S13.E24: Family First

[betsyboo]

SO. MUCH. UGLY. CRYING.

carry on.

[Lee4U]

All the network endings this season have ended their shows in the laziest, crappiest way possible - least amount of work on their part - The writers heads are already on future shows, etc.

What I always get pissed about is a woman who doesn't tell the father of a child - unless there is a very serious reason (i.e., violent) reason for nt dong so.  It's insulting - yet again - of Ziva not to have told him he had a child.  But, Ziva was - as mentioned above- someone who treated the guy like shit throughout the series.

[NYGirl]

Anybody see Michael Weatherly's Twitter?

https://twitter.com/M_Weatherly

Edited May 18, 2016 by NYGirl

[betsyboo]

This made me LOL - only somewhat drying my tears:  http://tvline.com/2016/05/17/ncis-finale-recap-season-13-michael-weatherly-leaves-tony-daughter/

"Later, a question on DiNozzo’s mind is unexpectedly answered, when Sr. comes across a framed photo of Ziva with Tony — whom Tali points to and IDs as “Imah” and “Abba,” exploding literally every ovary in the continental United States (and some abroad). So the little one had been told about her pappy!"

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 minutes ago, betsyboo said:

This made me LOL - only somewhat drying my tears:  http://tvline.com/2016/05/17/ncis-finale-recap-season-13-michael-weatherly-leaves-tony-daughter/

"Later, a question on DiNozzo’s mind is unexpectedly answered, when Sr. comes across a framed photo of Ziva with Tony — whom Tali points to and IDs as “Imah” and “Abba,” exploding literally every ovary in the continental United States (and some abroad). So the little one had been told about her pappy!"

 

And yet, when Tali first saw Tony, she didn't yell "Aba!!!" Sloppy, sloppy, lazyass shit writing.

[pally]

1 minute ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

 

And yet, when Tali first saw Tony, she didn't yell "Aba!!!" Sloppy, sloppy, lazyass shit writing.

that part didn't bother me.  A small child can't always make the association between a picture and a human. She knew Aba was in the pictures she hadn't made the connection between Aba and Tony

[camussie]

I loathed this ending.  Loathed it.  Tony shouldn't have understood why the stone cold assassin whose last mission at NCIS involved throwing someone over a ship to avenge her father's death, kept the truth about his child from him.  He should go to the grave never understanding.  She had no right to do that and I hate that the show tried to justify it.  The one good thing is that at least they kept Ziva in character - a hypocritical mary sue with the self awareness of a gnat until Kort blew her up.  

Edited May 19, 2016 by camussie

[anna0852]

Well that ended up being just about what I thought it would. I was very much hoping that Ziva would survive though. Bishop really should burn that desk, as someone up thread suggested. I am starting to get a little concerned about their habit of killing off female characters. 

I know that story line is fanfic-y but I'm still a sucker for it. Mostly because I'm going to blushingly admit I started one years ago, after the Paris episode, whereby there was an 'oops' named Tali. I had them as co-parents though and I never got past a couple pages.

Is it bad that I've already got bits of fanfic rolling around in my head?

[kaygeeret]

• Completely agree - - -someone somewhere feed McGee a sandwich NOW!

I am hoping the actor is not sick however.

[Goldmoon]

Everyone except Abby acted like Tony was just going out for coffee.  Thirteen years and a handshake for Ducky?  No sentiment from Gibbs, Really?  Is MH just phoning it in now?  I had to stop watching around season eight because I couldn't stand Ziva, and ironically, the way she treated my favorite character, Tony.  Gibbs' surrogate daughter dies in an explosion, leaves a kid that should have Gibbs' ovaries exploding over the little one, and his second in command leaves and he barely notices?  Jeez people. Gibbs must be done with life, except he did care about Fornell. 

What is Tony going to do for a living?  I didn't like the way they all moved on once he was on the elevator. No shot of HIS empty desk!

[asuwur]

I was waiting for him to hand McGee his Mighty Mouse stapler.....

