NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 7 ‘One Flew Over’ is another very solid episode of the show, one that focuses on the Gibbs and Franks dynamics and gives us a glimpse into why Franks even brought someone as damaged as Gibbs into the team in the first place. The answer isn’t really surprising, Kyle Schmidt has been doing a great job at telegraphing the answer even when we didn’t know the details, but it’s still very satisfying to see.
That’s the thing NCIS: Origins has done so well. A lot of these stories we already know, at least we know the broad strokes of them. But it’s different to really see them come to life, particularly when this cast is so engaging and does such a great job at making you feel, not just about the plot, but about them.
Back when the show first started I said that this show was more interesting because it wasn’t just about Gibbs. I still stand by that, but I’ll now add this—the Gibbs of it all is pretty good, too.
MORE: Here is our review of NCIS: Origins Episode 4, NCIS: Origins Episode 5, and NCIS: Origins Episode 6!
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 7 ‘One Flew Over’ showcases how Franks and Gibbs are two sides of the same coin. Franks understands Gibbs, and that’s why he has made every decision we’ve seen him make. Yes, part of it is that Franks is undoubtedly a better guy than he wants us to know he is and he sees Gibbs’ pain and empathizes, but another part is very clearly that he sees himself in Gibbs’ anger—and in the decisions he makes because of it.
Is it a surprise that Franks was the one to give Gibbs the information on the man who killed his wife and daughter? No. It isn’t. Just as I don’t really expect to drop the investigation into the man who raped Tish. That’s not just who Franks is, even if that’s exactly what Tish is asking of him. The problem in that situation, of course, is that Franks is making it about his own pain, instead of Tish’s. And that’s why it’s probably going to backfire on him.
Gibbs, on the other hand… well, he did what he did because he had nothing to lose. That he survived and lived to tell the tale, well… that was surely just icing on the cake.
MORE: What did we think of NCIS: Origins Episode 1 & 2? Here’s our review! What about NCIS: Origins Episode 3?
DROPPED EVERYTHING TO PICK ME UP OFF THE FLOOR
When NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 7 ‘One Flew Over’ drops this line on us, at the end of the episode, it feels like Gibbs is talking about Franks. In many ways, Franks played an integral role in Gibbs getting out of the hole and becoming the person we will one day meet. But considering Gibbs himself told us “This is a story about her,” in reference to Lala, that line is probably about her too.
And we’re not there yet. We haven’t really seen it. But the show has given us multiple clues of the importance Lala will have on Gibbs’ life. That doesn’t mean it’s going to turn romantic, though there’s a vibe between them that makes it feel like it will. But it does mean that, sometimes, two broken people—even if they’re broken in very different ways—can come together and help each other find the missing piece they need not just to put one step in front of another and keep going but to finally truly heal.
In this case, we know that probably doesn’t mean there’s a happy ending waiting. We know too much of the future to believe in that. But we’ll settle for a happy now, especially if we get to live in it for a while.
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Things I think I think
- “I was supposed to be dead, but I wasn’t.”
- He truly rented the shittiest place possible.
- And his dad just… left?
- Where were Randy and Lala going?
- Ok the bird thing is kinda cute.
- The flashbacks are killing me, man.
- Is Franks gonna tell him where to find Pedro Hernandez?
- Sometimes we get little glimpses of the man Franks is, like the fact that he won’t report this couple for having an extra person in the house.
- “You two should have babies”? Randy is married, ma’am. He and Lala should not.
- Mary Jo knows everything.
- It’s always a big Black guy indeed.
- The flashback is …why does Franks like Gibbs again?
- Well, at least Gibbs is being honest with Franks.
- Tish and Lala! I like this little moment, even if we don’t know what it’s about yet.
- LOL at Franks not wanting to talk about his mistake in front of Lala.
- Oh, Tish. I get you, I do. I also kinda get Franks. But I mostly get you.
- And now I get why Franks sees himself in Gibbs.
- Oh, so he already gave him the info. Interesting.
- “The one person that saw I was broken, that saw I needed to be saved, and dropped everything to pick me up off the floor.”
- This could be about Franks, but it feels like it ties to the “this is a story about her” thing from the first episode.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 7 ‘One Flew Over’? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS: Origins airs on Mondays at 10/9c on CBS.
