While NCIS: Origins Delved Into One Of Mike Franks’ Toughest Cases, I’m Glad What Was In Gibbs’ Psych Eval Was Finally Revealed

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As a dedicated fan who has followed Gibbs’ journey through the years, I must say that NCIS: Origins is truly a treat for us die-hard fans. The latest episode, “Last Rites,” not only delved into one of Mike Franks’ toughest cases but also revealed a surprising twist in Gibbs’ past.

Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Last Rites” are ahead!

Fans of NCIS have gained insight into Leroy Jethro Gibbs through Mark Harmon’s portrayal spanning almost two decades, but the new series, NCIS: Origins, offers a fresh perspective on the character. Austin Stowell plays a younger Gibbs who is still in the early stages of his career at NIS (as it was known back then). The premiere shed light on some Gibbs-isms and hinted at the relationship he would develop with Lala Dominguez, but it also revealed that his psychological evaluation wasn’t favorable for a federal agent role. The latest episode of the prequel, “Last Rites,” which recently aired in the 2024 TV schedule, finally disclosed the contents of that evaluation while delving into one of Mike Franks’ most challenging cases. Let’s discuss that first.

Mike Franks Got His Last Chance To Find A Victim’s Remains

In the year 1985, six years prior to the commencement of “NCIS: Origins”, a week after Vera Strickland ended her professional alliance with Mike Franks, the Texan sporting a mustache (portrayed by Kyle Schmid in this series), independently handled the Albert Hope case. Hope, once an esteemed theology professor, is suspected of murdering his wife, Anna Larson, and her lover, Captain Jonathan Rice, when he discovered them together at his residence. Although Franks located Rice’s body, he was unable to find Anna’s, a fact that greatly affected him as he had vowed to return her safely to her twin sister Julie.

1991 saw Hope’s execution imminent, giving Franks and his team a mere two days to extract the location from him. Agreeing to meet with Julie for “forgiveness,” Hope led Franks, his team, and an escort to a desert area where Rice’s body had been discovered earlier. True to his word, a body was found exactly where Hope indicated, seemingly closing the case. However, things weren’t as straightforward as they seemed…

More NCIS: Origins Coverage

Origins, we saw a significant moment for Gibbs in an elevator, but what caught my attention was how the prequel made a major change regarding Mike Franks.

Mark Harmon made a guest appearance on the premiere of NCIS: Origins, and I’m enjoying the enthusiastic responses from fans about his reprisal of the role as Gibbs.

Mike Franks broke his promise to Albert Hope after a corpse was discovered, yet it wasn’t Anna’s body, but that of an unrelated person found by Hope as he buried Jonathan Rice. With no other choice, Franks conceded and allowed Julie to meet Hope so she could grant him forgiveness. However, Hope didn’t seek her pardon, but instead wanted to offer Julie forgiveness, as he believed she was responsible for taking Anna to fancy bars and driving her the night she encountered Jonathan Rice. In Hope’s distorted mind, it was Julie who inadvertently caused Anna’s death. But he “forgave” her, which infuriated Franks.

It turned out that the team won without needing the suspect’s assistance. They discovered that Hope had been burying his victims based on their specific religious customs. Since Rice was Catholic, he was buried under a cactus that created a cross-shaped shadow. The Muslim passerby was buried using stones and a cloth covering. Although Anna wasn’t religious herself, the last part of Hope’s book explained how one could find spirituality and God through various sources like wealth, intimacy, alcohol, and influence. This newfound insight helped Frank solve the case.

In a desperate attempt to expose Hope’s killer before an execution by lethal injection, he cried out at the perpetrator, revealing that they knew he had buried Anna near the Viva Vineyard since he believed his wife considered wine as her deity. With this final secret exposed, Hope died peacefully, and after all these years, Anna received a proper burial at last.

Lala Revealed To Gibbs What What In His Psych Eval

NCIS: Origins unfolds approximately three months following the tragic deaths of Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ first wife, Shannon, and daughter, Kelly, at the hands of drug dealer Pedro Hernandez. A significant revelation from the previous episode disclosed that upon learning about their demise while overseas, Gibbs intentionally stepped into enemy fire during an attack, leading to a coma. However, as portrayed in “Last Rites,” his father Jackson’s visit was instrumental in bringing him back to consciousness.

Essentially, Gibbs is struggling emotionally while tackling initial NIS cases, and Cliff Wheeler, head of the Pendleton branch, advised Mike Franks to release him if his behavior became unmanageable. Lala Dominguez also reviewed Gibbs’ psychological evaluation, and by the fifth episode, she shared its contents with him following an incident where Gibbs brandished a gun at men driving near the site where Albert Hope incorrectly indicated Anna Larson was buried.

Later on, Lala questioned Gibbs about the events following whatever had occurred, to which Gibbs shared an experience from his childhood. When his dog was hit by a car, Gibbs reacted impulsively and aggressively, but his father guided him towards fishing as a way to clear his mind. It seemed that Lala was touched by this story since she didn’t inform Mike Franks about the incident. Furthermore, after Anna’s funeral, Lala shared with Gibbs the results of his evaluation, which indicated he was in a state of depression due to trauma, had impulsive tendencies and unresolved anger issues, and that the evaluator strongly suggested extensive therapy and believed that Gibbs might not be able to last long at NIS in the long run.

In a different turn of events, Lala advised Gibbs not to fret about the matter, explaining that there were peculiar elements in her evaluation and she didn’t care to learn what was contained in Mike Frank’s assessment. Instead, she proposed he should go fishing weekly as a means of clearing his thoughts. It remains uncertain if Gibbs’ psychological evaluation will continue to play a significant role in the storyline of “Origins,” but given his frequent fishing excursions on “NCIS,” it seems likely that he may eventually follow Lala’s advice.

Every Monday at 10 PM Eastern Time, you can catch brand new episodes of “NCIS: Origins” on CBS, right after the main series concludes its 22nd season. To enjoy all the amazing shows in the “NCIS” collection, subscribe to Paramount+.

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2024-11-05 07:37