[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 7 “One Flew Over.”]
NCIS: Origins has featured some firsts and moments fan expected for Gibbs (Austin Stowell)—such as stopping an elevator and even some woodwork, making a birdhouse in this episode—and in the latest episode, it recreates a major part of his past: what sets him on the path to kill the man who murdered his wife and daughter.
On NCIS, we saw briefly the moment that Franks (Muse Watson on the mothership) left the file on Pedro Hernandez (Shannon and Kelly’s killer) on his desk for Gibbs (Mark Harmon, who now narrates and executive produces the prequel) to read. NCIS: Origins expands that scene in “One Flew Over.” There were “a lot” of discussions about recreating that, Stowell told TV Insider when he recently stopped by. Watch the full video interview above.
“We were trying to do exactly what they did so that fans of the show get what they’re looking for. I feel like it is our duty to pay homage to the show that was on for 20 years before us and certainly with a moment as big as this. I mean, this is the information that—this is everything to Gibbs. This is what he thinks at this point will be the key to the rest of his life, to solving himself, to unwinding all of these knots that are inside him,” he said.
“This episode is chock-full of them, where we’re getting to see the van where Shannon and Kelly were killed. We’re getting to see the folder for the first time. We are witnessing the moment that Mike Franks [Kyle Schmid] meets Gibbs. All of these firsts. I mean, that’s what’s so much fun about this show is getting to play out these moments that I hope are really special for the fanbase.”
Stowell was quick to remind us that “this is a memory of Gibbs, that all of this is a diary entry and that there are a reason why witnesses are questioned right away after a crime because your brain starts to play tricks on you. And so the memories might not always be exactly as they were the first time. And you can tell I’m being diplomatic with my words right now because there may be things coming down the road where significant events will play out in a way that maybe isn’t exactly like fans remembered it, but maybe how Gibbs remembers it.”
Might that include Gibbs killing Pedro? We know that’s coming, and at the end of the flashbacks in this episode, Gibbs now has a reason to start his recovery. Stowell promised that we will see that big moment.
“What I know has been a very small moment, flashes almost from the mothership, fans will finally get to see the fans will finally get to see a more full version of that incredibly significant event in Gibbs’ life,” he shared.
Watch the full video interview above for much more from Stowell on Gibbs’ recovery, the origins of Gibbs and Franks’ bond, what makes his younger version very different from Harmon’s, exploring Gibbs and young Tobias Fornell’s (Lucas Dixon) friendship, and more. Plus, which aspect of Gibbs is he most looking forward to exploring the origins of?
NCIS: Origins, Mondays, 10/9c, CBS