mrspete

I noticed it, too. Also, Wayne Brady, his voice and his stature is so different????? blessings, Ruth

quiltsRfun

I think it was from his wife, the one who was killed. Does anyone know all the rules?

vjw65

Gibbs rules like 'Never applogize
I would do a Marine quilt with his rules in alternate blocks

Deb watkins

Same programs for me!!! And add Criminal Minds and Without a Trace.

np3

You mean his weight loss? He looked better with more weight in his face.

np3

Checked it out on the internet. He is gone, contract not renewed. They are phasing her out to. They are bringing in the newbies we have now seen.

gzuslivz

!st: I love both the NCIS shows.
2nd: I haven't been able to warm up to Zivz. I just loved Kate too much. Abby is my favorite on this show.
3rd: NCIS:LA is my absolute favorite. I adore Hettie!
4th: What's this about Elliot on CSI:SVU?!?!?!? If either or Olivia leave, I won't watch it. You are right, Nanamoms, they are the show!

vjw65

McGee is too thin too fast just makes me think he is ill.

gzuslivz

Gibbs's Rules are an extensive series of guidelines that Leroy Jethro Gibbs lives by and teaches to the people he works closely with.

Contents [show]
OriginsEdit
Gibbs's rules originated from his first wife, Shannon, who told him at their first meeting, "Everyone needs a code they can live by."[1] Years later, after their marriage, Gibbs began writing his rules down, keeping them in a small tin inside his home.[2]Though he uses it often we almost never see the tin.
The knowledge of the rules' origins is left as a mystery to the people that Gibbs works with, though some of them do make concentrated efforts to find out. Tony makes several attempts to find out who taught Gibbs the rules, though he has not yet met with any success. On one occasion, he quoted Rule Nine as a rule that "they teach you in the Marine Corps," but the Marine in question was unaware of what he was referring to.[3] On another occasion, Tony asked Jackson Gibbs if he had taught the rules to his son, but the older man denied any involvement.[1] On the other hand, when Rule Twenty-Three was once referred to during a case, a nearby MP quoted the rule correctly.[4]

RulesEdit
At the beginning of her tenure with NCIS, Gibbs informed Ziva David that there were approximately fifty rules that were his job to teach her.[5] Some years later, Gibbs added the fifty-first rule to the tin he kept the rules in.[2] According to Tony, seven of the rules directly concern lawyers, and that the eighth rule was inspired by a lawyer.[6] Rule forty and above are not rules necessary for everyday life, they are for emergencies. [2] Note: Look below at Duplication for info about rules # 1-3
The rulesEdit
Rule #1: Never let suspects stay together.[7]
Rule #1: Never screw over your partner.[8]

Rule #2: Always wear gloves at a crime scene.[7]

Rule #3: Don't believe what you're told. Double check.[7]

Rule #3: Never be unreachable. (*Most likely one of Mike Franks' "Golden Rules" (see below) as opposed to Gibbs, because Gibbs has been known to intentionally be unreachable.*) [9]

Rule #4: The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one other person - if you must. There is no third best.[8]

Rule #5: You don't waste good. [10]

Rule #6: Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness.[11]

Rule #7: Always be specific when you lie.[12]

Rule #8: Never take anything for granted.[13]

Rule #9: Never go anywhere without a knife.[14]

Sometimes listed as "Never leave home without a knife."[3]
Rule #10: Never get personally involved in a case.[15]
Said by the SecNav to be Rule #1 in Washington politics, in Nature of the Beast, Season 9, Episode 1.
Rule #11: When the job is done, walk away.[16]
Rule #12: Never date a co-worker.[17]

Rule #13: Never, ever involve a lawyer.[6][2]

Rule #15: Always work as a team.[18]

Rule #16: If someone thinks they have the upper hand, break it. [19]

Rule #18: It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.[5]

Rule #22: Never, ever bother Gibbs in interrogation.[20]

Rule #23: Never mess with a Marine's coffee... if you want to live.[4]

Rule #27: There are two ways to follow someone. (1) First way, they never notice you. (2) Second way, they only notice you.[21][2]

Rule #35: Always watch the watchers. [10]

Rule #36: If you feel like you are being played, you probably are.[22]

Rule #38: Your case, your lead.[23]

Rule #39: There is no such thing as coincidence.[15]

Rule #40: If it seems someone is out to get you, they are.[24]

Rule #44: First things first, hide the women and children.[25]

Rule #45: Clean up the mess that you make.[2]

