Warning! The following contains spoilers for the NCIS Season 23 episode "Deal With The Devil." Stream the episode with a Paramount+ subscription, and read at your own risk!
Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs didn't make a physical appearance in the latest NCIS episode, but it was basically confirmed that he played a key role in bringing Director Vance's killer to justice. Now, a couple of days after he killed former CID Wayne Rogers with a sniper rifle, I still can't get on board with what the CBS procedural did.
For those who missed the episode, it was revealed that while it seemed like Rogers would get away with his crime and go into government protection, the car protecting him broke down on the highway. Once stopped, Rogers was killed by a sniper bullet estimated to have been shot from an incredible distance. Immediately, the NCIS team suspected Gibbs, remembering how he avenged his wife's murder. He was the only person they could think of who could make that shot, and quietly, they were thankful he did.
It was all but confirmed in a separate scene, in which Parker's sister came to ask him if he was responsible for Rogers' death. While he deflected, saying he didn't know how to use a sniper rifle, he didn't say anything about the torn-out alternator for the vehicle, which led to the car's breakdown in the first place. He then asked his sister if she wanted some salmon he got "fresh from Alaska," which is where Gibbs retired to. Without explicit confirmation, it's heavily implied that Parker contacted Gibbs and helped set up Rogers' assassination after he almost walked following Vance's death.
Gibbs Playing Hitman To Avenge Director Vance Doesn't Sit Right With Me
I thought it was wild when Gibbs first mentioned on NCIS that he killed a man in cold blood, but given that it was the man responsible for the death of his daughter and first wife, I can let that slide. What feels more shady is a call-in hit on Wayne Rogers, who is only connected to the late Director Vance through his actions. His actions might've gotten Vance killed, but he did not directly murder him.
I've appreciated Alden Parker for believing in the justice system, but now he's been corrupted and fallen victim to vigilante tactics. It puts him at risk of being labeled a criminal himself, and it felt like a reckless move he didn't have to make. Rogers did threaten him and his sister, saying he could track them down whenever they wanted in the future. Still, I'd like to think there were other ways it could've been handled.
It's Even Worse The NCIS Team Largely Seems To Acknowledge What Happened
What makes Gibbs sniper kill worse is just how readily the NCIS team accepts it. No one is outraged by what happened, nor is there any sort of conversation about needing to at the very least interview their former leader for an alibi to prove he wasn't a part of it.
I get that this is fictional television, but I don't like the real-world implications of law enforcement at any level turning a blind eye to an obvious crime because it serves their best interest to do so. NCIS is the good guys, and catching the bad guy at the cost of their own morality just feels like an icky reality.
Maybe this was done to give a nod to NCIS: Origins, and keep the mythos of Gibbs relevant as the other spinoff tells his story. In any case, it just has me feeling some sort of way, and I'm hoping there's some resolution to it in a future episode.
NCIS closes out Season 23 on CBS on Tuesday, May 12th at 8:00 p.m. ET. While the spring 2026 TV schedule is closing out, summer is on the way, which is still plenty exciting for those who love great television, so check out what's on tap.
