At what point did you find out that this season was going to be a turning point season for your character's relationship with Ziva?
Michael Weatherly: I don't know if it is necessarily. I think that their relationship is just a big circle. It's constantly turning. They are locked in a binary death spiral. This year proves to be particularly interesting, but when they met, who knew — well, the audience did, but Tony didn't know — that she killed her own brother, who had killed Tony's previous partner, and that created the space in the squadron for Ziva to arrive. Had Ziva's brother not killed Kate, there would be no Ziva. It's all very tricky. And then Tony did kill her boyfriend once.
Yes, I remember that.
MW: (laughs) You know what I'm saying? Look at these guys! It's like watching a scorpion and a black widow try and figure each other out. Or a praying mantis and a black widow? One of them eats your head after it mates with you, right?
But yeah, these guys, they've got a rich history of conflict and physical attraction and physical repulsion. There's a lot of bickering, they swerve wildly into sibling country, and then careen over the cliff into possible kissing cousins, and suddenly they find themselves — I mean, they're holding hands at the end of "Berlin." It's fantastic how these writers just fuck with everybody. And to think that [NCIS writer-producer] Gary Glasberg has a background writing Rugrats.
We just shot a scene this season where the writer had his hands above the air in a silent cheer, and his face looked like the Edvard Munch painting. He was so fucking excited that Tiva was full-on Tiva. I think people who watch the show who enjoy their Mark Harmon and liberal doses of the other characters might find it somewhat irritating that these two are cutting a rug, so to speak, in "Berlin." Sharing some longing looks, bedroom-eyes. I think that's probably disconcerting to some fans of the show, and other fans probably think it's long overdue, and yet others are probably thinking it spells the absolute doom, the moonlighting death.
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Michael Weatherly: I don't know if it is necessarily. I think that their relationship is just a big circle. It's constantly turning. They are locked in a binary death spiral. This year proves to be particularly interesting, but when they met, who knew — well, the audience did, but Tony didn't know — that she killed her own brother, who had killed Tony's previous partner, and that created the space in the squadron for Ziva to arrive. Had Ziva's brother not killed Kate, there would be no Ziva. It's all very tricky. And then Tony did kill her boyfriend once.
Yes, I remember that.
MW: (laughs) You know what I'm saying? Look at these guys! It's like watching a scorpion and a black widow try and figure each other out. Or a praying mantis and a black widow? One of them eats your head after it mates with you, right?
But yeah, these guys, they've got a rich history of conflict and physical attraction and physical repulsion. There's a lot of bickering, they swerve wildly into sibling country, and then careen over the cliff into possible kissing cousins, and suddenly they find themselves — I mean, they're holding hands at the end of "Berlin." It's fantastic how these writers just fuck with everybody. And to think that [NCIS writer-producer] Gary Glasberg has a background writing Rugrats.
We just shot a scene this season where the writer had his hands above the air in a silent cheer, and his face looked like the Edvard Munch painting. He was so fucking excited that Tiva was full-on Tiva. I think people who watch the show who enjoy their Mark Harmon and liberal doses of the other characters might find it somewhat irritating that these two are cutting a rug, so to speak, in "Berlin." Sharing some longing looks, bedroom-eyes. I think that's probably disconcerting to some fans of the show, and other fans probably think it's long overdue, and yet others are probably thinking it spells the absolute doom, the moonlighting death.
More at Buzzfeed
LOL, now he's just fucking with us. He's not going to come right out and say they'd get together because it'd ruin it.
ReplyDeleteA+ trolling, Michael.
The season finale? Or the Finale Finale? ;)
ReplyDeleteThis season finale. They've gone too far now to take it back. They've hit a turning point.
ReplyDeleteAs long as them trying to make it as a couple doesn't take upp too much screentime or storylines, I think nobody will be mad if they get together. I prefer the show when it focuses on the team as a whole or the characters as individuals rather than who they date, but I'm not against the characters having happy love lives for that matter...
ReplyDeleteOh take all the time you need NCIS writers, we had what eight years-nearly a decade now, and you're still Tivaing us.
ReplyDeleteWow what a bad bad interview! He sounds so patronizing...The answers seem too long and articulate to be trolling tbh. And I agree as long as Tony and Ziva aren't on screen 40 minutes out of 42 I don't get why people who love Harmon or the team or whatever should be irritated! Oh and don't get me started on this supposed moonlighting curse...so annoying!
ReplyDeleteEh, it's Buzzfeed. He was also talking about CNN RPF fic. Nothing about this screams serious interview to me because Buzzfeed isn't a serious site.
ReplyDeleteHere is it! Michael Weatherly agreed with me about all the TIVA thing! Dont get me wrong. I really like Ziva and adore Cote de Pablo, but this background story is so hard to break. How could you love someone who hates you deep in his-her heart?? Or worse, who wouldn hesitate to keep secrets, turn the back on you or kill you? That will need a lot of therapy. Me being a therapist, know what I talking about! Believe me !!
ReplyDeleteOh ok, I didn't know that! I understand it a little better now...still think that's pretty bad\weird though ; )
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I'm not really into the fandom speculations and all so can I ask why are you so sure they'll get together this season?!
Based on what Gary Glasberg has been saying and what happened last night (which convinced me more) and this interview (which just convinced me even more than I already was), I am more than 100% convinced Tiva will happen by the end of the finale.
ReplyDeletelol got it! Well, we'll see!
ReplyDeleteI will be mad if they got together. It will ruin the show and the whole team dynamic.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. I don't see why them dating would automatically have to be put in the limelight, show-wise. And i don't see how it would dramatically alter the team dynamic. Tony have been flirting with Ziva for years.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't bet on it, this is what Cote had to say about next episode: “Let’s say this is one of the sweetest moments we’ll see because then
ReplyDeletethings get messy again — as things do between these two characters,” she
says. “They get really nice and mushy and then they get really messed
up.”
Saw that. Still not giving up hope!
ReplyDeleteMichael Weatherly deserves a Gibbs slap for that interview.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I get that he doesn't want to make the Tiva shippers crazy by promising Tiva, and he may well be worried that it will cut into his storytime. But the thing is, it's been 8 years and it's getting more and more ridiculous that both Tony and Ziva are behaving like they're in junior high. It's time for both Tony and Ziva to grow up.
If adults can get beyond a cheating spouse and make a good relationship, I'm sure Tony can get over a frantic Ziva accusing him of murder when he did in fact kill her lover. Emphasizing things like that or the fact that half of Ziva's boyfriends end up dying as a reason to keep them apart is ridiculous. (Not to mention that one was dying when Ziva met him and Tony killed the other.)
It's not nice to treat the audience as idiots, or to bite the hand that feeds you. Bad Michael Weatherly.
i hope so eight years is long enough, but Michael sounded really harsh towards the character "Ziva" it made me dislike him a little, he deserves to be head slapped!!!!!
ReplyDeletenot one Gibbs slap a few!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it'll happen this season, but if it does that's okay, as long as their relationship does not take up too much screentime. But I won't be surprised if they pull another JAG (ie keep up the cat and mouse game until the series finale.) Lots of shows are apparantly still terrified of the moonlighting death, but in NCIS I don't think that's a valid concern, since Tona & Ziva aren't the only main characters on the show.
ReplyDelete