Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for NCIS: Tony & Ziva Episode 5.The latest episode of NCIS: Tony & Ziva picks up from the high of our favorite couple’s kiss, one that seemed more promising than ever. Their plan to stage a wedding and steal information from rogue Interpol agent Martine (Nassima Benchicou) had worked, and they were cruising on a yacht. On top of this, Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pabo) also find out that Jonah (Julian Ovenden), the head of Interpol, was still alive and was imprisoned under a fake name. As such, by the end of Episode 4, they had a clear direction on what they needed to do next: it could not have been more of a successful time for this fugitive couple, and their old life was right near their fingertips. But Episode 5 changes everything.
‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ Episode 5 Kicks Off With a Prison Break
Image via Paramount+
We first get a glimpse into the prison, where Jonah is in an orange jumpsuit and is talking to a fellow prisoner, Dejan (Velibor Topić). While they talk about escaping the prison, Tony and Ziva are preparing to break Jonah out themselves. The couple and their crew steal Martine’s private plane and fly to Austria, planning to use 9.4 to infiltrate the prison. Once they land and begin the preparations on the ground, Tony and Ziva finally address their kiss in the previous episode, blaming it on adrenaline rather than feelings — typical. Brushing personal conflicts aside, they put their game face on.
Ziva approaches the prison security gates first under the disguise of a trucker and triggers a device that releases smoke under her truck’s hood. In the milieu, she manages to insert the 9.4 drive into the security’s computer, giving Boris (Maximilian Osinski) and Claudette (Amita Suman) remote access. Subsequently, when Tony approaches the security gate, they upload his pseudo-credentials into the system and the guards allow him to pass through. Meanwhile, the tech-savvy duo mess with the cameras and locks, allowing Ziva to get into the prison via a back gate with a prison-guard disguise on.
While Ziva is on the lookout, Tony is schmoozing the warden, convincing him that Jonah is being transferred under his care. Like usual, Tony spouts utter nonsense and is as believable as ever while they walk through the prison. Claudette and Boris warn them that Martine is in prison, but she doesn’t have a digital tag, making it impossible to track her. While Ziva covertly tries to look for Martine, Tony is finally face-to-face with Jonah. In a private room, he covertly hints that they are breaking Jonah out, and it looks like the prison escape is going to be seamless.
The True Villains Are Revealed in ‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ Episode 5
Image via Paramount+
As Jonah and Tony walk out of the room and down the hallway, Claudette informs them that the drone stolen from Reigning Fire was there. Tony stops in surprise, repeating what she said when Jonah reveals himself. Turns out, Jonah is the one working with Martine and is behind everything that has happened. At the same time, both Martine and Ziva enter the scene and a fight occurs, one that Tony and Ziva lose. They are captured and trapped in one of the rooms, which leads us to another flashback.
After their engagement, Tony and Ziva decide to go to couple’s therapy, led by Ziva’s therapist, Dr. Lang (Terence Maynard). They were doing an exercise in “you hurt me when…” where Ziva reveals that she doesn’t like it when Tony isn’t present or makes a wise-crack to avoid his feelings. Of course, during Tony’s turn, he proceeds to make a wisecrack. But then he becomes serious and claims that she has never hurt him, calling her the strongest person he knows. Afterward, Mr. Lang approaches Tony and calls him out for lying, warning him that real relationships require vulnerability and performances eventually end. Later, when Ziva asks what they talked about, Tony keeps up his performance and lies.
Tony & Ziva Gain an Unexpected Ally in the Chaos
While the couple is trapped, Jonah and Martine retrieve the 9.4 USB and reveal that they are in a relationship. We also find out that it was Jonah’s idea to threaten Tali (Isla Gie) in the spin-off’s premiere, but Martine convinces him to hold off from doing that again. They proceed to the next phase of their plan, which involves causing chaos by unlocking all the prisoner’s cells (through voice-activated commands no less) and recruiting Dejan. 9.4 was a versatile program that could crack any firewall except the one used for the Reigning Fire drone. Dejan was the one who created the drone’s firewall, and he eventually agrees to help them.
Meanwhile, Claudette, Boris, and Fruzsi (Anne-Marie Waldeck) are furiously trying to crack a code. Tony had shouted out a coded message before their ear-comms were disabled, and Claudette recognized the clue. It involved an acronym that Fruzsi solves: Remove All Tags. As such, between Jonah releasing the prisoners and all the digital tags being removed, Tony and Ziva can escape and hide in the havoc. At the same time, Jonah and Martine instruct Henry (James D’Arcy) to come to the prison, and we soon realize he is innocent. Despite Henry’s earlier betrayal, Tony and Ziva decide to put their trust in him again, and they all escape the prison together, taking the back exit.
Tony & Ziva Make Their Prison Escape at a Fatal Cost
Image via Paramount+
As they leave, Claudette tells Tony and Ziva about a voicemail she got from Tali that she didn’t notice until now. In the message, Tali says there are strange men wherever she is, and then it cuts off, leaving the parents deeply worried. Tony, Ziva and Henry head towards the nearby road when they see a car driving towards them holding Jonah, Martine, and Dejan. With his gun, Henry gets them to stop and exit the car, forcing them to kneel while Tony and Ziva take the car. He urges them to leave and save Tali.
Suddenly, they are distracted by a huge explosion; the Reigning Fire drone had shot missiles at the prison. While Henry is distracted, Jonah grabs the tool that Dejan kicked out of his shoe and attacks Henry. He successfully overpowers Henry and grabs his gun, shooting him execution-style. Despite their desire to help Henry, Tony and Ziva drive away and towards their daughter. Just as he had gained his best friend’s trust back, Tony lost him. They may have been able to escape the prison and head towards saving their daughter, but it came at a dear price to pay.
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