Leroy Jethro Gibbs
From The NCIS Database, a Wikia wiki
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| Leroy Jethro Gibbs | |
|---|---|
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| Born: |
November 10 |
| Affiliation: |
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| Rank: |
Special Agent in Charge |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Real-world information | |
| Actor: |
Mark Harmon |
| First appearance: | |
| Last appearance: |
Current Character |
Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs is a retired Marine sniper and now head of the NCIS Major Case Response Team stationed at the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.
Gibbs joined NCIS (then the NIS) in 1992 as a Junior Agent. He was typically referred to by his boss, Mike Franks, as "probie". (Franks still calls him this, or "Gunny", a reference to his military rank of Gunnery Sergeant.) Gibbs then rose through the ranks until he was put in charge of the Major Case Response Team. Gibbs then put Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, Caitlin "Kate" Todd and later Timothy "Tim" McGee and, following Kate's death, Ziva David onto his team. His longtime friend Dr. Donald "Ducky" Mallard is working as a medical examiner for him and Abigail "Abby" Sciuto works in forensics.
[edit] Character Biography
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was born in 1958 (he revealed in "Heartland" he joined the Corps when he was 18 and it had been the Bicentennial) in the small rural town of Stillwater, Pennsylvania. His birth sign is Virgo (which was revealed in "Blockback"). His father is Jackson Gibbs, who named him after his business partner Leroy Jethro. He attended Marine Corps Recruiting Depot (MCRD) Parris Island in South Carolina. His likely first assignment was as an MP at Camp LeJeune. Sometime during that tour he was selected for or applied for sniper training, which he completed. His weapon was the Marine M-40A1 Sniper Rifle with hand-loaded Lapua 308 boat tail, full metal jacket, and molybdenum (or "moly")-coated rounds. After training, he participated in Operation: Just Cause in 1989 and Operation: Desert Storm in 1991 where he served under the command of Colonel William Ryan and Colonel Ryan's executive officer, Lieutenant Cameron. Lieutenant Cameron died in Gibbs' arms after being mortally wounded in an engagement. Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs was severely wounded in Desert Storm and spent 19 days in a coma as a result.
As stated in episode 6.15 entitled Deliverance in 1991, prior to joining NIS, Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs was attached to a military operation involved in performing interdiction of the drug trade in Colombia. During the course of the operation Gibbs was wounded and nursed back to health by a Colombian woman. Mike Franks was also involved in the operation in some fashion, as indicated by his evacuation of Rosa Tamayo from Colombia to Washington D.C. The exact nature of the operation and Gibbs' role in it were classified.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs joined NIS in June of 1992 (shortly before the name changed to NCIS in August 1992), following the murder of his wife and daughter, and his subsequent revenge and separation from the Marines. Now a Special Agent, Gibbs served under Special Agent Michael "Mike" Franks, to whom he was and is still known as "probie," until the latter's retirement in 1996. Gibbs then served in various assignments, including one possibly in Kosovo and one in 1999 which brought him into contact with NCIS Special Agent Jennifer Shepard (later NCIS Director).
Sometime around 2001 he was given his own MCRT at the Washington Field Office of NCIS, where he hired former Baltimore Police Department Detective Anthony DiNozzo. In the sixth season episode, Agent Afloat, Director Vance mentioned that Gibbs' last assignment as an "agent afloat" occurred seven years ago, which could imply that Gibbs served as an "agent afloat" for at least three months in 2001, since Gibbs once mentioned that one his ex-wives was having an affair while he was completing a three month posting aboard a ship in the Mediterranean Sea. He also once insinuated this in an interrogation, but DiNozzo couldn't figure out if he was speaking from experience or not.
After foiling a terrorist attack on the President, Gibbs then put Kate Todd on his team, after her resignation from the Secret Service, and a year later he hired Tim McGee into his team. His friend Ducky was already in place as his medical examiner and Abby was already in forensics. When Kate was shot by Ari Haswari, he asked Ziva David (the half-sister of Ari) to help him in a plan to take down Ari. The plan succeeded: Ziva ended up killing Ari, though Gibbs concealed this fact in his report, instead stating that he himself had killed Haswari. A few months later, Ziva was attached to the team as a Mossad liaison.
