Spoiler Alert for NCIS: Origins season 1, episode 7, “One Flew Over"InNCIS: Originsepisode 7, the Leroy Jethro Gibbs prequel series continues to fill in the blanks of Mark Harmon’s legendary character. The show fully envisions Gibbs' transition from Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant to NIS agent, showing how Mike Franks plays a pivotal role in the agent’s career change. Episode 7, “One Flew Over,” reveals how dearly Franks cares for the rookie NIS agent afterwhat happens to Gibbs' wife and daughter inNCIS.
In theNCIS: Originspremiere, the spinoff establishes Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, initially played by Muse Watson onNCIS.TheNCIS: Originscharactersare a significant focus of the series. That said,Originsalso tells the story of Gibbs' relationship with Special Agent Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino), another agent on Franks' team who struggles with Diany Rodriguez’s Vera Strickland to excel on Franks' team. InNCIS: Originsepisode 7, the series continues to unfold new storylines for 1990s NIS while revisiting pivotal moments for Gibbs from the original series.
9Leroy Jethro Gibbs Rents An Apartment Because He Can’t Enter His Family Home After Kelly & Shannon’s Death
Gibbs Mourns The Loss Of His Wife And Daughter In NCIS: Origins
The beginning ofNCIS: Originsepisode 9 depicts the first time thatGibbs comes home after learning that his wife and daughter are gone. Gibbs is mourning Shannon and Kelly’s death after Pedro Hernandez assassinated the NIS agent assigned to protect them, with Gibbs' wife and daughter dying in the crash. In the wake of his tragedy, Gibbs is processing new elements of trauma as he arrives at the home where Shannon and Kelly were supposed to be waiting for him.
Thinking about his wife and daughter, Gibbs can’t enter the house, andNCIS: Originsshows how the retired soldier rents a simple one-bedroom apartment to adjust to the change. The blank walls and rooms void of furniture contrast Gibbs' home, filled with items that belong to his wife and daughter, with Kelly’s room the way she left it.Originsreveals that Gibbs needs a transitional space, and its simplicity takes after Gibbs' house later inNCIS.
8NCIS: Origins Shows Franks & Gibbs' First Encounter
NCIS: Origins Builds Franks And Gibbs' Rapport
NCIS: Originsreveals the first time Gibbs meets Mike Franks, his mentor throughout the series. Franks comes to Gibbs' apartment, saying he went to his house first. The leasing agent is still in the apartment when Franks arrives, suggesting how fresh the transition is. The agent leaves, and a tense moment ensues. Franks tells Gibbs he would have called if he hadn’t been off the clock, and Gibbs is immediately confrontational.
Original Leroy Jethro Gibbs actor, Mark Harmon, narrates and executive producesNCIS: Origins.
Jethro presses Franks on how he could take a day off when the man who murdered his wife and daughter is still living in the world as a free man. The comment immediately sobers Franks, who doesn’t defend himself but nods his head to suggest he understands. The moment suggests that while there is tension between them due to the traumatic circumstances that Gibbs navigates, the two men understand one another from the onset of their relationship.
7Gibbs Takes Care Of An Injured Bird As He Recovers From The Loss Of His Family
Gibbs Finds Something To Heal
As Gibbs recovers from his emotional and physical injuries,NCIS: Originsshows the agent tending to a fallen bird. After Gibbs argues with the representative on the phone about returning his crutches, the bird flies through the window and hits the wall. In his narration, old Gibbs remarks how the bird is just another interaction in a series of reminders that, not too long ago, he was supposed to be dead.
By the end of NCIS: Origins episode 8, the bird is well again, representing Gibbs' healing journey.
Gibbs makes a home for the flightless bird, making a nest in a shoebox and feeding it birdseed. Moreover, when he hears about it, Franks is deeply invested in the bird, checking in with Gibbs about the bird’s sit-rep in the NIS bullpen. Franks even visits the bird asGibbs builds a wooden house that can sit in the open window, allowing the bird to fly away when it heals. By the end ofNCIS: Originsepisode 8, the bird is well again, representing Gibbs' healing journey.
6Franks' Team Investigates The Murder Of An 80-Year-Old Jane Doe With Dementia
The Motive For Murder Is Unclear
As Franks discusses Gibbs' bird in the bullpen, he gets a call from Randy about a local Jane Doe killed near the side of the road. Lala shows the group a white purse painted with blood, filled with an assortment of items, but no wallet. Gibbs goes to work and immediately finds blood on the roadside’s guardrail. He follows the trail into the woods, where they discover an 80-year-old woman dead in the woods, about to be consumed by a coyote.
An autopsy reveals thatJane Doe experienced dementia, and her family confirms the report when they arrive at NIS looking for her. The team finds out that the woman was living with her family on the military base, which they did to care for her. However, the case takes a devastating turn when Franks' team uncovers that the woman’s daughter-in-law was responsible for her gruesome death, absolutely failing to cope with her mother-in-law’s confused and emotional state.
5NCIS: Origins Revisits Crucial NCIS Flashbacks
NCIS: Origins Revisits NCIS Season 3
Building on what started inNCIS: Originsseason 3, one of thebest seasons ofNCIS,the prequel series features key flashbacks that defined Harmon’s Special Agent in Charge character. InNCISseason 3, episodes 23 and 24, “Hiatus Part I” and “Hiatus Part II,” the franchise begins unraveling Gibbs' tragic backstory. While in a coma after surviving an explosion on a Navy ship, Gibbs experiences a series of flashbacks from the year 1991.
