With Gibbs being targeted by a federal judge, there was no way around needing his team's help, and this prompted the uncomfortable and candid conversation in which he admitted one of his biggest secrets. With no way to avoid the truth any longer, he finally revealed to his team that he hunted down the man who killed his wife and daughter and, unapologetically, murdered him (via Cinemablend). "I killed the man who killed my family," Gibbs stated matter-of-factly, as Timothy McGee (Sean Murray), Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham), and Nick Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) remained silent (via TV Insider).

Although he left some evidence behind linking him to the crime, the case was closed without consequences for Gibbs. Some of his team members were stunned, as future episodes reveal, and while fans had previously learned this information in Season 3, the shock felt by the team brought back the initial surprise felt by "NCIS" viewers all those years ago.