As a long-time fan of the NCIS franchise, I must say that the latest spin-off, NCIS: Origins, has truly outdone itself with its gripping storytelling and character development. The latest episode, “Blue Bayou,” took us on a journey through Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ past, delving deep into his life experiences that shaped him into the man we know today.
Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Blue Bayou” are ahead!
The television series “NCIS: Origins” has only been on the 2024 TV schedule for two months, but it’s already wrapping up a significant chapter. In its latest episode titled “Blue Bayou”, we witnessed the series of events that set the stage for Leroy Jethro Gibbs joining NIS. Essentially, this means the period in Gibbs’ life between learning about his wife and daughter’s murder and where we first encountered him at the beginning of “Origins“‘s two-part premiere has been portrayed.
The narrative of Gibbs’ transformation from a lost man to a Navy policeman was intriguing to follow, but what really hooked me was the hint at a new antagonist for Season 1 and the state of Gibbs and Lala Dominguez’s complex relationship. This piqued my curiosity so much that I couldn’t help but ask Origins‘s co-showrunner David J. North about these points when I had the chance to interview him. However, before we delve into his responses, let’s briefly revisit the events of “Blue Bayou”.
What Happened In The Latest NCIS: Origins
In “Blue Bayou”, the majority of the story unfolds a few months prior to the significant occurrences in NCIS: Origins. As Gibbs was wrapping up his last shift and following an distressing phone call, his thoughts often drifted back to these memories. After avenging Shannon’s death by killing Pedro Hernandez, the man responsible for Kelly’s and the original agent-assigned-to-protect-them’s demise (a role initially intended for Randy), Gibbs chose to leave the Marine Corps. His emotional turmoil resulted in a destructive outburst at his apartment, which caught the notice of his building manager, Ruth. Concerned by the damage, she swiftly evicted him from the premises.
However, after later seeing Gibbs in his truck bed as the rain was pouring down with nowhere to go, she let him return to the apartment. Noticing he had a nice, flat table, she started bringing jigsaw puzzles to his place to solve, and Gibbs helped her out with them. Although Ruth was initially distant towards her tenant, they eventually became friends, to the point that Gibbs told her that he killed Pedro Hernandez. It was something he’d been trying to tell Mike Franks, even trying to broach the subject with him at the grocery store where Gibbs briefly worked, but Franks didn’t want to hear about it.
Under Ruth’s persuasion, Gibbs joined FLETC in Georgia for a two-month training program to become an NIS agent. Upon his return home, however, Ruth revealed her own heartbreaking diagnosis: blood cancer, a secret she had carried since before Gibbs left. Overwhelmed by this news, Gibbs struggled with his psych evaluation and even got into a bar brawl that landed him in jail. It was Ruth who came to post bail, but not without first expressing her displeasure towards Mike Franks. She criticized Franks for deserting Gibbs at a crucial time and accused him of the failed psych evaluation being due to Gibbs’ preoccupation with Ruth’s terminal illness.
Opting to give Gibbs a chance, I, as a fellow movie enthusiast, imagine myself in the role of Mike Franks. Instead of assigning the NIS job, I reconsidered and invited Gibbs to join my team instead. With this change, he was able to track down Ruth’s long-lost son in New Orleans. Eagerly, she embarked on a journey to New Orleans to spend her final moments with him. The heartbreaking phone call that followed revealed the devastating news of her passing.
What Those Shredded Paper Teases Set Up
The climax of “Blue Bayou” paves the way for future events in NCIS: Origins. You may remember Jamison “Bugs” Boyd, the sniper we apprehended in “Enter Sandman”, who has been under investigation by Vera Strickland for her psychological profile program. As the latest episode came to a close, fragments of paper from the NIS basement were revealed, bearing two unfinished sentences: “They classified Operation Sundown as ‘a disastrous mismanagement of…’ and ‘That Boyd, also known as Bugs, collaborated closely with another sniper.'” When I inquired David J. North for more details about this hint, he disclosed:
Keep an eye on Operation Sundown as we progress. In our two-part premiere ‘Enter Sandman’, you might recall Gibbs’ voiceover hinting at something sinister yet unseen. His instincts suggested there was more to the tale, and indeed, we now know that Bugs had a partner in crime. This implies that there is someone else lurking, someone who will pose a threat for the second half of the season, requiring our team’s vigilance.
The use of the word “closely” intrigued me, implying potential collaboration between the second sniper and Bugs in the killings mentioned in “Enter Sandman.” North didn’t confirm or deny this theory, but he did hint that this unidentified villain will play a larger role in future episodes of “Origins,” as stated by him.
Allow me to clarify: The second marksman you should know about is indeed a formidable adversary. It’s crucial we locate him promptly.
In the TV series NCIS: Origins, it’s uncertain if Bugs manages to break free from detention in the future, but considering the current situation, it might not matter much. It seems that his role was primarily to establish the second sniper, and based on how Senior Agent Gibbs was speaking during the end of “Enter Sandman,” this new villain could create far more chaos than their partner did.
What’s Next For Gibbs and Lala’s Complicated Relationship
At first, Lala Dominguez felt upset towards Leroy Jethro Gibbs not due to his actions against Pedro Hernandez’s life, but because they and Mike Franks concealed this fact from her. This secret-keeping was so grave that Lala contemplated asking Cliff Wheeler for a transfer off the team. However, when Lala reunited with Gibbs at the NIS office and heard his tale about Ruth, she reconsidered her stance. By the end of “Blue Bayou”, it appears that these characters have significantly improved their relationship, as David J. North suggested that Pedro Hernandez’s murder may no longer influence their dynamic, hinting at a shift in focus towards other aspects in the series.
In essence, we’re shifting our focus to new matters, but it’s important to acknowledge that she communicated her intention to rebuild trust with him, much like Gibbs’ voiceover indicates at the end. This situation will require time and effort, as Lala implies when she tells Gibbs in the initial scene in the dark room: if someone had taken her family, she isn’t sure what she would have done; perhaps she would have acted just like he did. She isn’t definitive about it. So she comprehends his actions, but she’s struggling to accept that he didn’t share this with her even when she opened up to him. Their relationship will remain complex and a continuous journey of development.
Lala appears set to play a significant role in Gibbs’ life, hinted at by his mentioning in the first episode that the tale he’s spinning centers around “her.” Although their situation has improved since the finale of “Vivo o Muerto,” their relationship will remain complex moving forward, as suggested by North. The bright side is that Pedro Hernandez’s truth won’t be a source of contention between them any longer.
Get ready! “NCIS: Origins” is coming back for more thrilling episodes on Monday, January 27, as part of our 2025 television lineup. Don’t miss a beat – catch up on the seasons that have aired so far using your Paramount+ subscription!
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2024-12-17 07:07