Premiere &#8220;No Country Is Safe&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Marcell Piti \/ Paramount+<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Do Tony and Martine (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/nassima-benchicou\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Nassima Benchicou;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Nassima Benchicou<\/a>) have a history? There was that \u201chave we met\u201d in 101, but is it just that he might\u2019ve seen her around Interpol? Is it something else?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I can\u2019t tell you.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Tony seems to go back and forth when it comes to Henry (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/james-darcy\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:James D\u2019Arcy;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">James D\u2019Arcy<\/a>) and whether or not they can trust him, while Ziva very much thinks that he\u2019s involved, she is very anti Henry, But what can you say about how much he should be trusted and why Tony and Ziva struggle so much to see the other side when it comes to him?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I don\u2019t want to reveal whether or not he\u2019s the villain because that\u2019s part of the fun of really starting in Episode 5 through 10. There\u2019s a couple big reveals. I really liked the fact, and I think this really came up in Episode 6, which was written by Christina Strain, that Henry had established such a strong relationship with Tali as kind of an uncle that at times, and you can see it in some of the flashbacks in Episode 2, Ziva feels a bit sidelined. And I don\u2019t think she even was conscious of that until some other events unfolded. Whereas I think by nature, too, she is not a trusting person. She was raised by a Mossad agent. She was trained to be a killer as a teenager. Whereas Tony\u2019s a happy go lucky All-American former cop and has that kind of American rah-rah positivity, optimism in a sense, always kind of seen the best in people, and that generally gets him f**ked over pretty bad.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Whether Henry can be trusted or not, can you say if his affection for Tony and Tali is real?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It looks real. Really, really, really, really good people who operate in the world of espionage are very good at making you believe what they want you to believe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Talk about including that McGee mention in Episode 3.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Yeah, totally Shelley Meals, the writer of Episode 3, totally her idea. Just I think popped up in a draft of the script. I loved it. I said, yeah, this is great. This is terrific. It kind of inspired me to either in my own episodes or another writer\u2019s episodes kind of put a few more Easter eggs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Can you say how much Tony and Ziva are in touch with McGee or anyone back in DC?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I can\u2019t without revealing stuff, but I do think that a good point is made, and I think it\u2019s in [Episode] 3, which is, \u201cWe\u2019re wanted fugitives for terrorism. We don\u2019t want to involve our friends, and 9.4 is truly dangerous and could kill anyone anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Dr. Lang (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/people\/terence-maynard\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Terence Maynard;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Terence Maynard<\/a>) seems to be helping Ziva. Can you say if he\u2019s what he seems and if Ziva should be trusting him like she is?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Of course I can\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>But do you think that he is actually helping her in the way that she needs to be helped, whether he can be trusted or not?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I definitely think whatever he really is or isn\u2019t, the therapy has obviously worked. She\u2019s gotten past the kind of more physical manifestations of trauma. He may have a motive, I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Because he may have an ulterior motive, but it\u2019s what she\u2019s getting out of it that matters.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I think that\u2019s dramatized in the scene where she hears the backfire and realizes it\u2019s the first time she hasn\u2019t gone for a gun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva<\/em>, Thursdays, Paramount+<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the latest entertainment news on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tvinsider.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:TV Insider;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">TV Insider<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for\u00a0NCIS: Tony &amp; Ziva Season 1 Episodes 1 \u201cNo Country Is Safe,\u201d 2 \u201cNo Friend of Mine,\u201d and 3 \u201cCover Story.\u201d] \u201cPart of what makes their being able to trust each other in terms of maybe rekindling the relationship is how well they work together,\u201d notes showrunner John McNamara [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1998210,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[361330,362521,342748,315761,362520,362519],"class_list":["post-1998209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-cote-de-pablo","tag-john-mcnamara","tag-michael-weatherly","tag-ncis","tag-tony-dinozzo","tag-ziva-david"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Tony-Ziva-Boss-Breaks-Down-Tivas-Relationship-Status.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1998209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1998209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1998209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1998210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1998209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1998209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1998209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}