Michael Weatherly’s Greatest ‘NCIS’ Moment Showed Us Another Side of Tony md24

There will never be another class clown kind of character on NCIS that could truly beat Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly). So, when Weatherly reprised his role in the franchise to headline a new spin-off alongside Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) called NCIS: Tony & Ziva, we were excited to get his flavor of comedy back. As such, there is no better time to look back on the flagship show and Tony’s journey. Interestingly enough, one of Tony’s greatest moments and Weatherly’s most impressive performances in the series was about undermining the character’s class clown image.

Tony definitely had his skills, including his charm and effectiveness on the field, but he was one of the least likely candidates to appear to have the cunning to manipulate someone into a confession in a high-stakes interrogation. He was far too unserious for that. But in the NCIS Season 6 finale, he proves everyone wrong and does exactly that. Tony was the underdog that came out biting, and Weatherly makes the subtle moment powerful.

Tony Has a Pivotal Moment in the ‘NCIS’ Season 6 Finale

In the Season 6 finale, Tony shoots Ziva’s boyfriend and rogue Mossad agent Michael Rivkin (Merik Tadros) in a struggle in her apartment. He insists he acted out of self-defense, but the death caught the attention of Mossad leader Eli David (Michael Nouri), who is also Ziva’s father. Even though NCIS has jurisdiction over the case, they go to Tel Aviv, Israel, where Eli demands an interrogation with Tony, whose shoulder is injured due to the fight. While Vance (Rocky Carroll) is concerned about Tony’s ability to handle the interaction, Gibbs (Mark Harmon) is quietly confident in him.

During the interrogation, Tony is as sarcastic and witty as ever, fulfilling his role as the class clown. It reduces Eli’s opinion of him, as he accuses Tony of having “childish arrogance,” but it also means that Eli’s defenses are lowered. As the conversation continues, it appears that Eli is getting the upper hand until Tony somehow goads him into admitting that he sent Rivkin to the States. At this point, they believed Rivkin was a rogue agent, but Eli’s confession that he had been working on his orders outside his country’s borders is a vital piece of information in the case and to get Ziva on their side. As such, it was clear that Tony’s “childish arrogance” was really “childlike confidence.”

At the moment of the confession, Tony glanced directly into the room’s camera, which fed to a screen Vance and Gibbs were watching. It suggests that Tony knew exactly what he was doing, using Eli’s (and admittedly, our) perception of him as a class clown to trick him into exposing his secret. Even Vance’s reaction of “well I’ll be damned” to the scene was priceless, going from underestimating Tony to being impressed. It’s a subtle yet meaningful “gotcha” moment that not only fleshes out Tony’s character, but reminds us there’s a reason Gibbs’ hired him. But the power of this scene wouldn’t work without Weatherly’s perfect performance.

Michael Weatherly Does Justice to Tony’s ‘NCIS’ Arc in This Scene

Credit: Image via CBS

Tony has had many heartfelt moments in the show, from his close call with death or when he saved Gibbs, but Weatherly gives his most nuanced performance in this interrogation scene. In the beginning, he is flawlessly smooth and unassuming, the kind of Tony we have come to know. He bounces off Eli’s questions and comments with witty remarks. He maintains this throughout the interrogation, making sure there is no distinction between his early sarcasm and his manipulation later on. It’s restrained and simple, but executed impressively by Weatherly, allowing the “gotcha” moment to have impact.

It’s not only Weatherly’s delivery that makes this scene memorable, but also his facial reactions, which add nuance to the performance and the environment. His face is mostly relaxed at the beginning when he needles Eli. But as Eli gains momentum and throws around accusations, there are lines of strain in his face, mainly when Eli painfully grabs his injured shoulders. It captures Tony’s precarious position, heightening the stakes of the over interaction while creating a tense rhythm that keeps us on tenterhooks. All this flows seamlessly until the moment Tony tilts his head and shifts his eyes to the camera.

The restraint in that scene is how the mere eye movement becomes so distinct and meaningful, and this is mostly due to Weatherly’s performance. Nouri is an angry and aggressive predator prowling around him, while Weatherly stays still until that very last second. Since neither restrained nor subtle are words we would use to describe Tony, his use of them in this scene makes it all the more powerful. Weatherly nailed the brief in this NCIS scene, perfectly using the character’s class clown reputation to his advantage and undermining it with a side to him that we had never seen. It was the best approach to portray Tony at this level, becoming a highlight in Weatherly’s NCIS catalog.