"Shabbat Shalom" is part of a two-episode story arc, followed by "Shiva", in which two recurring characters (Eli David and Jackie Vance) were killed off in a single shootout.

[3] Several characters in the episode — Ziva and Eli David, Jackie and Leon Vance — are shown observing the Shabbat shortly before the fatal shootout at the end.

[4] The main cast includes Mark Harmon as team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Weatherly as Senior Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, Cote de Pablo as Mossad Liaison Officer turned NCIS Agent Ziva David, Pauley Perrette as Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto, Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee, David McCallum as Autopsy Technician Donald "Ducky" Mallard, Rocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon Vance, and Brian Dietzen as Medical Assistant Jimmy Palmer.

In previous years, Ziva's relationship with her father, Eli David, was scripted as complex; this is heightened during the seventh season when he orders her to continue on a hazardous assignment even after the risks made it a suicide mission.

In the opening scene, a father and son discover a man in a petty officer's uniform dead in a lake while fishing.

Rather, he is a "government paparazzo" named Tyler Wilkes, a disgraced reporter who had lost credibility after distributing digitally altered photographs in the previous year.

Ducky, on examining the body, realizes that the death was most likely an accident as the deceased had mono and died from internal bleeding due to a split in his liver.

The latter notes that Eli may be nearing retirement but fears that the presence of Iranian ambassador Arash Kazmi, with whom he had a possibly volatile history, will complicate the situation.

Eli expresses particular interest in a picture of a "pregnant" Ziva, which had accidentally been mixed into the photo stack, asking if it was a boy or a girl.

Gibbs and Vance's fears of trouble with Kazmi and Eli are abated when they learn that the two are in fact negotiating a peace agreement.

She confronts Eli shortly afterwards, who admits that he had covered Wilkes' death to prevent word from getting out that he was in Washington D.C., which would ruin the peace arrangements.

Vance's wife Jackie prepares a Shabbat meal, and Eli tries to lighten the tension by saying the blessing and expressing thanks for "life, freedom, and family".

However, Ziva returns to the house to find that Eli has been killed and breaks down sobbing, cradling his head and praying in Hebrew.

After several hours in surgery, Vance emerges from the operating room and quietly states that his wife is dead, which has Gibbs devastated.

[7] Both Paula Newsome and Michael Nouri, who portray Jackie Vance and Eli David respectively, were dismayed by the direction that the producers chose to take but decided to go forward with it and "give it everything they could".

But in 'Shabbat Shalom,' I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of Ziva and Eli trying to make things work on a more personal 'family' level.

[8] When questioned about the choice to kill off two characters in the same episode, particularly one that was not a finale or set during sweeps Glasberg responded, "I don't necessarily see that as ruthless.

Eli David's scheduled return was reported, and Cote de Pablo assured that, despite her character's tumultuous relationship with Michael Nouri's, the reunion would not be intentionally destructive on his part.

"[9] However, despite focusing on Ziva and Vance, all of the characters would feel the repercussions of what would happen, and the events would be the start of a long-term story arc that would carry through the rest of the season.

These scenes are enhanced by the fact that we're so invested in these characters after 10 seasons...Superb TV entertainment, but also emblematic of the uncertain times we live in.

However, the anger and sadness shown by the Director when informing Gibbs 'My wife is dead', alongside Ziva's grief, was almost overwhelming.

"[17] Sandra Gonzalez from Entertainment Weekly wrote "Cote de Pablo was absolutely fantastic in this scene — the crying, the praying in Hebrew.

"[19] Later, TVLine named Cote de Pablo Performer of the Week, noting that "As Ziva set her own eyes upon Eli's lifeless body, de Pablo's expression instantly morphed from professional resolve into horror, as she cradled his head in her arms, the weeping visage of a little girl who'd lost her Abba.

There was no holding back for de Pablo as the actress let her alter ego's emotions, and tears, flow, whispering a Hebrew prayer into her late father's ear.