NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 5 ‘Last Rites’ continues the show’s very solid start with a focus on Mike Franks—who he is, who he was, and who he can be now that he’s no longer alone. The episode also serves as our first real glimpse into what went wrong in the working relationship between Franks and Vera Strickland, two people we will one day know as partners.
But the hour doesn’t forget about Gibbs, or about how this isn’t just the story of this team, but the story of a man trying to find his footing within this team—and a life outside of it. And though, by the end of the hour, we’ve learned that Gibbs’ story isn’t all that different from the way every member of this team has had to fight to be where they are, in some ways, it is. We’re already invested in his, after all.
MORE: What did we think of NCIS: Origins Episode 1 & 2? Here’s our review! What about NCIS: Origins Episode 3? And NCIS: Origins Episode 4.
NOW HE’S GOT US
If NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 5 ‘Last Rites’ does something is establish that Franks works better within a team. The Franks that originally took this case, the one that was alone, wasn’t as good as this Franks, the one who’s got people to help him. People who will have his back. I’d wager that Franks also wasn’t as good as the Franks who had Vera, but that’s for another section.
The lesson here for Franks isn’t just trust your team, though it is. It’s also respect your team. It’s people who will have your back, but you gotta have theirs. And you don’t just gotta have theirs in tangible ways. It’s not just about knowing that these people are good at what they do and trusting them, it’s about making sure that when they need your support, you’re there.
In this episode, that manifests in Vera, but this feels especially important considering the issues Franks had with Lala earlier in the season, and the way he “apologized,” but didn’t. We gotta remember this show is set in the 90s, which isn’t an excuse, but it’s an explanation. Doesn’t make the way Franks behaves at times right, but it does make it more understandable. Especially when we consider that this man we’re getting to know, well… he seems like the kind of man who can change for the better. He’s already started to.
MORE: Is NCIS: Origins worth the watch? Here’s our spoiler-free NCIS: Origins review!
PROVE EM WRONG
Lala takes a leap of faith in NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 5 ‘Last Rites’, and in a way, it feels like just the thing Gibbs needed. If he is where he is right now it’s because of Franks, because someone believed enough in him to give him a reason to wake up every morning. But that’s not enough. It never has been. Gibbs doesn’t need to just put one foot in front of the other, he needs to remember how to live.
And that’s hard. He explains it well to Lala in this episode. Finding a way to recenter yourself after a huge loss is sometimes one of the most excruciating things you can do, and Gibbs has had to do it more than once. But he did. He got through it once. He can get through it again. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, and he might need some grace while he does it. But he can.
Lala doesn’t coddle him, which is crucial. She is his equal, and if she’s covering for him it’s not because she feels pity for this broken man, no, it’s because she relates to him. Whatever skeletons are in her closet, it’s clear she knows that you can be more than what people expect of you. You can rise above your demons. And she’s giving Gibbs a chance to do just that. No, she’s not just giving him a chance, considering that they work together and any mistake from him could be deadly for her, she’s actually trusting him to get it together. That’s even bigger.
MORE: If you need a reminder of Gibbs’ rules, here they are!
FRANKS & VERA
It’s clear from everything Franks says to others in this episode how much he actually cares about Vera, and how much he respects her opinion. How much he wishes the two were still partners. And yet Franks seems unable to externalize that to her. We don’t know enough about him yet, but from the little we’ve seen of him and Tish and now him and Vera, it seems like this is a constant for him, at least around the women in his life.
But this episode also shows that Franks can actually take in the lessons, even if it’s slow going. And the lesson with Vera is about respect. That’s all she’s asking of him. She’s asking him to see her and respect her. If their partnership didn’t work in the past, it’s because she didn’t get that from him. And maybe Franks wasn’t ready then, maybe he needed the lessons he’s learned since then to get to a point where he could understand what exactly this woman he appreciates so much needed.
He comes through in this episode, though. Just like she asked. Just like she needed. Sure, he had to go through his whole journey and fight his demons before he got there, but there’s hope for him yet.
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Things I think I think:
- Well, they brought Jackson Gibbs back. And it wasn’t even that hard.
- “He was looking to get hit.”
- I love the voiceovers, okay? I’m a fan.
- Finally, we’re getting into the Franks and Vera of it all.
- I love the camaraderie between Lala and Randy. And later, Gibbs and Randy. The little team dynamic moments work really, really well.
- “You love reading.”
- Sparky?
- “Now he’s got us.”
- Yeah, it was kinda weird to wait for her outside the bathroom, Gibbs.
- Ah, so that profile 100% has something to do with the man who killed Gibbs’ family.
- “How can I be partners with somebody who will walk into a room and not even see I’m there?’
- What could go wrong, you ask? Everything.
- Mariel’s Spanish, I CRY.
- And these men sound like real Mexicans, I cry AGAIN.
- What are you doing, Gibbs? What?
- I’m glad you lied, Franks. What can I say?
- Oh, okay, Eddie is moving in. Okay, okay.
- “Haven’t finished in a while.”
- THIS CONVO.
- “If he fires me will you at least tell me what my eval said?”
- The nerve of this dude, truly. “I forgive you” to this poor woman?
- I like Tish.
- “Situation’s dire, we gotta go help him.” That’s what being a team means.
- Mary Jo’s “use your arms, babe” is 10/10, no notes.
- I’m glad he got there to let the dude know, too. I’m very anti-death penalty, but it’s hard to muster too much sympathy for this man. I don’t think the government should decide if he gets to live or die, but man he was horrible.
- Aw, Franks, you put in a good word for Vera.
- “Prove em wrong.” Lala, I love you.
- “You’re just getting started.”
- There is a whole life ahead, Gibbs. There is.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 5 ‘Last Rites’? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS: Origins airs on Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.
Great episode!
The episode was soo good.. I can’t believe how much they packed in this single one. But origins seems to be getting better and better each episode. I gotta say the writing here is so much more amazing than the og ncis itself I swear.. I’m loving it smm