Mark Harmon has been gone from NCIS for four months, and the team is still adjusting to life without Gibbs. Despite the change, ratings have remained steady. The recent episode, “Fight or Flight,” drew 7.4 million viewers-NCIS’s biggest audience since October 18, which was also the first episode with Gary Cole’s Alden Parker as the new team leader.
To recap: Harmon appeared in a four-episode arc to start Season 19. After a case in Alaska, Gibbs told McGee he was staying there, ending his run with the team. McGee lost a mentor and father figure but has adapted. Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), however, is struggling.
In “Fight or Flight,” Torres skipped out on plans with coworkers and spiraled into paranoia, fearing Parker would fire him or his partner, Jess. He even volunteered for an underground fight club match against a man built like an NFL linebacker-showing signs of self-destructiveness. He later told Jess, “We’re colleagues, not friends.”
At the end of the episode, Jimmy reached out to Torres. “You feel abandoned,” Jimmy said, admitting he still struggles with his wife’s death. “People leave. Even fathers. And it has nothing to do with you.”
Meanwhile, Parker is slowly being fleshed out as a character. He’s tech-savvy, a David Bowie fan, and former FBI. He’s discovered McGee and Jess were track stars and often brings international breakfast pastries to work. He also made a Star Trek reference to send an SOS in disguise.
Gibbs may be off-screen, but his presence is still felt. In “Pledge of Allegiance,” both McGee and Jimmy received mystery deposits in their accounts. The money came from Gibbs, who had been helping fund college savings for fellow agents in honor of his daughter.
Even in his absence, Gibbs remains part of the NCIS family.
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