Leroy Jethro Gobbs returned to NCIS after leaving the flagship show in the franchise’s first-ever prequel spin-off, NCIS: Origins. Instead of being played by the dependable Mark Harmon, his younger self, who had just joined the team when it was still called NIS, is portrayed by Austin Stowell. Origins follows Gibbs as a probie and a war veteran who was still recovering from the loss of his wife and daughter. However, Harmon’s narrations tell us that this story, one Gibbs never tells, is actually about Lala (Mariel Molino). The story between Gibbs and Lala unfolds slowly throughout the season, peppered with supporting character-centric episodes too, leading to an explosive ending and leaving us on an ambiguous note as the fate of the NIS team is up in the air.
‘NCIS: Origins’ Finale Investigates Gibbs’ Committing Murder
By the penultimate episode of Origins, the Sandman case that kicked off the pilot had been solved, with Gibbs kneeling on the floor with blood on his hands after he defended himself from his PTSD counselor, who turned out to be the infamous sniper. The finale opens up with everyone trying to hold Gibbs together, but that wouldn’t be the end of their concerns, as Lala’s friend Macy (Claire Berger), who is vying for a promotion as a JAG agent, has her sights locked on Gibbs for murdering Pedro Hernandez.
We already know that Gibbs did, in fact, snipe Hernandez in vengeance for killing his wife and daughter, but Macy claims that she has a reliable source and potential witness, rattling the entire team, who are accomplices by not reporting him. Franks (Kyle Schmid) is also implicated because he gave Gibbs access to a classified file that identified Hernandez, allowing the agent to kill him. With everyone in the loop, including an overwhelmed Randy (Caleb Foote), the team’s relationships begin to fracture under the stress of keeping Gibbs’ secret and staying ahead of the investigation.
How Does the ‘NCIS: Origins’ Finale Connect to the Sandman Case?
From the beginning, Gibbs’ narration placed grave importance on Sandman’s role in this story, but with his case firmly wrapped up in Episode 19, how does it connect to the finale? Gibbs’ voiceover explained that the worst monsters were the ones that let you think it’s over, then “enter Sandman.” As such, this reflects how the team thought the case was over once they arrested Bugs (Jared Bankens), but 17 episodes later, it turned out to be someone that Gibbs had trusted his emotional well-being with. Similarly, Gibbs believed he had achieved his revenge undetected, only for the ramifications to creep up on him in the finale.
While the thematic connection is certainly important, the Sandman case ending with Gibbs feeling betrayed is also pertinent to how he reacts in the finale. When the team goes to Mexico to interrogate who they believe was Macy’s source, there is a tense moment where they are all held at gunpoint, and later, are arguing viciously with each other. Gibbs dissociates for a moment and recalls all the warm bonding moments they have had over the season — it was a far-cry from when Ruth (London Garcia) was his only friend. With his counselor’s betrayal still fresh in his mind, he felt like he was screwing over his new partners (as per Rule #1), leading to Gibbs digging up the rifle he used to kill Hernandez and giving it up to Macy as long as she left his team alone.
Lala Saves Gibbs in the ‘NCIS: Origins’ Finale
After Gibbs surrenders, he finds Lala in the swimming pool she frequently breaks into to get away. Despite her insistence telling him to go away, he strips off his clothes and jumps into the pool, grinning as they share a moment and a kiss. However, it is ruined as he confesses that he gave himself up to Macy, causing Lala to jolt away and accuse him of being just like Frank. She says that he makes decisions that impact others without properly considering the consequences or looping them in, infuriating her as she reaches her breaking point.
Throughout Origins, Lala deals with the struggles of being a woman in a male-dominated field: trying to be taken seriously, laughing off disgusting remarks and countering them with racier ones of her own, and generally having to prove twice as much to keep a position that people probably believe a man deserves more. Her tensions with Franks in particular came to a head in Mexico, where he questioned whether Lala was actually Macy’s source, as if she was gossiping or let it slip after drinking wine. Lala cracks, bringing up previous ugly comments that Franks made, like calling her a “dog in heat” and telling him off for not trusting her after everything she had already given to the team.
But a conversation with Mary Jo (Tyla Abercrumbie) brings her off the edge, as she is reminded of the realities of being a woman and how that shouldn’t stop her from being the “force of nature” that she is. As such, Lala takes matters into her own hands and confronts Macy herself, begging (manipulating) her to drop the case by overtly implicating herself and claiming she helped Gibbs every step of the way. To save Lala, Macy drops the charges and, as we know from NCIS: Los Angeles, she would later apply to be an NCIS agent rather than a JAG one. Macy later informs Franks that she will not pursue the investigation and also reveals that her source was none other than Gibbs himself — she had overheard him drunk one night, confessing over the phone to Ruth. If only Lala had been there to see the metaphorical slap on his face.
Will the NIS Team Survive the ‘NCIS: Origins’ Finale?
The final sequences of the Origins’ finale spell out ambiguous futures for each member of NIS and the team as a whole. Franks had been getting mysterious silent phone calls, but in the closing scenes, we discover that it was actually his estranged brother who was drafted to Vietnam with him, where they became marines, but we have no idea what happened to him after the war. Meanwhile, Randy is seen in a meeting where he expresses his desire to work behind a desk, clearly rattled by the confrontation in Mexico. Gibbs takes his father’s advice to sell his family home, and we meet his real estate agent, Diane (Kathleen Kenny), who we know to be Gibbs’ ex-wife in the flagship show — a tantalizing reveal considering he had just kissed Lala. But the most provoking sequence is of Lala getting into a severe car accident, where we see her hanging upside down in the flipped vehicle. We have no idea if she survives the crash, and with everyone else dealing with their own issues, the future of NIS in Season 2 is already off to a rocky start.