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Critic’s Rating: 5 / 5.0
5
Kleenex must be making a fortune off of NCIS: Origins. I don’t know how the writers do it, but every episode is more intense than the last. Pretty soon, viewers will be too dehydrated to watch the show.
Between the return to Gibbs’s trauma over losing his wife, watching Franks be the entire heart of the NIS, and a truly heartbreaking case on top of that, I’d say “One Flew Over” was a borderline overdose of emotion.
That said, NCIS: Origins managed a few quirky moments that certainly earned some laughs. For example, I agree with Lori Petty’s Dr. Lenora Friedman, who said that Lala and Randy would have cute kids.
There’s Something About Tish
Is it me, or does it seem like the NCIS: Origins writers tried to act like NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 6 didn’t happen?
We were all hyped up to get a backstory and insight into Special Agent Lala Dominguez, but audiences were left with more questions. Those questions remain after “One Flew Over.”
Seriously, what is the character’s deal? At least she acknowledged that something was wrong with her to Tish when she was getting her hair cut. It still doesn’t explain what is her issue.
Speaking of Tish, what was that bit at the end of the episode with her and Franks? I’m too invested in this series to have missed something, so it looks like another side story is brewing.
In NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 5, Tish assumed that Franks was so involved with the case because he had feelings for the victim’s sister.
Obviously, that couldn’t be further from the truth. We just learned that Mike has been looking into a man who did something bad to Tish.
Then, there was that moment when Mike found Tish crying in the bathtub. What is going on? If you have an inkling about what’s happening, please sound off in the comments.
Nothing Brings Two Men Together Like Parenting A Baby Bird Back To Health
We finally know what Mike had Vera looking into in the NCIS: Origins Season Premiere when they met secretly, and she handed him the file. Raise your hands if you thought that was about Gibbs.
While Gibbs may be the protagonist of NCIS: Origins, this series is really shaping up to be the story of Mike Franks, which will only make us viewers happier.
Don’t get me wrong — Gibbs is a great character, and Austin Stowell is killing it, but you must admit that the scenes are always better with Mike in them.
Gibbs and Mike have come such a long way since their first meeting. I was shocked that Franks let Gibbs clock him in the face like that. I thought for sure he was about to K.O. Gibbs.
Thankfully, that’s all water under the bridge after Gibbs and Franks parented a baby bird back to health. Maybe Gibbs is the one Tish should worry about – just kidding.
NCIS: Origins Is A Multifaceted Show That Will Have You Crying One Moment And Laughing The Next
Gibbs has been experiencing emotional upheaval for so long. Seeing him at his lowest point really illuminates how far he has recovered. However, we still know what’s coming.
“One Flew Over” finally showed what I and many viewers had likely been waiting for. As weird as it is, we needed to see Gibbs (Austin Stowell) at rock bottom to appreciate how far he’s risen.
Thankfully, this episode wasn’t all trauma and heartbreak. As I mentioned, there were comedic moments, and even though they were few and far between, they were not missed.
For instance, and I don’t know if this is funny, but did anyone else think it was weird that Gibbs was trying to get a refund for crutches? If anything, he should keep them, considering the dangerous elements of his job.
Speaking of the job, that’s where he needs to be the most worried, and I’m not talking about criminals either. Don’t tell me you have already forgotten the comment made by the NIS agent in the break room to Gibbs.
When you ask, “What’s on this doorknob?” and the person responds with “Twenty years of unwashed hands,” it’s time to bust out the hazmat suit. That is nasty, and I’m telling Mary Jo.
NCIS: Origins Could Be Headed For A Cliffhanger
As much heart as there was in this episode, there were also many devastating moments about the case in this episode. However, finding out the truth was probably the worst.
Dementia is a horrible thing that many families around the world deal with daily. It’s hard on the person with dementia, and it’s hard for the loved ones around them.
My grandfather suffered from dementia before he passed, and many other viewers likely have experience with this disease as well. If you’ve experienced something similar, you are welcome to discuss it in the comments.
Finding out that the daughter-in-law accidentally killed Alice was almost too much to take. If you’re like this TV Fanatic, you were struggling from the first shot of Franks (Kyle Schmid) finding Alice on the ground.
I have to give it up to the NCIS: Origins writers. They are sadistic with their cases and plotting, but, damn, do they know how to pull emotions from deep within an audience member.
Since the season is scheduled for a break, we could be in store for a twist or two. Personally, I’m back on board with exploring more of Gibbs’s trauma.
In “One Flew Over,” it became abundantly clear that Gibbs is a masochistic griever. I’m sure there is a technical term for this, but I’m a TV critic, not a psychologist.
However, it’s clear that Gibbs is the kind of griever who puts all the pain on himself.
It’s why he wants to know every single detail about what happened to his wife and daughter right after coming home. It’s why he tried to kill himself. And it’s why he tried to drown his pain in a bottle of booze.
However, now that he’s in a better place, it would be interesting to see where his head is now. Is he more calculated about things? Has he been planning to kill Pedro this whole time off-screen?
Maybe Gibbs is in the process of moving on, but then something will happen that reignites his fire. There is so much up in the air that the other shoe could drop any moment.
Still, if I could make a request from the NCIS: Origins writers, it would be that we get some kind of stand-alone episode that focuses on Tyla Abercrumbie’s (The Chi) Mary Jo and Caleb Foote’s (9-1-1) Randy.
Those two have been the levity the show requires, but we need more backstory. Did you know Randy had a kid and a wife? Because I didn’t.
Then again, the first seven episodes of NCIS: Origins have been an intense roller coaster of murder, tears, and guns — a truly exceptional show.
As mentioned above, CBS’s NCIS: Origins still has a few episodes to go before it takes a break until after New Year’s. A lot could happen between now and then, especially after the show received a full season order.
What are you hoping will happen before NCIS: Origins goes on a break?
What do you think is going on in Gibbs’s head right now?
Please drop a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode, and join me again when I bring you another NCIS: Origins Review!
And keep an eye out for NCIS: Origins Spoilers posted before each new episode!
Watch NCIS: Origins Online
