10 biggest moments and revelations

Spoiler alert for NCIS: Origins season 1, episode 10, “Blue Bayou”

The midseason finale of NCIS: Origins raises the stakes for Leroy Jethro Gibbs' prequel series by introducing a vital relationship that explains a missing piece to their story. The ride highlights a character who was previously in the background, bringing him to the foreground as his story traces back to Gibbs. It is a complex tour, as the NCIS the spinoff pivots between Gibbs' present in 1991 and the six months leading up to him joining the NIS.

THE NCIS: Origins the story covered some vital Gibbs narratives from NCIS. The prequel expands on pivotal moments in the agent's past, explaining how his NIS colleagues navigate alongside the future Agent in Charge after the death of his family. In addition to what happened to Gibbs' wife and daughter in NCIS, the prequel story explores new characters, giving them their own challenges alongside the former Marine, and episode 10 introduces the best character in the series so far.

10

Gibbs apologizes to Lala for her secret from Hernandez

Lala is mad at Gibbs

NCIS: Origins Episode 9 covers a vital story from Gibbs' past, expanding on what happened in flashbacks from the original series. While NCIS the public already knew that Gibbs shot and killed his family's killerthe previous episode confirmed that Gibbs killed his family's killer before joining the NIS. The prequel series kept details vague until episode 9, delivering a big reveal when Gibbs and Lala Dominguez travel to Tijuana, Mexico for a case while out.

Gibbs and Lala's case goes back to Pedro Hernandez, the leader of the Reynosa cartel and the man who murdered Gibbs' family. The outing brought new emotions, with Lala vowing to avenge Gibbs' family, only to discover that Gibbs has other plans. When Franks' team discovers that a sniper shot Hernandez six months earlier Lala knows Gibbs is responsibleand she is angry with her team members. In episode 10, Gibbs apologizes for his transgressions, but it's not enough to satisfy Lala.

9

Lala wants to leave Franks' NIS team

Lala doesn't trust Gibbs or Franks

After returning to NIS, Gibbs and Lala stop to clear the air. In the episode's narration, Mark Harmon's older Gibbs notes that it took Lala days to look at him again. When Lala finally gets involved with Gibbs, he apologizes to her. Lala seems to partially understand, suggesting that she doesn't know what she would do if someone killed her family. Still, Lala says she was looking for Hernandez to help Gibbs and make him feel whole again, highlighting their intense relationship.

Although Gibbs offers his apology, the agent does not want to continue under the current circumstances. Lala tells Gibbs she has a meeting with the special agent in charge, Cliff Wheeler. on Monday, and she is asking to leave Mike Franks' team, with strong reasons for her decision. Lala notes that after learning that Gibbs killed Pedro Hernandez, she does not trust him or Franks, who allowed her access to the information she needed to do the job.

8

Gibbs receives a disturbing phone call

Gibbs leaves NIS

Although it's already been an emotional day with Lala's confrontation, Gibbs receives a phone call that makes everything worse. NCIS: Origins doesn't reveal what the call is about at the moment, but the episode reveals its meaning and how it relates to Gibbs' story in NCIS. After receiving the disturbing phone call, Gibbs leaves NIS. While the agent had an exciting start at the agency, he's been calmer since establishing himself, so it's a rare moment for Gibbs.

Harmon's narration describes how difficult things were for Gibbs at the time, and the phone call hurt his ability to roll with the punches. Without revealing what he is distracting himself from, NCIS: Origins shows Gibbs hauling lumber into the office as he prepares to build a bookcase for office storage. Gibbs wants to help Mary Jo and others access stored items more quickly, and the moment is reminiscent of Gibbs' love of carpentry and how he uses the hobby to process grief.

7

Flashbacks show Gibbs' life after being discharged

Gibbs can't tell his father

While NCIS: Origins Shows many glimpses into Gibbs' life after being discharged from the Navy, episode 10 recreates the moment. Stowell's Gibbs takes his equipment to check and is considered an official civilian, with his fellow soldier noting that his war wares have been put to good use. The moment gives NCIS viewers a clearer picture of Gibbs' emotional state as he transitioned between careers, including how he processed leaving the Corps and what he did with Pedro Hernandez.

After venting about the murder, Pedro Hernandez calls his owner, Ruth, to see how he is doing. She asks her unruly tenant to pack his things and leave. However, Ruth eventually changes her mind and lets him go back inside, saying she is aware of what happened to her family. NCIS: Origins shows how Ruth is vital to Gibbs' recovery, bringing puzzles as they sit in silence and completing them together. Friendship is essential given the revelation of how Franks treats Gibbs.

6

Gibbs wants to talk to Franks after killing Pedro Hernandez (but is avoiding him)

Franks avoids Gibbs at the store

NCIS: Origins explains how Mike Franks avoided Leroy Gibbs after showing him the file which allowed him to murder his family's killer. Harmon's narration describes how, when Gibbs returned from his trip to Mexico to kill Hernandez, he carried the weight of the murder heavily on his chest. Gibbs hopes to connect with Franks and discuss his experience, but to Gibbs' dismay, the man who swore to protect Shannon and Kelly doesn't return his calls.

