18-Season NCIS Veteran Alum Returns For Poignant Final Reunion

Credit: CBS Published Nov 6, 2026, 11:45 AM EST Misty Layne started as an actor and sketch comedy writer before deciding to concentrate mainly on writing. Utilizing both her love of television and film and her behind-the-scenes knowledge, she began a website reviewing films in 2013, with a focus on horror and indie media. Eventually, she began writing about all things television and film for other sites as well. Misty shares a home with five cats, a ton of books, and a fairly impressive vinyl collection. Sign in to your ScreenRant account NCIS: Origins season 3 has seen the return of many a familiar face and several reunions. Mark Harmon has returned to the screen as Old Gibbs, with a storyline of his own playing out in the present that ties into a storyline from his past. Michael Weatherly as Anthony DiNozzo is back on NCIS, this time as director, but briefly had an emotional reunion 10 years in the making with Gibbs on NCIS: Origins. Then, in episode 4, Emily Wickersham as Eleanor Bishop joined Gibbs for his latest mission. To say the latest season of the show is nostalgic would be an understatement. Of course, while fans might hope Older Gibbs gets to reunite with all his former colleagues at NCIS, if only briefly, that likely isn’t possible. It’s definitely not in a couple of cases, such as with Ducky (though Ducky was alluded to several times throughout Gibbs and DiNozzo’s reunion) or Abby (who has, unfortunately, been ignored). However, NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 4 did bring back an unexpected person for a cameo to the delight of fans. While the moment was brief, it offered closure to both Harmon's 14-year onscreen partnership with Rocky Carroll and Gibbs’ long-time relationship with Leon Vance, who died in the 500th episode of NCIS. NCIS: Origins Season 3 Brings Back The Late Director Leon Vance MovieStillsDB Of course, since Director Vance passed away after being shot in the 500th episode (which was heart-wrenching for long-time fans), he didn’t physically appear in NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 4. Instead, he was there in spirit and in voice. The outing opened with Old Gibbs back in his garage as he plotted his next steps. Almost immediately, Gibbs found a note stuck on a wall from the late Vance dated November 2021. A voice-over of Vance was heard as Gibbs read the note, which said, “Not sure you’ll ever be back here, but in case you are, fixed your wall for you. No charge. Leon.” Hearing Vance’s voice for the first time since he left the show in season 23 hit hard, and the note perfectly encapsulated Gibbs and Vance’s years-long relationship, which began far before Vance became the director. The cameo was only a moment, but it was just as emotional as Gibbs' reunion with Tony or him seeing a train figurine of Ducky’s still in the morgue. Bishop appeared in his garage right after that, but while seeing the two of them together again was fantastic, it wasn’t quite the same as all of Gibbs’ reunions with NCIS’s old guard. Why Vance's NCIS: Origins Gesture Is Special CBS According to the date on Vance’s note, he fixed the wall and stuck his message there five years ago when Gibbs left NCIS. He had no idea whether Gibbs would ever be back to see the work he’d done, let alone the note, but he went ahead and fixed everything up for Gibbs, just in case. This gesture was another example of the kind of relationship Gibbs and Vance had over the years (and imagining that note taped to the wall for that long, and after Vance’s death, is devastating to think about). Also devastating is realizing this “interaction” will be the final one Gibbs and Vance ever have now that Vance has died. Gibbs has come back to a former home that is incredibly different from the one he left, especially with Vance and Ducky dying, and it must be very bittersweet for him. If nothing else, it’s a reminder of how time flies, like Gibbs mentioned in the crossover episode “Funny How Time Slips Away” from NCIS: Origins season 2. As melancholic as the Gibbs and Vance reunion of sorts was, though, it helps to remember that Gibbs had Vance’s back just as much as Vance had his. After all, Gibbs was the one who truly got justice for Vance’s murder in NCIS season 23 with a bit of help from Parker (although Harmon was reportedly not thrilled about Vance's death). Gibbs might not have appeared onscreen when he did so, but there was no mistaking those sniper skills. That knowledge makes it a bit easier to accept that this scene in NCIS: Origins will truly be the last one ever featuring both men. TV Show(s) NCIS First TV Show NCIS Cast Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette, Cote de Pablo, Sean Murray, Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen, Wilmer Valderrama Created by Donald P. Bellisario, Don McGill Latest TV Show NCIS: Sydney Upcoming TV Shows NCIS: Origins, NCIS: Tony & Ziva Federal Case File · Open Since 2003 How Well Do You Know NCIS? “Rule #1: Never let suspects sit together — and never assume.” 