The midseason finale of NCIS: Origins explored an untold story in Jethro Gibb’s early years in the service. Focusing on Gibb’s redemption, “Blue Bayou” became the first non-procedural episode in NCIS history.
The midseason finale of NCIS: Origins finally addressed one mystery in Jethro Gibbs’ backstory. Speaking to The Wrap, series co-creator David North said they set out to explain what Gibbs was doing months after he killed Pedro Hernandez; the mainline series ignored this time gap entirely. “As someone that wrote for NCIS for years, and was there on the ground floor when the original creator, Don Bellisario, came up with a lot of this stuff with Gibbs and [his family] Shannon and Kelly, I always felt there was a huge part of this that was missing, which was what happened after Gibbs killed Pedro,” he said. “Well, what happened in those months?”
Episode 10, “Blue Bayou” introduced Ruth, a new character who would inspire Gibbs to join the NIS. North said they came up with this arc as an offshoot of “One Flew Over”, where Ruth briefly appeared in a scene. “We had actress London Garcia, who plays Ruth. She came on to do a bit part where she showed Gibbs his apartment in Episode 7. And as Gina and I were trying to really figure out what did happen after Gibbs killed Pedro, we put our heads together, and Gina had this idea of if Ruth and he developed this friendship when he had no one else, and it really took off from there.” Episode 10 focused on their story and dropped the procedural narrative, a first in NCIS history.
NCIS: Origins Breaks A 21-Year Franchise Streak
“We’re really proud of the episode and how it turned out,” North added. “To our knowledge, this is the first episode in 1,000+ episodes that doesn’t have a case. And we’re really proud of it.” The NCIS franchise carved its niche on TV as a police procedural driven by ensemble characters; they defined the mainline show and spinoffs, but the cases were staples of the series. There was a hint that NCIS: Origins would depart from this template when Mark Harmon was confirmed to reprise Gibbs in the show, but as an introspective narrator of his younger self’s experiences.
Ruth’s brief appearance also explained why Gibbs never mentioned anything about her in NCIS. “I loved the idea that Gibbs — this legendary character that we’ve known for 20-some years — really was saved and became an agent because of this woman, Ruth, his apartment manager,” North added. “It really motivated us to tell a great emotional story that stayed true to canon. NCIS: Origins is a breath of fresh air for the franchise, bringing back its foundational protagonist in a way that’s more relatable to audiences. It also adds replay value to the mainline series, as fans will have to revisit the early seasons with an entirely new perspective on Gibbs’ journey.
NCIS: Origins returns with new episodes on Jan. 27 on CBS.