Shiva (NCIS)
| "Shiva" | |
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| NCIS episode | |
Tony finds Ziva in the synagogue
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| Episode no. | Season 10 Episode 12 |
| Directed by | Arvin Brown |
| Written by | Christopher J. Waild, Gary Glasberg and Scott Williams |
| Original air date | January 15, 2013 |
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| Episode chronology | |
"Shiva" is the twelfth episode of the tenth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS, and the 222nd episode overall. It originally aired on CBS in the United States on January 15, 2013. The episode is written by Christopher J. Waild, Gary Glasberg and Scott Williams and directed by Arvin Brown, and was seen live by 22.86 million viewers.
"Shiva" follows "Shabbat Shalom", which aired the previous week and featured the shooting deaths of Mossad Director Eli David, the father of Ziva David, and Jackie Vance, the wife of NCIS Director Leon Vance. In the episode, Ziva and Vance must cope with the deaths of both Eli and Jackie as the rest of the team investigates the tragedy. While searching for answers, the characters also deal with the looming threat of war between Israel and Iran.
"Shiva", together with "Shabbat Shalom", sets in motion the primary long-term storyline in the second half of the tenth season. The arc is additionally significant in terms of character development — Director Vance, then regarded as the character with the most stable home life, is left a widower with two children while Ziva loses her last remaining family member, her mother and siblings having all been killed prior. "Shiva" was received with overwhelmingly positive reviews and became the most watched episode of the series, surpassing season 8's "Freedom", the previous series high in viewers.
Shiva (שבעה), which literally means "seven" in Hebrew, is the week-long mourning period in Judaism for a "first-degree" relative: parent, sibling, spouse or child. The ritual is called sitting Shiva and is begun immediately following the funeral of the deceased relative. In this case, it refers to Ziva's mourning the death of her father.
The episode opens depicting a young Ziva (Gabi Coccio) praying the Shabbat blessing over candles, with her father (Ben Morrison) standing next to her. Various other family members, now deceased, are shown surrounding her, including her mother, older brother Ari, and younger sister Tali. The memory fades and an adult Ziva appears in a synagogue questioning God, "Why should I not be angry, with all that has been taken?" She further pleads for a sign that she should not lose hope. Tony then enters the room and attempts to offer support, though she declines any expressions of sympathy, saying that she instead needs "revenge."
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