NCIS: Tony And Ziva Revealed Its Villains’ Backstories, And Now I Think There’s A Big Shakeup Coming

by

Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Tony & Ziva episode “Dark Mirror” are ahead!

Since the NCIS: Tony & Ziva spinoff started airing in 2025, INTERPOL agent Martine Aranow has been a thorn in the side of the show’s main characters. We recently found out, just two weeks ago, that she was working with Jonah Markham, who is an inspector general at INTERPOL. Before the episode “Dark Mirror,” we only knew that their secret, and likely unlawful, activities were aimed at causing problems for Aaron Graves, the CEO of Reigning Fire Peacekeeping Solutions.

I’ve been following the new Tony & Ziva episode, and it’s finally explained what led Martine and Jonah to team up – you can stream it with a Paramount+ subscription. Honestly, I think all this backstory is hinting at a major conflict between them, but it feels like it’ll be the opposite of what happened with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo’s characters in Episode 4. It’s setting up for something big, I can feel it!

How Martine And Jonah Met, And Why They’re Working Together

Flashbacks in the “Dark Mirror” storyline showed Martine and Jonah first met in November 2014 at Securecon, a conference held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, during a speech by Aaron Graves. At the time, Jonah was employed by the NSA, while Martine worked for France’s intelligence agency, the Directorate General for External Security. They quickly connected and continued to meet at the following two conventions. However, their relationship took a dark turn when Jonah learned Martine had killed someone and then assisted her in concealing the body without questioning her actions. He had already suspected she was a spy.

Following their first intimate encounter, Martine and Jonah confided in each other about their issues with Aaron Graves. Martine was working as an aide to a French ambassador in Gabon, who was being protected by a Reigning Fire unit. The group was unexpectedly attacked by child soldiers, and although Martine advised them to escape, Graves’ soldiers-including the one she shot and killed-callously opened fire on the young attackers without hesitation.

Paramount+: starting at $7.99 per month or $59.99 annually
Paramount+ offers a couple of subscription options: the Essential plan at $7.99 a month, and a Premium, ad-free plan for $12.99 a month. You can enjoy content like new episodes of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which air on Thursdays. View Deal

Jonah grew up in Serbia with his brother, the children of American diplomats. When conflict erupted in the region, his brother cleverly altered the passenger list of a chartered plane, ensuring their family’s escape from the Balkans. Unfortunately, while traveling to the airfield, their car was ambushed by mercenaries from Reigning Fire, and Jonah was the sole person to survive the attack.

United by their shared opposition to Aaron Graves, Martine and Jonah spent years attempting to bring his and Reigning Fire’s crimes to light through legal channels, but were unsuccessful. By 2023, both working at INTERPOL, they decided to try a more unconventional approach to achieve their objective. This is why they sought the assistance of hacker Dejan Lazar, who also had a personal grievance with Graves, and could help them bypass official procedures.

Why I Think Martine And Jonah’s Partnership Will Be Done Soon

Currently, Tony, Ziva, and their team figured out that Martine Aranow and Jonah Markham had gone back to Paris to infiltrate the Reigning Fire weapons expo. Their plan was to assassinate Aaron Graves and dismantle the company. Fortunately, Ziva managed to secretly plant a listening device in Martine, Jonah, and Lazar’s lodging, and I believe this will ultimately expose the cracks in Martine and Jonah’s relationship.

More About NCIS: Tony & Ziva

I started watching NCIS – specifically the first three episodes featuring Tony and Ziva – even though I hadn’t previously been a fan of the show. The chemistry between them immediately grabbed my attention and now I’m completely hooked!

Michael Weatherly made a cameo appearance in the NCIS episode dedicated to honoring David McCallum. Interestingly, the planned Tony & Ziva spinoff series actually played a significant role in how that came about.

It was pretty clear throughout the entire situation that Jonah had his own plans. Lazar had already told Martine he suspected Jonah wasn’t being honest with her. Then, Archie, Ziva’s therapist’s boyfriend and a child psychologist, thought Jonah might be a “dark empath”-someone outgoing with both a strong ability to understand others’ feelings and selfish traits-after just a short conversation. Ultimately, because of the listening device, Tony and Ziva overheard Jonah confessing to Lazar that he had been lying to Martine.

The central characters cleverly used this knowledge to help themselves. In the finale of “Dark Mirror,” Ziva shared a video with Martine showing Tali being threatened in the previous week’s episode – something Martine had specifically warned Jonah not to do. This has created suspicion, and I believe it will lead to Martine siding against Jonah in one of the final three NCIS: Tony & Ziva episodes of this season.

Read More

2025-10-02 16:52