The final episode of "NCIS" Season 12 had viewers reeling over the violence suffered by NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) in the hands of a young boy. As a result of the incident, fans and followers of "NCIS" will see Gibbs enter Season 13 nursing his wounds and trekking the road to recovery. While this situation typically slows down the people affected by the violent attack, such is not the case for the "NCIS" team leader as Gibbs comes in raring to go and ready to fight.
His recovery, however, is not only affecting his personal development but also, and more interestingly, taking a toll on his relationship with the rest of the "NCIS" team. Although every members of the special unit appears affected by the changes in Gibbs' behavior, "NCIS" Season 13 will see a tensed shift in the relationship - both personal and professional - between him and Special Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly).
"Gibbs is in a difficult place, a physically difficult place," explained showrunner Gary Glasberg in an interview with TV Guide. He went on to say, "We're still functioning as a team, but there's absolutely some conflict." Glasberg then shared that "NCIS" Season 13 will let fans of the TV series have a glimpse on how the team members figure out ways to "work out" their concerns.
In this particular season, however, the focus shifts on the relationship issues brewing between Gibbs and DiNozzo. Glasberg further discussed, "It's tricky, and they're sensitive to what he's (Gibbs) going through, and they're trying to be there for him as coworker and as friend and as family member. They're being ultra-supportive of him."
Gibbs' situation in "NCIS" Season 13 is a direct result of a mission in Afghanistan which he took with DiNozzo and FBI Agent Joanna Teague (Mimi Rogers) in the final episode last season. In this story line, Gibbs, DiNozzo and Joanna pursued a lead linking a terrorist organization to the death of Ned Dorneget (Matt Jones) in a hotel attack in Cairo, Egypt. Upon arriving in Afghanistan, Gibbs met a young boy, named Luke (Daniel Zolghadri), whom he befriended and formed a paternal affiliation with. Things turned ugly, however, when the same boy Gibbs intended to protect attacked him violently and left him bleeding within an inch of life.
The attack was filmed in a "frenetic and chaotic" manner - a conscious effort on the part of the "NCIS" writers to portray effectively the terror and uncertainty brought about by terrorism and war to those affected by it. In addition, Glasberg explained via The Hollywood Reporter that the group intentionally chose a young boy as the perpetrator for Gibbs' almost murder to convey how young children and women are used as weapons of war. In this episode, the formidable "NCIS" leader had to "face an adversary who, at the end of the day, is the last person in the world he wants to be fighting, which is a child."
"NCIS" Season 13 will hit the small screen on September 22, 2015 (Tuesday) at 8 pm (EDT) on CBS.
