Mark Harmon’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs will unlikely appear in NCIS’ 1000th episode, and the next best thing after him is a dead original character.
With Mark Harmon unlikely to return as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS’ 1000th episode, his best replacement is an original character who has long been dead. CBS’ police procedural franchise has expanded with several spinoffs — including an international segment with the recently launched NCIS: Sydney and all of them are beloved shows. That said, there’s still something special with the one that started it all, hence why the universe’s upcoming milestone will be celebrated in the mothership show. NCIS season 21, episode 7, “A Thousand Yards,” marks its overall 1000th outing in more than two decades on the air.
The special outing will see Director Leon Vance at the center of NCIS’ storytelling, including the return of his son. While the current roster of Special Agents has proven to be equally capable in their job compared to their much-beloved predecessors, the 1000th episode also offers the perfect opportunity to bring back some familiar faces from the franchise’s past. Harmon’s Gibbs will always be at the top of the list of dream cameos, considering his importance to the universe, but since that doesn’t seem to be the case, his best replacement is, oddly, a forgotten character from the show’s beginning.
Todd Is The Best NCIS 1000th Episode Cameo After Gibbs
Sasha Alexander Played NCIS’ First Female Special Agent.
NCIS had five original characters — Harmon’s Gibbs, Michael Weatherly’s Tony DiNozzo Jr, David McCallum’s Ducky Mallard, Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto, and Sasha Alexander’s Caitlin Todd. Aside from its team leader, the best next cameo for the 1000th episode is Todd, because of a couple of reasons. For starters, the outing is confirmed to revisit the pilot, “Yankee White.” While all of them worked on the case, Todd had special ties to it, because she was with the Secret Service when it went down. She was subsequently fired from her original job, paving the way for her to join NCIS.
Secondly, as confirmed by the NCIS’ 1000th episode trailer, Todd’s death will be revisited. It’s uncertain how it exactly ties to the case, but since Special Agent Alden Parker’s team will deal with an unknown threat that has history with the agency, the unexpected murder may include clues as to who is behind terrorizing NCIS. These two details highlight the importance of Todd’s role in the NCIS, although she wasn’t part of it very long. Between these and the shock factor of seeing Alexander return, a proper appearance from Todd would be the perfect way to cap off the episode.
How Todd Can Return In The NCIS 1000th Episode Despite Being Dead
NCIS Has Set Precedent In Terms Of Featuring Todd After Her Death.
The NCIS 1000th episode trailer already includes a photo of Todd, and while it’s great that the show is remembering her during this milestone moment, it would be better if Alexander actually returns for a cameo. However, tthe writers would have to be more creative to do that. Since Todd has been dead for almost two decades now, killed by Ari Haswari, Ziva David’s half-brother, NCIS cannot simply bring her back the same way that they did for DiNozzo during Ducky’s tribute episode.
Fortunately, NCIS has already set a precedent when it comes to featuring Todd after her death. It can either be a vision from either Jimmy Palmer or Timothy McGee, who both had the chance to work with her during her brief time in the agency. If the police procedural wants an easier way to do it, flashback sequences to pertinent moments during Todd’s stint under Gibbs’ team could also work, especially if they feature clues that will help Parker neutralize the current threat looming over the organization.