[kat165]

Several years ago Sean Murray (McGee) went on a microbiotic diet & he looked the same way, unhealthy &  skeletal (sp?).  Then he slowly began to put some weight back on. It's been awhile since I've watched the prime time NCIS so the last time I saw him he was almost back to his usual weight. Now, after several years I tune to see Weatherly leave & "Tim" is back to his anorexic looking self. I'm sure he's just back on that diet. Or at least I hope so. He use to be my favorite character. While he looks awful I'm sure he feels just great. If you've ever put on a few pounds you know the wonderful feeling of finally dropping it. It's kind of a high.

Edited May 18, 2016 by kat165

[TigerLynx]

I don't understand why they went this route.  Cote De Pablo had no interest in returning, and they knew that.  They could have easily had Tony to decide to move on with his career (he's been offered his own team, and promotions several times).  Ziva has been gone two years, I haven't noticed Tony pining away for her, now Ziva is dead, and suddenly Tony is in love, and apparently some of his co-workers knew this all along.  Huh?  Whatever show.  Lame way to send Tony off, and completely trash Ziva in the process.  Ziva didn't tell Tony about his child, might never have been planning on telling him, but she loved Tony oh so much.  {face palm}

[buttersister]

Uh, no. But you do what you gotta do, Show. So Tony and Tali go live on a kibbutz and vacation in Paris? Wishing that was his new series.

[immortalfrieza]

I don't mind that they went with "Tony has a kid, therefore he has to leave" as the reason Tony had to leave, what I mind is that "Tali" just appears out of nowhere and Tony suddenly decides that's good reason to leave his career of 13 years and leave all his friends that he's supposed to think of as family behind. If they had introduced her several episodes back or even just one or 2 and showed Tony agonizing over deciding what to do and putting some actual thought into the decision instead of going from "I'm Very Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo NCIS!" to "whelp, I have a kid, therefore I must abandon my entire life" in the space of a few hours. As it is, it just comes off as a cheap cop out to get rid of Tony, rather than the end result of character development.

Edited May 18, 2016 by immortalfrieza

[fifty8th]

3 minutes ago, immortalfrieza said:

I have a kid, therefore I must abandon my entire life"

He's been thinking about his future for the last few episodes,has he not? I took the kid as a push in the direction he was leaning towards. Gibbs I thought said as much in the basement "Seems to me you've known for awhile".

[green]

I'm pissed off they killed off Ziva.  Predicted they would last week and they did.  Strong female gets to die in her sleep killed by a second rate hireling and not the main bad guy.  Typical of this show.

Ziva made the show and was my favorite female character on old style network TV.  Glad guy that played Tony left since they dulled his character down the last few seasons.  He got out in the nick of time too.

Anyway officially done with a show that gets back at an actor who know her character was being ruined and has great talent and wanted to spread her wings.  Ziva rocked back in the day and she still rocks.

[Albino]

The highlight of the entire show for me was the 37,896 bullets that hit Kort.

[Ceindreadh]

I dropped the show earlier this season (not enough time to keep up with it) but was going to watch MW's final ep out of respect for a character that I loved  

From what I'm reading though, since TPTB didn't seem to respect him enough to give a decent send off, I don't think I'll bother. 

[Bobbin]

What we like or don't like, want or don't want for Tony is irrelevant -- just like real life. Speaking of which, I knew a family whose unmarried, 20-something son was killed in a car accident. A few weeks later, his siblings told their parents that there was something their son hadn't wanted them to know because he was afraid they would be disappointed in him:  he had a little girl, thereafter grandpa's pride and joy. Why shouldn't we be happy for Tony? And his good fortune to have his father to help.

I like the continuity in this show, bringing back characters played by the original actors, like Marina Sirtis as the Director of Mossad, steely and all to familiar with death and grief, and thus patient with Tony's anger.

That was a nice farewell touch, Gibbs ruffling Tony's hair instead of the usual whack in the back of the head.

Has Sean Murray lost weight? He seemed gaunt.

