Notice! Spoilers ahead for NCIS Season 22, Episode 4.NCIS Season 22, Episode 4 officially resolves the final issue with Leroy Jethro Gibbs leaving MCRT, 3 years after Mark Harmon exited the CBS procedural. After 19 years at the forefront of the franchise, Harmon's Gibbs retired in NCIS season 19, when he finally found peace in Alaska. Is it true that the emotional farewell is somehow being undone by NCIS: Originsbut for the main series, Tim McGee left his boss alone in Naktok Bay. Although MCRT managed to move forward, it was not easy to lose the team's leader, who served as its main anchor for two decades.
As with so many long-running TV shows, NCIS lost its fair share of characters. That said, perhaps nothing was more impactful than Gibbs' departure. Impressively, the procedural found a way to reconstruct its whole, with the NCIS Season 22 was the most stable in years. However, although the MCRT continues its sworn duty, there were some residual problems in the way Parker's predecessor decided to retire. Instead of leaving without drama, Gibbs finished his NCIS pass in style. Three years later, the series finally manages to fully address its last lingering story.
The final case and Gibbs' departure put Parker at odds with the FBI (and it has haunted him for years)
The FBI didn't like how Parker moved forward with NCIS
In NCIS season 19, episode 4, 'Great Wide Open', Gibbs brought him to Alaska to investigate a murder, but with the FBI on his trail. Parker was tasked with arresting the then leader of the MCRT, not only on his current charges, but also as a way to finally catch him after years of getting away with so many unconventional ways of delivering justice. Ultimately, however, Parker realized that despite his boss, FBI Deputy Director Wayne Sweeney, demonizing Harmon's character, Gibbs was actually a good man..
Parker's refusal to arrest Gibbs resulted in several problems for him, including his dismissal from the FBI. He managed to bounce back after he was offered a job to step in and be the new leader of the MCRT, with his predecessor's blessing, but his relationship with his former agency has remained sour over the past three years. This exacerbated the subtle tension between the FBI and NCIS, as they tend to disagree over jurisdiction.
Parker Officially Patches Things Up With Sweeney and the FBI in NCIS Season 22
It's been a long time since this happened
In NCIS season 22, episode 4, this animosity between Parker and his former agency reaches a fever pitch when the FBI raids the bullpen and arrests nearly every member of the MCRT for defying orders. It's true that McGee and his team are technically wrong here, but Sweeney is also clearly overwhelmed by his story. After a few attempts, Parker manages to convince the FBI that they are just doing what is right, leading to the duo's friendly collaboration. At the end, Sweeney and his former subordinate receive the Public Service Medal from director Leon Vance.
Now that both agencies and their respective leaders are on the same page, the MCRT can stop worrying about the FBI working against them to resolve the resentment over what happened to Parker.
The final conversation between Parker and Sweeney, as they walk outside, marks the end of the rivalry between the pair that began with Gibbs' exit storyline. Now that both agencies and their respective leaders are on the same page, the MCRT can stop worrying about the FBI working against them to resolve the resentment over what happened to Parker. It took a while, but at least the final issue where Harmon's character left his old team is now officially resolved.