One of the coolest things about doing a prequel to a highly successful and long-running series is that it gives viewers a chance to see how some characters’ relationships evolved to become what we take for granted. NCIS: Origins is recounting the story of Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in the early 90s, and the upcoming Christmas episode of the new series will unveil the early dynamics of Gibbs with Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid). In this article, you’ll find all about the upcoming episode.
Even though Christmas episodes tend to be self-contained, it looks like this won’t be the case with NCIS: Origins’ first special outing. Titled “Blue Bayou,” the episode will greatly work on Gibbs’ development and reveal what path he took to land on the NIS team.
What Is The Story Of The ‘NCIS: Origins’ Christmas Special?
As CBS revealed last month, “Blue Bayou” will let viewers spend the holidays with Gibbs during his first Christmas without his wife and daughter. The network also hinted that flashbacks will reveal an “unlikely journey” that the main character took in order to end up on NIS as well as his relationship with team leader Mike Franks (Schmid). If the official synopsis is any indication, we’ll finally get a full picture of Gibbs’ early career movements as opposed to hints thrown here and there.
However, we’re yet to find out which case or cases Gibbs will be handling in the episode. So far, we only know that former Marine Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) will be involved, so at the very least we can expect to see a team-up. The series has already hinted at Lala’s importance, and showrunner David J. North (Scorpion) just flat-out toldTV Line that NCIS: Origins “is largely about Lala.” So, the episode might provide some new information on the mysterious character and shed some light on her fate.
When Does The ‘NCIS: Origins’ Christmas Special Air?
The holiday episode will air a little while before actual Christmas: CBS selected the December 16 date for “Blue Bayou” in order to give viewers some breathing room to digest it and maybe even give it a rewatch before Santa Claus comes down the chimney. The series won’t stop for the holidays, though — the 18-episode debut season will keep on rolling new episodes through January, so fans won’t miss a beat of the prequel series.
What Else Do We Know About The ‘NCIS: Origins’ Christmas Special?
NCIS fans know that the story of Gibbs and Franks in NCIS: Origins is just a tip of the iceberg that only gets fully formed in the flagship series’ later seasons. During an interview with TV Insider, Stowell talked about the Christmas episode and how it helps shape the season-long relationship between Gibbs and Franks. He stated:
“[It’s] going to be a really cool snapshot that unveils a lot of the how and why of what transpires that convinces Franks to take Gibbs into his life and give him a second shot. And I think that moment in their relationship is so important because without it, there would be no future for anything. And so this is such a pivotal episode because it explains the catalyst of what gives us the future of Franks and Gibbs.”