It’s been hard to call what Gibbs would do about his suspension. During the NCIS Season 18 finale, it was clear there was something bigger going on.
For a while, we thought we were just waiting for Vance to realize that Gibbs maybe didn’t do the wrong thing after all and gave him his badge back. That hasn’t been the case, and it doesn’t look like Gibbs is really that bothered. He’s ready to move on.
However, Marcie pulled him into an investigation during the penultimate episode. And after initially not believing there was more, he realized there was. The two were working together in the NCIS Season 18 finale, but Gibbs realized that the serial killer was onto them. They were being bugged, and he needed to act fast to protect Marcie.
That doesn’t mean he managed to protect himself. While taking his boat out on the water, it suddenly exploded at the end. It looked like Gibbs was dead, although in the very last seconds of the NCIS Season 18 finale, he swam away.
Has Gibbs faked his death on the NCIS Season 18 finale?
At first, it looked like the serial killer may have gotten the best of him. However, the ending suggests something else. Is it possible that Gibbs planted the bomb to go off. Could he have faked his own death?
This probably wouldn’t be to get away from the team or his life. He didn’t seem to completely want away from that whole life, whatever Rule 91 says.
Instead, it’s likely that he wanted more time to investigate this serial killer. To be able to do that, he needs to make the serial killer think that he’s dead. The bomb on the boat would be the best way to do that, making the entire NCIS think he’s dead too.
Of course, it is possible that the serial killer did plant the bomb and Gibbs just happened to survive. This is a man who knew the bad guy was onto him, though. Gibbs is too smart to think his boat wouldn’t have been tampered with.
We know Mark Harmon is returning to NCIS Season 19 in a limited capacity. The ending was probably written to write Gibbs out easily if that was going to be necessary, but that’s not the case now. We get to find out what’s going on.
What did you think of the ending to the NCIS Season 18 finale? What do you think happened to Gibbs? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
NCIS Season 18 finale is now on Paramount+. Watch Season 19 on Mondays at 9/8c on CBS in the fall.