Ziva David: Difference between revisions

| extra-hdr = Career at NCIS

| lbl31 = Position

| lbl32 = Rank

| lbl33 = Years of Service

| data33 = {{circa|2005–2013}}

| data34 =

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Ziva is introduced to the show as an Israeli citizen, an agent of the [[Kidon|Kidon unit]] of the [[Mossad]], a daughter of [[List of NCIS characters#Eli David|Mossad Director Eli David]], and a friend of [[List of NCIS characters#Jenny Shepard|NCIS Director Jenny Shepard]]. She was assigned to NCIS as a [[liaison officer]] in an arrangement between Eli and Jenny, a position she held for four years until she returned to Mossad in the season 6 finale, "[[Aliyah (NCIS)|Aliyah]]". After being captured by terrorists in Somalia while on assignment for [[Mossad]] and presumed dead, she was eventually saved by [[Leroy Jethro Gibbs|Gibbs]], [[Anthony DiNozzo|Tony]], and [[Timothy McGee|McGee]], who brought her back to America.<ref name="Yahoo"/> These events led to her resigning from Mossad, applying to become an NCIS agent, and being sworn in as a U.S. citizen.<ref name="Yahoo"/>

 

 

Outside of fiction, the cultural impact of Ziva became a subject of discussion among various critics, with academics and rabbis weighing in on the matter. Newspapers such as ''[[The Jerusalem Post]]'' cited her as the only full-time Israeli character on an American mainstream network television show,<ref name="Jerusalem Post"/> and [[Harvard]] preceptor Eitan Kensky identified her as the "most prominent televisual Israeli" in the United States.<ref name=Kensky>{{cite web|last=Kensky|first=Eitan|title=On NCIS, the 'New Jew' Is Much Like the Old|url=http://blogs.forward.com/the-arty-semite/135566/on-ncis-the-new-jew-is-much-like-the-old/|work=[[The Jewish Daily Forward]]|date=February 22, 2011|access-date=August 5, 2013}}</ref> Her depiction was generally praised for exposing the Western public to Israeli society and culture,<ref>Tamir, Ariel (January 31, 2013). [http://voices.yahoo.com/israeli-spy-characters-infiltrate-popular-american-11995480.html?cat=39 Israeli Spy Characters Infiltrate Popular American Television Shows] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104104650/http://voices.yahoo.com/israeli-spy-characters-infiltrate-popular-american-11995480.html?cat=39 |date=January 4, 2014 }}. Yahoo! Retrieved February 10, 2013.</ref> its positive portrayal of an Israeli, and its "cheerleading for American ties to Israel".<ref>Smith, Kyle (May 12, 2012). [http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/why_ncis_is_tv_most_popular_show_eQuFx0nsG6lG3em25wHYgO/1 Why 'NCIS' is TV's most popular show] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630020926/http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/why_ncis_is_tv_most_popular_show_eQuFx0nsG6lG3em25wHYgO/1 |date=June 30, 2013 }}. ''New York Post.'' Retrieved February 10, 2013.</ref> The role made de Pablo the second most popular actress on U.S. primetime television in 2013, according to [[Q Score]],<ref>{{cite web|title='NCIS' Star Pauley Perrette Named Most Popular Primetime TV Star|url=http://www.aoltv.com/2011/08/04/ncis-star-pauley-perrette-is-named-the-most-popular-primetime/|work=HuffPost|access-date=February 20, 2013}}</ref> and a 2013 study by E-Poll Market Research listed her among the top 10 most appealing celebrities in America.<ref>{{cite web|title=Actress Betty White named America's most appealing celebrity|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainment-us-celebrities-idUSBRE9390WM20130410|work=[[Reuters]]|access-date=April 11, 2013|date=April 10, 2013}}</ref>

Officer Ziva David first appears in the third season, having been sent to NCIS following the murder of Special Agent Todd by Ari Haswari. She is Ari's control officer and half-sister due to the fact that they shared the same father, Mossad's then Deputy Director, Eli David ([[Michael Nouri]]). Eli is later described as Director of Mossad.<ref name="Jewish World Review"/>

 

 

Her early storylines center on her integration and attempts to be accepted by the other characters. Due to her relation to Ari, Ziva's appearance and eventual assignment to Gibbs' team draws fierce resentment from team member [[Anthony DiNozzo]], forensic specialist Abby Sciuto, and even Gibbs himself when he learns that Director Shepard had assigned Ziva to his team without his knowledge. She later proves her worth in the same episode by using her training to save herself and [[List of NCIS characters#Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard|Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard]] from Dr. Burns, a rogue member of the [[Smithsonian]] [[Anthropology]] Lab. This in turn causes the team to develop a newfound respect for her and sets the foundation for Ziva's strong friendship with Ducky.

