Does Gibbs Appear In NCIS’ 1000th Episode (Mark Harmon’s Special Cameo Explained)

Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS’ 1000th episode.

NCIS‘ 1000th episode involves Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs, but his appearance is a bit more complicated than just him coming back. Not long after crossing its second decade on the air, the CBS police procedural franchise celebrates another milestone with its 1000th overall episode — 464 of those are from the mothership project. So instead of doing a massive special event that ties all existing shows together, the writers opt for a contained storyline that primarily focuses on the NCIS Major Case Response Team that is headquartered in Washington DC that was once led by Gibbs.

Two years have passed since Gibbs retired from NCIS and settled in Naktok Bay, Alaska. Since then, he hasn’t returned to Washington DC. Nobody from the team seemed willing to disturb his much-deserved peace. Even when Ducky Mallard died and NCIS season 21 staged a tribute, Gibbs remained up north, although he made sure to inform Tim McGee that he was grieving in his own way. As the franchise’s face, however, there is an expectation that NCIS’ 1000th episode may be the best time for Gibbs’ comeback. However, while he appears in the outing, Harmon doesn’t return.

Mark Harmon’s Gibbs Doesn’t Return In NCIS’ 1000th Episode

Gibbs Still Hasn’t Returned To Washington DC Since Retiring.

To celebrate this major milestone, NCIS season 21, episode 7, “A Thousand Yards,” presents a case that prompts Supervisory Special Agent Alden Parker to revisit the agency’s past. On the heels of Director Leon Vance’s shooting, several more attacks on the agency went down, including an attempt on ex-FBI’s Tobias Fornell’s life. The deaths of former NCIS director, Tom Morrow, and Secret Service agent-turned-NCIS member Caitlin Todd are also re-examined.

Soon, it becomes clear that the agency is facing an unknown foe who is well aware of some of the biggest moments of its history. With the complexity of the case and how integral he could have been to solving it, the former team leader’s presence would have been greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, Harmon doesn’t reprise his role as Gibbs in NCIS‘ 1000th episode.

How NCIS’ 1000th Episode Gets Harmon’s Gibbs Involved

Gibbs Could Have Also Been A Target In NCIS’ 1000th Episode.

Just because Harmon doesn’t return for “A Thousand Yards” doesn’t mean that the episode is totally devoid of his presence. That would be impossible to do, considering that the NCIS 1000th episode has ties to the very first case that he and his team investigated on-screen in the pilot episode, “Yankee White.” In it, a sleeper agent attempted to assassinate the president aboard Air Force One. Gibbs figured out his plan just in time and called him during the flight. Two decades later, his daughter tries to finish what he started.

Using archival footage from “Yankee White,” Fornell recalls that particular incident on the aircraft. NCIS season 21, episode 1 zeroes in on the moment that Gibbs shot the perpetrator twice in the chest and the head, resulting in immediate death. Admittedly, NCIS would have been able to crack the case much earlier if Gibbs had been involved. Since there are no more original characters in NCIS season 21, only Fornell has first-hand knowledge of the case; even then, he wasn’t fully privy to the work Gibbs put into stopping that murder attempt.

This isn’t the only footage of Gibbs in NCIS‘ 1000th episode, as the police procedural also makes sure to include less gory snippets of him throughout his stint in the universe. Being in the franchise for almost two decades, there is no scarcity of memorable moments for Harmon’s character. Some of the featured ones include his surprise appearance during Ziva David’s daring rescue, a couple of shots with NCIS: New Orleans‘ Dwayne Cassius “King” Pride, as well as NCIS: LA‘s G Callen. Finally, there’s also a clip of him helping a newly-orphaned kid build his tree house.

When Will Harmon’s Gibbs Return To NCIS

Gibbs Can Return Anytime Mark Harmon Wants To.

The door remains open for Harmon to return. Aside from the mothership series, he will make his comeback via the upcoming Gibbs prequel series titled NCIS: Origins; the actor will both narrate the events of the show and be an executive producer. That said, there’s still excitement over the possibility of him popping back up in the flagship show. Considering his ties to the agency, it won’t be difficult to reincorporate Gibbs back to NCIS, but the writers have made it clear that when he returns, they want to make sure that it will be worth the wait.

Assuming that they stick to this plan, then it means that when Gibbs returns, it will be mandated by a compelling story that centers around him. It won’t just be for a brief cameo, which is better. Another possible opportunity to bring him back to NCIS is to set up his prequel. The franchise is known for its backdoor pilot penchant, and it could also be the case for NCIS: Origins.