[Minneapple]

Well I haven't watched NCIS for years but dropped in tonight for Michael Weatherly's last. I don't mind that he has a sudden kid, but it annoys me that Ziva didn't tell him. 

Tali was cute as hell. Also her black and white dress is from Carter's. I recently bought the same one for my daughter and nieces. So that was exciting.

The British MI6 guy is hot. Keep him and maybe I'll be back.

I understand Weatherly is going to be on a show about Dr. Phil. He's probably made enough in his career to be able to take risks, but a show about Dr. Phil?

[Watcher0363]

I should be spanked, severely chastised or perhaps shot. They played out, or purloined, the Michelle and Lilly arc from Magnum PI. And  I am just now figuring this out now. Well played writers, even the photo nod, no "Detroit Tigers", but close enough. My TV archival card should be suspended for missing such an obvious theme. Sorry for the Magnum PI spoiler had to be done.         

[Morrigan2575]

Ziva is totally dead and I'm so fucking happy they killed her off. Couldn't stand the character, pity they had to make Tony's exit ALL ABOUT ZIVA but that was pretty much par for the course with NCIS and Ziva.  

Glad they didn't kill Tony off and gave him a reason to move on. I'm also glad that they brought his father back for the finale.

The Abby/Tony goodbye was the saddest, other than Gibbs they were there the longest, Tony and Abby were in the JAG, backdoor pilot and have been with NCIS from the very very beginning.  The Gibbs/Tony goodbye wasn't as emotional as i expected.

Holy crap! I totally missed the Michelle/Lily story stuff from Magnum.  Ugh.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Morrigan2575

[Ina123]

A bomb exploded with a resulting fire. A child was rescued from a bedroom in the home. Yet, someone was able to collect personal items to send with the child. None of it wet or damaged by water. Dad grabs scarf and has memories of his long, lost love. Strange. I would have thought it would have smelled like soot from a fire.

[Merneith]

Still better than Castle's ending, so I'll take it.

[nitrofishblue]

Ducky, Palmer, and Abby were the only team members that didn't get to swiss cheese Kort. Do you think that the autopsy will say suicide?

[pally]

48 minutes ago, Ina123 said:

A bomb exploded with a resulting fire. A child was rescued from a bedroom in the home. Yet, someone was able to collect personal items to send with the child. None of it wet or damaged by water. Dad grabs scarf and has memories of his long, lost love. Strange. I would have thought it would have smelled like soot from a fire.

Most Israeli homes have safe rooms or areas that are essentially fireproof bombshelters.  From the explaination, it sounded like Tali slept in that area of the house.  And any good former agent and daughter of the Mossad chief would take precautions including an emergency bag of clothing in case of an emergancy or danger.

i think they have had the character of Tony thinking about his life and future for several years and Tali was just the final componant for him to stop thinking and start doing.  When he made the decision too move on from NCIS all the angst was gone and he was at peace with it.

[Chaos Theory]

This show has always been to a certain extent how men raise their daughters.  We have some of the most alpha men raising daughters.  So it makes a sort of poetic sense that what makes Tony (who has been looking for a reason to leave) finally go is the existence of a daughter.  

 

Yes the episode could have been more about him but Ziva took a big chunk of his storyline for a long time and this was a good way as any to end it. 

[camussie]

So it is the next morning and this episode still ticks me off.  Now the thing I am most irritated by is them using Abby as an exposition queen by saying Ziva really loved you Tony.  I know because she told me.  You know what?  If Ziva really loved Tony she wouldn't have kept his child from him for 2 years.  She didn't do it because she knew Tony better than he thought.  She did it because once again she thought she was better than him which is ironic because Tony was never the cold blooded assassin driven by revenge that Ziva was.  Sure he was an immature frat boy at times but that hardly disqualified him from being a father.  

[Lee4U]

I too thought Gibbs reactions to all this was flat as newly laid cement - he barely seemed to blink that Ziva was dead (but then neither did I) or seemed happy for Tony to be a dad (or even concerned about it as a person might be) or at all wistful at Tony's leaving- in fact, they all seemed like zombies given the magnitude of everything that happened.

