The Worst Abby Sciuto Storyline On NCIS
"NCIS"' Abigail "Abby" Sciuto (Pauley Perrette) is one of the most popular characters in the long-lived drama. For 15 seasons, the peppy forensic scientist brought humor and a unique sense of style to her job and spawned a fanbase who still sometimes yearns for her return. Quirky but quite highly skilled, Abby has a certain duality to her; she can kick her way free from a hostage situation (see: "Frame Up," Episode 9 of Season 3) and she can wield her stuffed hippo, Bert, who farts whenever she squeezes him with equal aplomb. Since Perrette admitted she used her dog to inspire her performance as Abby, this combination of the character's adherence to serious work with a note of playful humor makes lots of sense. Abby was multilayered, but never afraid to show the world that her family and friends came first.
Abby had a number of long-term storylines on "NCIS" during her time on the show. She'd managed to construct close friendships with nearly all of her coworkers, especially Special Agent Tim McGee (Sean Murray), whose connection to Abby became a particular favorite among the show's fanbase. But not all of Abby's onscreen moves were popular with TV watchers. What's the worst storyline Abby ever had to endure on "NCIS"?
Abby helped a dog beat a murder rap, and mistreated her colleague as a result
In Episode 13 of Season 5, "Dog Tags," (Per IMDb) Abby finds herself in what ought to be her quirky wheelhouse. The team bursts in on a murder scene and Tim McGee is attacked by the dog standing sentry over a body, drugs, and money. McGee manages to avoid seriously wounding the canine, who stands accused of murdering his handler, who happens to work at a nearby naval air station. Abby both scolds Tim for shooting first ("Dogs don't kill people!" she shouts) and takes the dog, whom she quickly nicknames "Jethro" after her boss, Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon), under her wing. Abby becomes obsessed with proving Jethro's innocence and goes to over-the-top means to prove he didn't kill his handler. When Jethro sniffs out a set of bones belonging to another missing dog, Abby is eventually proven right, and Jethro is cleared of the accusation and adopted out.
This combination of levity and serious business should be right in Abby's wheelhouse. But instead of being an interestingly quirky experience, "Dog Tags" just makes her look inconsistent, especially because she puts the dog's health over her colleague's. To quote IMDb user lindabellcrandall, "In the episode Corporal Punishment [Episode 10 of Season 5], Abby is ready to hang Damon Werth [Paul Telfer] for attacking Tony, Ziva and Tim but she gets more angry at Tim for shooting a dog that was attacking him. Most times Abby has empathy for everyone but in the 4th and 5th seasons she bounces all over the place between one extreme to another."
The end result is an episode that's not exactly Abby's best storyline.