A year later, Gibbs was caught in an explosion, putting him in a coma, during which he lost most memories of events following his first coma in 1991. Through the efforts of Director Shepard, Officer David and retired Special Agent Mike Franks, he recovered his memory. Special Agent Gibbs was unfortunately unable to avert an attack upon a US Navy vessel, due in part both to his memory loss and secrecy concerns from higher up the chain of command. Special Agent Gibbs' anger over the loss of the sailors and marines led him to retire to Mexico where his former mentor Mike Franks lives.
This retirement didn't last long, as Ziva became caught up in Mossad intrigue. Gibbs returned to assist Ziva. After clearing her of any wrong-doing, he was visited by FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell. He was temporarily reinstated in the reopening of Paulson's case. Afterward, his retirement package was un-filed; he was permanently reinstated into NCIS, and retook control of his team, relieving DiNozzo, who had taken the position of team leader at Gibbs' request.
At the conclusion of the sixth season episode Murder 2.0, Gibbs was awarded his seventh Meritorious Service Medal, an award which as usual was accepted on his behalf by DiNozzo.
[edit] Personal Information: Family Relationships
[edit] Jackson Gibbs
Gibbs' relationship with his father Jackson has been strained for a long time. Jackson pointed out he believed that it was Gibbs' first wife Shannon who was responsible for sending him Christmas cards every year, after she and Jethro were married. The strain on the relationship between Jethro and Jackson was heightened by the fact that Jethro was upset and angry that Jackson brought a girlfriend to Shannon and Kelly's funeral. Prior to the sixth season episode "Heartland," which brought Gibbs, David and McGee to Stillwater on a case, Gibbs had not seen or spoken with his father since Shannon and Kelly's funeral in 1991. It was not until the conclusion of the episode that the two reconciled with each other.
[edit] Marriages and Other Romantic Interests
[edit] Generally
Gibbs has been married four times. His first marriage ended when his wife and daughter were murdered by a Mexican drug dealer who Shannon witnessed killing a marine. His three subsequent marriages each ended in divorce. Each of his wives had red hair.
One ex-wife attacked him with a seven-iron golf club and now stalks him on the anniversary of their split, while another attacked him with a baseball bat.
One of Gibbs' divorces came about because one of his ex-wives had an affair while Gibbs was stationed aboard a naval vessel as an agent afloat. Additionally, one of his divorces was brought about by his single-minded focus on bringing Kyle Boone to justice, which caused the marriage to dissolve.
[edit] First Marriage
The sixth season episode "Heartland" revealed the following information about Gibbs' first wife, Shannon. Gibbs probably first saw Shannon while she was rearranging a window display in the store a couple of doors down from his Father's store. He officially met Shannon just prior to leaving for School of Infantry (SOI) in July of 1976 at the Stillwater Train Station. Shannon taught him that she had a code of conduct for life, with her rules being the likely inspiration for what eventually would become "Gibbs' rules" years later. Gibbs and Shannon were married in 1982. In 1984 Gibbs and Shannon had a daughter named Kelly. Shannon and Kelly were murdered by a Mexican drug dealer while Gibbs was in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He later tracked down and killed the drug dealer, resulting in his separation from the Marine Corps. The following year, he joined NCIS.
[edit] Second Marriage
The name of his second wife is Ginger Stevenson, the lawyer for the defense from episode 3:21 "Bloodbath". While it was never said which wife she was, The other ex-wives have been accounted for, making her his second wife by process of elimination. In episode 1.11 ("Eye Spy"), Gibbs mentioned that his second wife played golf left handed and Tony tells Kate that she tried to "split his skull open" with a left-handed golf club. At the end of the episode, Kate says something about Gibbs getting hit with a 9-iron, and Gibbs corrects her: it was a 7-iron.
Kate: "You know, I bet this is why number two came after you with a nine-iron, wasn't it? You just refused to sit down and talk things through."
Gibbs: "Actually, that wasn't it at all."
Kate: "Oh. So, what was it then?"
Gibbs: [grinning] "Seven-iron."
[edit] Third Marriage
The name of his third wife was Diane, who later married and divorced Tobias Fornell. Both Gibbs and Fornell were left bankrupt by their respective divorces from Diane.
[edit] Fourth Marriage
Gibbs' fourth wife was Stephanie Flynn, as detailed in episode 5.03 "Ex-File." Gibbs and Stephanie spent a year in Moscow together, and Stephanie became pregnant and miscarried. Stephanie believed that Gibbs was romantically involved with Jenny Shepard prior to their marriage.