MH in this role has always mystified me - never been a fan of the character or the way he is portrayed.  Just such a boorrrrriiiiinnnngggggg character - barely talks, lives like a monk with bad taste, doesn't engage in any really meaningful way with other characters except for some grunts, eyebrow raises and platitudes but then this show has never been the bastion of good (or even decent) dialogue.  

I've always figured MH has stayed with this thing so long because he probably has the least amount of script pages than any lead in any show - ever.

Good riddance to Ziva - hope we don't have to ever hear about her again and welcome to the newbies if they stick around.

[Waldo13]

Tony loved Ziva for a long time. Why do you think he risked his life to rescue her from the terrorist?  Why do you think he went to Isreal to find her when she left NCIS?  Why do you think he gave her a hard time about the men she was seeing?   Why do you think they had that fond fair well resulting in Tali?  Ziva and Tony had a strange dynamic but overall there was mutual respect for their abilities.  I feel that Ziva didn't tell Tony about Tali because she wasn't sure that he wasnt ready to leave his dangerous line of work as she was.  At the time Ziva left, she knew that NCIS was still very important to him and she didn't want to put him in a catch 22 situation.  I guess in killing off Ziva actually gave Tony the final push to leave but IMO they didn't have to kill her.  They could have just made her severely injured and just reunite them to raise their child.  That would have been more of a bittersweet moment and gave Tony a happier send off.  

 

Ziva's replacement, Bishop, was married so there was no sexual tension as there was with Kate and Ziva.  I feel that Tony's replacement will give Bishop some sort of an opportunity for a love interest.  

Edited May 18, 2016 by Waldo13

[camussie]

I don't question that Tony loved Ziva.  Pathetic as it was he actually loved her despite that the fact that she seemed to disdain him most of the time.  Not to mention that she accused him of murder in a report she submitted to NCIS because she was too stupid to realize her boyfriend had gone rogue.  I question Abby's contention that Ziva loved Tony.  If Ziva loved Tony she wouldn't have kept his child from him and no questioning whether he was ready to leave the danger behind is not a good enough excuse.  

For that matter it is a completely false construct that Tony couldn't be both an NCIS agent and a father.  Ziva had no right to make that choice for Tony and the fact that she did tells me she didn't love him at all despite what Abby claimed.  

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, pally said:

Most Israeli homes have safe rooms or areas that are essentially fireproof bombshelters.  From the explaination, it sounded like Tali slept in that area of the house.  And any good former agent and daughter of the Mossad chief would take precautions including an emergency bag of clothing in case of an emergancy or danger.

i think they have had the character of Tony thinking about his life and future for several years and Tali was just the final componant for him to stop thinking and start doing.  When he made the decision too move on from NCIS all the angst was gone and he was at peace with it.

Tony said as much. We had go-bags in some postings when I was a military brat, and where we live, we get threatened by forest fires frequently enough to have go-bags at the ready during the fire season. It's a reasonable thing for people who know they might have to bug out to have.

I never liked Ziva, or her storyline. Not telling Tony about the child seems par for course for her, in my opinion.

But I liked this exit. Weatherly did a particularly nuanced job of acting - something he hasn't really been given a chance to do for the most part - so I don't really understand why this would be disrespectful of the showrunners.  Choked me up - and I NEVER get choked up watching NCIS.  I also don't think it's unreasonable for a single parent to question a high risk job and choose to leave it. Tali literally has no family but Tony and Senior. So there is no backup, the way there is with most families.

[pally]

CBS is putting MW's new show Bull on at 9:00 PM on Tuesday with NCIS-NO moving to 10:00 PM.  They want that show to succeed.

[BookWitch]

So what if Ziva hadn't died? Would she ever have told him? On the other hand, did her and Tony ever talk or Skype in the years after she left? He never went to visit on vacation? 

While the kid was cute, they shouldn't have been feeding her soft food from a jar. The kid had teeth and she should have been feeding herself or trying to.

