Critic’s Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
4.5
At this point, it’s our own fault for being so surprised every time NCIS: Origins delivers another incredible episode. The series is not wasting a bit of potential from its stable of fantastic characters.
For one, what seemed like a series of coincidental episodes has become a full-blown strategy of character-centric stories. My God, does it work.
NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 16, “Bugs,” was a perfect mixture of lighthearted humor, thrilling mystery, and gripping emotional drama.
All that was missing were a few jump scares and a romantic moment to have run the entire gamut of broadcast TV genres.
Not for nothing, but was anyone else surprised by the amount of casual comedy on this episode?
Why was everyone eating so much? You know those actors have to take a bite every time they re-do the scene, right?
And it’s been said, but I’ll say it again: Mary Jo really is the grease that keeps the wheel turning at the NIS. That precinct is always one bad day away from it all blowing up.
That’s why it was hilarious and baffling to see Mike Franks so laid back and relaxed throughout “Bugs.”
The Only Thing More Disturbing Than an Emotionally Distraught Mike Franks Is Mike Acting Perfectly Fine After Losing the Person He Loved Most in the World
I’m not crazy. Mike lost the love of his life on NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 15, right? Sure, Tish is still alive, but she is long gone and out of Mike’s life.
Why the hell did he seem like everything was just peachy keen? There are only two reasons why Mike Franks was so chill (well, his version of chill), and neither is great.
It could be that he’s pushed his pain down and putting on a brave face amongst his coworkers. However, his attitude on “Bugs” suggests he’s more concerned with finding a case worthy of his time than anything else.
The other theory is that he has convinced himself that Tish just needs to find herself and that she will eventually return to him. That one is so much worse.
That would mean Mike is living in a fantasy world where everything will work out on its own. It’s hard to tell where his mind is at.
And I’m sorry, but he was not fooling anyone during that interrogation of Roger with Gibbs. To be fair, he almost had me up until the end when he said, “And I’m a doer!” Mike, sit the hell down.
However Franks handles Tish’s departure, he’ll do it his own way. Still, it was incredibly sweet seeing Gibbs try to convince Mike (Kyle Schmid) to check out his support group.
We’re Starting to See Gibbs’s True Origin Story as He Becomes the Man That NCIS Fans Have Come to Know and Love
Oh, Gibbs. You poor, sweet, towering Oak. How is his story sadder going through the steps of recovery than it was when he was having meltdowns?
If you managed to make it through that scene of Gibbs being told over and over again that he deserves to be happy without at least sniffling, you should check to make sure you are one hundred percent human.
What stood out the most about NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 16 was that it was another notch in Gibbs’s origin story belt.
Yes, we have gone down the rabbit hole of how he got his groove back, or more specifically, his revenge. However, Gibbs is a beloved character in the NCIS franchise.
Suffice it to say that the fans want good things for the character, and we can only handle so many emotional breakdowns.
No, Gibbs’s real origin story is how he became the wise man who could see straight into the hearts and souls of the people around him.
Of course, he is a brave soldier, but he’s also a kind man who can connect with people in his own unique way.
What other character could have Sunday ribs with a man he had previously pummeled and practically put in the hospital?
Funnily enough, I did not peg Gibbs as that guy who finds something that works for him, like a support group, and then tries to convince everyone else it’s what they need. He should’ve gone into marketing.
Gibbs can’t help it. He has that “Can-Do Attitude,” but thankfully, it’s not annoying because he’s so tall and won’t talk your ear off. No offense to Caleb Foote’s (American Horror Story) Randy.
Besides, Vera will need all the help she can get because this “Sandman” situation just keeps going from bad to worse.
NCIS: Origins Has a Rich Tapestry of Complex Characters That Bring Their Own Unique Vibes to the Story, and Vera Has a Special Kind of Classic Energy
It really seems like NCIS: Origins has stock in character development because they are getting their money’s worth with a precinct full of complex individuals.
I loved the scene of Vera in her, shall we say, “Crime Cave?” It gave “Lone detective hot on the trail of a madman terrorizing the city.” It was very ’80s Vice Detective.
Vera is the only other character almost as packed with funny quips as Mary Jo. The woman keeps calling Gibbs (Austin Stowell) “Roy” and refuses to give an explanation.
How about the fact that it’s far more suitable of a name than “Leroy?” And, since this isn’t Little House on The Prairie, “Jethro” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
Agent Strickland is a unique woman living in her own crime thriller with this “Sandman” case.
We’ve been wondering about the overarching plot of NCIS: Origins Season 1, and it looks like we have our answer. The story is coming full circle.
NCIS: Origins Season 1 Is Shifting Gears to Focus Less on Episodic Cases and More on the Upcoming Finale and Possible Cliffhanger
If I’m being honest, I never fully bought that Bugs shot Melanie. And, yet, his killing Cruz made total sense.
That may be why we didn’t question it, but it has always felt like there was unfinished business with that case.
Let’s go ahead and make a guess now that Bugs was probably brainwashed in some form or fashion.
With my limited sleuthing skills, I think “Operation Sundown” might refer to “Sundowning.”
It’s a state of increased confusion, anxiety, and agitation that occurs late in the afternoon and goes into the evening.
Perhaps the operation was a covert project that subjected soldiers to mind-altering programs and created sleeper cells.
This “Sandman” could be cleaning up the loose ends and using Bugs to do it. Well, he WAS using Bugs.
With only a few episodes of NCIS: Origins Season 1 left, the story is shifting gears to focus less on episodic cases and more on the upcoming finale and possible cliffhanger.
It’s nuts to think we started this crazy journey talking about the “Sandman” on the NCIS: Origins Premiere, and now we’re right back to talking about the escaped sniper.
It’s all coming to a head. Oh, I almost forgot. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but I just want to point out that CBS‘s NCIS: Origins Finale is titled “Cecilia.”
Now, that’s coming full circle.
Were you surprised Mike was so chill on this episode?
Do you think Bugs was brainwashed?
Please drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I review another episode of NCIS: Origins right here at TV Fanatic!
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