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
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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
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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.
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