[proserpina65]

I thought it was nice, and that's coming from someone who stopped watching because of how Ziva's issues took over the show.

On a shallow note: what the heck is wrong with Sean Murray?  I tend to like him on the thinner side, but he's starting to look ill, he's so thin.

[TexasTiffany]

11 hours ago, Goldmoon said:

Everyone except Abby acted like Tony was just going out for coffee.  Thirteen years and a handshake for Ducky?  No sentiment from Gibbs, Really?  Is MH just phoning it in now?  I had to stop watching around season eight because I couldn't stand Ziva, and ironically, the way she treated my favorite character, Tony.  Gibbs' surrogate daughter dies in an explosion, leaves a kid that should have Gibbs' ovaries exploding over the little one, and his second in command leaves and he barely notices?  Jeez people. Gibbs must be done with life, except he did care about Fornell.

What is Tony going to do for a living?  I didn't like the way they all moved on once he was on the elevator. No shot of HIS empty desk!

I agree. I expected a much more emotional send off. Thirteen years and all they've been through only got a cordial polite goodbye. I'm more teary-eyed than these people!

Ducky and Jimmy - Hugging Jimmy was very believable. He and Tony shared a poignant moment talking about Tali and being a father. I'm glad he and Jimmy had a good hug. Tony probably figured that Ducky would only want a handshake. I wish after the handshake, Ducky would have said, "we can do better than that" and give Tony a hug.

Abbey - She's the only one who really showed any emotion and came off as believable.

McGee - What the EFF, McGee! Work with Tony since forever. Tony is suddenly leaving. McGee stands there like an English Palace Guard. I expected McGee to grab Tony and give him a big hug. Tell him it wasn't going to be the same without him. Ramble on about how much Tony means to him. The flat goodbye we got isn't believable. McGee should have showed some emotion.

Bishop - I don't care about Bishop (can't warm up to her) but she's standing there with her permanent angry furrowed forehead. Can't she muster up something nice to say?

Gibbs - I expected SO MUCH from him. This is the moment where wise daddy Gibbs is supposed to impart Tony with something profound. All he comes up with is that Tony has been trying to decide what to do for a couple of years. That's it? After all these years thinking that Gibbs is wise but he doesn't say much, I've come to the conclusion that Gibbs doesn't say much because he's got NOTHING to say. He's not some fountain of wisdom. Gibbs is blank. Ziva is dead. One of their own was a double agent and killed her. Fornell barely survived, almost leaving his daughter alone and she's practically Gibb's daughter now. Tony's just found out he's a dad and Tony is leaving. Yet, Gibbs comes up with NOTHING!

From the show's standpoint, I understand why the last minute of the episode is Gibbs telling the new team to gear up. The show wants the viewers seeing the "new team" and transition quickly into the show going on without MW. BUT. We viewers didn't get enough mourning time. What I wanted to see was everyone around a dinner table with food/wine/beer, reminiscing, sharing stories, and being the "family" they'd become over the years. I would have been happy with that.

[Julia]

But hey, they sure did shoot Trent Kort up real good.

[MDL]

Quote

No sentiment from Gibbs, Really?

IMO, for Gibbs, he was virtually blubbering!

 

Quote

But hey, they sure did shoot Trent Kort up real good.

Loved that. of course, Kort had to reach for his gun before they all shot (and I'm glad that he did!)

[stinkogingko]

Re Gibbs, I found his level of stoicism unbelievable. In the past MH was able to convey more complex emotions under that impassive surface. He didn't manage it last night, not even with Tony in the basement. And shouldn't there have been a moment of Gibbs seeing Tony with Tali and a mixture of joy and sadness? The time spent with the expressions chart could have been better used elsewhere. For a guy making $700K an ep, MH just seems to be going through the motions. 

I understand why the last shot was the team but it still bugged. There had better be pictures of the DiNizzos on office cubicles next season.

