NCIS: Origins is four episodes into its gripping story, and it already has audiences hooked to the narrative because of how authentically it dives into the backstory of one of TV’s most beloved characters, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. With Austin Stowell having successfully stepped into the demanding shoes of Mark Harmon, it’s clear the show is capturing the essence of a younger Gibbs perfectly. This is further cemented by co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal, who recently teased that more flashbacks into Gibbs’ past are on the horizon.
Episode four, titled “All is Lost,” is a standout. It centered around the disappearance of a little girl. The search for her as well as Gibbs’ bond with her connects directly with his own memories of losing his daughter, Kelly, and his wife, Shannon, in a tragic car crash. Monreal told TVLine that the flashbacks are pivotal to Gibbs’ character arc.
“The flashbacks are going to continue. Part of the DNA of the show is that we want to show how our characters got to the place where we meet them, so we’re really interested in showing these stories that reveal the ‘making of’ these characters. We know the tentpoles from OG show that are in Gibbs’ past, but I think we’ve packed some pretty good surprises as to how we get from one tentpole to the next.”
NCIS: Origins Will Capture Major Moments From Gibbs’ Past
Monreal’s revelations suggest that the show is not going to walk on tiptoes, but instead, bury deep into Gibbs’ conscience and give viewers a front-row seat to his transformation. Leroy Jethro Gibbs has always been the brightest star of the NCIS franchise, and it wasn’t a surprise that his past was shrouded in moments that shaped his current stoic demeanor and relentless pursuit of justice. While the original series touched on a bunch of key incidents from his life, the spin-off makes him more three-dimensional and relatable.
The episode’s flashback takes Gibbs back to 1991 when he was just finishing up his Desert Storm tour in Kuwait, when he heard the news, and his reaction to it was jarring and immediate. He is seen aimlessly drifting across the base, while it was under attack, with enemy missiles landing over and around him, sending him into a state of comatose.
This exploration of Gibbs’ past not only enriches his character but also provides more context to his leadership style with the NCIS team and all the decisions he makes and the values he upholds. Even for new viewers, NCIS: Origins is phenomenal as a standalone entry point into the franchise as it offers a fresh narrative that may be connected to the original series’ lore but is, (and dare we say it), more intriguing and all-consuming.