From the second NCIS: Tony & Ziva premiered on Paramount+, belief has been the prevailing theme of the most recent franchise spin-off. But, in accordance with a compelling Reddit fan idea, Ziva (Cote de Pablo) could also be putting an excessive amount of belief in her psychotherapist, Dr. Lang (Terence Maynard), to the detriment of her marriage to Tony and the happiness of their household.
The latest sequence follows the beloved on-off couple, Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), as they construct a brand new life collectively in Europe with their daughter, Tali (Isla Gie). Regardless of the household’s sudden reunion following Ziva’s faked demise, the fan idea posits that, in an try and heal from previous wounds and psychological trauma, Ziva is simply too depending on her physician for the issues she ought to be leaning on Tony for. It is a wild idea that, if confirmed true, is not going to finish effectively for Ziva and her therapeutic course of.
Given her work-related PTSD ensuing from years of being a Mossad and NCIS detective, Ziva undergoes remedy and begins spending time with Dr. Lang. Conspicuously spending extra time with Dr. Lang than Tony and implicitly trusting her physician greater than her husband, a fan idea means that Ziva’s remedy classes are driving a wedge between Tony and Ziva’s rekindled marriage and ruining their lives.
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Is Dr. Lang Liable for Driving Tony & Ziva Aside?
In a prolonged screed citing numerous proof, the crux of the fan idea begins with themes of belief. Because the Redditor notes:
“Michael, Cote, and [show creator] John [McNamara] have all identified how the primary theme of this present is belief. Belief between the primary characters – Do they nonetheless belief one another, or has that been misplaced? In addition to ‘who’s to be trusted, and who’s double-crossing?'”
From the pilot on, Ziva has expressed unwavering belief in Dr. Lang, who has largely adhered to skilled doctor-patient confidentiality. In Tony’s long-term absence when he and Ziva have been aside, Dr. Lang grew to become essentially the most trusted confidant who enabled Ziva to talk candidly and work out her traumatic scars relative to grief, guilt, loss, and the duty of placing her daughter in peril. Ziva has not often, if ever, proven this degree of belief towards anybody, together with Tony. In accordance with the idea, this raises purple flags:
“It has turn out to be clear that Dr. Lang would possibly simply be the true reason for the space between Tony and Ziva, and one of many important causes they did not work out.”
As quickly as they reunite, Ziva asks Tony to take their romance sluggish, an oblique order from Dr. Lang. Ziva additionally tells David how a lot she trusts Dr. Lang for serving to her make progress throughout remedy. In a silent response, Tony appears crestfallen, heartbroken, and downright dejected. Understanding that Ziva is receiving the kind of compassionate care from Dr. Lang that she ought to be getting at house, Tony feels helpless, ineffectual, and untrustworthy.
The speculation continues:
“He [Tony] loves her, and he is there to catch her when she falls. He’ll do (virtually) something for her, and has confirmed so prior to now. Even when she pushes him away or factors a gun at his coronary heart or his knee – he all the time comes again for her.
“And but right here she is, placing her total belief into a person she’s barely met, following his each phrase, and appears like he is already serving to her heal. When all Tony has ever wished was for her to belief him sufficient to let him in, to let him be there for her. To permit him to assist her coronary heart and her mind heal.”
Thus far, the idea holds water. It is completely possible that Ziva, within the try and heal herself in Tony and Tali’s absence, emotionally invested an excessive amount of in her remedy classes with Dr. Lang and has begun trusting him an excessive amount of over her personal husband. Tony feels rejected and dejected following Ziva’s glowing endorsement of Dr. Lang, when he ought to be the one incomes Ziva’s belief.
Each time Ziva mentions Dr. Lang, Tony’s posture sinks, or he tries to alter the topic. Due to this fact, it is completely attainable that Tony, feeling unneeded and untrusted, withdraws his affection for Ziva.
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What the Dr. Lang Principle Means for Tony & Ziva’s Future
The place the Reddit fan idea will get a bit wonky is when it blames Dr. Lang for intentionally manipulating Ziva and driving her other than Tony for some bigger conspiratorial achieve. Because the OP asks:
“Is the antagonistic impact on Tony and Ziva’s relationship utterly unintentional? Or has he (Dr. Lang) purposely been attempting to separate them up? Are Ziva’s classes with Dr. Lang being spied on? And is he the one doing so, or is it another person?”
Regardless of the remedy classes being proven in flashback from Ziva’s POV, a number of followers assist the idea. Probably the most convincing take comes from Carolinediva, who astutely notes:
“Sure, I am positive Lang’s presence of their therapeutic relationship performed an element of their being separated now. Nonetheless, I even have him on my ‘to look at’ record as a result of when that video of Tali and Sophie being tracked got here by means of, and Ziva ran (clearly)…she left her laptop computer in his workplace…whereas it was related to a safe/encrypted Salus Mondiale community.
“I need to belief him. Anybody who’s good to Ziva will get factors in my eyes, and, largely, it looks like he has been, a minimum of with the PTSD. However that one element has me veeerrry involved.”
Salus Mondiale is the identify of Tony’s French safety firm, which was hacked within the pilot. If Dr. Lang had entry to Ziva’s laptop computer and was capable of spy on Tali and Sophie utilizing Salus Mondiale’s server, then he is perhaps concerned in spite of everything. In fact, that a part of the idea is all hypothesis and has but to be substantiated as true or false.
No matter Dr. Lang’s intentions, issues will not finish effectively for the beloved Ziva if she continues down the identical path. To actually heal from her previous ache and PTSD, followers need to see her embrace Tony and belief him with the utmost honesty. Remedy can solely assist a lot, and if Ziva is not cautious, she runs the chance of shedding Tony once more by placing extra religion and belief in her physician than her husband.
- Launch Date
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September 4, 2025
- Community
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Paramount+
