Warning! SPOILERS about NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1, episode 5 ahead.

The shocking d3ath at the end of NCIS: Tony & Ziva episode 5 locks in one sad truth about the titular characters’ new lives, changing something fundamental for Tony and Ziva going forward. Tony & Ziva’s premise justified its start years after their reunion with the attack on Tony’s company, which made not focusing thoroughly on their family life understandable.

Albeit with its evident communication problems, as highlighted by Ziva not knowing the extent of Tony’s new relationship, Tony, Ziva, and Tali’s family life in Paris seemingly reached a semblance of normalcy. However, even if the chaos that dominated the NCIS spinoff Tony & Ziva could be disregarded, the twist d3ath that made Tony and Ziva’s situation undeniably definitive cannot.

Henry Being Killed By Markham Destroys Any Semblance Of Normal Life For Tony

Beyond the investigation and its chaos that Tony and Ziva had to address after being falsely accused of multiple crimes, its emotional rollercoaster took its toll on Tony, as he was sure that Henry had betrayed him. Tony & Ziva episode 4 hinted at Henry not being the villain in a blink-and-you-miss-it exchange, but Tony wasn’t there to witness it.

Getting stuck in the supermax prison in Tony & Ziva episode 5 cemented Tony’s worries that his, Ziva, and Tali’s life in Paris was only a beautiful fantasy doomed to be destroyed, considering his and Ziva’s past. However, being able to trust Henry and convince him of the truth got them out of that mayhem, leaving Tony with some hope.

The sliver of hope to return to their normal life with Tali that Tony could have had was killed alongside Henry. Before that moment, everything that had happened could have been solved by the investigation’s conclusion. However, the d3ath of Tony’s best friend in Tony & Ziva weighed even more than Henry’s perceived betrayal, as it couldn’t be taken back.

What makes it even worse is that, even with Henry’s affiliation with Interpol pushing him to do what was right, it’s Henry’s friendship with Tony that doomed him. Markham could have killed Henry at any other moment, but he did when Henry was distracted by helping Tony and Ziva escape to save Tali, making Tony feel indirectly responsible for it.

How NCIS: Tony & Ziva Could Still Lead Them To A New Normal

Up until seeing his best friend shot and killed, Tony hoped to return to the same blissful life in Paris after he and Ziva found the real culprits and cleared their names. However, that shouldn’t have been his ultimate goal. His talk with Ziva even hinted at Tony’s need to speak to a professional after what had happened.

Tony’s life in Paris was a consequence of trying to find a new normal without necessarily doing the work, unlike Ziva, whose excessive reactions upon meeting again with Tali and Tony convinced her to try therapy. Tony & Ziva episode 5 showed Tony’s willingness to attend the couples’ boot camp for Ziva, but not participate as if he chose it.

New episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva release every Thursday on Paramount+.

Seeing his best friend gunned down and attempting to go back to his life in Paris as it was before can prompt Tony to finally do the work and begin unpacking everything that happened to him, Ziva, and Tali. Their past should have been reason enough to do so, but losing his best friend can function as a wake-up call.

Trying to find a new normal after the events of Tony & Ziva can thus help its titular characters and their relationship with Tali. This can mean potentially rekindling Tony and Ziva’s relationship in NCIS: Tony & Ziva, but, most importantly, finally getting Tony to be in a good place emotionally after everything he’d gone through.