I just don't understand understand why we're supposed to think Ziva was wise in keeping the info from Tony. She knew he wasn't dating. Throughout season 10, even before her father died, he kept trying to get closer to her. He took care of her after Eli died, tried to protect her from the investigation, and begged her to come back to DC under any terms. He seemed more mature and ready for  long term commitment and responsibility than she did.

[willowk]

Okay, where to start, it was hooky that Kort would blow up the farmhouse, or want to. Yes he wanted to destroy those private files, and he thought Ziva might have them. But you don't blow up something when you don't know for sure the files are there. And his "I didn't know Ziva was there" at the end was pitiful, of course he knew that. On the plus side, I think it was a good move to have Ziva die (apparently) and introduce Tali, bringing a reason for Tony to leave NCIS and move his life forward, he's now a dad. Tony had to process what had happened, it was a typical bittersweet NCIS, which are the best in my opinion.

I thought it was silly that he would dwell on whether Ziva had told Tali he was her dad or not, heavens she's what 2 years old at the most? Too young to know or care. Was a nice touch with the photograph though. I loved Robert Wagner's part in the ep, he is the perfect Grandpa. I can see him and Tali in Paris having crossaints easily.

I thought his good-byes with Gibbs and Abby were good, McGee and Bishop not so much. And it was too "okay folks we're moving on" with the newbies and Gibb's call to saddle up and ride out at the end for my taste.

I do like that they left it open, its possible of course that Ziva did survive but had to go into hiding and so left Tali to be with Tony. And Tony didn't say he was moving to Paris permanently, he might well be back. And although he turned in his badge, can anyone really see him being a middle manager or a salesman? He'd be bored to death. So we might see him again, perhaps near the end of NCIS's run.

Edited May 18, 2016 by willowk

[Cranston]

I loved the ending.  That child who played Tali was absolutely adorable....child actors aren't always adorable.  And it seems perfectly logical to me that Tony would leave...his whole world has changed, drastically.  He has, for the first time in his life, a very real responsibility.  As he said, Tali has nobody now....except her father and grandpa.  Tony is an incredibly good person and it makes sense to me that he now has a reason to redirect his life...a safer life, a life with more free time.  Good for Tony.

[mrsjoe]

10 hours ago, Albino said:

The highlight of the entire show for me was the 37,896 bullets that hit Kort.

 

4 hours ago, nitrofishblue said:

Ducky, Palmer, and Abby were the only team members that didn't get to swiss cheese Kort. Do you think that the autopsy will say suicide?

No kidding. I laughed at the fact that they all shot the crap out of him. Guess we can assume that actor will not make a return from the dead!  And it IS a good thing Ducky will probably be in charge of the autopsy.

I think what was most frustrating last night was how predictable it all was. Let's not forget that before he died, Ziva's father anvilled that she was definitely going to be a mother and was totally meant for it. Ziva's storylines were the main reason I went from a religious watcher to a time to time watcher and I've been guessing Ziva and Tony had a child together from the 5 minutes I saw of Ziva's last episode. I originally thought it might play out that Tony knew about it, but they were doing it to protect the baby from something, and Ziva sort of going into hiding was the best route. So the second the Mussad lady showed up, I knew she was bringing Tony his daughter.

I too wondered how the heck he was going to pay the bills, but then I started thinking about the fact his apartment is worth a fortune from what we've heard (and I totally thought they would tie up the loose end from a couple episodes of Tim needing a place to live with him moving into Tony's, but guess not), and then the baby has probably inherited all of Ziva's assets, which is probably a lot based on how crooked her father was, and the fact that she was not earning any income as far as we know, but still doing fine.

