From the moment NCIS: Tony & Ziva premiered on Paramount+, trust has been the prevailing theme of the latest franchise spin-off. Yet, according to a compelling Reddit fan theory, Ziva (Cote de Pablo) may be placing too much trust in her psychotherapist, Dr. Lang (Terence Maynard), to the detriment of her marriage to Tony and the happiness of their family.
The most recent series follows the beloved on-off couple, Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), as they build a new life together in Europe with their daughter, Tali (Isla Gie). Despite the family’s unexpected reunion following Ziva’s faked death, the fan theory posits that, in an attempt to heal from past wounds and psychological trauma, Ziva is too dependent on her doctor for the things she should be leaning on Tony for. It’s a wild theory that, if proven true, will not end well for Ziva and her healing process.
Given her work-related PTSD resulting from years of being a Mossad and NCIS detective, Ziva undergoes therapy and begins spending time with Dr. Lang. Conspicuously spending more time with Dr. Lang than Tony and implicitly trusting her doctor more than her husband, a fan theory suggests that Ziva’s therapy sessions are driving a wedge between Tony and Ziva’s rekindled marriage and ruining their lives.
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Is Dr. Lang Responsible for Driving Tony & Ziva Apart?
In a lengthy screed citing various evidence, the crux of the fan theory begins with themes of trust. As the Redditor notes:
“Michael, Cote, and [show creator] John [McNamara] have all pointed out how the main theme of this show is trust. Trust between the main characters – Do they still trust each other, or has that been lost? As well as ‘who is to be trusted, and who is double-crossing?'”
From the pilot on, Ziva has expressed unwavering trust in Dr. Lang, who has largely adhered to professional doctor-patient confidentiality. In Tony’s long-term absence when he and Ziva were apart, Dr. Lang became the most trusted confidant who enabled Ziva to speak candidly and work out her traumatic scars relative to grief, guilt, loss, and the responsibility of putting her daughter in danger. Ziva has rarely, if ever, shown this level of trust toward anyone, including Tony. According to the theory, this raises red flags:
“It has become clear that Dr. Lang might just be the real cause of the distance between Tony and Ziva, and one of the main reasons they didn’t work out.”
As soon as they reunite, Ziva asks Tony to take their romance slow, an indirect order from Dr. Lang. Ziva also tells David how much she trusts Dr. Lang for helping her make progress during therapy. In a silent response, Tony looks crestfallen, heartbroken, and downright dejected. Knowing that Ziva is receiving the type of compassionate care from Dr. Lang that she should be getting at home, Tony feels helpless, ineffectual, and untrustworthy.
The theory continues:
“He [Tony] loves her, and he’s there to catch her when she falls. He’ll do (almost) anything for her, and has proven so in the past. Even when she pushes him away or points a gun at his heart or his knee – he always comes back for her.
“And yet here she is, putting her entire trust into a man she’s barely met, following his every word, and feels like he’s already helping her heal. When all Tony has ever wanted was for her to trust him enough to let him in, to let him be there for her. To allow him to help her heart and her brain heal.”
So far, the theory holds water. It’s entirely feasible that Ziva, in the attempt to heal herself in Tony and Tali’s absence, emotionally invested too much in her therapy sessions with Dr. Lang and has begun trusting him too much over her own husband. Tony feels rejected and dejected following Ziva’s glowing endorsement of Dr. Lang, when he should be the one earning Ziva’s trust.
Every time Ziva mentions Dr. Lang, Tony’s posture sinks, or he tries to change the subject. Therefore, it’s entirely possible that Tony, feeling unneeded and untrusted, withdraws his affection for Ziva.
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What the Dr. Lang Theory Means for Tony & Ziva’s Future
Where the Reddit fan theory gets a bit wonky is when it blames Dr. Lang for deliberately manipulating Ziva and driving her apart from Tony for some larger conspiratorial gain. As the OP asks:
“Is the adverse effect on Tony and Ziva’s relationship completely unintentional? Or has he (Dr. Lang) purposely been trying to split them up? Are Ziva’s sessions with Dr. Lang being spied on? And is he the one doing so, or is it someone else?”
Despite the therapy sessions being shown in flashback from Ziva’s POV, several fans support the theory. The most convincing take comes from Carolinediva, who astutely notes:
“Yes, I’m sure Lang’s presence in their healing relationship played a part in their being separated now. However, I also have him on my ‘to watch’ list because when that video of Tali and Sophie being tracked came through, and Ziva ran (obviously)…she left her laptop in his office…while it was connected to a secure/encrypted Salus Mondiale network.
“I want to trust him. Anyone who’s good to Ziva gets points in my eyes, and, mostly, it seems like he has been, at least with the PTSD. But that one detail has me veeerrry concerned.”
Salus Mondiale is the name of Tony’s French security company, which was hacked in the pilot. If Dr. Lang had access to Ziva’s laptop and was able to spy on Tali and Sophie using Salus Mondiale’s server, then he might be involved after all. Of course, that part of the theory is all speculation and has yet to be substantiated as true or false.
Regardless of Dr. Lang’s intentions, things won’t end well for the beloved Ziva if she continues down the same path. To truly heal from her past pain and PTSD, fans want to see her embrace Tony and trust him with the utmost honesty. Therapy can only help so much, and if Ziva isn’t careful, she runs the risk of losing Tony again by putting more faith and trust in her doctor than her husband.