🚨The FieldCrime scenes 🔬The LabForensics & Caf-Pow! ⚕AutopsyDucky’s domain 📋The RulesGibbs’ gospel 🛡The TeamThe MCRT GEAR UP → 01 The show’s title is an acronym for the real-world federal agency its agents work for. What does “NCIS” actually stand for? ANaval Criminal Investigative Service BNational Crime Investigation Squad CNavy Central Intelligence Service DNaval Counterintelligence & Security ✓ Correct! NCIS stands for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service — a real civilian agency of the U.S. Department of the Navy that investigates crimes involving the Navy and Marine Corps. The show follows its fictional Major Case Response Team. ✗ Not quite! It’s the Naval Criminal Investigative Service — a genuine federal agency under the Department of the Navy that handles crimes tied to the Navy and Marine Corps. The other options sound official, but only one is the real deal. NEXT → 02 For 19 seasons, the team was led by stoic, coffee-fueled Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Which actor played him? AMichael Weatherly BMark Harmon CGary Cole DRocky Carroll ✓ Correct! Mark Harmon played Gibbs, the ex-Marine sniper and unflappable team leader, from the 2003 premiere through Season 19. Michael Weatherly played Tony DiNozzo, Gary Cole later joined as Alden Parker, and Rocky Carroll plays Director Leon Vance. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Mark Harmon, the face of the franchise as Gibbs for 19 seasons. Michael Weatherly played DiNozzo, Gary Cole arrived as Alden Parker, and Rocky Carroll plays Director Vance — but Gibbs is all Harmon. NEXT → 03 NCIS didn’t start on its own — the characters were introduced in a two-part backdoor pilot during an earlier military legal drama. Which show did NCIS spin off from? AThe Unit BLaw & Order CCSI: Miami DJAG ✓ Correct! NCIS spun off from JAG, the long-running Navy legal drama. Gibbs and his team debuted in the Season 8 JAG episodes “Ice Queen” and “Meltdown” (2003) before launching their own series later that year. ✗ Not quite! The answer is JAG. Donald P. Bellisario’s Navy courtroom drama introduced Gibbs and the team in a two-part backdoor pilot in 2003, setting the stage for NCIS to become a massive franchise of its own. NEXT → 04 Gibbs lives by a numbered list of unwritten rules. His famous Rule #9 advises agents to never go anywhere without what item? AA cup of coffee BA knife CA badge DA burner phone ✓ Correct! Rule #9: “Never go anywhere without a knife.” It’s one of the most quoted of Gibbs’ rules and pays off more than once in the field. (Rule #23, fittingly, is “Never mess with a Marine’s coffee if you want to live.”) ✗ Not quite! The answer is a knife — Rule #9 is “Never go anywhere without a knife.” Coffee is practically Gibbs’ lifeblood, but the rule that’s saved his team in a pinch is the one about always carrying a blade. NEXT → 05 The team’s beloved forensic specialist — a brilliant goth who runs on a giant caffeinated drink called “Caf-Pow!” — is named what? AAbby Sciuto BKasie Hines CZiva David DJenny Shepard ✓ Correct! Abby Sciuto, played by Pauley Perrette, was the heart of the lab for 15 seasons — pigtails, dog collar, and an endless thirst for Caf-Pow!. Kasie Hines (Diona Reasonover) later took over forensic duties after Abby’s departure. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette), the goth forensic scientist fueled by Caf-Pow!. Kasie Hines came along later as a lab specialist, Ziva David was a field agent, and Jenny Shepard was an NCIS Director. NEXT → 06 The team’s kindly, story-telling Medical Examiner is affectionately nicknamed “Ducky.” What is his actual name? ADr. Jimmy Palmer BDr. Brian Dietz CDr. Donald Mallard DDr. Cyril Taft ✓ Correct! “Ducky” is Dr. Donald Mallard — Mallard, hence Ducky — played by the late David McCallum for two decades. His apprentice and eventual successor in autopsy is Jimmy Palmer (Brian Dietzen). ✗ Not quite! The answer is Dr. Donald Mallard — “Mallard” is the duck that earns him the nickname “Ducky.” He was played by David McCallum. Jimmy Palmer was his assistant, and Dr. Taft was a recurring surgeon and friend of Gibbs. NEXT → 07 Fan-favorite Ziva David, played by Coté de Pablo, joined the team as a liaison and skilled operative. Before NCIS, she was an officer with which intelligence agency? AThe CIA BMossad CMI6 DThe FBI ✓ Correct! Ziva David was a former officer of Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency — and the daughter of its director, Eli David. Her deadly skills and mangled American idioms made her one of the show’s most beloved characters. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency where Ziva served before joining NCIS — her father Eli David even ran it. The FBI and CIA are frequent NCIS counterparts, but Ziva’s background is Mossad. NEXT → 08 The original team’s headquarters — the bullpen, autopsy, and Abby’s lab — is located at the Navy Yard in which U.S. city? ALos Angeles BNorfolk, Virginia CSan Diego DWashington, D.C. ✓ Correct! The Major Case Response Team works out of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C. The franchise later spread its spinoffs across the map — Los Angeles, New Orleans, Hawai‘i, and Sydney — but the original calls D.C. home. ✗ Not quite! The answer is Washington, D.C., home of the Washington Navy Yard where Gibbs’ team is based. Los Angeles and other cities anchor the spinoffs, and Norfolk is a major naval base often referenced — but HQ is in D.C. CLOSE THE CASE → Case Debrief · Stand Down Your Agent Rank 🛡 / 8 Lead investigator — or still rinsing the Caf-Pow! out of the carpet? ⤴ REOPEN CASE