TL;DR: NCIS: Tony & Ziva Episode 9 is the emotional high point of the season, giving us answers, explosions, and a cliffhanger that sets up the finale perfectly. The show finally remembers what it’s about — trust, family, and two ex-spies who just can’t quit each other. If the finale sticks the landing, this might be the best NCIS spin-off yet.
NCIS: Tony & Ziva
You know that feeling when a long-running show finally remembers why you loved it in the first place — just as the end credits of the season loom on the horizon? That’s NCIS: Tony & Ziva Episode 9 in a nutshell. After a few episodes of globe-trotting espionage chaos and emotional misfires, “Ride or Die” gives us what we’ve been waiting for: real emotional stakes, vintage DiNozzo-Ziva banter, and just enough explosions to make Michael Bay jealous.
The Wedding From Hell: Why Tony and Ziva’s Engagement Crashed and Burned
Let’s talk about the flashbacks, because oh boy — this is where the emotional therapy bills start stacking up. We finally see the infamous wedding that never was, and it’s peak NCIS melodrama meets Mamma Mia! chaos. Tony’s running around like a caffeine-fueled golden retriever trying to make everything perfect while Ziva is stress-punching a boxing bag like it’s 2009 all over again.
Then, the inevitable: Tali goes missing mid-wedding prep. Tony tries to play it cool (never a good sign), and when Ziva finds out, she goes nuclear. Their argument hits right at the heart of everything that’s haunted them — the secret baby, the fake death, the years of mistrust. It’s raw, painful, and very human. When Tony admits he still doesn’t fully trust her, the engagement implodes faster than a Reigning Fire drone. The kicker? Their daughter’s fine, found by Claudette and Sophie picking flowers. Classic NCIS: heartbreak first, relief later.
Present Day: AI, Assassins, and an Island That Probably Has Terrible Wi-Fi
Fast-forward to the present and we’re deep into spy thriller territory. Tony’s chasing Jonah and Graves to a private island straight out of a Bond villain’s Zillow listing, while Ziva’s trying to track him down before things get very explodey.
Tony’s theory — that their destroyed AI drone, “9.4,” might still have a memory of Jonah’s crimes — is the most Tony DiNozzo thing ever: brilliant in theory, terrible in timing. Meanwhile, Ziva sends their daughter and Sophie off to Barbados for safety, because nothing says “family vacation” like a witness protection getaway.
What follows is a whirlwind of betrayals, fake deaths, and moral gymnastics. Jonah’s out here quoting Nietzsche while manipulating everyone in sight, Graves is sweating bullets in his fortress, and Martine — the wildcard of the season — delivers a twist that would make even Scandal’s Olivia Pope gasp.
When Everyone Might Be Dead (But Probably Isn’t)
The episode’s midpoint drops one of those classic NCIS “is he dead?” moments. Jonah blows up the building Tony’s in, and for a brief second, I thought they’d actually done it. But this is Tony & Ziva, not Game of Thrones. Plot armor reigns supreme.
Martine, meanwhile, switches from scorned lover to unhinged assassin by shooting Graves square in the chest and running off into the sunset with Dejan, who — surprise! — isn’t dead either. The woman’s got more plot twists than a Christopher Nolan script.
By the time the smoke clears, Ziva finds Tony alive among the rubble. They share a kiss, an “I love you,” and the kind of quiet beach scene that almost tricks you into believing they’ll finally get their happy ending.
Almost.
The Final Gut Punch: Tali’s Missing (Again?!)
Because NCIS can’t let Tony and Ziva breathe for more than 30 seconds, the final moments reveal that their daughter Tali’s plane to Barbados was rerouted straight into Jonah’s trap. The kid gets abducted mid-escape, setting up a finale that promises emotional chaos and (hopefully) some long-overdue family redemption.
It’s poetic symmetry — the same fear that tore Tony and Ziva apart years ago might now be what forces them to truly rebuild trust. If Episode 10 sticks the landing, Tony & Ziva might just pull off the impossible: making the NCIS universe feel fresh again.
Final Verdict
Episode 9 finally delivers what this spin-off has been flirting with all season — the heart of NCIS: character-driven tension, humor laced through heartbreak, and just enough spy-thriller adrenaline to make you forget this all started in a lab in D.C. It’s messy, emotional, and occasionally ridiculous — but so are Tony and Ziva, and that’s why we love them.