[edit] Other Relationships
At some point while on assignment in Paris, Gibbs had an intimate relationship with Director Shepard, who was his partner at the time.
In Season One, he is occasionally seen with an unidentified, mysterious, red-haired woman, suggesting he has an active personal life away from his desk. No one ever managed to identify the woman. This woman is hinted to be the "cutthroat" lawyer who would do anything for her sleazy client, being charged in embezzling 10 million dollars. The case hinged on Abby's testimony, at a time when Abby was being harassed by her crazy former boyfriend. The lawyer attempted to discredit Abby based on her choice in men. An anonymous email surfaces about Abby's restraining order. Gibb's gets a warrant to find out who the email is from, and he said "oh jeez, we've been down this road before" upon finding out. The unidentified woman and the lawyer apparently looked very similar.
For a short time, Agent Gibbs became involved with Karen Wilkerson, a supervisor at Bethesda Naval Medical Center.
In the fourth season episode "Sandblast," Gibbs appears on the verge of becoming involved with Army Lt. Col. Hollis Mann, who works for Criminal Investigation Division (CID), the U.S. Army's version of NCIS, leading several of his colleagues to speculate that she could end up being his next ex-wife. In "Sharif Returns" they began a serious relationship that would last the rest of season four and into the early episodes of season five, but the relationship ends in "Ex-File" when Mann realizes that, despite Gibbs' strong feelings for her, he is still very much mourning Shannon and Kelly, and she retires and relocates to the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
[edit] Relationships with Colleagues
[edit] Generally
Gibbs tends to be reluctant to reveal any of his feelings (a possible reason that virtually no one knew about his first wife).
During the first season Gibbs developed a habit of hitting his subordinates on the back of the head if they do or say something foolish. Tony is the most frequent target of this, though most of the others have all endured their share of smacking as well. Gibbs is not above giving himself the same treatment; in a third season episode he is seen smacking his own head in an elevator when he chooses to tamper with evidence in order to protect a Marine's career. He has never done this to either Abby or Ducky, however.
He is mostly called "Gibbs" by his colleagues, and "Boss" by Tony, McGee, and Stanley Burley. He is called "Gunny" by former USMC associates. Lieutenant Colonel Mann also addressed Gibbs as "Gunny." Donald "Ducky" Mallard is the only one who regularly calls Gibbs "Jethro," although Director Shepard has done so occasionally when her conversations with him steers into personal waters.
It should be noted that Gibbs' manner of addressing his colleagues differs depending upon their gender. He frequently addresses male subordinates by their surnames. Conversely, when addressing a female subordinate, Gibbs frequently addresses them by their given name, and only uses a formal style of address when angered.
[edit] Mike Franks
In the third season episode "Hiatus, Part 1," we are introduced to former NIS Agent Mike Franks, Gibbs's former boss when Gibbs was literally a "probie." Many of the Gibbs-isms we have seen originated from Mike Franks during Gibbs' time under Franks' wing at NIS (later NCIS). Franks later retired from NCIS in 1996 after the Khobar Towers bombing, and it is unknown how much contact he and Gibbs had until the events of "Hiatus" in 2006.
The nature and the strength of the bond and friendship that exists between Leroy and Mike is attested to by the following examples: First, when Franks' mortally injured son was removed from life support and allowed to die, only Gibbs was present at the hospital with Franks. Second, when Gibbs was severely injured as the result of an explosion, Franks assisted Gibbs' recovery. Third, when Gibbs decided to retire from NCIS, albeit temporarily, he lived with Mike Franks at Franks' house in Mexico. Last, Franks still calls Gibbs "Probie," which, as Gibbs pointed out to McGee, is a sign of affection and respect. This also is suggestive of a parental relationship with Mike taking on the role of "father" and Jethro assuming the role of a "son." Moreover, Gibbs is the godfather of Mike Franks' granddaughter. Franks also assisted Gibbs during the investigation involving Rosa Tamayo's son.
[edit] Dr. Donald Mallard and Director Jenny Shepard
Only Ducky and Jenny Shepard tend to call him "Jethro" on a regular basis, which suggests they have known each other for a while and that there is a high sense of trust on both sides, although Gibbs' temporary retirement and subsequent return to NCIS created a temporary strain on his friendships, and briefly lessened the trust placed in him by Ducky and Jenny.
