NCIS’ Just Brought Gibbs Back in the Best, Most Perfect Way

You can’t think of NCIS without conjuring the image of Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, even all these years after his formal exit from the flagship show. Since then, his name has been mentioned many times (once again a testament to the character’s legacy) but Season 22, Episode 19, brings back the character in one of the most fitting, tongue-in-cheek ways possible. The episode doesn’t only call back to Gibbs’ character and his relationship with his team, but to what he is known for: his rules. While it would be a feat to memorize each and every single one, they creep into this season of NCIS, making everyone smile in nostalgia while also becoming an integral part of Agent McGee’s (Sean Murray) storyline.

From the very start of Season 22, McGee has been embroiled in a potential conspiracy involving an NCIS mole, who he believes to be the new deputy director LaRoche (Seamus Dever). McGee has had to keep his investigation under wraps, but this is blown wide open in Episode 19, where Laroche triggers an investigation into McGee’s behavior, filing for harassment and accusing him of professional jealousy as McGee had been closely monitoring the agent’s activity. It specifically escalated when McGee, in a daze of insomnia, witnessed LaRoche murder someone, but was hit by a truck before he could apprehend the NCIS deputy director. It is under all this pressure that Gibbs appears in spirit in McGee’s storyline.