NCIS’ Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs has been on America’s television screens since 2003. He and his team have found justice for many a fallen military person’s families by finding their loved one’s killer. Gibbs always gets his man.
Though his team has changed through the years, Gibbs’s hard-boiled style has not. The ends always justify the means. There have been some cases where Gibbs went right up to the line, and maybe even crossed it once or twice. There are also plenty of times where his actions were truly shameless and others when they just didn’t make sense. Here are some of those moments:
Seeking Revenge
In the movie Oceans 13, Saul told Danny Ocean that revenge jobs never work. Saul was only partially right. Revenge jobs do work, but they can have lasting ramifications.
When Agent Gibbs went after drug lord Pedro Hernandez, he did it for the wrong reasons. He went after Hernandez for the murder of his wife and daughter. Gibbs’ scar from that murder sets the tone for his character throughout the life of the show. He’s lived with that regret ever since.
Taking Things Personally
One of the ramifications of the hit on Hernandez was Gibbs’ set of “rules.” One of his most famous rules is “don’t take a case personally.”
The first time he broke the rule was going after Hernandez, and it was the reason he instituted the rule in the first place. Gibbs knows first hand the difficulty in getting over regret for something you took personally.
Keeping Secrets
Another rule Gibbs broke as a result of the Hernandez murder is his rule about secrets. “The best way to keep a secret. Keep it to yourself. Second-best, tell one other person—if you must. There is no third best.”
The regret of going after Hernandez instead of letting someone else handle it caused him to finally break this rule. Thirty years is a long time to keep a secret to yourself, but the stress of a case and the regret when a case is similar to the secret you are keeping can cause even Agent Gibbs to crack. He broke down and told his team and his therapist.
Drinking While Grieving
Regret can change the way a person conducts themselves in their everyday life. Gibbs is the perfect example of this. Although Gibbs lives in the same house he lived in with his wife and daughter; he never goes upstairs. He can no longer sleep in the bed he shared with his wife.
He sleeps on the couch in his living room–when he does sleep that is. Most times, Gibbs does not sleep. When he’s awake–which is quite often–he has his front door wide open, and he’s in his basement drinking whiskey and building and taking apart his boat.
Being Forced Back Into Retirement
“Quitter” does not seem like a fitting word for Agent Gibbs. That is just what Gibbs did after a horrific terrorist attack was successful when his superiors did not listen to him in time. Agent DiNozzo took over the team for a while, but Gibbs could not stay away for long.
Ziva David asks Gibbs for help after she witnesses an assassination and FBI agent Tom Fornelli asks for Gibbs’ help after his daughter is abducted. Gibbs’ mentor Michael Franks finally convinced him out of retirement to help him solve the case, but it took more convincing than it should have.
Getting Personally Involved With Jenny
This was jokingly mistaken when Gibbs meant, “Don’t screw over your partner.” However, Gibbs did have sex with his partner Jenny Shepherd while on a mission in Paris. However, he didn’t know that Jenny Shepherd would eventually become director of NCIS.
Although he did not break the rule about screwing his partner over, he did break the rule about getting personally involved. Maybe his relationship with Shepherd was the reason he instituted the rule. You live, you learn.
Not Being Reachable
Gibbs always wants his team to be reachable. One of his most important rules is always be reachable. This rule has been a key in the team being able to solve complex cases when one or more of the members of the team were on location either somewhere in the United States or abroad in a different country.
Agent Bishop, however, found that one time Agent Gibbs was unavailable. Well, he saw her call and purposely did not take it. Hmmm…
Taking Things Personally… Again
Often when a tragic thing happens, we learn from the mistakes we make enduring that tragedy. Most thought that of Agent Gibbs. It seemed as if he was on the other side of the tragedy with his wife and daughter. He was even loosening up–as much as Gibbs can loosen up.
He found love again. He fell for Major Ellen Wallace, and that’s when tragedy struck. When her death was being investigated by the team, Gibbs got too wrapped up, and his emotions got the better of him.
Letting His Emotions Get The Best Of Him
Those emotions led him to violate two of his sacred rules. Not only did he get personally involved, but his emotions also led Agent MaGee to kick him off the case. It’s understandable, however.
Most people get one shot at love. Gibbs was fortunate enough to have two, and both times it was taken away from him by a villain. Still, you can’t let your emotions get the best of you.
Going Solo
In addition to having his team always available, Gibbs also wants everyone to work as a team. Well, that is, until someone puts a hit out on you. If there is anything you learn about Gibbs and his rules, it is there is an exception to every rule–for most of them, anyway. This was one of those times.
When vigilante judge Deacon put a hit out on Gibbs, he went solo to confront the judge. Without any backup, who knows what might have happened. There are some instances when you need more than a knife as a backup.
