A maid enters a hotel room and finds Parsons DB in the bathtub. McGee (Sean Murray) is alone at his desk and there's no Tony (Michael Weatherly) around for Director Vance (Rocky Carroll) to talk to. Tony and Ziva's (Cote de Pablo) flight has been delayed. Vance: "Paris can be very hard to leave." As well all know. Including Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Jenny (Lauren Holly) who have also been to Paris and seen plenty of action under the covers, as well as their job as agents. McGee doesn't think Tony and Ziva will be enjoying themselves now, as they don't like doing much together. More lines like this to keep fans guessing about the two.
Tony snaps shots of Ziva in Paris, artists love Paris cos of the light. Ziva tells him this isn't a vacation. Tony remarks it's a beautiful day, he slept well, didn't she? She looked comfy enough. OH stop it with the loaded questions! Tony: "An arms dealer and his fetching daughter were all he had to go on in Paris." Referring to Le Grenouille (Armand Assante) and Jeanne (Scottie Thompson) from season 4. Well meaning, they were French and not that Tony has been to Paris. He takes Ziva onto the back of his scooter. Gibbs takes McGee on their own trip downtown. McGee asks if it's just the two of them, well Gibbs, McGee and Ducky, plus a dead marine.
Ducky (David McCallum) comments that in Tony's absence, he should make an observation on the CS. Viz, Janet Leigh and an inability to enter the shower, of course from the Alfred Hitchcock classic, Psycho (1960). TOD was 36-48 hours. Sodium silicate absorbs odour thus the absence of any smell from the DB. He could have been here for days. McGee notices there's no signs of any struggle. McGee locates the safe.
Tony and Ziva at Charles de Gaulle airport, their whistleblower , Nora ( Lily Rains) has Tony to protect him. Tony: "I'm nice." It's like protecting Hayley Mills in Pollyanna (1960). A Disney classic with a happy ending. Ziva says Tony prefers Bambi, where the mother dies. he's into his tear jerkers then, ha. (And The Little Mermaid, Disney version, in Dark Angel when he played Logan) . Tony comments, "I'm not the nice one." Ziva notices the air marshall, Neely (Kevin Symons) and Tony's ready for his hot towel in Business Class. The flight attendant, Tiffany Chase (Victoria Pratt) isn't friendly towards him. McGee finds watches, files and clippings from a murder in NYC and home invasion in the safe. It appears to be a professional hit but McGee asks why the clippings were kept in a safe. Parsons, the DB marine was a hitman and he had info on their witness, who is a new target. Mark Parsons was a good marine but a loner and was on leave in NY.
Abby (Pauley Perrette) finds a burn phone was used. All of Nora's medical records etc are found and her fiance, Daniel (David de Latour) is here. He tried to talk Nora out of testifying against Beringer (Ryan Cutrona). They met in the Accounting Department. Beringer was embezzling the Navy out of millions and Vance says the only evidence they have is Nora's memory. Vance reassures Daniel that nothing will happen to her. Beringer has no knowledge of the case against him, but their best agents are with Nora. Tony looks at his photos, all consisting of geometric lines and spacings, he should be more creative with his life. Nora calls them postcards and Ziva comments about CS photos. She and Tony have had "enough together." They shared the hotel room and the flight. Tony adds there was only one hotel room available. Rule number 12: never date a co-worker is mentioned. Tony: "can't be done."
Ziva: "Should not be done." Ziva says they don't get along. Tony: "Ever." McGee calls Ziva about Nora.
Ducky talks about Gaston Laroux's idea for Phantom of the Opera came to him when a chandelier crashed to the floor. Ducky: "...honourable marine was masquerading as a hitman." Gibbs tells him it was the other way round. I.e. the hitman was masquerading as an honourable marine. COD was a fractured C12 vertebrae. His neck was broken by a deliberate single move. A trained professional killed the hitman. It's a long time since Ducky's been to an opera. Gibbs: "Asking me on a date Duck?"
Abby found extra nothing, aside from one call on the phone from a Holly Snow (Dina Meyer). McGee's heard of her by reputation, she's a DC Madam. Gibbs; "when did love business turn into death business." She hired him to kill Nora. Holly's a matchmaker. She connected them online. Holly is an accessory to murder. Gibbs says she's providing a service, she's responsible. She can give him the account where the money was wired, but only in return for a deal. "I don't give it away." Gibbs isn't offering a deal. Gibbs: "Whoever gets the kill, gets the catch."
Ziva thinks something's going to happen on the plane. Neely calls it a modern day Orient Express, any and everyone could be the suspect. Ziva says all that's needed is a convenient weapon, like plastic cutlery; she killed someone with a credit card once. Row 16, Steven Baker (Darren Keefe) he hasn't eaten nor drank anything but has been to the toilet lots of times. Doesn't mean he's a killer. Tony isn't comfortable and asks the male flight attendant, Stephan aka Mr Spock (Clark Koelsch) for the bottled water to be opened in front of him. Tony comments about it raining in her sunny view, Mary Poppins. Calling Nora 'Mary' this time. Tony and Ziva look at each other.
Vance says the 'higher-ups' are afraid of a Madam. McGee has been doing background checks on the passengers and Neely asked for an earlier departure, he was too obvious as a suspect. Ziva searches his bag and Tony asks if she's found a book, he's finished reading Twilight saga book 4, Team Edward. Another reading remark from Tony, well it's everyone else who keeps telling Tony he doesn't read and how he only looks through GSM. Ziva picks Neely's pocket. Abby can run his phone. Nora comments she and Tony make a great team. Tony thinks Ziva's much 'spark-ier,' Paris has changed her.
