NCIS: Origins Season 3, Episode 3 ‘Return of the Mack‘ hits you right in the nostalgia, and boy, does it hit hard. Not only do we get the long-awaited Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and Tony (Michael Weatherly) reunion, but we also get Gibbs reacting to both the loss of Vance (Rocky Carroll) and, almost as importantly, Ducky (David Mccallum). Plus, the scenes with Tony are not just a quick “hello, goodbye” kinda thing; there’s weight to the conversation that we now know will lead to another reunion for Gibbs, this time with Ellie Bishop (Emily Wickersham).
In the past, the story might not be as engaging as in the present, but there’s still great moments. Anytime Gibbs and Lala (Mariel Molino) get to share a screen there’s oodles of chemistry, and while they’re on this holding pattern, that’s even more interesting for viewers. But we are also treated to what feels like the true beginning of the Gibbs and Ducky (Adam Campbell) friendship we know and love, and that makes the moment at the end even more poignant.
The reunions are great, but there’s a lot to be said for paying tribute to what we lost, to what Gibbs has lost. Even if we still have to keep moving forward.
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YOU CAN’T DO THIS ALONE
It feels very grown-up of Tony to be pointing this out, and we know where it leads now: to him calling Ellie Bishop. But Gibbs reaching out to Tony and Tony not letting him get away with it is a great moment of growth for Tony, one that we didn’t really expect on an episode of NCIS: Origins. But there isn’t just growth for Tony here.
This show is, ostensibly, about young Gibbs. We’re seeing the story in reverse and filling in the blanks of how we got to the man we know and love. But that doesn’t mean this version of Gibbs, the one in the present, doesn’t have any lessons to learn. And with Tony, a man he probably never envisioned could hold the Director job and have a loving relationship with Ziva at the same time, there’s an important message there for Gibbs.
We know Gibbs wasn’t always convinced that Tony and Ziva (Cote de Pablo) could work, for a bunch of reasons that often made sense at the time. And we now know some of them can probably be traced back to Gibbs past. But Tony has changed. Ziva has changed. And they have Tali now, a big reason to try, even when it’s hard. Could this be leading to a bigger lesson for Gibbs, with Lala still alive somewhere? I honestly hope so.
YOU SAID YOU NEEDED TIME
The mystery of what really happened with Gibbs and Lala has been the thing keeping this show going since the first episode, basically. Since we learned this was a “story about her.” Gibbs qualified this in the first episode this season, telling us that actually, it was a story about them. But that still doesn’t change the calculation. We’ve never heard of Lala. If she’s so important for this to be her story, why did Gibbs keep her a secret all these years?
Is it because she’s dead? Is she in hiding somewhere? The first answer seemed to be the obvious one, but as the show has gone on, it’s started to lose a little bit of weight. It just feels like there’s more to the story, particularly since Gibbs got shot. Is the shooter’s other intended victim Lala? Does Gibbs even know she’s alive somewhere? If she isn’t, what happened to her?
NCIS: Origins is pulling out all the stops this year. We’ve got Tony and Ellie already, and they surely have a couple of other surprises in store. So, what does that mean for the possibility of getting a resolution on the Lala mystery? On the one hand, this seems like the kind of thing you save till the end of the show. On the other hand, well… if there’s a show that can reinvent itself after giving us the answer, it’s this one.
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Things I think I think:
- This is a perfect reunion, no notes.
- “You’re the only guy I know who could live 100 miles off civilization and still manage to get shot.”
- Took a hot minute indeed, Tony.
- “We are…together.” Why the pause?
- “Glad you’re not alone up there.”
- The toast to Vance hurt me.
- “Naturally, it would take multiple men not to kill you” is kinda funny. I’m not taking for granted how well these writers know Tony, too.
- Jimmy should indeed look you over!
- Yeah, yeah, you’re dead or whatever.
- The Ducky picture!
- I kinda miss the voiceover, not gonna lie.
- Hello, Ducky’s mom.
- Look, I actually really like Franks and Swanson; what can I say?
- Randy is a good detective; never underestimate him.
- Also, Gibbs, you cracked so fast.
- Franks, why are you so… Franks?
- “I’m glad you know so much useless crap, Doc.”
- Look, you are indeed kind of predictable, Gibbs.
- “Perhaps the world is simply evolving.”
- Hot damn, Gibbs.
- LOL, Franks being Franks helped someone at least. Go Ducky.
- “Franks liked his role, but he liked Swanson even more.”
- Man, Gibbs. “You said you needed time. I’m not gonna take that from you.”
- Stop distracting her with your abs, then!
- You do make a good team.
- “For me, Ducky would go on to play the role of the best friend a guy could ask for.”
- Tony’s Ducky impression isn’t half bad.
- Ofc the system was hacked, and ofc they only wanted the personnel files from the 90s.
- “I seem to recall you had a rule about coincidences.”
- Rule 39.
- “I worry about you, Gibbs.”
- My emotions have emotions.
- “You can’t do this alone.”
- No, he cannot.
- “Bravest people I’ve ever known are in this building. And they’re lucky to have you leading them, Tony.”
- Tony’s gonna walk out of here and call Ziva and tell her that he finally got Dad’s approval.
- “I’m proud of you.”
- Maybe he’s not even walking out of there, just calling.
- “Take care, boss.”
- Ugh, that hurt.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Origins Season 3, Episode 3 ‘Return of the Mack’? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.
