8 biggest moments and revelations

NCIS: Origins season 1, episode 9, “Vivo o Muerto”

In NCIS: Origins episode 9, Leroy Jethro Gibbs gets dangerously close to his family's killer, with a big reveal at the end. The prequel featured one of its most compelling plot points in “Sick As Our Secretes,” which revealed that Special Agent Randolph (Caleb Foote) has a secret connection to what happened to Gibbs' wife and daughter in NCIS. Randy is a new NCIS character, and tying his story to what happened to Gibbs was a good move.

Episode 9 ties up a new NCIS: Origins the character's story back to Gibbs. The “Vivo o Muerto” case brings Gibbs and Special Agent Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) to Mexico, where a member of Gibbs' team tells him how deeply connected she is to his case. The agent has a special connection to Mexico, revealing that she is half Mexican, and the agents become closer on their journey across the border. The episode's conclusion resolves one of Gibbs' most essential storylines NCIS: Origins needed to face as the show prepares for its mid-season finale, but ends up forming a rift between Gibbs and Lala.

8

NCIS: Origins shows Gibbs hunting Pedro Hernandez six months ago

Gibbs is hunting Pedro Hernandez

In NCIS: Origins episode 9, the episode explains that Gibbs is looking for his wife and daughter's killer in a flashback. It shows Gibbs six months before his journey as an NIS agent. He is in a cast and reflects on his research in his barren apartment, which means this takes place after the murder of his wife and daughter but before he joins Franks and his team at the agency. The agent carefully studies the information he has on Hernandez, including the name of his cartel and the details of his truck.

However, Gibbs does not have enough information to continue. Narration from original Leroy Jethro Gibbs actor Mark Harmon talks about how he couldn't eat but ended up having to start eating again. Harmon's narration does not suggest that Gibbs solves the murder of his wife and daughter but that something allowed him to move forward. Like many others in NCIS: Origins, the flashback reinforces the original flashbacks to Gibbs and Pedro Hernandez's story in the double episode “Hiatus”, one of the best episodes of NCIS.

7

NCIS: Origins episode 9 case explained

A drunken Navy sailor connects to the cartel

In NCIS: Origins In episode 9, the team investigates a case that brings them dangerously close to Pedro Hernandez (George Paez). It all starts when a petty officer brings a drunk sailor to the NIS. The petty officer explains that he has a prior commitment and does not want to take the sailor to the Military Police, who are technically the ones who should process his charge. After Randy agrees to do the petty officer a favor, Gibbs and Lala work together to reserve the sailor.

Gibbs and Lala's task begins uneventfully. Lala has to teach the artillery sergeant how to correctly record the fingerprints of his detainees, but he soon makes a discovery and the case takes a turn, placing him in NIS territory. Lala finds the ID of a Navy paramedic named Dana Rogers (Zoe Sansanowicz) in the sailor's wallet, and as they investigate the case, it becomes clear that someone has kidnapped Dana. Evidence points to a club in Tijuana, Mexico, and with Franks out of office and her in charge, Gibbs and Lala investigate while Randy waits to question his sailor..

6

Tish & Franks' house painting brings up an uncomfortable situation

Mike Franks takes a day off from NIS

When Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) finds out from Mary Jo (Tyla Ambercrumbie) that the painter was at his house a few days earlier, he quits work. When Mike gets home, he runs in and finds Tish (Tonantzin Carmelo) talking to the painter. The situation seems casual and under control, but Franks is tense and expresses his discomfort. Franks tells partner he took off his scheduled work appointment so he could be home if something bad happened.

The interaction continues to develop into a plot revealed in NCIS: Origins episode 7, which explained that Franks was secretly working on a case related to a sexual assault Tish suffered. Tish told Franks she wants to put the case behind her and move on, but NCIS: Origins leaves no doubt that Franks is fighting to put the case behind him. When Franks and Tish argue about the painter in their house, Tish insists that she is fine, but Franks reveals that she is not.

5

Gibbs and Lala take a trip to Mexico when the case takes them to Tijuana

Franks puts Lala in charge and she takes Gibbs to Mexico

When they solve the case by tying the missing girl to a nightclub in Mexico, Lala and Gibbs cross the border to investigate what happened at La Puerta Gris. After Franks discovers that Tish is home alone with the painter, he leaves the office and puts Lala in charge, which is strange considering his refusal to support her for promotion a few episodes earlier. While Gibbs is hesitant to follow Lala to Mexico without first calling Franks, Molino's character insists that her boss puts her in charge and that she is doing what Franks would do.