Also stated as, "Never leave behind loose ends."[26]
Rule #51: Sometimes - you're wrong.[2]
Other RulesEdit
In my country, on my team, working my cases, my people don't bypass the chain of command.[27]
The "Unspoken Rule" (Franks): You do what you have to do for family. (Season 8 Episode 1)
Don't work the system when you can work the people.[28]
Don't stop checking and rechecking evidence until you are satisfied.
If you want to find something, you follow it. (Said by Gibbs to Mike Franks in "Deliverance," Episode 6.15. Gibbs then added, "I learned that one from you, Mike.")
Besides Rule 13, Gibbs has 6 other rules involving lawyers, but, according to DiNozzo, "You only need to know number 13; it's the umbrella one."
Abigail Borin, Gibbs' counterpart at CGIS, also has a set of rules. The only one currently known is her Rule #1: Never Make Excuses (Ships in the Night).
Never second guess youself in a relationship and life.
ExceptionsEdit
Although Gibbs has his list of rules to live by, he does not always adhere to them. One example is Rule #3. When Gibbs does not wish to be reached, he has been known to leave his cell phone behind.Except that many believe that to be one of Frank's rules since there are two Rule #3's. The other being 'Don't believe what you're told. Double check.' .. Which sounds MORE like Gibbs. [26] Also, on the anniversary of his last marriage, he unplugged his home phone and dropped his cell phone in paint thinner after his ex-wife began harrassing him with phone calls. Gibbs also admits that rule number 10 is the one that he has had the most "trouble with."[15]
Gibbs broke Rule #1 (Never let suspects stay together) on "Ships in the Night" (Season 8) in order to get a confession. He put the suspects together. This also occurred in "Caught on Tape", but the suspects turned out to be innocent. Additionally, Gibbs broke the rule in "A Man Walks into a Bar... ", but the suspects were only guilty of covering up suicide, not murder.[28]

Gibbs also broke Rule #12 with former NCIS Director and partner in Europe, Jenny Shepard. Jenny was Gibbs's probie in their Europe missions and became romantically involved, which was ended by Jenny so she could lead her own team in Madrid. Although, since the relationship ended badly, some people suspect that this rule was created because of this relationship.

Another exception that Gibbs sometimes makes concerns Rule #6. Though Gibbs constantly tells people around him never apologize, that it is a sign of weakness, he himself has apologized on five occasions:

1. To Kate Todd for being late to her funeral. ("Kill Ari Part 2")[29]
2. To Ducky following his return from Mexico.[20]
3. To Joann Fielding for not being able to protect Shannon and Kelly. ("Mother's Day")[30]
4. To Abby for frightening her and not being able to tell her what she wants to hear.[2]
5. To the victim's lover for her loss, although he originally believes that she was being selfish ("A Man Walks Into A Bar...)
Though not shown, in "Semper Fidelis" ICE Agent Julia Foster-Yates claims that Gibbs and Fornell apologized to her for accusing her of murdering a coworker. McGee is shocked at the idea that either of them would apologize.
Gibbs also almost never accepts an apology from someone, preferring to simply offer correction to whomever made an error in an attempt to teach a lesson. One exception to this aspect of the rule was when McGee apologized concerning the situation with his sister, Sarah ("Twisted Sister"). Gibbs has also accepted some apologies because they are covered by rule #18: "It's better to seek forgiveness, than ask permission."[31]

Also an apology isn't a sign of weakness if it's between friends.

Although not strictly an exception, Gibbs DID add a sort of corollary to Rule 39 concerning coincidences. In Episode 3.15, "Head Case ," when Tony says, "We don't believe in coincidences around here," Gibbs added, "However, we do believe in bad luck."

DuplicationsEdit
Throughout the series, there have been two rules referenced as the first and third of Gibbs's rules. For some time, it was believed that the duplications were either continuity errors or that the list of rules was meant to be malleable. Eventually, however, Executive Producer Shane Brennan revealed that the duplication was actually intentional:
“Gibbs lives his life by a set of rules that took root from the first day he met Shannon. Over time, Gibbs added to the rules. When he joined NCIS, Mike Franks told him he didn't need dozens of different rules to be an agent... just three 'golden rules.' And this is why we have double ups on rules #1 and #3. Three of them are Gibbs's rules; three of them are Mike Franks’ rules. We are still to reveal the double-up on rule #2. And it's up to the fans to guess which of the rules were Mike Franks’ three golden rules and which were Gibbs's.” [32] In spite of this, however, Franks seems to know Gibbs' rules as well as anyone, as evidenced in the episode "Patriot Down" when Gibbs passed the message "Rule #44" (First things first: hide the women and children) to him through Camilla.

The 40sEdit
While most of the rules are for everyday use, Gibbs's rules 40-49 are considered emergency rules, to be invoked only in the most dire of circumstances. [2] When Gibbs told Abby that rule 40 was in play, and Abby told Tony, he took it to mean that "something unspeakably bad is going down."

Tropical

My DH mentioned it last evening when we were watching it.