Watch Gibbs and Franks interact in theNCISseason 3 “Hiatus” double episode on Paramount+.
The “Hiatus” flashbacks reveal all the key moments thatNCIS: Originsexpands in the prequel, visualizing key moments between Gibbs and Franks. Episode 6 revisits vital scenes, remaking the scene when Gibbs sees the van that crashed and killed Shannon and Kelly. It also shows the moment that Franks leaves Gibbs unattended with the folder that has Pedro Hernandez’s whereabouts, first shown in “Hiatus,” allowing him to avenge Shannon and Kelly’s deaths.
4Gibbs Fought Hard To Get Pedro Hernandez’s Location
Gibbs And Franks Are At Odds
NCIS: Originsdoes more than remake or revisit the flashbacks from “Hiatus,” one of thebest episodes ofNCIS.The prequel series expands on the flashbacks, adding context to the moments, mainly when Franks shows Gibbs Shannon and Kelly’s NIS file. The prequel explains that Franks didn’t decide to show Gibbs the folder that allows him to murder Pedro Hernandez lightly. Franks only shows Gibbs after the former Marine badgers NIS with calls and confronts him multiple times.
The Real Reason Gibbs Freaked Out In Front Of Lala In NCIS: Origins Episode 5
Gibbs' overreaction in NCIS: Origins episode 5 has a deep history behind it. The NCIS prequel has highlighted Gibbs' struggles as he adjusts.
NCIS: Originsclarifies that getting justice for his family’s killer wasn’t an easy path for Gibbs to walk, even when dealing with someone who understood him as well as Mike Franks. Ultimately, Franks decides to show Gibbs the folder because he, too, investigates with his heart. After Gibbs pleads with Franks on the floor of his apartment, the supervisory agent caves, andFranks repeats the scene where he leaves the folder on the desk for Gibbswhile he allegedly uses the bathroom.
3NCIS: Origins Episode 6 Shows That Mike Franks Is Vital To Gibbs’ Recovery
Gibbs Struggles To Recover From His Tragedy
When Franks comes to Gibbs' apartment, it shows how vital he is to the rookie agent’s recovery. Gibbs is spiraling out on the phone, apparently talking to Mary Jo (Tyla Abercrombie), and he is drinking a bottle of vodka on the floor when Franks storms into his apartment. Gibbs still uses crutches and wears his leg in a cast, suggesting all his trauma is new, and he isn’t coping well with it. The moment shows how muchFranks was indeed Gibbs' rockwhen no one else was there for him.
Instead of blaming Gibbs for his wicked behavior, Franks forcefully tells the agent to stop harassing his secretary while understanding. As they confront one another, Gibbs reaches a breaking point, punching Franks for failing to protect his family. As Franks gets control of the former Marine, they tumble to the floor, andFranks holds Gibbs as he begins to cry. Gibbs reveals he tried to take himself out and that he can’t go on living while Hernandez is alive.
2Lala Dominguez Is Taking Space From Her Boyfriend After A Rough Patch
Lala Cheats On Her Partner In Episode 6
After a breaking point inNCIS: Originsepisode 6, Lala Dominguez reveals to Mike’s partner, Tish (Tonantzin Carmelo), that she and her boyfriend, Eddie (Ektor Rivera), have taken a step back in their relationship. We know thatLala’s boyfriend was supposed to be moving in with her, which she reveals to Gibbs as they develop crime scene photos. Lala lacks enthusiasm about the arrangement and treats the development like a burden.
NCIS: Origins Sets Up Another Major Heartbreak In The Flagship Show
NCIS: Origins is full of heartbreaking moments for Gibbs and his team, including moments that tie back to the original NCIS series and characters.
The situation collapses when Lala goes to the bar with Vera and Mary Jo to celebrate Vera’s obtaining the funding for her profiling program. When a man seduces her in her car outside the bar, the moment is unpredictable, and the NCIS agent ultimately hooks up with the stranger in her car. The situation illustrates female NCIS agents' struggles in their work and lives. Lala’s troubles continue inNCIS: Originsepisode 7, where she has conflicting impulses about her relationship with Gibbs.
1Franks Has Been Working On A Case Involving Tish With Help From Vera’s Profiling
Franks Also Works A Personal Case
Franks has been working on a mysterious case inNCIS: Originsand episode 7 finally reveals what Franks is working so hard to solve. The case involves Mike’s partner, Tish, who finds a blue file in their home. Tish first asks Lala about the file, hoping the case isn’t about something devastating that happened to her. WhenTish confronts Mike about the case, it suggests Mike is investigating a sexual assault she experienced, making up for local law enforcement’s failures.
Thus, with Tish’s heartwrenching experience,NCIS: Originscontinues to tell the story of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Mike Franks, and the women in their lives, who all face some hurdles due to their womanhood. Sadly, all the tragedies for the women inNCIS: Originsexacerbate theabrupt cancelation ofNCIS: Hawai’i,which tells diverse stories about women who excel at NCIS. The narrative suggests that tragedy lies ahead for Gibbs and Lala inNCIS: Origins.
NCIS: Origins
Cast
NCIS: Origins is set in 1991, preceding the events of the original series. The series introduces Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a new special agent at NCIS Camp Pendleton. Under the leadership of NCIS legend Mike Franks, Gibbs navigates his role within a tenacious, unconventional team.
