12 years before they shared the screen, the NCIS franchise finds a way to highlight just how much Leroy Jethro Gibbs would rely on Abby Sciuto. Prior to the flagship’s pilot in 2023, Gibbs’ MCRT team first debuted in JAG a year earlier. Back then, some of the inaugural cast of the police procedural were already part of the squad, such as Michael Weatherly’s Anthony DiNozzo Jr., David McCallum’s Ducky Mallard, and Pauley Perrette’s Abby Sciuto. They eventually became vital members of Mark Harmon’s original group in the NCIS pilot, but his relationship with their forensic scientist was special.

Gibbs had different dynamics with all members of his team in NCIS. Because he handpicked them, their camaraderie both personally and professionally helped them become very effective in their job. That said, Gibbs’ relationship with Abby was different. The no-nonsense leader of MCRT tended to have a soft spot for his forensic scientist and her love for anything goth and the caffeinated drink, Caf-Pow. He was always gentle and protective when it came to Abby, and she rewarded him by being fantastic at her job. NCIS: Origins episode 4, “All’s Not Lost” proves that Gibbs also needed her.

Gibbs Has Woody Testing So Much Evidence In NCIS: Origins

Camp Pendleton’s Forensic Scientist Is Swamped With Gibbs’ Tasks

Gibbs’ NCIS: Origins episode 4‘s case hits close to home for the grieving father, as Mike Franks’ team deals with a missing girl, who witnesses a brutal murder. Dealing with the heartbreaking murder of his first wife and daughter, Shannon and Kelly, he does everything in his power to make sure that the mystery is solved — including being very thorough with his investigation. A big part of that is sending various samples and items to be tested by their forensic scientist, Woody.

Considering how many things Gibbs leaves, even before Franks and Randy get to the lab, Woody is understandably swamped. While this can be chalked to him being extra-motivated to keep the little girl safe, it’s also a trait that sticks with him as he climbs the organization ranks and leads his own team. If anything, being very thorough when sifting through evidence was a big part of why Gibbs’ MCRT was so good in NCIS.

Gibbs’ Reliance On Forensic Analysis For Evidence Highlights Abby’s MCRT Importance

MCRT Struggled When Abby Wasn’t Around

Throughout his time in NCIS, Gibbs played a father figure to the majority of his subordinates. However, Abby’s child-like sensibilities likely reminded him of Kelly, who died when she was just 8 years old. That said, NCIS: Origins episode 4 highlights how much Gibbs relied on the forensic scientist’s work in doing his job effectively. Having an evidence-based investigator boss, Abby was tasked to test everything for any kind of residue and other clues to find suspects. Sometimes, she even thought outside the box and recreated the whole crime just to fill out some narrative gaps for the MCRT.

NCIS Has An Unsolvable Timothy McGee Problem

NCIS has a big problem concerning the handling of Sean Murray’s Timothy McGee, and sadly, season 22 makes it clear that it’s likely unsolvable.

There were times in NCIS when Abby was not around to do her usual job, and the team struggled to move forward with their cases. Despite having access to the lab and having some very intelligent other members, no one else could do the work so much more efficiently than she did. Abby’s replacement, Kasie is still good at her job, but arguably, NCIS doesn’t put as much emphasis on the forensic lab’s work now compared to how it did before when Perrette’s character had command of it.