‘NCIS’: Mark Harmon’s 8 Most Shocking Moments as Leroy Jethro Gibbs
‘NCIS’ star Mark Harmon has played Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 18 seasons and more than 400 episodes, but it remains to be seen just how big of a role he will have moving forward. As ‘NCIS’ fans wait to find out what's next, let’s look back at Harmon's most shocking moments as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
NCIS star Mark Harmon has played Leroy Jethro Gibbs for 18 seasons and more than 400 episodes. But rumor has it that in season 19, the 70-year-old Harmon is taking a reduced role and will only appear in just a handful of episodes.
The first season 19 promo made it clear that Harmon isn’t going anywhere. But it remains to be seen just how big of a role he will have moving forward.
As NCIS fans wait to find out what’s coming next, we think it’s the perfect time to look back at Harmon’s most shocking moments as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
8. Gibbs loses his memory in ‘NCIS’ season 3
In the final two episodes of season 3 — “Hiatus (Part 1)” and “Hiatus (Part 2)” — Gibbs is left severely injured and in a coma after an explosion on a ship. In his comatose state, the Marine sniper has flashbacks to Operation Desert Storm when he was wounded.
He also recalls the murder of his wife, Shannon (Darby Stanchfield), and eight-year-old daughter, Kelly (Mary Matilyn Mouser). When he wakes up, he has no memory of anything after 1991. He doesn’t even recognize his longtime friend and colleague Dr. Ducky Mallard (David McCallum).
7. Gibbs testifies against his friend, Tobias Fornell
Gibbs’ friendship with FBI Agent Tobias Fornell is an interesting one — they even share an ex-wife. Despite the occasional feuds between the FBI and NCIS, the rift was never personal between them. But in Season 15, Episode 7 “Burden of Proof,” Gibbs was faced with a difficult decision.
One of Fornell’s old cases comes back to haunt him when a man named Gabriel Hicks claims that NCIS framed him for murder. It turns out that evidence was falsified against him, which put Hicks in prison. And it was Fornell who did it because he knew Hicks was guilty, and he wanted to guarantee a conviction.
Gibbs chooses to take the stand and testify against his friend to get the verdict overturned and Hicks released from prison. His testimony also leads to Fornell’s forced resignation from the FBI.
6. Ziva David is alive!
Fans thought Ziva David had died in season 11 when Cote de Pablo left the series. But in the season 16 finale, Gibbs is in his basement working on his boat when Ziva walks down the stairs. The shocking moment lasted just a few seconds. Then fans had to wait an entire summer to find out if Ziva was just in Gibbs’ imagination, or if she really was alive.
In the season 17 premiere, it’s revealed that Ziva went into hiding to protect her family. And she was mad because Gibbs never tried to find her. Despite her frustration with her former boss, Ziva returned because he was in danger and she wanted to protect him.
5. ‘Rule 91’ ends in a cliffhanger
The explosive season 18 finale was another shocker for NCIS fans, and it ended with a massive cliffhanger. As Gibbs is out on his boat “Rule 91,” after he and Marcie (Pam Dawber) realize they are getting close to the serial killer they’ve been hunting down.