[minamurray78]

This whole blowing up Ziva thing just seemed cheap to me. In the previous episode they mentioned how retired spies usually go off the grid. Well, I'd imagine as a former Mossad and US Federal agent, not to mention daughter of Mossad Director, Ziva should have given this idea some consideration. Specially after learning of her pregnancy. I understand wanting to stay true and near to her roots, but the safety of her child would have come first. She could have uprooted elsewhere, with cover identities, at least for a few years and put some distance between herself and recent events. They still could have killed her in a way that wasn't tied to a case (a car accident, an aneurism, anything) therefore not making the whole case SUPER PERSONAL FOR EVERYBODY CAUSE ZIVA. They could have done it one or two episodes ago, like someone else posted above, giving time for Tony's desicion to finally quit NCIS and be a family to feel a bit more organic. Because, for a show where most lead characters' life has barely seen any evolution in 13 years (except for Jimmy, and Mcgee about to get engaged), this plot line went down at warp speed. Most viewers where aware Tony was leaving, or that something was up with his character, I don't think it came out right leaving the whole thing to be revealed in the last five minutes. And also, because that spiel about "Tony, what are u gonna do, being an agent and a dad, always on the line of fire" is total crap. Like, Jimmy is a dad, and has been kidnapped on the job before, what is he waiting to quit? McGee wants to get married, is he gonna quit too? Is every LEO in the country expected to leave their jobs when they become parents, even single parents? Eh.

ALso, how unfathomable it seemed to me to have the new Mossad Director arrive in DC with the child of a former operative which she hadn't seen in a year before her death, and take the kid from the smoking remains of her house in Israel straight to a federal building in the US, to be paraded in front of a man learning of her existence and responsability to her and a bunch of strangers??

The show barely distracted me from this clusterfuck because they managed to cast the most adorable kid on screen ever. But still I think it would have been better to have Ziva's death and Tony's new father status to happen completely separate from the case. To have his desicion be made because of personal reasons outside the office.

All that being said, I agree with all of you that MW was phenomenal. Kinda realizing how wasted he actually was by playing class clown 97% of the time on this show and a few moments to shine. Wish him the best.

[Chaos Theory]

In a lot of ways this was all about Tony just not directly.  Ziva was one of Tony two great romances.  The other was Jeanne Bonoit.  They were both  blown up figuratively and literally by Kort.  Kort was Tony's big bad and his unfinished business.   I think the emotions were a little off but then again not completely off.  In theory they could see Tony again by getting on a plane so it's not like he is leaving forever so getting blubbery isn't necessary either.    There is a middle ground and I thought the show did it wellish.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[camussie]

Quote

I thought it was silly that he would dwell on whether Ziva had told Tali he was her dad or not, heavens she's what 2 years old at the most? Too young to know or care

I don't think it is silly at all.  While Tali may adjust easily that is still two years Tony lost out on being a father all because Ziva decided Tony wasn't ready for it.  She had no right to make that decision for him and more than that, given the things she has done in her life, she had no right to judge him.  What was silly is that he got over it so quickly.   

Edited to add - the one thing I liked in the finale was surprisingly Senior.  For the first time ever I truly felt like he was 100% there for Tony because he loved him.  That scene in the bullpen when he is urging him to go home was quite well done.  I also want to echo the kudos of MW's performance.  When they actually write meaty material for Tony he delivers

Edited May 18, 2016 by camussie

[willowk]

Quote

In a lot of ways this was all about Tony just not directly.  Ziva was one of Tony two great romances.  The other was Jeanne Bonoit.  They were both  blown up figuratively and literally by Kort.  Kort was Tony's big bad and his unfinished business.   I thing the emotions were a little off but then again not completely off.  In theory they could see To y again by getting in a plane so it's not like he is leaving forever so getting blubbery isn't necessary either.    There is a middle ground and I thought the show did it wellish.

Thanks for this, makes sense. And they had Tony sort of get closure with Benoit earlier in the season. So now he's really on his way.

Also I just have to rant a bit on the stilted scene between Tony and McGee on the park bench. The whole "so were you two an item the whole time?" thing from Tim was silly. McGee isn't that clueless, think he knew pretty well the ups and downs of Tony and Ziva. And Tony's reply "we always had a connection" was so lame. Only reason I can see for that scene was for new viewers who didn't watch the show while Ziva was on.

