and child tragically killed by a drug dealer. Not only that, but that Gibbs had killed said drug dealer as revenge. We learned so much about Gibbs in this episode that I don't think any of us ever looked at him the same way again." Likewise, Julian Spivey from Examiner.com included "Hiatus" in his compile of the "10 greatest episodes of 'NCIS'" in January 2012, saying, "'Hiatus' was the season finale of season three, in which Gibbs has been in a coma after being involved in an explosion. It's a very impressive performance from Harmon, especially as he's forced to remember the deaths of his wife and daughter and has to remember horrible moments in his life, like 9/11. The season culminates with Gibbs realizing that a terrorist is going to blow up a U.S. Naval vessel, but a higher up doesn’t believe him. As the ship blows up, Gibbs quits NCIS and leaves for the beaches of Mexico. 'Hiatus' also marked the debut of NCIS favorite recurring character Mike Franks as Gibbs former boss and closest friend." Notes Gibbs slapping members of the team on the back of the head is a trademark feature of the show and is usually done to get the characters' attention. References 2006 American television episodes NCIS (season 3) episodes