NCIS: Why Gibbs Doesnt Lock His Front Door Finally Revealed By Former Star

The real reason why Leroy Jethro Gibbs doesn’t lock his front door is revealed by a former NCIS actor. For almost two decades, Mark Harmon’s character was the fearless leader of DC’s Major Case Response Team (MCRT). Aside from his leadership style, which was rooted in loyalty and fairness, NCIS also added certain quirks to the character, including his penchant for leaving his front door open. This means that anyone could come in, which seemed like a dangerous habit for a law enforcer. Gibbs left in NCIS season 19, leaving the reason for the oddity unexplained.

Almost three years since Harmon walked away from the police procedural, this mystery is finally clarified in a new episode of Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch podcast. As part of the Spotify show’s trivia segment, Ziva David first asks her co-host, Michael Weatherly, and guest of the week, Sean Murray, about the matter, but they couldn’t answer. In the end, she reveals the official reason being tied to Gibbs’ heartbreaking past of losing his family. Read the full answer below:

The answer is because he has already lost what was most important to him, so he actually doesn’t care.

How NCIS: Origins Can Make Gibbs’ Front Door Trait Sadder

NCIS: Origins Take Place Around The Time Of Kelly & Shannon’s Murder

After a short break from the franchise, Harmon is set to return via Gibbs’ prequel series titled NCIS: Origins. Per the upcoming show’s premise, the NCIS spinoff will take place in the early ’90s, as he begins his storied career with the agency. Instead of being in Washington DC, however, the project will be set in Camp Pendleton, with the young Gibbs joining the rag-tag team that Mike Franks is leading. Assuming that it will stay true to the established NCIS timeline, then it’s also around the time when his first wife, Shannon, and daughter, Kelly, were murdered.

Whether NCIS: Origins will show Austin Stowell’s recast version of young Gibbs going through the agony of finding out about what happened to his family is uncertain. However, considering how he never really got over their deaths, seeing him processing the fresh loss would make his front door quirk more heartbreaking. It’s curious, however, when exactly he adopted this behavior, especially since he would be based on the West Coast during the duration of NCIS: Origins. It’s one of the many questions that can be answered in the prequel that can show Gibbs in a different light.

Admittedly, there are concerns about NCIS: Origins tackling Gibbs’ backstory will dull the character’s appeal by revealing way too much about him. This means that CBS and the writers must be careful not to overdo it, especially when it comes to tackling certain aspects of Gibbs’ life that are better left not fully fleshed out. If NCIS proved anything, he is best when there’s an air of mystery around him.

Source: Off Duty: An NCIS Rewatch