Here's Why Fans Believe Gibbs Made An Uncharacteristic Kill On NCIS
Even if you haven't seen every last episode of "NCIS" — CBS's hit binge-worthy procedural that's been on the air since 2003 (IMDb) — you're probably familiar with at least a few of the must-follow rules doled out by the crime-solving team's leader, Supervisory Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon). CBS even has a complete set of Gibbs' rules, which include tidbits like knowing how to ask for help, walking away from a case when it's done, and how important it is to wear gloves at a crime scene.
However, there's a particular instance when Gibbs goes against one of his own rules by (supposedly) killing the man who caused a car accident that involved agents Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham) and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) in Season 17, and fans think they've pinned down the reason why Gibbs made such an uncharacteristic kill on "NCIS." Don't worry, we're here to fill you in on all the details on why fans think they know why Gibbs exacted revenge on the bad guy this time.
NCIS fans point out that Gibbs has broken his own rules before
Fans shared their thoughts about the implication that Gibbs went through with the uncharacteristic revenge kill in a thread on Reddit started by "NCIS" fan u/SuspiciousPut6441.
They asked why Gibbs would have done it in the first place — as Redditor u/johninga pointed out, "Where is it shown that Gibbs specifically killed the guy?" – because he has a rule against revenge killings. However, they also note how Gibbs had already killed a man and has talked about how revenge doesn't change anything.
So, it seems that "NCIS" fans think Gibbs killed the man who caused harm to his coworkers to prevent Agents Bishop and Torres from the consequences of carrying out a revenge killing themselves. As Redditor u/jayt00212 wrote, "Gibbs once told Tony [Michael Weatherly] 'Don't be me.' And I always felt like that pretty much covered it."
Gibbs doesn't want his NCIS agents to suffer as he has over seeking revenge
In fact, "NCIS" fans point out how Gibbs exacting revenge on the Mexican drug dealer responsible for the death of his wife and daughter, Pedro Hernandez (Thomas Rosales Jr.), had an obvious effect on the NCIS leader's character.
Redditor Pattatouille noted how killing someone will always affect one's mental state in real life, and it plays out in Gibbs' storyline as well. They wrote of Gibbs killing Hernandez, "I always thought it was because killing Pedro Hernandez for revenge changed him. ... So he's telling the others not to do it because he knows the consequences, but he's already facing those consequences, so why not do it again?" So, it seems as though Gibbs was looking out for the mental well-being of his team members when/if he killed the man behind the car crash that hurt Agents Bishop and Torres.
u/pellingerj agreed with this premise, writing, "The 'why' is because he [Gibbs] knew Bishop would do it and he knew it would break her. He has done it before so he knows he can live with it." Given this insight from fans, we think it's best to follow Gibbs' advice when it comes to seeking revenge, and just don't do it.