‘NCIS’: Fans Say These Are the Episodes That Made Them Hate Gibbs
Over the years, Mark Harmon’s portrayal of Agent Gibbs has kept NCIS fans loyally returning for each new episode.
But sometimes, even fans’ favorite TV show characters have moments of weakness — and moments that cause viewers to question whether or not they should still like the character at all.
Even Gibbs has had moments that have stirred up complaints among the show’s massive fanbase. These are just a few examples of episodes that made Gibbs look like the most unlikable character in the series.
‘Dog Tags’ made Gibbs look unsympathetic
In the episode titled “Dog Tags,” McGee is attacked by a German Shepard.
One fan took to Reddit to complain: “When you consider that [he] could’ve been killed by the dog in question and not once did you feel like Gibbs, Tony or Ziva gave a single s**t about the health of Tony.”
The dog ended up being shot as the result of self-defense, and it seemed like everyone involved — even Gibbs — treated the victim as though he hadn’t been in real danger.
“I just wanted McGee to just explode with the guys who were supposed to be his friends and teammates not giving a damn about his wellbeing,” the fan wrote.
A risky situation in Season 6 forced Gibbs to keep too many secrets
Sometimes, a superior officer withholds information from their team for their own benefit. But from the outside looking in, this can seem like a simple and frustrating issue of communication.
One comment recalled the episode in which “Gibbs withheld details of the sting operation during the Season 6 Lee storyline where Tony and Ziva ended up getting hurt.”
They argued that if Gibbs would have just been honest with his team, the operation might have gone through without disaster.
Another fan argued that Gibbs was in the right in this instance and that everyone would have been safe if they’d followed his orders. The “less they knew the better.”
But the episode still put Gibbs in a bad light, and it’s still difficult for many viewers to accept his choices when they indirectly led to members of his team coming to harm.
‘Last Man Standing’ just made him sound unhelpful and mean
During the first episode of Season 6, one of Gibbs’ agents asked outright if he was under investigation — and Gibbs refused to give him a straight answer, which the agent then proceeded to call him out on.
In this moment, according to some fans, Gibbs’ refusal to answer a direct question from a colleague made him sound like one of those co-workers you put off approaching one-on-one until you absolutely have to.
This isn’t the only time Gibbs has taken this characteristic too far, either. Another fan pointed out that “Gibbs never answers questions directly and comes off as a d**k for doing that.”
No TV character is perfect — not even one so often given high praise such as Gibbs. But in this way, NCIS manages to bring some added realism to its fictional world. Even the most likable people have flaws. Sometimes it’s the reminder we need that even our heroes are still only human.
