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Mark Harmon has been gone from NCIS for four months, and the team is still adjusting to life without Gibbs. Despite the change, ratings have remained steady. The recent episode, “Fight or Flight,” drew 7.4 million viewers-NCIS’s biggest audience since October 18, which was also the first episode with Gary Cole’s Alden Parker as the new team leader.

To recap: Harmon appeared in a four-episode arc to start Season 19. After a case in Alaska, Gibbs told McGee he was staying there, ending his run with the team. McGee lost a mentor and father figure but has adapted. Torres (Wilmer Valderrama), however, is struggling.

In “Fight or Flight,” Torres skipped out on plans with coworkers and spiraled into paranoia, fearing Parker would fire him or his partner, Jess. He even volunteered for an underground fight club match against a man built like an NFL linebacker-showing signs of self-destructiveness. He later told Jess, “We’re colleagues, not friends.”

 

At the end of the episode, Jimmy reached out to Torres. “You feel abandoned,” Jimmy said, admitting he still struggles with his wife’s death. “People leave. Even fathers. And it has nothing to do with you.”

Meanwhile, Parker is slowly being fleshed out as a character. He’s tech-savvy, a David Bowie fan, and former FBI. He’s discovered McGee and Jess were track stars and often brings international breakfast pastries to work. He also made a Star Trek reference to send an SOS in disguise.

Gibbs may be off-screen, but his presence is still felt. In “Pledge of Allegiance,” both McGee and Jimmy received mystery deposits in their accounts. The money came from Gibbs, who had been helping fund college savings for fellow agents in honor of his daughter.

Even in his absence, Gibbs remains part of the NCIS family.

It’s been four months since Mark Harmon’s iconic Leroy Jethro Gibbs bid farewell to NCIS, and while the team has pushed forward, the shadow of his absence lingers over every case, every interaction, and every quiet moment in the bullpen. Yet, despite the seismic shift, viewers are still tuning in—proving that the heart of NCIS beats on, even as it learns to live without its longtime leader.

The recent episode, “Fight or Flight,” drew a massive 7.4 million viewers, marking the show’s largest audience since October 18—the very night Gary Cole’s Alden Parker officially took the reins as team leader. While the numbers reflect stability, what’s happening on screen is anything but settled.

Let’s rewind for a moment. Harmon’s Gibbs didn’t just disappear overnight. He graced the first four episodes of Season 19, culminating in a poignant case in Alaska. There, Gibbs made the life-altering decision to stay behind, telling McGee he’d found peace and was finally ready to let go of his old life. For McGee, it was a gut punch—the loss of a mentor, a father figure, and the steady hand that had guided him for years. But McGee, ever the consummate professional, has found a way to adapt, stepping up and carrying forward the lessons Gibbs instilled in him.

Not everyone has found the transition so smooth. Torres, played by Wilmer Valderrama, has been the most visibly shaken by Gibbs’s departure. In “Fight or Flight,” Torres’s struggles are front and center. He bails on plans with his teammates, sinks into paranoia, and becomes convinced that Parker is looking for an excuse to fire him or his partner, Jess. In a moment of raw desperation, he even volunteers for an underground fight club, squaring off against a hulking opponent who looks more suited for the NFL than a police lineup. It’s a clear cry for help, a sign that Torres is spiraling, unsure of his place in the new NCIS hierarchy.

His emotional walls go up even higher when Jess reaches out. “We’re colleagues, not friends,” he snaps, pushing away the very people trying to help him. It’s a classic Torres move—bottle it up, tough it out, and hope no one notices the cracks showing beneath the surface.

But someone does notice. In a touching scene at the episode’s end, Jimmy Palmer, the team’s resident medical examiner and emotional anchor, reaches out to Torres. Jimmy, who still grapples with the pain of losing his wife, offers a quiet truth: “You feel abandoned. People leave. Even fathers. And it has nothing to do with you.” It’s a reminder that grief and loss are universal—and that healing rarely happens alone.

Meanwhile, the show is slowly peeling back the layers on Parker, the man tasked with filling Gibbs’s impossibly large shoes. He’s not trying to be Gibbs, and that’s a good thing. Parker brings his own quirks to the role: he’s tech-savvy, a former FBI agent with a soft spot for David Bowie, and has a habit of surprising the team with international breakfast pastries. He’s also got a sly sense of humor, dropping Star Trek references and keeping the team guessing. Bit by bit, viewers are getting to know the man behind the badge—and so is the team.

Still, Gibbs’s legacy looms large. His presence is felt in ways big and small, from the rules the team still follows to the mystery deposits that show up in McGee and Jimmy’s bank accounts. In “Pledge of Allegiance,” it’s revealed that the money came from Gibbs himself—a secret act of kindness, helping fund college savings for his fellow agents in honor of his late daughter. Even off-screen, Gibbs remains a guiding force, a silent guardian looking out for his NCIS family.

As the season presses on, NCIS is finding its footing in this new era. The cases are as gripping as ever, the banter just as sharp, and the stakes still high. But beneath it all is a current of change—a sense that the team is still learning how to move forward without the man who led them for so long. For fans, it’s bittersweet. Gibbs may be gone, but his spirit endures, woven into the fabric of the show and the hearts of those he left behind.

Four months out, one thing is clear: NCIS isn’t just surviving—it’s evolving. And as long as Gibbs’s legacy lives on, the family he built will never truly be without him.