Tom Ellis reacts to the major CIA finale twist.
Warning: This article contains spoilers from the CIA season 1 finale,"Broken Glass.
" After the shocking CIA season 1 finale, star Tom Ellis is opening up about how the big Toni Napier reveal will impact Colin and the show next season. The finale included the surprising revelation that Toni is still alive, and in an interview with ScreenRant's Grant Hermanns, Ellis revealed that when he first read the scene in which his character, Colin Glass, talks to Toni through the bug planted in his apartment, he couldn't believe that something like this had been written into the script.
"We're in a broadcast TV procedural show here, and we've got a scene like this," the actor said. Ellis acknowledged that Colin will never be seen going to therapy, so that scene was a way for the audience to discover Colin's"vulnerabilities and his weak spots and what makes him tick.
" "First of all, when I read that scene the first time, I was like, 'Wow, this is a great scene. We're in a broadcast TV procedural show here, and we've got a scene like this.
' And I loved the way they were going with this show, and the opportunity, when would you ever really — Colin can't go to therapy. You're never going to see him in a scene where he talks to a therapist and just opens his heart up. It just doesn't happen. Equally with Bill, even though he trusts him and love him, he's not an open soul in that sense.
That's why he is a great spy. He's a closed book. He's a closed shop. So, it was an opportunity for our audience for the first time to see and hear Colin's vulnerabilities and his weak spots and what makes him tick.
There are all these different thoughts and feelings in his head about what is going on.
" After all, Toni was the one person he ever loved, and it"broke him" when he thought she had died in an explosion in the Philippines. He's been spending all his time trying to avenge her death, only to find out that the whole situation was a"fairytale" and"not real.
" At this point in the finale, Colin's whole life is metaphorically spinning off its axis, and he ends up questioning everything. "What does that mean? And did she know about the bomb, and was I meant to be there?
" explained Ellis, whose past credits include Lucifer and Tell Me Lies. All this time, Colin had been confident in his abilities as a spy, and now"he's had the wool pulled over his eyes and had zero suspicion about any of this stuff.
" "She's the one person he's ever really loved in his life that it broke him when she died, and he's made it his mission to avenge her death. It's all a fairytale. It's not real.
'What does that mean? And did she know about the bomb, and was I meant to be there?
' He's got so many questions, and it was a real opportunity dramatically to pose some of those questions. And I think, yes, he convinced himself, because he feels so ashamed that he's not been this brilliant spy, and he's had the wool pulled over his eyes, and had zero suspicion about any of this stuff, and all of a sudden it's happened and he's like, 'No, I am going to kill this person.
'" That's why he feels such internal strife and conflicting feelings when he finally does come face to face with Toni and has a gun pointed directly at her, as she's trying to go after corrupt security firm CEO Joanne Kerkering. At first, Colin thinks he's actually going to go through with it and kill Toni, according to Ellis, but as he's"looking deep into her eyes, there is an element of something there where the love was real, and where there's love, there's hope.
" Ultimately, that's what stopped Colin from going through with what would have been a fatal decision. Ellis wants to make it clear, though, that just because he didn't kill Toni, it doesn't mean he forgives her,"but it is the thing that stopped him from pulling the trigger, for sure.
" "Then, of course, when he's face to face with her, and he's got the gun at her face, and he's looking deep into her eyes, there is an element of something there where the love was real, and where there's love, there's hope. I think that in that moment, that is what stopped Colin from shooting her.
But it doesn't mean he's forgiven her, doesn't mean any of those things, but it is the thing that stopped him pulling the trigger for sure.
" Toni being alive will have major ramifications for CIA season 2, which will air in its new 9 p.m. EDT timeslot beginning in fall 2026; a specific premiere date has not yet been announced. Subscribe to the newsletter for deeper CIA character insights Curious for more on Toni, Colin, and what it means for CIA? Subscribe to the newsletter for thoughtful scene breakdowns, character analysis, and interview-driven context that expands on this story and other TV coverage.
Get Updates By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime. The first season showed a professional bond and a trust being formed between Colin and Bill Randall Goodman, two partners who have worked well together, despite their disparate personalities.
Toni will likely play a larger role on CIA going forward, and only time will tell how much her appearances will impact Colin on both a professional and a personal level. CIA is a spinoff of the Dick Wolf-created series FBI, which debuted in 2018 and spawned the now-canceled FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. Ellis stars alongside Nick Gehlfuss, Natalee Linez and Necar Zadegan.
Angela Sarafyan, who has appeared in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Superman and Westworld, plays Toni. 9.5/10 CIA 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Crime Drama Release Date February 23, 2026 Network CBS Showrunner Mike Weiss, Warren Leight, David Hudgins Directors Eriq La Salle Writers David Hudgins, Dick Wolf Cast See All A nonconformist CIA agent a principled FBI agent manage a secret domestic terrorism taskforce in New York City.
Main Genre Crime Creator Dick Wolf Executive Producer David Chasteen, David Hudgins, Dick Wolf, Eriq La Salle, Nicole Perlman, Peter Jankowski, Warren Leight, Anastasia Puglisi, Paul Cabbad, Mike Weiss Producers Denis Hamill Seasons 1 Release Window 2025 Powered by Expand Collapse
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