Jethro's relationship with Ducky is one of his longest friendships, as Doctor Mallard confirmed when he asserted that he had provided medical treatment to Jethro after arguments with his ex-wives. The friendship between Gibbs and Ducky is unique because Ducky is the only person to whom Gibbs has apologized, as documented in the fourth season episode "Smoked."
Gibbs' relationship with Jenny is quite complicated. Sometime prior to Jenny becoming Director of NCIS, she and Jethro had an intimate relationship, which affected their initial interactions after Jenny was appointed Director. Although their relationship has since developed into a platonic one, as Director Shepard pointed out in the third season episode "Jeopardy," "Gibbs thinks of me like a wife." There exists a high degree of trust between them; when René Benoit visited Jenny at home, the only other person from NCIS present at the meeting was Gibbs.
[edit] Abby
The relationship between Abby and Gibbs is far more gentle than his relationship with any of the others. Gibbs shows pride in her work, provides a seemingly unlimited supply of "Caf-Pow," and rabidly guards her safety. This suggests a paternal relationship, in that Abby is the "daughter" through whom Gibbs reveals his fatherly side. In one episode it can be deduced that Abby is about the age of Gibbs' late daughter. Abby is the only character who wished Gibbs a Happy Birthday (3.08 "Under Covers"). They also both know, and on occasion communicate with, sign language.
[edit] Tony DiNozzo
The relationship involving Anthony DiNozzo and Gibbs bears many similarities to the relationship that exists between Gibbs and Mike Franks. As has been repeatedly stated, Gibbs' character when he worked for Franks was very similar to DiNozzo's. As Gibbs pointed out during a discussion with Director Vance in the sixth season episode "Collateral Damage," in which Director Vance asserts that the agency needs more agents like McGee rather than more agents in the vein of DiNozzo. Gibbs responds, "You mean fewer agents like me, Leon," confirming the similarities between Gibbs and DiNozzo. The statement also confirms the existence of a father and son relationship between the two. Tony affirms the existence of such a relationship, albeit in a humorous way, in the sixth season episode "Last Man Standing," when Gibbs and McGee have DiNozzo hack into a governmental database. During the course of the conversation Tony repeatedly called Gibbs "Pop" or "Dad."
DiNozzo, for his part, is fiercely loyal and protective toward Gibbs, as illustrated by three examples: First, the intensity with which he led the investigation into the explosion that resulted in Gibbs' injury, coma, and partial memory loss. Second, in the fourth season episode "Blowback," DiNozzo has a discussion with Director Shepard and admitted that he feels uncomfortable about concealing information about the operations against René Benoit. Third, Tony ran to Gibbs' side trying to break his fall when a steroid hyped marine kicked out at Gibbs, knocking him backwards. DiNozzo worried about Gibbs before joining the fight between the marine and other members of the NCIS team.
Tony never doubts his boss as his fellow co-workers have done in the past. Kate, Ziva and McGee have all asked Tony on different occasions if he thought Gibbs could ever be wrong about anything, to which Tony has always answered with a firm and resounding, "No." He clearly hero-worships Gibbs and tries to get his approval and attention whenever he possibly can.
Additionally, in the episode "Sandblast," Jethro refers to Tony as his son. The reference was part of his brief cover as a civilian. While Gibbs becomes annoyed at DiNozzo's antics from time to time, you can usually catch him smiling at the younger man's glib remarks or teasing comments. The pride in his senior agent is also evident in many episodes. During "Red Cell," DiNozzo came up with a way to figure out the identity of the hacker who has been leaving them cryptic clues. Walking in to hear Kate expressing her surprise and admiration for Tony, Gibbs asks what is going on. Kate replied, "Tony actually came up with a way to catch the hacker." Gibbs proudly replies, "It's his job." In "Witness", when talking about DiNozzo's methods of figuring out cases, Gibbs stated, "You might not like his methods, but you gotta love the results." Again in "Red Cell", when DiNozzo interrogated the hacker, he used some unusual methods. McGee asked Gibbs, "What kind of interrogation technique is that?" and Gibbs smiled and replied, "The DiNozzo method. Not pretty. But it's effective." This clearly shows that not only is Gibbs proud of DiNozzo, but he trusts him completely.
