Under Covers

The episode is written by Lee David Zlotoff and directed by Aaron Lipstadt, and was seen live by 17.79 million viewers.

[1] Several recurring characters appear, including FBI Agent Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano) and lab assistant Charles "Chip" Sterling (Michael Bellisario).

The assignment requires them to simulate sexual relations and stay in the Rainiers' hotel room in order to solidify their cover.

When the camera on their hotel room is traced, the team is shocked to discover that FBI agents, apparently unaware of the Rainiers' deaths, have been watching them through surveillance.

[2] After the team finds out that the couple were expecting a baby and might have been planning to retire, they realize that the assassination plot could have been a set-up and that the Rainiers were potentially the real targets.

Their captors, led by a contract killer who is identified as Marcos Siazon (Eric Steinberg), demand to know the location of a disk containing coded information and funds.

[4] Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo, who portray the characters of Tony and Ziva respectively, have both described "Under Covers" as being among their favorite episodes.

"[5] A similar storyline was later used in 2012 for the show's spinoff, NCIS: Los Angeles, when characters NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and NCIS/LAPD Liaison Officer Detective Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) went undercover as a married couple.

"[8] Latina published a list of "Cote de Pablo's 15 Best 'NCIS' Moments" and included scenes from "Under Covers" that feature Tony and Ziva "[going] undercover as a crazy-in-love couple".

[11] The situation has been described as "a sneak preview of what a relationship between Tony and Ziva would be like"[12] as well as among "the best ambiguous and not-so-ambiguous moments of their sexual-tension-ridden not-quite-love affair".

When Tony and Ziva are put undercover as a couple of married assassins, they got to play out what many fans had been hoping to see since their first episode together.