NCIS: 10 Things Gibbs Has Done That Make No Sense

NCIS Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs has been on America’s television screens since 2003, and there are some things he’s done that just don’t make sense.

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.