The Plothole About Abby Sciuto's Exit On NCIS That Was Never Fixed

Fans of "NCIS" still miss Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) almost four seasons after the character left the show. Pauley Perrette's exit — which involved Abby resigning in the wake of Clayton Reeves' murder via a hitman who had intended to kill her — was a shockingly sad and serious end for such a lighthearted and upbeat character. When last heard from, Abby is still living in England, working to honor Reeves' memory by running a charity that helps the homeless. Her friends initially mourned her presence just as deeply as the audience did, but got along with the business of solving crimes and living their lives without her being about. So it goes on with action dramas.

But there's one plot point connected to Abby's final story arc — and her friends — that was never completely resolved on the show, the kind of plothole that nags at even the most casual viewer. Do you remember what it was? 

In the episode "Death From Above," Abby's lab has a hole blown into it by Bishop and Palmer when the NCIS faculty is locked down. Her mass spectrometer is destroyed, and both Palmer and Bishop worry about how Abby will react to this accident. While it initially seems as if Bishop and Palmer might confess to their deeds, we learn in the subsequent episode, "The Numerical Limit," that Eleanor at the very least has not admitted to her role in the incident. 

Over the following episodes, Abby figures out that her friends were the ones who wrecked her lab, but the confrontation between the three friends never arrives. Instead, Abby leaves the show in the two-parter "One Step Forward/Two Steps Back" after being injured in the shooting that killed Reeves. It's a huge plothole and was surprisingly left unmined either for drama or humor by the show.