NCIS: Origins has had a few plot holes so far, but the show’s latest episode just fixed one of its biggest mysteries about Mark Harmon’s Gibbs. Since its premiere, NCIS: Origins has mostly followed NCIS canon by featuring key characters and moments from Gibbs’ life in the early 1990s. The NCIS spinoff has especially ventured into Gibbs’ grief following the death of his wife and daughter.

As Austin Stowell’s Gibbs has mourned his old life, he has turned into a comparably softer character than Mark Harmon’s Gibbs in NCIS. The NCIS prequel even shows the young Gibbs attending a veterans’ support group. The character differences between Harmon’s and Stowell’s Gibbs have become one of the show’s biggest plot holes, but NCIS: Origins episode 15 just solved it.

Young Gibbs Attending A Veterans Support Group In NCIS: Origins Contradicts Gibbs’ Emotional Progress In NCIS

Young Gibbs Is Noticeably Different From Old Gibbs In NCIS

In NCIS: Origins, Gibbs is much more emotionally vulnerable to those around him, especially to his mentor and best friend, Mike Franks. The biggest example of this is seen in how Gibbs chooses to attend a veterans’ support group after contemplating joining for several months. NCIS: Origins episode 13, “Monsoon,” shows Gibbs meeting fellow veterans in a safe and calm environment. His decision to be vulnerable to strangers is a major step in his emotional progress. However, it contradicts Gibbs’ later emotional capacity in the flagship series.

Mark Harmon’s Gibbs is stoic, cold, and reserved. He rarely talks about his issues and, when he does, he does not usually continue the conversation at a later point. In fact, it took years of character development for Gibbs to even feel remotely comfortable opening up to his team about the loss of his family in the early seasons of NCIS. The reserved Gibbs in NCIS does not correlate with the young and emotionally mature Gibbs in NCIS: Origins seen attending support groups.

NCIS: Origins Episode 15 Reveals The Veterans Support Group Isn’t Helping Gibbs

Gibbs Struggles With Sharing His Problems

Despite attending the support group regularly, NCIS: Origins has confirmed that the group does not help Gibbs. NCIS: Origins episode 15, “From The Ashes,” shows Gibbs leaving the support group shortly after being asked to share his own experiences. Gibbs joined the group for help, but so far, he has only been able to listen to the others. He has not felt comfortable sharing his struggles in return.

“From The Ashes” goes even further and shows Gibbs revealing that only Franks has been able to help him emotionally. However, Gibbs’ issues have nothing to do with Franks. The reason Gibbs feels that only Franks has been able to help is because Gibbs has only ever opened up to Franks. As the agent in charge of Shannon and Kelly’s murder file, Franks has seen Gibbs go through the worst moments of his life. He has become both a mentor and a friend to Gibbs because Gibbs has let him in.