Footage from the sailor's disposable camera reveals that someone named Emilia (Kimberly J. Marquez) was with him and Dana the night she disappeared, and local police believe the woman is a scout for an underground human trafficking ring. As Gibbs and Lala drive to Mexico with the latter behind the wheel, there is tension regarding the trip to Tijuana. Lala reveals that she recently took a trip to visit her father, and Gibbs doesn't press her about the information, even though it seems like she's hiding something.

4

The NIS case leads back to a human trafficking ring run by the Reynosa Cartel and Pedro Hernandez

NIS finds a reason to attack Hernandez

When Lala and Gibbs arrive in Mexico and meet with their liaison officer in Tijuana, they learn the full extent of Dana Rogers' disappearance. The police officer helping with the case believes that Dana's kidnapping is linked to a human trafficking ring run by the Reynosa cartel and that one of those responsible for the operation is Pedro Hernández. It's a chilling revelation, as we know Gibbs is searching for his wife and daughter's killer and is now close to him in Mexico.

When Lala reads Gibbs to see how he will respond, he is visibly cool-headed. She calls Franks in California to report that the case has led them directly to Pedro Hernandez, and they can take him down while they search for Dana Rogers. The development takes Franks away from his day off with Tish, but puts the team in a strong position to hold the man who murdered Shannon and Kelly accountable. The development proves that the man who murdered Gibbs' wife and daughter is a cruel and dangerous criminal.

3

Lala admits she feels like she failed Gibbs and his family and they get shot at the hotel

Lala gets intimate with Gibbs in her hotel room

While Lala and Gibbs wait for Frank in his hotel room in Tijuana, Lala opens up to Gibbs, potentially paving the way for Gibbs and Lala. NCIS: Origins romance. She tells him that Franks will take him off the case when they get close to Hernandez. However, Lala assures Gibbs that she will receive justice when that happens. Lala tells Gibbs that the special agent will get Hernandez for him​​​​​​. The moment reveals how deeply the case impacts Lala. She has a new intensity as she repeatedly assures Gibbs that she will avenge her family's killer.

It's an intimate moment for the pair, especially considering that Lala tells Gibbs she failed him. The agent reveals that she believes she failed the entire family. Lala came to Mexico every month looking for Hernandez, emphasizing her responsibility to close the case. Your dedication to solving the case and giving Kelly and Shannon the justice they deserve. As the moment progresses, gunshots erupt as Gibbs and Lala are shot in their Tijuana hotel room, suggesting that the cartel is in the NIS and is sending them a warning.

2

Gibbs, Franks and Lala meet Dana Rogers (but not Pedro Hernandez)

Gibbs worries about Lala's secret passage during the case

When Franks arrives in Mexico, his team hatches a plan to capture Pedro Hernandez. Based on Hernandez's new supply route discovered by Randy and Vera (Diany Rodriguez), their local law enforcement partner believes the Reynosa cartel may be hiding their victims at a gas station along Hernandez's supply route. . Gibbs must watch the scene and cover for Lala while she calls the gas station guards.allowing Franks and his contact to investigate the facility to see if they have Dana Rogers.

Gibbs exercises strict self-control as he watches a guard, Mauricio (Paolo Cesar) of the Reynosa cartel, grab Lala and try to drag her inside. The shooter holds the fire and Franks and his local partner are able to enter the abandoned gas station and locate Dana Rogers and dozens of other local victims of human trafficking. Although it was a successful operation, the team is disheartened that they did not find Hernandez. However, they bring his guard in for questioning, which leads them to a conclusive answer as to his whereabouts.

1

Pedro Hernandez was killed six months ago by a sniper

Gibbs shot and killed Pedro Hernandez

Although they are unable to find Hernandez during the operation, Franks' team receives a conclusive update on Pedro Hernandez's whereabouts at the end of NCIS: Origins episode 9. As Lala questions one of the guards arrested in connection with the human trafficking ring, she presses him on Hernandez's location and eventually gets an answer. The guard tells Lala that Pedro Hernandez was murdered by a sniper six months ago, and the Reynosa cartel covered it up so they wouldn't appear weak.

When Lala finds out the information, she looks at Gibbs, seemingly connecting the dots. The timeline suggests that Gibbs killed Pedro Hernandez and NCIS: Origins episode 9 confirms this by recreating a famous NCIS flashback in which Gibbs shoots his family's killer. The series then returns to Gibbs at the beginning of the episode, revealing how he discovered Hernandez's whereabouts, confirming that he killed him months ago. The development causes a rift between Gibbs and Lala, as she has spent months tracking down her family's killer.