NCIS: Why McGee Didn’t Want Gibbs’ Job

With Gibbs’ job open for the taking, it seemed like McGee would step up as team leader, but he declined the position. Here’s why.

With Tony DiNozzo no longer in the picture, many fans theorized that Timothy McGee would step into the role of NCIS’s team leader in the hypothetical event that Gibbs left the show. Then in last week’s episode, the unthinkable happened, and that hypothetical came true as Gibbs was written off the NCIS series that he had been a part of from the beginning. However, when it came time to name Gibbs’ replacement in “Face the Strange,” McGee chose to decline the role. Here’s why.

The first thing that fans learned in the episode was that Director Vance had offered Gibbs’ job to former FBI Agent Alden Parker, who had been helping the team with Gibbs’ serial killer case. The move seemed odd, considering McGee’s experience at NCIS. Torres especially, was baffled by Vance’s decision, so he confronted the director about it. In response to his inquiries, Vance informed him that McGee had been his first choice for a replacement but that he had declined the position. After that, Torres was determined – as many fans were — to find out why McGee didn’t want to be team leader.

McGee gave his first reason for not wanting the job during a brief conversation in the bathroom between Parker and himself. To Parker’s question, McGee gave a cookie-cutter answer that included talk about the longer hours, less field-time and additional paperwork. Parker bought the answer, but viewers didn’t – it seemed like he was definitely keeping something back from Parker, who he had only briefly known.

Torres, who had apparently been listening at the bathroom door, also thought that McGee’s answer was superficial. So, while he and McGee were on a stakeout, Torres demanded a better answer, so McGee came clean. He told Torres that he didn’t want the job because he wasn’t Gibbs. Torres thought that he was simply doubting himself, so McGee clarified. Turned out, he didn’t want the job because he didn’t want to turn out like Gibbs.

Over the years, McGee had seen how Gibbs was consumed by his job in an unhealthy way, and that was what McGee wanted to avoid. It was his concern for himself and his family’s well-being that made him decline the job as NCIS team leader. He thought about taking the gig, but felt it was too big of a risk.

After McGee declined,Vance approached Parker about taking Gibbs’ position, and while it wasn’t a seamless transition, he could turn out to be decent fit. Like Dr. Mallard told Jimmy during the episode, “Yesterday is over, sad as that may seem. But change is the essence of life.” Only time — and ratings — will tell how the team will mesh without Gibbs.

To see how Agent Parker fits in as Gibbs’ replacement, watch CBS’ NCIS on Monday nights at 9 pm. ET.