All right, everyone can pick their jaws off of the floor. We wanted some answers, and NCIS: Origins threw us the absolute best curve balls.
For one, we finally know how Lala’s story is entangled with Gibbs’s. And we really got some answers about where things were headed regarding Gibbs’ revenge. That’s all the subtlety I had left in me.
I’m just going to say it now: this was by far the best episode of NCIS: Origins. Any time a show can make me audibly gasp, it’s a win in my book.
This was such a heavy episode, but at least Kleenex wasn’t required to make it through. Just when we thought NCIS: Origins was going to zig, it zagged.
If you’re anything like this TV Fanatic, you were absolutely floored by the ending of “Vivo o Muerto.” We’ll get to the rest of the episode, but let’s jump right into the juicy parts of this incredible episode.
Did You See The Twist Coming At Any Point?
Talk About The Shot Heard Around The World
If you read the spoilers for “Vivo o Muerto,” you know we were fully expecting something that connects to Gibbs’s past due to the episode description.
I also suggested that we might see flashbacks of Gibbs at work planning his revenge. However, that was apparently only scratching the surface.
Technically, he didn’t move behind the scenes because he had already exacted the revenge by the time we met our youthful Gibbs.
It answers so many questions about the state of the show since the NCIS: Origins Season 1 Premiere. For example, did anyone else find it odd that Gibbs developed a, let’s say, crush on Lala?
That seemed like a bizarre choice as far as plotting because why would a grieving man be so open to the idea of new love? I mean, Gibbs has a history of wooing ladies, but the man walked into enemy territory trying to kill himself.
Now we know he got his revenge long ago, which poses another question: Does Gibbs care about being caught? He didn’t seem overly concerned with covering his tracks for the last eight episodes before this one.
It all makes so much sense now. It explains why Gibbs went from a volatile drunk to a level-headed guy who is branching out to his work family.
And here I thought Mary Jo’s fabulous shoes were what kept his spirits up.
Just When Lala And Gibbs Started To Feel Like A Possibility, NCIS: Origins Put A Definite Stop To That
I don’t know about you, but that was a Matlock-level twist I did not see coming. If you had an inkling before the end of the episode, please tell us how you figured it out in the comments.
The rest of us were as shocked as Lala. The look on her face through the two-way mirror was all I needed to know the crap had hit the fan.
It just kept getting more intense with every word she said. First, she says, “Hernandez was killed,” so you think, “Oh, he probably faked his death.”
Then she hits Franks with the phrase “six months ago,” and it’s like, “Oh, that’s, uh, an interesting coincidence.”
But when she finally said, “by a sniper,” it was like all the air went out in the room. It was like a blanket fell over the series, and you knew nothing would be the same after that.
Can you imagine that car ride back with Lala, Gibbs, and Franks? You know it must be awkward as hell if Franks isn’t trying to fill the silence.
It’s funny because everything that happened before the big twist set Lala and Gibbs up for some actual chemistry. For once, their possible chance at romance didn’t feel forced.
However, this will be a hard one for Mariel Molino’s (Promised Land) Lala to contend with. Seeing how she cared about finding Pedro Hernandez spoke volumes about how Lala connects to Gibbs.
Well, how she connected, technically, because now Hernandez is dead, so whatever their connection is supposed to be, it must have something to do with covering up what Gibbs did.
Whatever the case, I doubt the result will be anything resembling romance. Gibbs may have been married four times, but I didn’t see one Latina on that list.
Thankfully, we still have one more episode before NCIS: Origins goes on a little pause through winter. As great as it will be to see what transpires from this revelation, I’m now more interested in what’s happening with Tish.
NCIS: Origins Has A Bad Case Of White Knight Syndrome
Despite “Vivo o Muerto” strongly focusing on Lala and Gibbs (Austin Stowell), you know NCIS: Origins isn’t going to give Franks the day off from the show or his personal life.
Seriously, what happened to Tish? And when did it happen? Obviously, it was some kind of assault, but it must have been a while ago if Tish was ready to move on.
I love that mustached macho man, but my goodness, he’s a sentimental kind of guy. You can almost see him tear up when he has to leave Tish to meet Lala and Gibbs in Mexico.
There’s just something about how he loves his woman that is so sweet and so nauseating at the same time.
Look, Franks (Kyle Schmid) and Gibbs are fantastic characters who are in touch with their emotions in the best way. However, enough with the “white knight” crap.
Every time Tish and Franks converse, she has to tell him not to treat her like fragile China. I understand he loves her so much, but there is such a thing as boundaries.
Furthermore, Tish does not seem like the kind of woman you want to be on the bad side of. I don’t know what she was like before the incident, but you can tell that woman can hold her own.
In fact, all of the female characters are such strong depictions of women. From Vera to Mary Jo, and even Lala’s complicated ass can take down a fully grown man on her own.
That said, it is one of the most realistic aspects of NCIS: Origins. The strong, silent, good guys always put on the “protector” hat without ever asking anyone if they actually need the help.
NCIS: Origins Always Serves Up Heavy Drama With A Light Side Of Perfectly Timed Comedy
“Vivo o Muerto” was a wild ride of an episode that hit all the marks as far as well-rounded and layered episodes go, from drama to action to adventure, and especially comedy.
We can always count on CBS‘s NCIS: Origins to break up all the intense dramatic moments with genuinely hilarious side plots.
I mean, right from the start of the episode with that split screen between Lala and Gibbs while Spandau Ballet’s “True” plays in the background was a lot campier than I would have expected from NCIS: Origins, but it worked.
However, did anyone else think it was peculiar that the song was played again while Gibbs was aiming his sniper rifle at Pedro Hernandez? I think I actually sang along with the music. There were so many confusing emotions at play.
This is what I mean by well-rounded because the episode didn’t just evoke one emotion, but all of them.
And good god, that agent that dropped off the drunk/drugged navy man really let it be known that getting laid was more important than doing his job.
I hoped Caleb Foote’s (Magnum P.I.) Randy would turn him away until the guy said he was going to brunch with a girl he’d been trying to get in the pants of for a year. A YEAR. Why would he admit that? And why would Randy encourage him?
To be fair, in that same situation, I think I would be so shocked that I would just agree with whatever the guy said. I’m just glad Mary Jo didn’t hear him.
Speaking of the best admin agent at the NIS, how funny was it seeing her take off sneakers to put on her work heels? I would bet good money that she could take down multiple guys without ever breaking a heel.
However, the MVP of comedy in this episode was hands down Woody when he called Lala and Gibbs to tell them the navy man had been drugged. I don’t know what happens in that forensic lab, but I would watch a spinoff of it if it was done like Superstore. I’m just saying.
As I said in the NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 9 Spoilers, the promo for the episode made the case seem like it wouldn’t be the top priority of “Vivo o Muerto,” and that wasn’t entirely wrong.
Everything revolved around the case in one way or another, but by the end of the episode, it’s like, “What case? Did someone get taken?”
As impressive as that twist was, it kind of undermined the heartfelt moment towards the end when the kidnapped girls were being cut free. Once that twist hit, I completely forgot about the case.
Again, we have one more episode to go, so whatever NCIS: Origins has in store for audiences, I will be right there at the edge of my seat with the rest of you.
What do you think is going to happen when Franks, Lala, and Gibbs get back to the precinct?
Was Gibbs’ revenge depicted in the way that you imagined it?
Please drop a comment below to let me know what you liked about this episode, and join me again when I review another episode of NCIS: Origins!
And keep an eye out for NCIS: Origins Spoilers posted before each new episode!
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