Tonight’s episode of NCIS has what star Michael Weatherly calls “a very exciting moment in the evolution” of Tony DiNozzo — we step into his apartment for the very first time.
And while many of the surprises it contains can’t be discussed prior to the episode, Weatherly teases that there will be “revealing pieces” that tell us a lot about the character now — and possibly in the future. “The writers…came up with a phenomenal array of indicators for Tony’s psychological state,” he says.
Shedding more light on Tony’s lifestyle? His father, Tony DiNozzo, Sr. (Robert Wagner), who shows up on Tony’s doorstep in this episode and invites himself to stay. “Tony’s father always comes to town and stays in a hotel or has his own plan — maybe he stays at Gibbs’ house, but he’s never stayed at Tony’s” Weatherly says. “And we learn that nobody else has ever really been to Tony’s either — Abby, McGee. You start to see that this is perhaps a Batcave, and it begs the question: What is Tony hiding in his apartment?”
Meanwhile, executive producer Mark Horowitz, who teased the episode for Spoiler Room, says special attention must not only be paid to the objects in Tony’s apartment, but also to other ongoings among the team, as seeds are planted about some significant storylines to come. “There are other threads and other connective things happening with other members’ parents that are talked about and are forerunners for things that are coming further down in the season,” he says. “So listen carefully and pay attention. You’ll look back on this episode and see that ideas were set forth.”
The episode, the last new one of 2012, airs tonight on CBS. And make sure you visit PopStyle after the episode for an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of DiNozzo’s abode!