If there is one thing NCIS: Origins knows how to get right, it’s an emotional journey filled with tears and fears. No character on the show is safe from development. We just hope the show picks up the pace a little.
One of the main concerns viewers have for the premiere season is that Special Agent Lala Dominguez needs to be developed and utilized correctly.
Considering how well NCIS: Origins has done developing Gibbs, Franks, and even Randy, I’d have to agree with that assessment of Lala.
NCIS: Origins Season 1 has had some ups and downs, but the show has consistently delivered exciting episodes. However, some definitely shine above the rest.
Best Episode — “All’s Not Lost” — Season 01 Episode 04
There are emotional episodes, and then there is this gem sitting smack dab in the middle of the season. Viewers have likely not forgotten much of what happened in this episode, but let me give you a little refresher.
The episode opens with Gibbs getting the news that his family was murdered before the NIS takes on a case about a missing little girl, bringing to the surface everything that Gibbs has been avoiding.
If you read the NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 4 Review, you know we had to give it up to the actress who played the little girl. Hattie Hoskins as Mildred Jones was absolutely incredible.
Everything in the episode led to the moment Gibbs (Austin Stowell) parted ways with one of his daughter’s favorite toys. That was when Gibbs turned a corner and faced everything he had been trying not to feel.
It was a tearful moment that Gibbs shared with Mary Jo, which led to Gibbs finally accepting Franks’ dinner invitation. Out of every other episode so far, this is the one that saw Gibbs make a change for the better.
Lastly, the one thing that stayed with me and still does is how high Mary Jo’s damn heels were in this episode. That woman can do no wrong looking as fabulous as she always does.
Worst Episode — “Bend, Don’t Break” — Season 1 Episode 3
This was the kind of episode Gibbs should look back on in embarrassment. Did he help solve the case? Absolutely. Did he do it completely unhinged? The man was nuttier than a squirrel up a tree.
Gibbs broke just about every protocol while trying to detain a suspect in an elevator. Sure, his instincts were right about the security guard, Prado, but Gibbs didn’t make any friends with his tactics.
He completely disregarded everything Randy said, forcing the NIS golden boy to struggle between supporting his partner or following protocol. It’s not exactly agent-of-the-month behavior.
From beginning to end, Gibbs manages to rub just about everyone the wrong way. From Franks to Gibbs Senior, everyone got a piece of the chip on Gibbs’s shoulder.
This episode made it hard to root for Gibbs after everything he went through. Thankfully, Mike managed to get Gibbs back on track.
I’d say it’s unanimous that every viewer absolutely loves Kyle Schmid’s portrayal of a young Mike Franks. Schmid better get at least an Emmy nomination for this role.
The actor completely disappears into the character, and all that’s left is one surly Mike Franks.
NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 5 saw a side to Franks that new viewers of the NCIS franchise may not have expected. Who knew there was a heart as big as Texas under that mustache?
In “Last Rites,” Mike practically goes to the end of the Earth trying to uncover the remains of a victim after promising the family they could lay their lost loved one to rest.
If you have seen that episode, you know that Christopher Redman (Chicago Fire), as Albert Hope, gave Mike Franks a run for his money.
Seriously, Mike seemed like he was ready to rip out what hair he had left. Hannibal Lecter would have been proud.
The bottom line is that this episode showed why we love Franks so much. He may be rough around the edges, but Mike genuinely cares for people to a level he would never admit.
Even those who aren’t Mike’s biggest fans have come around. Remember how Franks and Strickland bumped heads in “Last Rites” because she wanted Mike’s help to get her profiling program off the ground?
In the end, Mike came through for her in a big way by convincing Wheeler to give it the go-ahead. Mike is everyone’s protective uncle. He’s a family man, through and through.
Worst Character — Lala Dominguez — Season 1 Episode 6
Listen, I don’t want this to become a witch hunt, but what is going on with Lala Dominguez? The agent has been in every episode but is by far the least developed.
Considering the first episode, that is a strange choice for the NCIS: Origins writers. If you recall, a present-day Gibbs narrates at the end of the NCIS: Origins Season 1 Premiere by saying, “This is the story of her.”
Like you, I have struggled to understand what makes that statement true. At first, Lala just came across as an intelligent and capable agent who doesn’t take crap from anyone.
The NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 6 Spoilers discussed how that episode could finally answer the question of how Lala fits into Gibbs’s story.
Alas, it was not to be. The only thing “Incognito” gave to viewers was a headache and so many questions. However, we learned that Lala does, in fact, take crap from everyone. She just puts it all in a box.
It could be me, but I don’t see any chemistry between Gibbs and Lala. The scene where Gibbs tried hard to get Lala to go out for a drink felt so forced.
Gibbs went from the brooding, always-serious agent to acting like a kid asking his crush to hang out. Hopefully, Lala’s inclusion will make sense when the show returns.
Honorable Mention — Mary Jo
You didn’t think we’d have a whole article about NCIS: Origins without specifically talking about Mary Jo, did you? This phenomenal character is the beating heart of the show.
She gets some of the best lines, like when Gibbs asks Mary Jo how to get the enormous printer off his desk, and Mary Jo replies, “With your arms, baby.” I couldn’t stop cackling.
Beyond her humor and amazing wardrobe, Tyla Abercrumbie’s (The Chi) Mary Jo is the NIS’s unofficial therapist. While the team worked on the little girl’s case, she volunteered to look after Mildred.
Later in the same episode, she comforted a teary-eyed Gibbs. And who could forget the “come to Jesus” talk she gave Mike in “Last Rites?”
The only words to describe Mary Jo are funny, fabulous, and fearless. Hopefully, we’ll get more of her back story as the show continues.
We should all keep an eye out for when Gibbs starts to put his plan together. You know the one I’m talking about. Possibly the reason he joined NIS in the first place.
If you remember, Gibbs Senior told Leroy he was not cut out for the NIS. There’s only one reason I can think he wanted to join: to find the man who murdered his family.
There were hints early on that the show was headed that way, but things have fallen curiously silent since then. Regardless, longtime fans of the franchise know the event is inevitable.
However, I still think it’s possible we could learn something that was previously left hidden. There are a lot of moving parts, considering this is a prequel series.
All I can say is that we don’t know what we don’t know, and CBS‘s NCIS: Origins could have something epically intense planned for the second half of the season.
We’ve got a good team here. Let’s just hope the team can make it to the finish line in one piece. Not everyone makes it to the original NCIS.
Who has been your favorite NCIS: Origins character so far?
What do you hope the second half of the season will focus on when NCIS: Origins returns?
Please drop a comment below to let me know, and join me again when I review the next episode of NCIS: Origins!
And keep a look out for the NCIS: Origins Spoilers posted before each new episode!
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