In the season 12 finale of "NCIS," the team suffered another blow when one of them got shot. In the episode, Gibbs (Mark Harmon), Tony (Michael Weatherly) and Joanna (Mimi Rogers) were tracking a terrorist group responsible for Ned's (Matt Jones) death in Cairo when Gibbs was shot by a boy he befriended. It is unclear whether he survived or not.
It was reported earlier this year that the new season will pick up where the previous one left off, and Gibbs' life will be in the hands of Dr. Taft, which will be played by guest star Jon Cryer. There's a good chance that fans will get to see Gibbs again, although it remains to be seen whether him getting shot will have a psychological effect on him and the rest of the NCIS team.
Speaking to TV Fanatic, Weatherly said that the show is "undergoing a metamorphosis" not because of an external change — such as when actors choose to leave the show like when fan favorite Cote de Pablo left in season 10 — but because of an internal change.
"Part of it had to do with Gibbs getting shot last year and the change that brought that about but I think there's something fundamental shifting in the sands of NCIS," he told the website.
The actor added that season 13 will be about "digging stuff up" and that for the first time ever, he has no idea how the season will end.
Weatherly said that this season, he hopes that Gibbs will find some hope in his life after seeing Tony progress with his own life. The star added that this is the year that Tony and Gibbs will "subvert expectation."
"Tony has been waiting for something and I think for too long so I think this is the year we figure that out," he said.
"NCIS" season 13 premieres on Sept. 22 at 8/7c on CBS.