This trust is evident when Gibbs turns the team over to Tony as he is leaving NCIS. In "Grace Period", Abby and Ducky differed on the time someone died. When Jenny asked Jethro who he would side with, Gibbs says, "Neither," adding that, "My money is on DiNozzo." who at that point was out searching for clues. When DiNozzo was presumed dead after a car explosion in "Bury Your Dead," the expression on Gibbs' face indicated that he truly thinks of Tony as a son. Gibbs may tell the members of his team that he believes in them or that they have done a good job, but has never told them he was proud of them until the episode "Bounce" when Tony expressed self-doubt after sending an innocent man to prison. DiNozzo believed the man had been killed, adding to his guilt. When Gibbs called him over Dinozzo said, "Save the pep talk. We both know I screwed up." Gibbs: "Yeah, three years ago. But now you're making it right....and making me proud. You've been doing a hell of a job, Anthony."
[edit] Tim McGee
The relationship between Gibbs and McGee bears similarities to Gibbs' interactions with both DiNozzo and Abby. Gibbs tends to adopt a protective fatherly attitude toward McGee, DiNozzo, and Abby. However, like Abby, McGee can sometimes confound and overwhelm Gibbs especially when discussing scientific aspects of a case.
[edit] Kate Todd
Initally, Gibbs' interaction with Kate is quite intense. Despite this fact, Gibbs permitted Kate a greater degree of latitude than he typically affords to either DiNozzo or McGee. He demonstrated a protective attitude toward Kate and he blamed himself for Kate's death at the hands of Ari Haswari, as illustrated in "Kill Ari Parts One and Two."
[edit] Ziva David
Of all of the affiliations involving Gibbs, his bond with Ziva is the one that has undergone the greatest transformation. Initally, Gibbs distrusted Ziva because she was Ari Haswari's control agent within Mossad. Ziva bore the brunt of Gibbs' anger toward Ari for the murder of Kate Todd. Though Gibbs did report that he killed Ari in order to protect Ziva, his wariness persisted until the conclusion of the third season episode "Silver War" when Ziva saved Ducky's life. Over time Ziva became one of Gibbs' closest friends, to the extent that she along with Ducky, Jenny and Mike Franks were responsible for helping Gibbs recover his memory. Gibbs also addressed her as 'Ziver' on occasion as seen in episodes "Shalom" and "Last Man Standing" as a term of endearment. In the season four episode "Shalom," Gibbs was instrumental in preventing Ziva from being wrongfully charged with espionage and murder.
As of season 6 episode 24 ("Semper Fidelis"), authorities (in particular the Secretary of the Navy) still think Gibbs killed Ari rather than Ziva.
As of season 6 episode 25 ("Aliyah"), NCIS Director Leon Vance revealed his knowledge that Ziva was the one who pulled the trigger on her half-brother Ari, as she was assigned to do by her father, Eli David, the director of Mossad. Leon came by the knowledge as a result of his friendship with the elder David. In the final scenes of "Aliyah," Gibbs and Ducky discussed Ziva's departure, because Gibbs privately questioned whether he made the right decision in leaving Ziva behind in Israel. Truth or Consequences Gibbs led a team that included Tony and McGee in Somalia to destroy the terrorist training camp, and rescued Ziva from the terrorists hiding there. Gibbs, acting as a sniper, killed the leader of the terrorist group and the guard who were interrogating Tony, Ziva and McGee. In season 7 episode 3 ("The Inside Man"), Ziva resigned from Mossad, wishing to become a full NCIS Special Agent, but in order for this to happen, Gibbs needed to sign a consent form. The episode ends without revealing whether Gibbs signed the form. In episode 7x04 Ziva is accepted as an agent.
[edit] Director Vance
Jethro's relations with Director Leon Vance are at best strained, and at worst antagonistic. The following exchange from the fifth season episode "Internal Affairs" demonstrates the antagonism:
Gibbs: Are you the one responsible for this fishing expedition? (referring to the investigation)
Vance: The Bureau's doing the fishing. I'm just driving the boat.
Gibbs: Keep it off the rocks.
