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Gibbs' sordid past returns to haunt him in NCIS: Origins finale (here's how)

The character has a tense hour of television coming up.
ByDanilo Castro|
NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid). NCIS: ORIGINS stars Austin Stowell as young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Tyla
NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office where he forges his place on a gritty, ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid). NCIS: ORIGINS stars Austin Stowell as young Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Mariel Molino as Special Agent Lala Dominguez, Tyla

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) is a different man in NCIS: Origins. He's not the cynical veteran that we first met in NCIS, but someone who is struggling to hold on to his idealism in the face of some very tragic events. Well, he was, at least.

Gibbs killed the man responsible for the deaths of his wife daughter, a clear breaking point in the man's life and one of the most anticipated moments of NCIS: Origins' first season. It lived up to the hype, but the storyline involving Pedro Hernandez is far from over. In fact, the murder will play a huge part in the Origins' finale.

Pedro Hernandez's murder is unearthed

Flight of Icarus
“Flight of Icarus” – The team investigates the death of a famed Marine commander’s son, while a pivotal part of Franks’ past involving his family is revealed, on NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Jan. 27 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R): Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks, Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro

The finale, titled "Cecilia," will see Hernandez's murder unearthed, which brings about some tense moments of self-reflection for Gibbs. "Mary Jo’s story proves that the past comes back to move you or haunt you," actress Tyla Abercrumbie told TV Insider. "In the case with Gibbs, the tease is it might be there to haunt him."

The decision to shift the focus from the murder of Pedro Hernandez to the ramifications of it was a conscious decision on the part of NCIS showrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North. North told TV Line that they briefly considered making the murder the focus of the finale, but realized they had more dramatic material to play with if they moved it up in the season.

"I do remember at one point that being brought up, but Gina and I felt like this is something that the audience knows is coming," North stated. "The hardcore fans know he [killed Hernandez] before he joined NCIS, but there will be a lot of people tonight who are shocked that it already happened." The co-showrunner felt the aftermath was where the real intrigue lied.

Gibbs will have to deal with the fallout

One Flew Over
“One Flew Over” – NIS investigates the murder of a dementia-afflicted Jane Doe. Also, flashbacks reveal the first time Gibbs met Franks, on NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Nov. 25 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R): Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks and Austin Stowell as Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"We wanted to stay true to canon while answering a bunch of questions that Gina and I, as longtime fans and writers of [NCIS], had ourselves," North added. "It was one of the first tentpoles that we put up as far as we wanted to reveal it, and it evolved throughout the season as the characters evolved. We are happy with how it turned out."

The NCIS: Origins season one finale airs Monday, April 28. There will undoubtedly be unresolved questions about Gibbs' psyche, and how Hernandez's murder shapes his immediate future as an NCIS member, but fortunately, CBS has already renewed the show for a second season so we are guaranteed these answers.

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