Daniel attacks Beringer, that was for show and blames him but Daniel was my suspect from the outset. Gibbs mentions Nora to Beringer and he likes jokes. Tony doesn't see any connection between Parsons and Beringer. He finds Neely DB in the toilet with a knitting needle. Neely wanted to see his daughter in the school play. Gibbs confirms the killer is on the plane. Vance called SecNav. Gibbs asks if he had something to drop. Holly's plea deal has been approved. Ziva absolutely denies she and Tony got together. "Absolutely, definitely, no." Ziva took the couch or he'd have moaned about his back the entire flight. Tony undertakes a William Shatner impression from the Twilight Zone. He uses the inflight wifi and Ducky is surprised Tony isn't a member of the mile high club. Tony says he never said he wasn't. It was a quick death and silent. Ducky needs high resolution photos to determine his hypothesis, Tony can use his camera but it's out of memory. Why didn't he just download the photos onto his computer, why didn't he use a memory card. Tony: "like Sophie's Choice, can't choose."
There's a print on the needle. Abby needs to enhance photos of the bloody partial before she can search for a match. Abby wants to see Holly. Holly asks if there's "no foreplay, no seduction" from Gibbs. Gibbs says the deal is done. Holly: "You like it rough don't you." That's getting personal. Gibbs tells her there's a time and place for eveything. She's good at reading people and asks Gibbs to 'roleplay' which he refuses. The deal ends if Nora dies and she'll be charged with murder. He can read people too. Hey Vance was listening to their conversation! Steven was out of his seat in the plane, looking for his battery. Nora goes into anaphylactic shock. Call Ducky for help. She needs epinephrine, which Steven gives them. Hey they didn't ask if there was a doctor on board. The epinephrine pen was missing from the first aid which is a clue to the killer's identity. Nora didn't eat anything but Ziva tells Ducky her pillow smells of nuts. Peanut dust was put on it. See back to the medical files at the start of the episode, which mentioned Nora's medical condition.
Ziva asks who gave Nora the pillow. It was Tiffany of course. She was in DC when Parson's was killed. McGee finds money is still in the off shore account and only Nora and Beringer have access to the off shore account. Tony couldn't fight Tiffany, but luckily he's got Ziva on board. Tony: "Talk about Snakes on Planes." (2006) Tony wasn't there to mention Psycho, but he's mentioned plenty fo films to make up for that oversight. Daniel disappears and runs Gibbs over when he pushes McGee out of the car's way. McGee calls an ambulance, thought it was for Gibbs. Gibbs didn't hit his shoulder, the car did.
Nora is still testifying, she liked happy endings. Tony has to give her the bad news about Daniel. Tony comments Bogie and Bergman will always have Paris (in Casablanca (1942)) and so will they. Tony shows off his very best photo of Ziva, "very French new wave." Gibbs mentions Rule number 12. Tony says he took the couch and Ziva had the bed. McGee calls it a tough break. Ziva asks why Tony lied to McGee and he asks why Ziva lied to Nora? Ziva thinks her photo "would look better in black and white."
So much for Nora saying she and Daniel were compatible and so are Tony and Ziva. So compatible that he ordered a hit on Nora. Imagine Ziva and Tony in that kind of a position. Ziva wouldn't need to pay for a hit, she'd do it herself - but I jest. They're not compatible, they're so very different and no it wouldn't work out. If they had any feelings towards one another it's probably just a fleeting attraction. I like my Tony and Ziva just the way they are, without the romantic and messy complications! Gibbs and Holly on the other hand, were engaging in foreplay of their own even with Vance around. How brash was she telling him Gibbs likes it rough.
The number of films mentioned in this episode alone! So the 'did they/didn't they' in Paris was meant to be a confirmation of season 3's Undercovers episode. Where fans were meant to believe Ziva and Tony did get it on and the same question was posed here. In my personal opinion, I say they didn't get together. Not only would it change the dynamic of the characters; but it's not really something Tony would keep to himself (aside from not wanting Gibbs to know). Well Tony says he doesn't kiss and tell (as he did in season 4) but he's quick to gossip about everyone else and he wouldn't keep it a secret with Ziva involved. Besides Ziva knows him too well and knows he's a commitment phobe so what would come of it. Tony's quick to bring up Rule number 12 when his personal life's up for discussion, he's very defensive. Now Gibbs and Holly is another matter. Could cut the attraction with a knife - but our Gibbs wouldn't get involved with someone of her reputation. Even if she's a redhead. Dina Meyer is great whatever she's in, but is always sadly under-used!
Tony gets talking about le Grenouille and Jeanne but not by name. That he could mention her so casually shows he's over her, good for him and Ziva didn't comment on it either. Kind of a love triangle going on in this episode; Nora and Daniel, Tony and Ziva and Gibbs and Holly. Everyone's talking but no one's doing, no that didn't come out right. Tony should've been suss about Tiffany cos she didn't fall for any of Tony's "come-ons," she was a cold-hearted one.
Tony refers to Bogie as in Humphrey Bogart and Bergman as in Ingrid Bergman from Casablanca, love stories as they should be! Ziva's photo in black and white was rather Audrey Hepburn-esque. The most romantic city in the world didn't do it for Tony and Ziva, which is just as well, personally I prefer Venice.
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