The elevation of Leon to the Director's office and his reassignment of Gibbs' team without explanation in the aftermath of the event of the episode "Judgment Day" merely served to increase the wariness and antagonism that Gibbs feels toward Director Vance, whom he perceives as a mere bureaucrat with no understanding of the qualities of a good field agent. As season six progressed, Gibbs and Vance gradually developed a mutual respect, one tempered by mutual wariness. This evolution is best demonstrated by the exchanges between Gibbs and Vance in "Knockout" and "Semper Fidelis."
In the rare instances when Vance and Gibbs team up, they are shown to be a highly effective team. In Season 7 Episode 4, Gibbs and Vance worked together to prove Ziva innocent, as she stood accused of killing a USMC Sergeant while on board the Damocles. Playing "good cop, bad cop", they were able to reveal that Eli David was trying to frame Ziva so she would return to Mossad.
[edit] Stan Burley
The friendship between Gibbs and Burley is similar in many respects to the relationship that exists between Mike Franks and Gibbs. Burley views Gibbs as a mentor, father figure, and friend, while Gibbs views Burley friend and prized protege. Their interactions are also reminiscent of the relationship between a "father" and an "elder son," with DiNozzo taking on the role of a "younger son" as demonstrated in the first season episode "High Seas." This idea was aptly illustrated by the jealousy and envy DiNozzo expressed toward the camaraderie shared by Gibbs and Burley. This envy was expressed by Tony's need to compete with Stan for Gibbs attention and approval in much the same way that two siblings often compete for the approval of a parent. However, at the conclusion of the episode, Stan, adopting the role of elder brother, pointed out all that Tony had accomplished:
Tony commented to Stan that Gibbs has never shaken his hand, at which point Stan told Tony that "I worked under Gibbs for five years and that it was two years before Gibbs looked him in the eye, three before he called him by name and four before he got the name right." Stan told Tony that Gibbs must really like Tony to have gained such respect from Gibbs in only two years.
Subsequently, in the episode "Agent Afloat", after Tony returned to the team, Gibbs finally shook his hand.
[edit] Christopher Pacci
Gibbs considered Pacci a friend and felt a great deal of guilt over Pacci's death. Gibbs felt guilty because Pacci had come to Gibbs in the previous episode "UnSEALed" and asked Gibbs for help with the case. Gibbs told Pacci that he couldn't help him at that time because he was too busy with his own case. Gibbs felt that his failure to listen to Pacci contributed to Pacci's untimely death. Gibbs was so devastated by Pacci's death that he refused several requests to speak at Pacci's funeral.
[edit] Lara Macy
Gibbs encountered Lara Macy eighteen years ago, when he was a suspect in a murder she was investigating; this encounter engendered a degree of animosity between Macy and Gibbs. Of the current members of Macy's team, only G. Callen, Nate Getz, Sam Hanna are aware of the tensions. A mutual understanding between Gibbs and Macy was effected through efforts of Nate Getz.
[edit] G. Callen
While on a mission in Serbia, Gibbs saved Callen's life. Gibbs also asserted that he saved Callen's life in Russia as well, an assertion Callen denied. Callen has an intimate knowledge of Gibbs past since he is aware of Gibbs' boat building hobby, as well as his three failed marriages. It is interesting that Gibbs, in episode 6.22 ("Legend Part One"), told Callen that he had been married four times, a fact Gibbs tends to keep close to the vest.
Callen, by his own admission, considers Gibbs family.
[edit] Michael Rivkin
Gibbs' attitude toward Rivkin is an attitude of extreme wariness, as demonstrated by the exchange between Gibbs and Rivkin at the conclusion of "Legend Part Two," and Gibbs' orders to DiNozzo to keep an eye on Rivkin in "Semper Fidelis."
[edit] Sr. FBI Agent Tobias C. Fornell
While there is an outward antagonism between Gibbs and Fornell, privately the men have great respect for each other and are almost friends. They both are "get it done" types of guys and eschew politics, departmental or otherwise. They have learned over time that appearing to be at odds is expected by both superiors and subordinates.
Fornell also ignored Gibbs' warnings and married Gibbs' third wife, who left him and cleaned him out of his life savings. He likes to blame Gibbs for this development but he knows it is his own fault, and the commonality has made them bond with each other. They know they can rely on each other.
In episode 3.08 ("Under Covers"), Gibbs and Fornell got into a shouting match and angrily march to Gibbs' "office" in the elevator, where they dropped the pretense of anger and agreed to help each other to get the job done and with no regard for who would get the credit. They then left the elevator, appearing to be as angry as when they entered. Fornell has visited Gibbs at his basement while Gibbs worked on his sailboat and generally shows concern for Jethro's well-being (and that is returned).
