‘NCIS’s Tony & Ziva: Their Top 10 ‘Tiva’ Moments So Far
Sam and Diane. Ross and Rachel. Scully and Mulder. The question of “Will they or won’t they?” has driven some of TV’s greatest relationships and kept hopeful fans glued to their screens. But few pairs have been shipped harder (or longer, for that matter) than NCIS’s Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo). Since their first meeting at the start of the third season, the chemistry between “Tiva,” as fans dubbed the duo, was obvious.
Tony’s relentless energy and freewheeling charm meshed effortlessly with Ziva’s flirtatious teasing and aloof detachment. They kept each other on their toes with playful banter but also maintained the emotional distance required of those who regularly deal with tragedy. Behind all of their bluster and despite their very different backgrounds, there was always a mutual respect. And behind that was something more.
Tony and Ziva’s opposites-attract, love-hate dynamic was actually rooted in the real-life bond of the actors. “Michael and I clicked immediately,” de Pablo has said. “We sort of hated each other immediately, and loved each other immediately…. We realized we’re so drastically different and so much alike that there was an immediate attraction.”
Of course, unrequited feelings between partners was nothing new in the world of police procedurals, even back in 2005 (take Brennan and Booth in Bones, for instance), and today’s most prominent example is Benson and Stabler in the Law & Order universe (Bensler!). It was the (extremely) slow burn of Ziva and Tony’s relationship that helped create viewers’ own passion for the pairing over the years. So much so that, in 2010, TV Guide Magazine concluded that “many fans have become obsessed with the romantic tension.” Did Tiva shippers finally get what they were looking for before Weatherly and de Pablo left the show? Let’s roll back the tape on some of Tony and Ziva’s greatest moments to find out.
This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s NCIS: Special Collector’s Edition issue. For more inside scoop on the long-running CBS franchise, pick up a copy of the issue available on newsstands and for order online at NCISMagazine.com.
'Kill Ari' (Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2)
Ziva has just arrived in the States to clear her half brother Ari Haswari’s name, convinced his assassination of NCIS agent Caitlin Todd must have been part of some undercover assignment. Tony’s got a mad-on for the man that killed his partner. When Ziva and Tony meet, he’s been remembering the sight of Caitlin naked, and Ziva assures him women also fantasize…about handsome men. The flirty repartee belies their opposing goals and some very real anger. But Ziva would begin to close that distance by saving Gibbs, and killing Ari in the process.
'Under Covers' (Season 3, Episode 8)
It’s a classic steamy scenario: partners go undercover as a couple and find themselves getting closer in the process. In one of Tony and Ziva’s first assignments together, they play the roles of married assassins at the Marine Corps Ball. To really sell it, the two share a kiss. “In our minds, we thought the characters weren’t faking anything,” de Pablo has said. “They just got carried away. Then all of a sudden after that, they saw each other in a different light.”
'Boxed In' (Season 3, Episode 12)
When we said shipping, we didn’t mean a shipping container! But that’s where Tony and Ziva got “boxed in,” trapped after a gunfight at the docks. They might have been safe from bullets, but not from each other. Especially since Ziva had just invited everyone but Tony over for dinner. Awkward. “I like dark, tight spaces,” Tony muses. “Unless, of course, they insist on some kind of commitment,” Ziva parries. They’d had more than enough of each other by the time the rest of the team tracked them down.
'Truth Or Consequences' (Season 7, Episode 1)
After leaving Tony and the NCIS team on less than friendly terms, Ziva is captured on a Mossad mission in Somalia. Believing her to have been killed, Tony, Gibbs and McGee head overseas on a mission of revenge. Allowing himself to be captured, Tony is shocked when he finds Ziva alive. “Couldn’t live without you, I guess,” he tells her. Sarcasm? Not likely, as Tony’s under the influence of truth serum. After a rescue by Gibbs, Ziva returns with them to the U.S., assured that Tony would “always have [her] back.”
'Jet Lag' (Season 7, Episode 13)
Ziva and Tony head to Paris, the City of Light, and of love. And after a mistake with their reservation, they’re forced to share a hotel room! Both claim to have taken the couch, and both call each other out for lying. So what really happened in Paris? “I’ll give you the short answer,” de Pablo has said. “Michael has his views of what happened in Paris. I have mine. We haven’t discussed it. But all I can say is it was good.” Weatherly’s take? Tony and Ziva had “a tremendous amount of fun.”
'Extreme Prejudice' (Season 10, Episode 1)
Tony and Ziva are trapped in another metal box! This time it’s an elevator after Harper Dearing’s terrorist revenge bombings target NCIS headquarters. Several flirty hours later, they’re both getting a little “ripe” when Abby shows up to free them. After showrunner Gary Glasberg saw Weatherly and de Pablo’s elevator scene, he decided to go all in on Tiva for the 10th season. “It’s time, so let’s see what we can do,” Glasberg said at the time. Weatherly was even more optimistic: “This is the year. Trust me.”
'Shabbat Shalom' & 'Shiva' (Season 10, Episodes 11 and 12)
Ziva is shaken to her core after gunfire claims her father’s life. Tony is there in her moment of need, taking her under his protection and bringing her to his apartment to grieve. It’s one of Ziva’s lowest moments, but one of the most important for their relationship. “You’ll really see Tony be there for her and support her and emotionally be strong for her,” Glasberg has said. Tony met Ziva on the tarmac as she set off to return her father’s body to Israel, where he whispered “You are not alone” in Hebrew.
'Past, Present And Future' (Season 11, Episode 2)
Tony and Ziva’s last moments together (on camera, at least) were nothing if not bittersweet. Tony goes above and beyond to track Ziva down after learning that there’s been a threat made on her life. He finds her in Israel but has to respect her wishes to leave the job as an agent and let her start a new life—even if it’s a life without him. They kiss at the airport before saying goodbye, and Tony gets on the plane alone. And unlike their first kiss nearly a decade earlier, they aren’t undercover. This was finally the real thing.
'Family First' (Season 13, Episode 24)
Ziva unfortunately didn’t appear in Tony’s farewell to NCIS. But it is in his final moments on the show that we learn more than we could have imagined about their relationship. When the team discovers that Ziva had been killed (or so they thought at the time), Tony faces an even bigger shock. He and Ziva had a young daughter together, named Tali, after Ziva’s sister. Tony leaves the team to raise Tali in Paris, the city that Ziva loved and where they’d shared time together years earlier.
'The North Pole' & 'In the Wind' (Season 17, Episodes 10 and 11)
The Season 16 finale confirmed our hopes: Ziva was alive! We’d soon learn that she’d faked her death to protect her loved ones from a terrorist named Sahar. Later, we’d be told that Tony knew she had lived and tracked her down in Cairo. After dealing with Sahar, Ziva headed to Paris to reunite with her family. Maybe someday NCIS will give us a look at their happily ever after, but until then, at least we can rest knowing that Tony, Ziva and Tali are all finally together.
