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NCIS season 22 isn't complete without acknowledging Leroy Jethro Gibbs. For almost twenty years, Mark Harmon portrayed the stoic and ethical team leader whose presence determined the tone and character of the show. Despite his official departure in season 19, Gibbs' legacy has never truly left. His name still echoes in conversation, and his list of rules continues to serve as a compass to the team.
In NCIS season 22 episode 19, the writers create one of the most considerate callbacks to date, not with an over-the-top return, but with something more evocative and emotionally satisfying. Instead of a physical return, Gibbs is recalled through memory, symbolism, and emotional significance, specifically in the arc of veteran agent Timothy McGee.
As McGee navigates one of his most personal and riskiest cases ever, the series astutely reminds viewers of Gibbs' presence with dreams, references, and one of his most iconic rules revisited. It's a dramatic reminder of just how much Gibbs still influences the team even while he's gone and how NCIS still lays the groundwork built by him.
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NCIS season 22: A dream that brings Gibbs back to life
The strongest callback to Gibbs comes at the beginning of the episode when McGee has a dream about his old mentor. In the dream, Gibbs is dressed in uniform, composed, and authoritative, just as McGee recalls him. The dream serves as a quiet psychological anchor for McGee, showing how much he still relies on Gibbs during times of distress.
Knight humorously analyzes the dream from a Freudian perspective, implying McGee feels inferior to his old mentor. The theory has some merit, both in terms of the character and actor Sean Murray. As one of the final original cast members still on the show, Murray now carries the mantle Gibbs once held. The dream, therefore, is not only a character moment but also a meta-observation on the show's development.
NCIS season 22: McGee's investigation
Episode 19 traces McGee's growing involvement in a secret investigation of Deputy Director LaRoche, whom he suspects is an NCIS mole. His suspicion becomes even stronger when he sees LaRoche murder someone, only to be struck by a truck before he can respond. To make matters worse, LaRoche responds by charging McGee with harassment and professional jealousy, reversing the situation and leaving McGee alone and at risk from his agency.
This feeling of isolation and desperation becomes a major emotional motivator throughout the episode. With his reputation in question and few people he can trust, McGee starts to spiral out of control. It is during this moment of weakness that the memory of Gibbs floods his mind, indicating not only nostalgia but also a fundamental desire for direction and reassurance.
Rule #45: The Ideal Callback
Later, McGee is arrested and interrogated. With no other option, he makes a break for it, leaving a message that only his team will decipher: "Rule #45." Die-hard fans immediately know that this is one of Gibbs' revered rules: "Clean up your own mess." It's a deceptively simple yet potent statement that sums up everything Gibbs believed in—accountability, autonomy, and responsibility.
By applying this rule, McGee is saying he's going to defeat LaRoche on his terms. It's a worthy tribute to his mentor, but also a bold move in his development as a leader of the team.
NCIS season 22: A lesson in teamwork
Whereas Rule #45 is about self-sufficiency, the team's reaction says otherwise. Even when McGee operates alone, his teammates come to his aid, working behind the scenes to aid his mission and ultimately stepping in at a critical moment. The message is unmistakable: even when one operates independently, the power of the team is still the show's foundation.
This dynamic reflects the central ethos of NCIS—the tension between personal responsibility and unyielding loyalty to one another. Gibbs preached cleaning up your mess, but he also taught his team to have each other's backs. In this narrative, both lessons come home to roost.
NCIS season 22 episode 19 beautifully reintroduces Leroy Jethro Gibbs—not with fanfare, but through emotional resonance and symbolic storytelling. Through dreams, rule references, and subtle character development, the episode honors a character who continues to influence the team, the story, and the audience.
At its core, this is not a cameo—it's a passing of the torch. McGee assumes leadership from his mentor, while the show itself continues to pay respect to the past without being shackled by it. Gibbs might no longer be in front of the camera, but his ghost is still firmly locked in the DNA of NCIS—and that, rather than any cameo, is the real legacy of Mark Harmon's legendary character.
Catch the latest episode of NCIS season 22 streaming on Paramount+.