The episode takes a turn for the worse when Gibbs gets a job with Ruth's strong encouragement, only to find himself face to face with Franks. Gibbs is persistent about having a beer with Franks because he needs to discuss something with him, but Mike claims he doesn't have time. The circumstances create an awkward moment for Franks' partner, Tish, who eventually encourages him to talk to Gibbs in the parking lot.

5

Gibbs confesses that he killed his family's killer to Ruth

Gibbs gets his family's murder off his chest

When Franks finally speaks to Gibbs outside his car in the supermarket parking lot, the conversation doesn't meet the former Marine's expectations. When Gibbs tells Franks he needs to discuss something with him, referring to the murder of Pedro Hernandez, Franks insists he doesn't want to talk about it. Franks correctly guesses that Gibbs is either looking for a clue or feeling the weight of what he did, and Franks clarifies that he doesn't want to deal with either.

However, after Gibbs chases down the thieves who took Ruth's vacuum cleaner, the friends sit in the back of Marine's truck and drink a six-pack of beer. With gentle probing, Gibbs tells Ruth that she feels sad when Linda Ronstadt's “Blue Bayou” plays on the record player, and she reveals that the song reminds her of her estranged son in New Orleans. After it opens, Gibbs tells Ruth he murdered Hernandezfeeling a deep sense of relief and deepening the bond of friendship.

4

NCIS: Origins Reveals Why Gibbs Fails NIS Psychological Assessment

Gibbs was shocked by Ruth's news

NCIS: Origins episode 10 reveals that Ruth is a true friend of Gibbs and has a strong feeling of support for him after the death of his family. When Gibbs confesses that he murdered a man to Ruth, she laughs, commenting on the strange wonder of their connection. Harmon's Gibbs explains in the following narration that after discovering Gibbs' secret he needed to tell someone Ruth saw something in Gibbs that he didn't seeencouraging him to become a police officer.

However, Leroy and Ruth's story takes a devastating turn when Gibbs returns from FLETC, ready to start at NIS. Gibbs notes that training was easy for him after the Marine Corps, and he only needed to pass the psychological evaluation. However, when Gibbs arrives home and prepares for his assessment, his neighbor greets him and reveals heartbreaking news. Ruth tells Gibbs that she is dying a little early, offering a reason for Gibbs' failure.

3

Franks finally takes Gibbs under his wing and recruits him to his team

Ruth hits Franks

After being certain that he has failed the psychological evaluation, Gibbs calls Ruth from the bar where he is drinking shots of alcohol. He tells his friend, or his “older sister,” that he believes he will fail the NIS due to the assessment, and Ruth blames herself. Gibbs presses Ruth about why she didn't tell him she was dying before he left for training, noting that they could have spent more time together. The phone call shows Gibbs struggling to let go of yet another loved one in his life.

After hanging up on Ruth, Gibbs plays “Blue Bayou” on the jukebox, which brings the bar to a halt. A Marine approaches Gibbs about his selection, and when he goes to turn off the machine, Gibbs starts a fight that ends with him in prison. When Franks and Ruth come to rescue Gibbs, the latter lectures Franks about how the agent is failing a man who desperately needs him. The moment is the wake-up call Franks needs, and he later recruits Gunny to his NIS team.

2

Lala and Gibbs reconcile after Ruth's death

Ruth's death changes things

After putting in a significant piece of Gibbs' metaphorical puzzle by explaining who truly supported him during the transition from the Marines to the NIS, NCIS: Origins episode 10 returns to the present. After the confrontation with Gibbs, Lala is intrigued by the phone call her team member received and hesitantly asks if he is okay. Gibbs is still building shelves and has just discovered a potentially huge secret, but takes a moment to stop everything and sit with Lala.

Gibbs insists it's a long story, but Lala assures him she wants to hear it, so the newbie tells her about Ruth. As Lala and Gibbs begin their conversation, the elder Harmon Gibbs tells how the argument led to Lala canceling her meeting with Wheeler, deciding to remain on Mike Franks' team. The development encourages an existing pattern in the story, where Lala's instinct tells her she can't trust Gibbs. Still, she betrays, foreshadowing something ominous for the second half of NCIS: Origins season 1.

1

Gibbs finds evidence that someone is covering up a second shooter in the Sandman case

Who is covering up the NIS secrets?

Gibbs is building shelves for the NIS closet because it's a mess. At the beginning of the episode, he and Mary Jo go to get the Christmas tree from the office, and the secretary notices a shredder that broke after someone burned it from using it too much. The comment indicates that someone was trying to clear a paper trail within the NIS, covering their tracks, and Gibbs finds some worrying evidence when he accidentally drops it.

Gibbs finds a shredded piece of document that shows evidence of two shooters in the opening NCIS: Origins case regarding Jamison “Bugs” Boyd. The character returns in NCIS: Origins episode 8, when Vera Stickland interviews the shooter for her NIS profiling program. Contextual clues suggest that Vera may be covering something up, although someone else may be involved in investigating the case.