[edit] Trent Kort
Gibbs' relationship with Kort is similar to the relationship between Gibbs and Vance. Gibbs didn't trust him at all when it was proved Kort killed Rene Benoit, but Gibbs later learned that Jenny killed Benoit. In episode 6.20 ("Dead Reckoning"), Kort said, "Trust is elusive at best," to which Gibbs replied, "Not between us -- it's impossible". In episode 6.13 ("Broken Bird"), Kort gave Vance's CIA profile to Gibbs. Gibbs never read it and gave it back to the Secretary of the Navy in episode 6.24 ("Semper Fidelis"). Gibbs is even more wary of Kort because of DiNozzo's hatred; Kort blew up his car and Tony still thinks Kort killed Benoit.
[edit] Damon Werth
Damon Werth is a young Marine that Gibbs met during Season 5. Werth had been turned into a super soldier, apparently by unknown parties, and Gibbs promised Werth that he would help him. It later turned out that Werth had injected himself with steroids so that he could remain in the Marines. His efforts failed when the steroids started to drive him mad. While, the Marine Corps saw Werth as a failure and dishonorably discharged him, Gibbs saw him as a hero and gave him his own Silver Star.
In Season 7, Werth and Gibbs met again, with Werth acting as a mercenary for First Defense Incorporated. When Werth realized he was working for the bad guys, he switched sides and helped Gibbs catch his boss. During the arrest, Gibbs made a joke about Werth's hair growing and Werth laughed, showing a certain camaraderie between them still existed.
[edit] Technology
Gibbs has extremely limited knowledge of technology and shows very little patience when exposed to technical jargon. He usually stops whoever is talking, normally McGee or Abby. He generally can't, or won't work a Palm Pilot or other palmtop, and regularly destroys his cell phone, which prompts his team to keep a stash of replacements at NCIS Headquarters. He also damaged the computer on his desk six times, before the NCIS technicians realized that he was "smacking them (computers) to make them go faster." It is suggested that this apparent lack of knowledge may, on occasion, be a ruse. For example, in the second season episode "Terminal Leave," he displayed a lack of knowledge about the workings of a flash drive, only to later show that he knew how to manipulate it. During the previous episode, "The Bone Yard," he stopped an unknown computer from hacking Abby's computer by simply unplugging it from the electrical socket. Another example occurred In "Twisted Sister"; it was revealed that he doesn't know what a blog is and later asks Ziva, "Do you know what a clog is?" to which she replied, "I thought it was blog, but my English is usually wrong."
He needs corrective lenses for far-sightedness, but he is too stubborn to wear them. He has been known to communicate in American Sign Language with Abby Sciuto, who knows how to sign because her parents are deaf.
[edit] Personality
Gibbs can be extremely charming in an understated way, and he has a dry sense of humor. He is unforgiving of his colleagues' mistakes and demands high standards of his team as well as himself.
He builds boats in his basement by hand, with no power tools. According to the series, he has done so after each of his divorces.
He has a coffee addiction. He even has a personal rule about it: "Rule 23, never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live." He also appears to be farsighted, as early episodes of the series reveal that he has difficulty reading fine print, though he refuses to wear glasses.
Gibbs is usually portrayed as a complex man of mystery and intrigue. He likes to use his Marine training to give him an advantage over other people, such as when he silently appears behind people; he can enter a room without anyone noticing.
When it was revealed that his wife and daughter were murdered by a drug runner, Ducky casually stated that they could close the book on the drug runner's disappearance, because there is no way that Jethro would have allowed the man to remain alive. In the same episode, it was revealed that Jethro gained access to the case file, crossed the border into Mexico, and killed the man with a sniper rifle.
Whenever he needs to have a private talk with someone, usually FBI Special Agent Tobias Fornell, but also occasionally Ziva and others with whom Gibbs confides, he frequently takes them to his "Conference Room," the main elevator of NCIS headquarters with the emergency brake pulled.