Edited May 18, 2016 by willowk

[DrScottie]

17 hours ago, Watcher0363 said:

 

They should have crowd funded for a good cgi Ziva. Hell I would have contributed. Abby you need to break out the good Vous Deux mojo and de hell mouth that desk. I will call my shot now. RIP Bishop.

 

Along with the de-hellmouthing of the desk, Tim should move to Tony's desk as he is now Very Special Agent Timothy McGee (Senior Field Agent / Deputy Special Agent in Charge). Bishop then moves to Tim's old desk solving that problem.

[ComeWhatMay]

Taking a moment to cry over "spilled milk" as Ziva once said. I liked Ziva at one time, I really did, in spite of her baggage & what I found to be a troubling dynamic with Tony. I firmly resided in the anti-Tiva camp when I liked Ziva & when I stopped liking her because Ziva never treated Tony as I felt one should. Not a fan of shows that perpetuate bad relationship dynamics, let alone romanticize them. 

I like what Ohmo said up thread about splitting the baby in an attempt to satisfy everyone -- shippers of varying degrees & haters alike. That's never possible, but they sure did try here. Well, I don't think they should have tried here. A ride into the sunset with Jeanne & child or child of Jeanne would be no less polarizing, I realize, given that Jeanne had her detractors too, & here Tony lost two years where he would have lost more with a Jeanne child & the child would have bonded with another man as her father, etc. I get the choice & what's done is done. 

There are vociferous Tiva shippers out there & the requisite loons who went overboard in their sentiments as exist with every show. I heard some scary stuff & MW always seemed so put off by it understandably. Giving that crowd some part of what they always wanted bothers me on some level. Again, I know insane shippers exist with every show. As the alternative had Cote returned, seeing Tony ride off into the sunset with Ziva who on top of everything else robbed him of two years with his daughter would have set teeth on edge. There is a lot of anger now with a dead Ziva. 

Tony understanding Ziva's choice & cutting her slack was one thing that made sense to me. Ziva got two years, Tony will have all the rest & there is little risk of Tali morphing into a poisonous bitch like her mother now. Sorry, Ziva fans & Tiva fans always & forever. As I recall, Michelle on Magnum was a piece of work. Unless the father is a risk to the child, no reason to do what Ziva did. It was not in Tali's best interest. It was in hers. Selfish isn't love. And Abby can park it with that love talk. Tony has his daughter & I'm glad. Good riddance to bad rubbish in the case of Ziva. 

Hope the best for MW & wish the show allowed him to show his stuff far more often. MW was too old to play nonsense & had been for some time. So is Abby by the way. I hope Sean bulks up some for his own health & well-being & while I won't be around much at all for the show as I have not been in a long while, I am glad I watched MW exit stage left for the final time.

Edited May 18, 2016 by ComeWhatMay

[Bobbin]

Give credit to Gibbs, he has suffered an enormous amount of loss in his life, from family to agents to close friends, not to mention his background as a sniper. Being stoical is who he has become, who he has to be. And Tony isn't dead, he's just moving on. For Gibbs, giving Tony a goodbye hug and ruffling his hair is as emotional as Gibbs gets. And so, back to business as usual, no time for sentimentality.

As for characters' responses, that usually falls more on the director than the actor.

Tony has too much experience, too many skills, too much dedication to just walk away. He has experience as a trainer and has a top secret security clearance -- when he's ready to return to work, he'd be welcomed by any federal agency, where he'd have regular hours and be out of the line of fire. But don't expect to see him again in the series. Like Cote de Pablo, done is done.

That was a nice touch that Tali knew Tony was her father from his picture, both for showing that Ziva wasn't trying to keep Tony out of Tali's life and to ease the trauma of Tali losing her mother and her home and then being handed over to a stranger.

Every agent emptied their gun at Kort from a distance, and not one shot missed. All that target practice finally paid off. In the field, they rarely have a chance to plant, aim and fire at a stationary target. Very satisfying. Thank you for your cooperation, ex-Agent Kort. In reality, Ducky would be justified in calling it suicide -- by cop.