Waring: This article contains spoilers for NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 4, “All’s Not Lost.”A secret connection in NCIS: Origins episode 4 makes a missed opportunity in the original NCIS even more intriguing series. NCIS: Origins follows Leroy Jethro Gibbs starting out in NIS and has many connections to the original series as a prequel to the franchise’s most prominent character. Although Austin Stowell replaced Mark Harmon as Gibbs, all of his previous connections are the same, including Special Agent Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), played by Muse Watson in the film. NCIS cast. Additionally, Special Agent Vera Strickland (Diany Rodriguez) is another NCIS figure from Gibbs’ past among NCIS: Origins’ characters.
First introduced in NCIS season 11, Strickland (played by Roma Maffia) was Franks’ former partner. However, the pair never interact in the original series. Franks and Strickland have a mysterious dynamic in NCIS: Origins, where Strickland is not technically part of Franks’ team, but secretly works for him. NCIS Failing to feature Franks and Strickland side by side in the original series makes the relationship between the agents in the prequel compelling but confusing. Even dedicated NCIS viewers have no context for their coded communications.
NCIS: Origins Episode 4 Highlights Franks and Vera’s Mysterious Dynamic
Vera Stickland’s NCIS Role: Origins Unclear
NCIS: Origins’ Strickland and Franks have an uncanny understanding. According to NCIS tradition, Mike and Vera should be partnersbut NCIS: Origins does not deliver its dynamics as expected. Instead of working on his team, Strickland secretly works for Franks, obtaining files and information for a shady investigation. Their interactions have some comedic aspects, as Strickland tries to keep the deal secret and Franks doesn’t always realize she’s trying to be discreet. Yet the agents are working on a top-secret project for which viewers have no context, which subverts expectations of a traditional partnership.
NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 4 continues Franks and Strickland’s coded communications. As the team investigates the case of a missing girl, Vera pulls Mike aside and tells him, “Blue folder.” Franks asks Vera: “What the hell are you talking about?“ Stickland reminds Franks that he asked her to gather information and that she is exercising discretion. While the interaction preserves the mystery of what they’re working on, it reveals a small hint: Strickland has a profile that Franks requested, but she urgently needs the photos back, suggesting the information is confidential.
The mystery of Franks and Vera’s origins could have been solved if they met on NCIS
Franks and Strickland never crossed paths on NCIS
Franks and Strickland’s mysterious affair in NCIS: Origins would have context if they were in NCIS. Although both agents appear in the show respectively, they never share a scene. So it’s unclear how they overlap in Gibbs’ past, including any case they work on. If viewers had been exposed to the agents’ interactions earlier, they would have at least had a basis for Mike and Vera’s communication style, but NCIS missed the opportunity. As such, NCIS: Origins alone unravels the story of Mike and Vera’s partnershipbuilding on NCIS knowing that she was his last partner in his career.
NCIS: Origins season one continues Monday on CBS.