Gibbs has displayed an uncanny awareness of his co-workers' activities. A common scene involves Gibbs walking in on his team members having a completely off-topic conversation. When Gibbs comes, they immediately break off to focus on the case at hand. Gibbs drops a remark, later on, referring back to the earlier conversation. In "Escaped" (Episode 4.02), Tony attempted to replicate this action by "listening in" on their conversation with a cell phone and an opened line. However, Gibbs trumped him after his attempt.
His taste in "pop culture" is rarely discussed; however, in the series pilot, he is revealed to have seen the movie Air Force One with Harrison Ford. A recurring theme is how out-of-step Gibbs is with popular culture. DiNozzo would start quoting a movie and Gibbs would just stare at him. During one case, he shows no knowledge of what Chuck Taylors are; however, in The Bone Yard, at the gym, and in Shalom, at Mike's house, he is wearing black Converse sneakers, probably Chuck Taylors.
In Season 4, Gibbs spoke to a suspect in Russian; this incident also revealed that Gibbs may possess some fluency in other languages as well since he successfully identified the languages Ziva used during her attempt to determine the suspect's nationality.
He also has a picture of a tombstone behind the wall in his cubicle. Presumably, it is his wife's or daughter's.
Apparently, he can also sample the frosting on a cake without leaving a fingerprint.
He does not like to be called sir (prompting Abby to call him ma'am), though in Deception, he apparently missed it when DiNozzo said "With all due respect, sir," when discussing Gibbs' eyesight.
[edit] Techniques
When Gibbs first started working within the NIS (now NCIS), he was a "probie" to his former mentor, Mike Franks. According to Mike Franks within the Season 3 Finale (Hiatus) Gibbs was a weak agent who supervised within many of the operations. This led to Gibbs picking up many of Mike Franks' training skills and techniques. One of Gibbs' flashbacks showed Gibbs as a probie carrying many boxes with Mike complaining that he was too slow. Another flashback showed Mike Franks giving Gibbs his NCIS black jacket when the agency name change occurred. Within this flashback, Gibbs complained that he liked the old blue jacket better than the new black one. This led to Mike giving Gibbs a slap on the back of his head.
When Gibbs took over the team in 1998 he took many of the techniques which Franks had used on him and brought them to bear on his colleagues, including Tony, McGee, Kate and more recently Ziva. The most important technique would be his slap to the back of the heads of each co-worker when they offered something foolish, with the obvious exception of Abby. For example, in the Season Three episode "Switch" Abby began to go off topic during an update and Gibbs stopped her, saying, "I'd hate to have to start smacking you like I do DiNozzo," to which Abby replied, "You wouldn't. Would you?" In "Deception", Abby and McGee were tracking down an internet pervert. Gibbs instructed them to relay the IP address they had to each other within the local community. Abby and McGee automatically believed that they have 20 minutes to complete this task, as Gibbs always wants things to be done more quickly. When they tell Gibbs how long they think they have, Gibbs replies saying that he was thinking of 10 minutes, not 20.
[edit] Gibbs' Rules
Gibbs has rules that he enforces in everyone in his team. In "Silver War," he told Ziva that there are approximately fifty rules. Only 19 rules have been revealed. Some rule numbers apparently have changed or simply duplicated over time.
Rule #1: Never let suspects stay together.
Rule #1: Never screw over your partner.
Rule #2: Always wear gloves at a crime scene.
Rule #3: Don't believe what you're told. Double check.
Rule #3: Never be unreachable.
Rule #4: The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one other person - if you must. There is no third best.
Rule #7: Always be specific when you lie.
Rule #8: Never take anything for granted.
Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife.
Rule #11: When the job is done, walk away.
Rule #12: Never date a coworker.
Rule #13: Never, ever involve a lawyer.
Rule #15: Always work as a team.
Rule #18: It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.
Rule #22: Never, ever bother Gibbs in interrogation.
Rule #23: Never mess with a Marine's coffee if you want to live.
Rule #38: Your case, your lead.
Rule #39: There is no such thing as coincidence
Another one of Gibbs' rules which is used more often than the others, but without a number, is "Never say you're sorry. It's a sign of weakness." However, Gibbs made three exceptions:
1) His apology to Ducky following his return from Mexico.
2) His apology to Kate for being late to her funeral.
3) His apology to Franks because of his amnesia
He also almost never accepts an apology, preferring to simply offer correction to the agent who made an error in an effort to teach his subordinates.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
1. Episode 6.23 NCIS Legend Part Two Press Release
