NCIS: Origins Season 3, Episode 4 ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya‘ doesn’t just bring back an old friend; it provides an answer three seasons in the making, one we don’t really love. And yet, despite me starting out this show thinking it made sense that Lala was dead, despite me thinking the Season 1 finale would have been a heartbreaking and somewhat perfect way to do it, I’m now firmly in denial land. Gibbs might think Lala is dead; that part tracks. That doesn’t mean she is.
How can this story be about her if she’s dead? How can the story be about Lala and Gibbs if it ended so tragically?
If we get the answer in the first place, it’s because Gibbs, the version we first met, is asked by one of the people he wouldn’t lie to: Ellie Bishop. And if Ellie Bishop is around, it’s because Tony DiNozzo understood that this wasn’t the kind of journey Gibbs should go on alone. And though a lot of the family he made in this show might not be around anymore, Gibbs is not alone. He’s got people. Ellie is one of those.
MORE: Is Lala really dead? Mariel Molino discussed theories with us!
I’M NOT YOUR PROBLEM
The heartbreaking thing about the Gibbs and Ellie scene is that Gibbs’ reasoning for not wanting Bishop around isn’t his usual bravado or a belief that he can do it alone. “I’m not your problem,” he tells her, which is a very simplified way of saying “you don’t need to do this for me.” But she kinda does. And it’s not even because she owes him; it’s because she cares.
Gibbs and Ellie have both kinda lived by rule 91: “When you decide to walk away, don’t look back.” And that rule makes sense, in a way. If you’ve already decided, what’s the point in wallowing? But that rule doesn’t have to be a hard-and-fast way to live your life forever. Bishop recently came back because she needed the team’s help, and also because deep down, she missed Torres. Gibbs was pulled back, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good sign to see him reach out to Tony and now accept Bishop’s help.
The thing about so many of Gibbs’ rules is that they were created for a man who was alone, because that’s what Gibbs has mostly been all his life, alone. He lost his wife and child. He lost Lala. And he kept losing parts of his team, over and over. Sometimes the rules are about living life, and other times they’re about protecting yourself. This Gibbs, in the present, is hunting someone, yes, but he’s also running towards something. Might be time to amend some rules, or at least add some new ones, for this particular scenario.
MORE: Want to brush up on Gibbs’ rules?
I’M NOT TOO SURE IF I EVER MADE HIM PROUD
In the past, the episode focused on fathers and sons, or at least on the weight of expectations. It’s an intriguing comparison for the show to make out of nowhere, mostly because Gibbs’ mountain of daddy issues are not something we’re going to fix between the timeline of Origins and the main NCIS. So, why bring it up now? And why have Gibbs act so fatherly towards a teenager? I’d say your guess is as good as mine, but I’ve already discussed my guess, and it involves Lala being alive, to begin with.
The show has dealt with this topic before, though. With Wheeler and his son, with Gibbs and his dad, and even with Franks and Gibbs in a weird way. This episode also brings back a character that has seen Gibbs as a father figure of sorts, so at least the parallel isn’t coming out of nowhere. But Gibbs has never been good at accepting his importance in people’s lives.
Will this new detour with Bishop change that? What’s behind door number one? And how many doors does Gibbs have to knock on to get the answer he wants, the answers we want? This is a short season of NCIS: Origins, so we’re almost halfway through this mystery. That’s both very exciting and very concerning. Because I want to know, and I also want this show to continue on for many more seasons, so whatever the answer might be, I really hope it’s one that feels like a beginning, not an ending.
MORE: Here’s how to watch every NCIS show in order
Things I think I think:
- The letter from Vance made me a little emotional, even if it’s just about fixing the wall.
- Gibbs’ smile!
- “Don’t tell me I shouldn’t be here.”/”You shouldn’t be here.”
- When he said, “I’m not your problem,” that hurt me.
- Gibbs, what do you mean you’re just walking around like that and going, “It’ll heal”! It won’t!
- The basement does look bigger without the boat.
- Look, we had to make all the boat jokes again. Had to happen.
- Swanson and Franks do have a lot of chemistry.
- Funny how I was worried Franks would be really upset about something, and he was just being Franks.
- “This another one of your charity cases?”
- Gibbs stay in the car challenge.
- “You were right, Gibbs. I should have signed the form.” Was that hard, Mike?
- To be fair, Franks is always the bad cop.
- Casey Bloom is a weird dude; I kinda like him.
- Gibbs and Randy in the background reacting to Bloom, lol.
- “I’m 18, I’m not blind.” Everyone sees it, Gibbs!
- Gibbs is right; you never stop trying to impress your parents.
- Tias never get over a grudge.
- Cliff’s mantras are actually very helpful, and I’m glad Mary Jo knows them.
- Gibbs is a good shot, surprise.
- Well, that relationship escalated faaaast.
- “Or maybe we just look good together.” You DO.
- He called his dad!
- “She died a long time ago.” I refuse.
- Plane crash?
- Nah, if you didn’t see the body, it didn’t happen.
- “Gear up.”
- Ellie’s face is hilarious.
- “Let’s roll.”
- “Save a couple of them for later.”
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of NCIS: Origins Season 3, Episode 4 ‘Shimmy Shimmy Ya’? Share with us in the comments below!
NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on CBS.
