NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 ending explained: Why are Jonah and Martine going after Aaron Graves?

NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 revolves around getting to the bottom of Jonah and Martine's plan. Titled Dark Mirror, the new installment of the series gets into the nitty-gritty of Jonah and Martine's background, how they come together, their plan against Reigning Fire and Aaron Graves, as well as their motivations.

The end of NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 reveals that both Jonah and Martine want to kill Aaron Graves as revenge because they have both been victims of Graves' indiscriminate killings. However, while their plan remains the same, their motivations may differ, and one of them is lying to the other.

Meanwhile, Tony and Ziva are smacked right in the middle of Jonah and Martine's master plan, being used as scapegoats so they can carry out their plan without interference.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers for NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7. Reader's discretion is advised.

NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7: Why do Jonah and Martine want to kill Aaron Graves?

NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 reveals essential parts of Jonah Markham and Martine's backstories and why they are going after Reigning Fire owner Aaron Graves. It turns out that both Jonah and Martine have been after Graves for many years, long before they were associated with Interpol.

They met during one of Graves' conferences and fell smitten with each other. However, what truly forged their connection was their mutual need to seek revenge against Graves. Martine wants to bring Graves to justice because she saw him and his men killing children without conscience.

Meanwhile, Jonah Markham wants Graves to pay for killing his family, especially his brother, whom he refers to as his hero, who was allegedly a genius hacker who helped him escape from the Balkans before Graves killed him. While they both tried before to let Interpol handle Graves, the cases they brought up against him were buried. So, they are now trying to kill Graves once and for all.

Is Jonah lying to Martine in NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7?

Martine finds out Jonah lied (Image via Paramount+)

NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 provides more proof that Jonah is lying to Martine, or at least he sugarcoats things to earn her sympathy and manipulate her to do his bidding. In NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 5, he promised Martine that he wouldn't involve Tony and Ziva's daughter, but as seen in the previous episode, Jonah went back on his promise.

Additionally, NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7 reveals that the story he tells Martine about his brother hacking a flight so they can escape the chaos in the Balkans is a lie. Although it's true that Graves may have had a hand in killing his family, the story about his brother is made up to earn Martine's sympathy. He's using the story about wanting to avenge his brother's death to gain her support.

The episode ends with Ziva confronting Martine in public about what Jonah has done to Tali in NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 6, planting the seed of doubt about Jonah, his lies, and his manipulation.

NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7: Does Jonah set up Tony and Ziva to take the fall again?

Tony and Ziva are back in Paris (Image via Paramount+)

Besides plotting to kill Aaron Graves during the latter's upcoming expo, Jonah Markham has also laid the groundwork for Tony and Ziva to take the fall for all that has happened in the past several episodes. Interpol still doesn't know that Jonah is the one who stole the $120 million in the episode premiere, not Tony.

In NCIS: Tony & Ziva, season 1, episode 7, he and Martine also blame Tony and Ziva for supposedly putting him in prison. They also claim that Tony and Ziva are the ones who blew up the prison in Austria after stealing the Reigning Fire drone, further pinning Henry's death on the duo.

Without anyone to prove otherwise, Jonah is able to get arrest warrants for Tony and Ziva in episode 7 without much interference. He also gets the support he needs to return to his post in Interpol and hunt the duo, who are now dubbed terrorists.

Catch NCIS: Tony & Ziva season 1 episode 7, along with the show's previous episodes, streaming on Paramount+.

About the author

Kinette covers beauty and home decor as a lifestyle writer at Sportskeeda. With over 7.5 years experience in writing for diverse platforms, including The Coolist, Snap Knot, Leisure Seeker, and KS Content Studio, Kinette is quite the shapeshifter in the content world and prides herself as a generalist. However, she feels that her greatest strength is her repository of personal expertise and experience, which she combines with extensive research and credible sources, to deliver compelling reportage on beauty, lifestyle, and wellness.

Kinette graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering before venturing into the world of home improvement and decor writing, although her love for skincare soon pushed her into the beauty space. Despite covering a wide range of topics in her writing career, Kinette now leans towards categories she has personal or educational experience in, to offer only the most reliable and insightful reading experience to her audience.

Kinette’s favorite artist is Taylor Swift, whose lyricism and ability to create a vivid picture with deft wordplay she admiresa lot. When not writing and reporting on beauty and lifestyle trends, Kinette loves playing with her dogs, drinking coffee in the morning and experimenting with cocktails in the evening, reading romance novels, and learning about new cultures and languages.

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Edited by Kinette Sumadia