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Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo gave a sizzling Comic-Con first peek at NCIS: Tony & Ziva (2025). This spinoff premieres on Paramount+ on September 4 and will consist of ten episodes. Each episode will air every Thursday, with the season finale showing on October 23. Officially, fans are counting down.
The plot of Tony and Ziva in NCIS has always been one of conflict, loyalty, and love concealed behind danger. Since their first encounter, their bond has grown deeper via mutual risk-taking and an implicit understanding.
Their every move created a trail that formed their future together. Their moments of silence frequently meant more than words. Sacrifice and secrets challenged their loyalty, but they never ceased to battle for one another. These storylines laid the framework for the Season 1 NCIS: Tony & Ziva (2025).
The spinoff carries on their past and shows how their trust and love, which grew throughout NCIS, prepared them for a new chapter in Europe. This article will provide seven crucial narrative points to remember from NCIS just before the Tony and Ziva spin-offs air. So, go through this before you binge-watch NCIS: Tony & Ziva (2025).
Disclaimer: This article contains the writer's opinion. Reader's discretion is advised.
Here are the 7 key plot points to recap from NCIS shortly before the Tony & Ziva spin-offs' premiere:
7. Ziva's first day in the team (Season 3 Episode 4)
Fans of NCIS must have noticed that on the first day in NCIS, Ziva arrives straight from Mossad and finds Tony waiting at her desk. He rants about the late start and cups of cold coffee until she calmly reminds him they will work as partners now.
Gibbs failed to notify Tony about Ziva's impending arrival, resulting in a heated handshake in the bullpen. He instantly tests her by taking away her sidearm and backup pistol. Tony watches as Ziva stows her weapons and learns to read Gibbs’s silent cues with just a look or a coffee headslap to show approval.
Later, Ziva and Tony share a quiet moment over a men’s magazine on page 57 while strapped into a witness interview. This scene sets the tone for how they learn each other’s language beyond spoken words. That trust and wordless respect carry over into NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1, when they rely on quiet signals while on the run throughout Europe. These initial actions in Team NCIS foreshadow their eventual friendship in the next season.
6. Tony and Ziva finally share a near-confession (Season 7 Episode 1)
In Season 7’s opening episode of NCIS, Tony and Ziva are trapped together in a dark basement with only a sliver of light. They are immersed in investigating a terror threat on a Navy ship when a hidden room door slams shut behind them. They huddle down next to one another on the chilly floor since they lack the tools necessary to pick the lock.
After hours of waiting, Tony glances at Ziva and almost tells her how much he has missed her since she left the team years before. Ziva, moved by his gaze, reaches out to wipe a spot of dust from his cheek.
Time appears to freeze when their hands meet. The moment abruptly ends as they hear Gibbs' radio call, just as Tony is about to express his feelings. They stand and head back to the ship deck without a word, but with new heat in their eyes. That tiny almost-confession carries over to NCIS: Tony & Ziva, where they experience those feelings head-on on a runaway mission across Europe.
5. Tony's return in the Ducky tribute (Season 21 Episode 2)
In NCIS Season 21, Tony appears during Dr. Mallard's burial and a spectacular montage of prior Major Case Response moments. The team has all assembled to celebrate Ducky in Episode 2. In a voiceover, Jimmy Palmer and Torres describe Ducky's guidance. Then Tony enters the room with Ducky's favorite bird pin, and he and Palmer hug each other. No one instructed Ziva to expect him, and she shows up a moment later to find her old buddy standing at Ducky's desk.
Palmer is choking up over how much his visit means to him. Tony explains that he is making a fast Europe pit-stop before meeting up with his family for covert NCIS work with Ziva. That appearance foreshadows NCIS: Tony & Ziva, wherein they remain off-grid together for a continent-long run. This reunion sequence references their early NCIS days and reminds fans how far their pair has come.
4. Ziva hides to protect her daughter, Tali (Season 17 Episode 11)
In “In The Wind” episode of NCIS, Ziva finds herself back as a daughter’s protector. When she discovers that a target intends to harm her teenage daughter, Tali, she takes immediate action. Tony arrives to help her secure Tali at a safe house. He rigs a play fort in the living room and buys Tali ice cream to calm her nerves. Ziva watches from the window while Tony moves like a big brother ready to intervene.
The two discuss silent methods over the kitchen table to divert any potential danger away from the front door. When the hit team finally closes in, Tony and Ziva run through back alleys together with Tali following behind. They split up at an abandoned dock, and Tony picks up Ziva's necklace, which she dropped during the chase. He holds it out to her with a comforting nod that says they are in this together. That moment of unspoken trust mirrors scenes in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, where they juggle parenthood and fugitives on foreign soil.
3. Ziva's return & her mission with Gibbs (Season 17 Episode 10)
In “The North Pole” episode of NCIS, Ziva returns on a secret mission with Gibbs that twists through Cairo and back again. After tracking her down in Egypt, Gibbs brings her home to help stop an old foe from hitting her family. Tony finds she is back when he sees Gibbs walk into the bullpen with Ziva at his side. No words are exchanged, but Tony’s face lights up at the sight of her.
At a warehouse raid, Ziva is knocked out, saving Gibbs from a collapsing floor. When she wakes up, he tells her Tony has asked about her every day since she left. That disclosure demonstrates how much he still cares. In the last scene, Gibbs shoots down the mastermind who is threatening Ziva's daughter, Tali, and Tony comes via secure video link to wish Ziva and Tali a Happy Mother's Day. Their teamwork that day mirrors the bonding and loyalty they show in NCIS: Tony & Ziva Season 1 as they face new enemies together.
2. Revelation of Ziva being alive (Season 16 Episode 13)
In NCIS Season 16 Episode 13, Bishop finds Ziva’s hidden case files in the bullpen and discovers that she faked her own death. Gibbs tearfully tosses away his rule not to get personal, then rallies the team to investigate an old missing Navy recruit case that Ziva never closed. Bishop opens a box of Ziva’s files and discovers Ziva has been watching crimes linked to her past as a Mossad agent.
Tony hears from Gibbs that Ziva might still be alive, and he spends a sleepless night gauging every clue. When Ziva finally contacts Tony on an encrypted channel, she apologizes for leaving him off the grid. He replies that he understands and that he will always find her no matter where she goes.
In Season 1 of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, they rely on one another to survive in hostile territory, and that sequence of relief and pulling each other back from the edge gives the same feeling as in NCIS Season 16 Episode 13.
1. Ziva's supposed death and Tony's departure (Season 13 Episode 24)
In the Season 13 finale, fans endure the heartache of Ziva’s apparent death. A car bomb meant for Vance explodes near her while she races to Tony’s safe house. He survives, but she does not emerge from the burning vehicle. Tony goes into the squad room and demands answers, only to discover that Ziva lost her life defending her daughter. He walks out and turns in his badge without a word.
Gibbs watches Tony leave, and the camera lingers on Tony’s empty desk. His anger and grief echo every line Tony ever said about caring for Ziva. That parting establishes the gut punch that drives NCIS: Tony & Ziva. In the new series, Tony picks up the shards of his heart and embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and fulfill the promise he made to Ziva that day.
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The story of Tony and Ziva in NCIS had been full of trials and heartbreak. From the spark of their first meeting to the pain of separation and the relief of reunion, every moment carried weight. Their choices were often made in silence yet shaped by love and duty. Their history in NCIS proved their ability to withstand any challenge by the start of NCIS: Tony & Ziva Season 1. The new series only deepened what was already written in their history. Fans saw that their bond was tested in fire and that it endured as the strongest part of their story.
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