The Real Reason Abby Had A Toothbrush At McGee's Apartment On NCIS

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) may be the star of NCIS, but for 15 seasons, Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) stood out from a purely visual standpoint. Her goth-inspired look often contrasted heavily with the primarily professional attire worn by her colleagues. Her interest in death made her a natural fit to be the team's forensic scientist, who examined ballistics and other pieces of evidence to determine causes of death for the bodies that came in to her office. Still, even with such a dark, dour job, she never let it impact her chipper personality or her appreciation toward her beloved stuffed hippo, Bert. 

Pauley Perrette left the role after 15 seasons, and the show has never quite been the same. Even after hundreds of episodes, there was still plenty about the character that could have been explored in future episodes. Considering she moved to England during her last appearance, there's always a possibility she could return to fill in some gaps. It'd certainly be intriguing if her time in another country made her ditch the gothic aesthetic and see how her former colleagues react to a new look. 

For the time being, we still have over 300 episodes to rewatch and appreciate the fantastic performance she gave for more than a decade. Upon your next NCIS marathon, you may question some things you didn't notice the first time around, such as why Tim McGee (Sean Murray) had a toothbrush for her when she had to camp out at his place to avoid being spotted by her stalker. 

On the NCIS episode "Bloodbath," Abby's targeted by a stalker who's going to great lengths to track her down. It isn't safe for her to go home, so she stays at McGee's place until this plot line blows over. At one point in the episode, Abby realizes she's misplaced her toothbrush; she wants to go outside to see if she left it in McGee's car, but even a simple trip like that isn't safe for her. It's at this point he reveals he has her old toothbrush in the bathroom she can use for the time being. 

While some people may think it's weird for a single guy to have a spare toothbrush handy, the moment actually calls back to the season 1 story line when the two of them dated. Their relationship never escalated to a point where there was some blow-out breakup. Instead, the romance just kind of fizzled out as they went from explicitly dating to becoming friends. 

The toothbrush moment in season 3 is all the more interesting with this context because it seems like even though they're not hooking up any longer, McGee still carries a flame for her. Maybe he hoped one day they could get back together, and he wanted her toothbrush there just in case. Sadly for people who shipped McAbby, it wasn't meant to be. Still, things worked out pretty well for McGee as he met his future wife, Delilah Fielding (Margo Harshman), in season 10. We're guessing he finally had to throw away her toothbrush once she came into his life. 

Abby and McGee may have broken up, but it's clear they didn't let any feelings get in the way of maintaining a friendship. Maybe while she's away in England, Abby will find her one true love just like McGee already has.