Ziva's relationships with her colleagues steadily improve, and she invites Gibbs, Abby, McGee, and Palmer over to her apartment for dinner in the third season. Abby, who thinks Ziva is an excellent cook, begins to soften towards her, as the latter works to earn her friendship, first by helping Abby put a bomb back together for information and later by remembering her birthday. Abby, in turn, expresses concern when Ziva and Tony go missing in "Boxed In". In the third season finale, the tension comes to a head, and Abby angrily tells Ziva she has no emotions, prompting both women to slap each other.<ref name="Yahoo!"/> They later apologize after Tony goads them into it, and both women punch him in the arm when he jokingly suggests that they should "tongue-kiss" one another.

 

 

Ziva's relationship with McGee develops to resemble one of a brother and sister.<ref name="Yahoo"/> While Ziva teases McGee a great deal, often with Tony, they remain on friendly terms (Ziva's teasing is far more playful than Tony's, who takes a much more sadistic approach to the pranks he pulls on McGee) and continue to communicate when the team was disbanded between Seasons 5 and 6. He and Abby both urge Ziva to repair her friendship with Tony in the aftermath of their fallout in the sixth season finale. After Ziva is revealed to be alive, McGee outright states that Ziva is like a sister to him and he trusts and understands her enough that Ziva simply shaking her head at McGee from a distance is a request that he stand down that McGee follows.

In the Season 7 episode "Reunion", Gibbs confronts Ziva about Director Vance's allegation that she had been ordered by Mossad Director David to gain his trust by killing Ari. She admits that she had been under orders to kill Ari when it became clear that he was out of control, but elucidates that she had never intended to go through with it, believing him to be innocent. She further confides to Gibbs her feelings on the subject of Ari's death and her family: "I would have lied to you. He was my brother, and you were nothing. But I was wrong about Ari, and you ... Now he is gone. Eli is all but dead to me and the closest thing I have to a father is accusing me{{nbsp}}...". Ziva reveals that when she finally killed Ari, it was truly to save Gibbs and she was not following her orders, re-earning Gibbs' trust.<ref>Berenstein, Ari (September 30, 2009). [https://archive.today/20130412053027/http://voices.yahoo.com/ncis-season-7-episode-2-reunion-recap-review-4556217.html?cat=2 NCIS Season 7 Episode 2: "Reunion" Recap & Review]. Yahoo!. Retrieved February 8, 2013.</ref> In the seventh season episode "[[Good Cop, Bad Cop (NCIS)|Good Cop, Bad Cop]]", the bodies aboard the ''Damocles'' are recovered and Mossad attempts to make Ziva the scapegoat for the death of Staff Sergeant Daniel Cryer, USMC, one of the passengers. After he persuades her to tell her version of the story and she is cleared, Gibbs whispers something to her and kisses her on the forehead,<ref name="October 2009">Marsi, Steve (October 27, 2009). [http://www.tvfanatic.com/2009/10/mark-harmon-dishes-on-gibbs-ziva-and-the-future-of-ncis/ Mark Harmon Breaks Down Gibbs, Ziva and the Future of NCIS]. ''TV Fanatic''. Retrieved February 9, 2013.</ref> causing her to break down in tears of relief. Mark Harmon later disclosed that he had improvised the final moments of the scene, and when questioned about what Gibbs said, replied, "[De Pablo]'s not gonna tell you any more than I am—I don't think. That's our secret."<ref name="October 2009"/> Following investigation into Ziva's role in the events aboard the ''Damocles'', Director Vance approves an exonerated Ziva's application to join NCIS after initially rejecting it. Director Vance hands the approved application to Agent Gibbs, who in turn transmits it to Ziva, whom he calls "Probie".<ref name="Good Cop, Bad Cop"/>

 

 

When Ziva learns that her boyfriend who had proposed to her was the murderer of a Navy petty officer, Gibbs is the only one to accompany her when she confronts him and he tries to comfort Ziva very much as a father would afterwards.