‘NCIS’ season 11: Boss on Ralph Waite’s passing, Jackson Gibbs tribute
In just a matter of a very short amount of time now, you will have an opportunity to bear witness to one of the most emotional episodes of “NCIS” to date. We’ve written about it extensively, but few times with the context and the full story regarding what Ralph Waite, who passed away earlier this year, meant to the cast (especially Mark Harmon) and the crew. His character of Jackson Gibbs will be honored tonight, and it will be courtesy of a finale that pulls at the heartstrings.
In a new guest column on Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Gray Glasberg revealed that Mark Harmon was the one who initially shared the news of Waite’s passing with many others in the show family, and the two discussed how best to honor the actor. This was ultimately decided upon at the last minute, and in an episode that was switched around after being originally planned as something else.
Glasberg also takes the time to explain all of the particular details that he and writer Gina Monreal poured into this story to make it ideal for this character:
“Every character has their moment to say goodbye. Tremendous thought went into the funeral scene. We knew we wanted to see some of Jackson’s old WWII buddies paying their respects. We knew we had to get Billy Dee Williams who plays Jackson’s buddy L.J. to help us, as well. We knew we wanted Jackson to have a military funeral. It needed to be a fitting goodbye for a decorated veteran. From day one, Gina knew the music she wanted over the final montage. It had to be Warren Zevon’s ‘Keep Me In Your Heart.’ I’m a huge Warren Zevon fan. I wasn’t about to argue that. Trust me, you’ll needs the tissue box. It’s not easy to get through the funeral sequence without tearing up a little.”
We’ve said it before, but it is worth noting again how pleased we are that there is no cliffhanger ending being set up for this episode. It really didn’t need one, and with all of the other stuff happening this year in between Ziva’s exit, Bishop’s debut, and the “NCIS: New Orleans” spin-off, there wasn’t a need for anything else.
We’re going to have some extensive “NCIS” finale coverage throughout the night at the link here, and that includes a review of the finale and what we expect to see next season. Also, be sure to sign up to get some additional TV scoop via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: CBS