With nearly 400 episodes under its belt as of August 2020, it’s difficult to recall a time when one could turn on the TV and not see NCIS airing.
But even television’s most popular program had to start somewhere, and over 20 years later, the debut episode of NCIS is raising some eyebrows.
The first solo episode of NCIS aired on September 23, 2003, following a backdoor pilot on sister series JAG. The term, “Yankee White,” alludes to a security background check that allows persons access to the president – a narrative point.
The episode was successful enough to launch the series’ long run, and it introduced now-classic NCIS themes such as one-liners, unconventional ways to security, team humor, and the realization that Gibbs has NCIS regulations that his agents must follow.
However, several viewers have recently stated that the story of one of the show’s main characters should have ended very differently.
Here’s how one Gibbs moment may have permanently altered NCIS.
How did Gibbs avoid the bullets?
Given that “Yankee White” has been on the air for a while (and in case you haven’t seen a repeat recently), here’s a review of what happened on the episode.
Investigating the d3ath of a Naval Commander who perished while traveling on Air Force One, NCIS Special Agents Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Tony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) find themselves in the midst of a jurisdictional standoff between the FBI and the Secret Service, with the latter being led by agent Caitlin Todd (Sasha Alexander). Reluctantly, Todd assists DiNozzo and Gibbs in returning the replacement aircraft to D.C. without the FBI’s cooperation.
Another guest on board experiences a medical issue, exhibiting the same symptoms as the Naval Commander. While everyone else is busy, Gibbs thinks that terr0rists must have sent in an undercover spy who duplicated the plane’s armory keys. He assigns Todd to protect the President while he inspects the armaments. When he notices that a submachine gun has gone missing, Gibbs armed himself with a handgun and goes in search of the cr1minal.
This is where the unbelievable scene comes into play. Leonard Rush (Robert Bagnell), acting as a journalist, is the terr0rist. Gibbs discovers him in a corridor, attempting to reach the President. Rush begins fire on Gibbs, but every round misses. Gibbs fires a single shot that hits Rush and knocks him to the ground. He follows up with two more shots for good measure. Not only is Gibbs unharmed, but the fuselage is also unharmed.
The scene demonstrates Gibbs’ bravery, quick thinking, marksmanship, and cool under fire. But there’s no disputing that without some Matrix movements, his chances of avoiding machine gun fire in the confines of a tight airline corridor are nearly nil. If NCIS had been more committed to realism, Gibbs might have d1ed in the first single episode, irreversibly altering the course of the series.
How come Fornell and Gibbs didn’t recognize each other?
Fans have pointed out several story holes in the pilot episode since it aired, including Gibbs’ seemingly miraculous escape. The episode also featured one of the fans’ favorite NCIS partnerships — and we’re not talking about Todd and Gibbs. (At the end of the episode, Gibbs hired Todd after she was fired from the Secret Service for assisting his team; however, Sasha Alexander quit NCIS after season 2.)
Later episodes of NCIS reveal that Tobias Fornell (Joe Spano), an FBI agent turned private investigator, is one of Gibbs’ closest pals. They socialize outside of work and even celebrate Christmas together. However, the two have an unpleasant past: after Gibbs divorced his second wife Diane (Melinda McGraw), she married Fornell, with whom she has a daughter.
According to Reddit user u/stevanui, Fornell and Gibbs must have known each other before to the commencement of the series. By the premiere episode, Gibbs had already divorced, and he reportedly warned Fornell against marrying Diane – prophetically, as it turns out. However, when they meet on Air Force One throughout the episode, neither acknowledges their friendship and greets the other as if they are meeting for the first time.
NCIS may not have provided a satisfactory explanation for this, but it’s easy to understand given how far the characters’ relationships and backstories have progressed since then. The unspoken reality about NCIS — and any long-running series — is that the writers and actors have no idea how it will evolve over time. We’ll overlook one little off-kilter moment if it means we get to see fans’ favorite NCIS bromance. Gibbs evading gunfire that should have k1lled him? Less believable, but we’ll overlook it because the event gave birth to the NCIS we know and love today.
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