NCIS’ 1000th Episode Finally Pays Off Its Incomplete 21-Year-Old Villain Story

After more than two decades, NCIS’ 1000th episode paid off the incomplete story of its very first villain. CBS police procedural franchise celebrates a major milestone with its 1000th overall outing. While the tally includes episodes from all spinoffs, including canceled ones such as NCIS: New Orleans and NCIS: Los Angeles, the accolade is primarily commemorated on the mothership show with a contained case that has ties to the agency’s TV past. NCIS season 21, episode 7, “A Thousand Yards,” has the agency under attack from an unknown perpetrator with intimate knowledge of its history.

Despite hopes that Mark Harmon will be involved in the monumental outing, Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn’t return for NCIS” 1000th episode. None of the other original characters who worked on that specific case also make an appearance, although with both Caitlin Todd and Ducky Mallard both gone, the police procedural only has Tony DiNozzo Jr. and Abby Sciuto as its options. In the end, the return of ex-FBI and long-time friend of Gibbs, Tobias Fornell paves the way for the case’s resolution because he, too, worked on a case that is the source of all the commotion.

NCIS’ 1000th Episode Completes Leonard Riche’s Villain Story… With His Daughter

Leonard Riche Attempted To Kill The President In NCIS’ Pilot.

As it turns out, the perpetrator in NCIS’ 1000th episode is the daughter of the sleeper agent that Gibbs apprehended in the show’s pilot episode, “Yankee White.” For context, the episode saw Gibbs respond to a mysterious death aboard Air Force One, which was part of an assassination plot against the president. Gibbs, with the help of then-Secret Agent Caitlin Todd, was able to for the plan. The outing was more focused on introducing Todd and explaining how she ended up joining NCIS, meaning that not much information about the traitor was revealed, only that he was named Leonard.

Only through Fornell in NCIS’ 1000th episode is it confirmed that he was Leonard Riche. After he was killed, the FBI’s investigation led them to discover his manifesto, which was eventually found by his daughter, Lindsey Riche. Leonard’s family changed their last name to Wrexler, hence why Fornell didn’t immediately realize the connection until Lindsey said a particular quote during her interrogation. When Leonard was originally apprehended, Fornell told the press that they were going to continue working on finding out the identity of the suspect. Unfortunately, NCIS never got the chance to revisit the case until now.

NCIS’ 1000th Episode Completing Riche’s Story Was Good (But Missed OG Characters)

Gibbs’ Original Team Members Are No Longer Active In NCIS.

Impressively, the writers are able to come up with a storyline that ties neatly to NCIS’ very first episode. It’s clear that there is so much thought and care into crafting “A Thousand Yards,” that even if it isn’t a massive crossover, it still honors the essence of the show, which is the commitment of the agents to their sworn duty. That said, one cannot argue that NCIS’ 1000th episode could have been so much better if it featured the actual characters who worked on Leonard’s original case.

Gibbs would have been the perfect NCIS’ 1000th episode comeback, not only because he was and arguably, continues to be the poster character for the series, but also because of his connection to the narrative. He was the one who figured out Leonard’s plan and expertly killed him before the suspect could harm anyone else on the plane. Lindsey’s interrogation scenes would have been more intense and integral if she had been able to come face-to-face with Gibbs — the man who ended her father.

Why NCIS’ 1000th Episode Couldn’t Bring Back Those Who Worked On Leonard’s Case

Gibbs, DiNozzo, and Abby Could Have Returned For NCIS’ 1000th Episode.

As disappointing as it is, it’s also understandable why the NCIS 1000th episode opted not to bring back any of the remaining characters who played a part in Leonard’s death. While the door is always open for Harmon to return, Gibbs’ comeback is being saved for a case that can fully focus on him. This way, the show can make the most out of the time that they can have with the actor. It’s also the reason why Gibbs was a no-show during Ducky’s send-off episode.

Meanwhile, DiNozzo just returned in that same tribute outing, so it wouldn’t have that much of an impact to see him that quickly again. Even then, his appearance wouldn’t have been that helpful, considering that he wasn’t on Air Force One when Leonard was killed. It is better to save his next NCIS appearance to be on his spinoff with Ziva, currently titled NCIS: Europe. Finally, considering Pauley Perrette’s exit, it is still a bit tricky to bring back Abby to the show anytime soon.