Of all the spin-offs in the NCISverse, NCIS: Tony & Ziva is the one that stands out the most with its European location and complete genre flip. Instead of the usual military cop procedural format the franchise is known for, the latest spin-off flies straight into spy drama territory and mostly pulls it off. The central narrative and mystery is steeped in espionage tropes, which completely works for the show, but it’s the sub-plots that are starting to get frustratingly clunky. Tony & Ziva is indulging in way too much gimmicky espionage tech and the latest episode is the nail in this digital coffin.
Look, the self-driving murder-cars and constant switching on-and-off of digital tags is one thing, but Episode 6 pummels us with so much snazzy tech, it becomes overwhelming. The show needs to be more intentional with its use of technology, since it is beginning to interrupt the flow and stakes of the story. Trying to be seen in a juggernaut franchise you are a part of is all well and good, but Tony & Ziva needs to learn when to rein it in.
‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ Episode 6 Uses Way Too Many Spy Gimmicks
Episode 6 isn’t exactly the peak of Tony & Ziva’s technological ridiculousness, but there’s enough material there that it becomes hard to ignore. The first half of the show was convoluted enough with the technical jargon, the absurdly powerful tech, and even the fact that the show has two resident hackers instead of the standard one. But Episode 6 takes us to a new location with characters we have barely seen on screen, Tali (Isla Gie) and Sophie (Lara Rossi), so the storytelling element of this episode that will ensure we start to invest in these characters is more important than ever. Now, as beautiful as the storytelling is, it is undermined by the vastly distracting technological gimmicks, making us painfully aware of how egregious some of it is.
As we try to care about Tali and Sophie’s plight while they hide from the safehouse invaders, it is hard not to raise your eyebrow at wooden stairs that are secretly made of steel and lifted to hide a panic room. Then, when the house’s system malfunctions, and we’re having a shootout in a house filled with fog machines and flashing lights, it becomes laughably disorienting. To make it even more distracting, in a house fitted with all these high-tech fail-safes, the panic room’s first-aid kit has an Epipen that doesn’t function. The combination of all this strips away the real sense of panic and danger the series is clearly trying to angle for, especially for characters we had just officially met.
‘Tony & Ziva’ Doesn’t Feel Like an ‘NCIS’ Spin-Off Anymore
Tony & Ziva is evidently trying to maintain autonomy in the franchise by embracing its espionage elements, but we have to question if they are going too far in that direction. At this point in the show, it truly doesn’t feel like your usual NCIS spin-off, but there are aspects of NCIS that Tony & Ziva could benefit from. By employing NCIS’s grounded realism, the spin-off would feel more cohesive and immersive. So, instead of throwing in every rogue technological idea they can think of, choose ones that still feel realistic and seamless with the rest of the story. It’s okay to still feel like an NCIS show with some espionage sprinkled in.
In fact, the spin-off succeeds when it focuses on these more grounded espionage principles, like secrets, betrayals, lies, and a palatable level of technological suave. If you take away the excess digital absurdity, you get a more tantalizing and succinct story of Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) trying to survive a high-stakes chase where each turn exposes a new hidden danger, emotional or physical. It’s these moments that focus on human interactions and micro-expressions that draw us in further, away from all the distracting gimmicks. And these scenes are also what makes Tony & Ziva an NCIS show rather than an explosion of beeping buttons and a whole new lexicon.
‘NCIS: Tony & Ziva’ Needs To Rein in Its Absurd Espionage Gadgets
The series has enough superlative tech in the main story to satisfy that spy drama requirement anyway, so the sideshow gimmicks feel unnecessary. From an all-powerful hacking program that can infiltrate nearly any digital system to steel-plated drones that fire missiles, there’s already enough jaw-dropping scenes that drive the narrative along with high-stakes. Sometimes even that storyline can be hard to follow, but it becomes more confusing as tangential technology speeds in and out of the show. The almost continuous barrage of technology introduces an unnecessary learning curve that takes away from the immersion of the atmosphere.
Tony & Ziva may have a lot of heart, but it is slowly taking its espionage schtick way too far into the realm of the weird and absurd. With four episodes left in the season, we can only hope that the technological aspects of the show become more streamlined as to not further hurt the stakes and relationships the series has put so much effort into building. It needs to continue to concentrate on what’s important in the series, which are the two titular characters who started it all and their strained yet close family, and leave behind the need to jam in the next funky technological idea on the drawing board.
