Special Agent Gibbs, played by Mark Hamon, has left NCIS, but one episode twist proves that his impact on the show will not be forgotten.
After Mark Harmon’s departure, the hit CBS series NCIS has provided Gibbs with the perfect legacy.
Harmon left the show following the season 19 episode “Great Wide Open,” in which the beloved NCIS agent finally finds peace in retirement in Alaska, after playing the taciturn special agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs for more than 18 seasons and 400 episodes.
Some viewers assumed Gibbs’ departure from NCIS meant they’d seen and heard the last of him until a later episode provided the perfect callback to his character.
In NCIS season 19, episode 10, Special Agents Timothy McGee (Sean Murray) and Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen) receive $10,000 in mysterious deposits. Given their profession, the two are naturally suspicious until the episode’s conclusion, when Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) summons them to his office to explain.
He informs McGee and Palmer that they are the latest recipients of the Leroy Jethro Gibbs Scholarship Fund, a trust that Gibbs established for his own daughter before she tragically d1ed, and which he has grown over the years to help numerous agents’ families, including Vance’s own children.
This fund is the ideal legacy for Mark Harmon’s Gibbs from NCIS because it contributes to the character’s closure after his departure from the show. It’s also a perfect fit for Gibbs, who always kept a low-key lifestyle despite likely earning a lot of money by the end of his long tenure at the agency.
Gibbs has built a reputation over the years for quietly assisting those he cares about, providing exactly what they require without saying a word, and this scholarship fund is a fitting send-off for the legendary character.
Gibbs has faced many challenges over the years, but one of the most difficult has always been his tragic backstory. Gibb’s wife and daughter were murd3red by the head of a cartel whom they saw committing a cr1me, and this was perhaps the most influential event in shaping his character.
Gibbs joined NCIS after his family’s untimely d3aths, and a string of failed marriages demonstrates that the agency filled the void left by his family better than anything else could. As a result, the money that would have gone to his own daughter’s college fund can now be distributed among his surrogate family at NCIS.
The move is also eerily similar to classic Agent Gibbs. Gibbs, a humble man who never appears at ceremonies to accept his own awards, became known for helping others without expecting to be praised or recognized.
In fact, he frequently dismisses such accolades, believing that his actions are simply the right thing to do. The scholarship money being awarded to two of his closest colleagues after he retires to Alaska epitomizes the selfless generosity cultivated by Mark Harmon’s Gibbs throughout his NCIS tenure.
The Leroy Jethro Gibbs Scholarship Fund is the ideal legacy for Harmon’s character, but the episode also leaves open the possibility that he will return to the show. In the final scene, Palmer expresses his desire to thank Gibbs in person, to which Director Vance responds, “Well, hopefully, one day you will.”
It wouldn’t be the first time the show brought back characters for a brief moment, but it’s unclear how significant the statement is. Whether he returns to the show or not, Mark Harmon’s Gibbs will be remembered fondly by NCIS fans.
Related News – Be sure to get some more news when it comes to NCIS.
Can’t watch the show without him. Just too sad.