NCIS: Origins showed what Gibbs did immediately after learning his wife and daughter were murdered, and it’s heartbreaking

Warning: SPOILERS for NCIS: Beginnings The episode “All is not lost” is already behind us!

All the time Mark Harmonlasts almost two decades NCISviewers learned a lot about his character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, including how his first wife Shannon and daughter Kelly were murdered by drug dealer Pedro Hernandez in 1991. NCIS: Origins provided a platform to further explore this tragic period of Gibbs’ life, with Austin Stowell playing a younger version of the character. “All Is Not Lost” – the latest episode of the CBS prequel, which will premiere on television TV schedule for 2024he especially highlighted the pain he feels just a few months after Shannon and Kelly’s deaths, but what was truly heartbreaking was how he reacted immediately after learning they had been killed.

Gibbs playing Austin Stowell in the crowd during NCIS: Origins — (Photo: CBS)

How did Gibbs react to the news of his wife and daughter’s death?

Gibbs was deployed to Operation Desert Storm when Shannon and Kelly, the former of whom witnessed the killing of a Marine by Pedro Hernandez and agreed to testify against him, were killed in a car accident when Hernandez shot their driver in the head. His commanding officer informed him of the news and told the emotionally devastated man that he would be on the next flight back to the United States. Just a few seconds later, their unit came under attack, and instead of hitting the ground like the other Marines, after getting his bearings, Gibbs stood up and moved towards the shots and explosions.

Inside reconstruction of the relationship between Jackson Gibbs and Mike Franksfrom last week NCIS: Origins in the episode “Bend, Don’t Break”, the former told the latter that he suspected his son had a death wish and joined the NIS only to kill Pedro Hernandez one day. Jackson wasn’t aware that Leroy had already tracked down and shot the drug dealer, but he was certainly on the right track with the idea of a death wish. Leroy clearly wanted to die when he learned Shannon and Kelly were dead, not caring if he was hit by enemy fire. It was devastating to watch because

Although the episode doesn’t show what happened to Leroy Jethro Gibbs, we do know from NCIS that he was injured and fell into a coma for almost three weeks. This explains why Jackson Gibbs spent so much time with Mike Franks before the return of his son, who had been following the investigation in his absence. Gibbs was still in a coma when Shannon and Kelly were buried, but he later prepared a memorial for them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw this later in Beginnings‘ run. Who knows, maybe that’s when he and Mike Franks will cross paths for the first time.

Gibbs and Lala investigate an open cabinet at the crime scene in NCIS: Origins

(Photo: CBS)

How Kelly’s death affected the Gibbs case this week

As for the modern All Is Lost storyline, Gibbs, Franks, Lala Dominguez (someone who become important in the main character’s life) and Bernard “Randy” Randolph investigated the death of eighth-grade science teacher Brianna Davis, who died while caring for her boyfriend Derrick Jones’ daughter, Mildred, while he was on duty. Long story short, the girl went missing for a while but was eventually found, and the assassin who shot Brianna was hired to do so by a neighbor who ran a nearby dairy farm and wanted to prevent Brianna from talking when she discovered the farm had been destroyed. by dumping their chemicals into a nearby lake. It was pretty cut and dry stuff.

That said, this case also marked a major turning point for Leroy Jethro Gibbs, who began to recover from the loss of his wife and daughter, although we know he will never find complete peace until his departure early NCIS Season 19. First, thanks to his experience as a father, he was able to reach the terrified Mildred and get her to identify Hatcher, the assassin hired to kill Brianna. Additionally, with Mildred still missing, Mike Franks and Lala Dominguez worried that the potential of a dead little girl would discourage Gibbs, given what had happened to his own daughter. Ultimately, Gibbs managed to stay calm throughout the whole thing, although when he visited his daughter’s bedroom after receiving Mildred’s ID, he understandably started crying.

Through the narrative of Elder Gibbs by Mark Harmonwe also learned that after Shannon and Kelly died, he felt like he was alone in the world. Last week he made it pretty clear to Franks that this job was the only thing that was keeping him alive, but he was still quite distant from his co-workers, to the point where he avoided invitations to dinner with Franks and his partner Trish. But Mildred’s case gave him enough motivation to stay at the Frank mansion and enjoy a good home-cooked meal. So during this NCIS: Origins the episode showed a heartbreaking moment in Gibbs’ life, at least it ended on an uplifting note.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs will never be the warmest person to hang out with, but he seems to be in a place now where he’s open to getting to know his co-stars on a deeper level. However, there is no certainty how much time he will have to do this, because although we know that Mike Franks is leaving NIS in 1996, we have no idea what the future holds for Lala and Randy. Still, I’d like to think that his experiences with them will help pave the way for him to be part of his found family with characters like Tony DiNozzo, Ziva David, Timothy McGee, Abby Sciuto, and Ducky Mallard.

New episodes NCIS: Origins premieres on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST, right after new episodes of NCIS season 22. You can also stream the series along with other NCIS-related offerings using Paramount+ subscriptionand you will definitely need access to this platform if you intend to watch the next one upcoming franchise appearance, NCIS: Tony and Ziva.