NCIS: Origins has already shed a lot of light on Gibbs’ life, but episode 17 explains one of his worst decisions in NCIS. The NCIS spinoff has largely followed Gibbs’ life in the aftermath of losing his wife and daughter in a terrible incident. The show has also tried its best to follow NCIS canon, which makes some of Gibbs’ actions in the prequel even worse since there is now even more context for why Gibbs is the way he is in the flagship.
Something particularly noticeable about the differences between Mark Harmon’s Gibbs on NCIS and Austin Stowell’s Gibbs on NCIS: Origins is the personality changes between the two. Stowell’s Gibbs is significantly softer and more vulnerable, and while that is largely connected to his recent losses, another key aspect is also involved. NCIS: Origins episode 17 has now revealed what that is, and it helps understand why Gibbs was so closed off in the flagship.
Gibbs’ Veteran Support Leader Betrays Him In NCIS: Origins Episode 17
The Veteran Support Leader Is Sandman
NCIS: Origins episode 17 was the climax of a longer-running storyline, and it paid off beautifully for the prequel. However, it gave Gibbs significant harm. The NCIS: Origins premiere began with a case involving Sandman, a code name given to a serial killer. While a man nicknamed Bugs confessed to the murders, it was only in episode 17 that Sandman’s real identity was revealed, and it was Luke Fletcher, Gibbs’ veteran support group leader.
The shocking reveal that Sandman was someone close to Gibbs was made even worse knowing that Fletcher was the one who invited Gibbs to join the veteran support group in the first place. He was also the one who planted bugs in the NIS office. When Gibbs confronts Fletcher in episode 17, Fletcher admits to his involvement and confesses, but not without saying that he also genuinely cares about Gibbs getting better. Fletcher’s involvement with the Sandman case acted as the ultimate betrayal for Gibbs, who felt used.
The betrayal was made even worse since it was directly connected to Gibbs’ emotional process. NCIS: Origins episode 15 revealed that the support group was not helping Gibbs because he was not sharing his struggles with the group. However, episode 16 changed that by showing Gibbs as a more active participant in the circle. Now that Fletcher has shown he had ill intentions all along, Gibbs’ progress is damaged for good.
Gibbs’ NIS Experience Made It Difficult For Him To Trust Anyone, Including Therapists
Gibbs Didn’t Know Who To Believe Anymore
Fletcher’s betrayal explains why Gibbs did not attend therapy until NCIS’ later seasons. He could no longer trust therapists. Fletcher’s involvement as Sandman particularly affected Gibbs because he was so vulnerable with Fletcher and the group. Outside the flashbacks of Franks helping Gibbs during his time of crisis following the deaths of Gibbs’ wife and daughter, we never really saw Gibbs being vulnerable with anyone else. That was until he started speaking up in the support group. With Fletcher’s betrayal, everything that Gibbs has built up emotionally is now gone.
With Fletcher’s betrayal, everything that Gibbs has built up emotionally is now gone.
As a result, it makes sense that Gibbs could never bring himself to attend therapy so soon after his time on NIS. It already takes a lot of effort from Gibbs for him to open up and be vulnerable with others, and the fear of someone using his information against him or others was enough to stop him from seeking out help again. It took Gibbs more than 20 years to attend therapy again, and even then, it was occasional and never reached the depths he needed to process his emotions and grief.
How Being In Therapy Could Have Helped Gibbs In The Flagship
Gibbs Could Have Learned To Open Up
Gibbs was a successful agent but did not have a great personal life. With so many losses and failed relationships, Gibbs attending therapy could have helped him become a better and more fulfilled person. He had great social skills and was in many relationships, but his romances never lasted. These failures could be seen as Gibbs’ struggles with commitment, which are a direct result of him experiencing so many people leaving him. Rather than accept these issues, Gibbs could have attended therapy to process these problems healthily.
Gibbs’ therapy could have also helped him come to terms with the tragic circumstances of his life. From a young age, he had already experienced so many loved ones dying around him, and that only got worse during his long career at NIS and later NCIS. Even now, in NCIS: Origins, Mark Harmon’s Gibbs is alone while he narrates the story. He seems at peace, but he could have possibly achieved this peace decades ago if he had tried to care for his mental health rather than bottling it up.