If TV Fanatic had to sum up NCIS: Origins in one word, we’d have to go with “Bittersweet.” Every episode proves this was a show none of us knew we needed.
For one thing, the show has made character development its bread-and-butter by giving every character a chance to shine and shoulder their own episode or arc.
It’s hard to believe NCIS: Origins is still in its freshman season with how much has happened.
There is probably a whole group of people who are severely dehydrated from the amount of crying this series induces. Consider this your friendly reminder to drink lots of water while enjoying NCIS: Origins.
It’s not just the sad parts that are so compelling, either. The show has no problem conveying some truly shocking cases. This one, in particular, was hard to stomach.
NCIS: Origins Never Phones It in When It Comes to the Episodic Cases, and the Show Is Certainly Not Afraid to Depict Some Gruesome Kills
Speaking on the case, that was Ryan Murphy-level gruesome with what happened to the victim. And then there was that little tidbit of info dropped at the crime scene about the rigor mortis.
As far as facts go, that was not a fun one. The human body is a complex tapestry of wonders, but flash-freezing a person’s moment of death is too morbid for my taste.
That said, the cases the NIS takes on are always layered and rarely as cut and dry as they may seem. Remember NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 7 with the dementia-afflicted Jane Doe?
That one was rough to watch. If you recall, the victim’s daughter-in-law had grown resentful of taking care of her husband’s mother.
When the victim accidentally died, the daughter-in-law dumped her body in the woods. So, yeah, NCIS: Origins is not afraid to show just how grisly a crime can be.
However, the killers are usually a little smarter or harder to find.
The killer in “From the Ashes” might as well have had the word “Guilty” tattooed on his forehead, but the defensive wounds were more than enough.
Maybe it’s just me, but Garcia didn’t strike me as a rapist-murderer, but then again, he was only on the screen for two minutes.
Now, Anthony Cook, on the other hand, practically had a neon sign above his head that said “RUN!” Seriously, that guy was one wig away from being Norman Bates.
“From the Ashes” Gave Us A Villain the Likes of Which Have Not Been Seen in Ten Episodes
If you’ve kept up with the NCIS: Origins reviews, you know we have been racking our brains trying to figure out what happened to Tish.
The show sprinkled out little details throughout the first half of the season. For a while, it seemed like we were never going to find out what traumatic thing happened.
Even though we still don’t have the exact details, we don’t need them because, at the end of the day, Tish is lucky she walked away from the attack. It didn’t look like many others did.
The last antagonistic character as incredibly complex as Anthony Cook was Christopher Redman’s (FBI) Albert Hope on NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 5.
That was the one where the serial killer wouldn’t tell the family of one of his victims, where he buried the body, and he was days away from being executed.
Funnily enough, Mike lost it in that episode as well. He’s one passionate man, that Mike Franks.
It would be nice if his brain was as big as his heart, though. As far as I know, whiskey and guns rarely lead to a positive outcome.
And I’m sorry, but did anyone else chuckle a little watching Gibbs talk Mike down from shooting Anthony? The irony was just too good.
If You Take a Step Back, You’ll See That NCIS: Origins Is Really a Show About Where Everyone’s’ Traumas Originated From
It’s just kind of funny to me that Gibbs, the man who brought himself to the edge of his sanity trying to take down his wife and daughter’s killer, was the one to talk Mike out of his revenge.
And even funnier, Mike listened to him, knowing full well that Gibbs has some red on his ledger.
Also, it’s fantastic that Gibbs has been going to a support group for his trauma because, Lord knows, the man needs it. However, for it to work, Gibbs has to work it — meaning he needs to share with the group.
Hopefully, the writers will keep the character going, as the show just introduced the support group at the end of NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 13.
It was around the part where Tish left Mike because he could not let go of what happened to her. And now, she is just gone.
As mentioned above, it was bittersweet because NCIS: Origins has such rich characters. Each feels like a real person we’ve gotten to know.
Seeing Tish drive away to start her life somewhere else was heartbreaking because all I could think about was how devastated Mike would be for a while.
Thankfully, he has more than enough family to lean on.
Every Episode Of NCIS: Origins Feels Like Its Own Mini-Season with Plenty of Story from Beginning to End
You know how a lot of ensemble shows like to portray the characters as if they are a “family” because they have each other’s backs or whatever?
Most of the time, it feels forced or like the show is trying to convince the audience rather than letting it happen naturally.
Thankfully, that is not the case for NCIS: Origins at all. The characters feel just as real as you or me. That’s what sets this installment in the NCIS franchise apart from its sister shows.
Rather than focusing on a specific city and the culture of that location, NCIS: Origins was created to explore the pasts of fan-favorite characters.
So, of course, the show has a capital on character development. That’s the whole point of the series.
Seeing how Lala, Gibbs, and the rest of the team were willing to put their necks on the line for Franks without hesitation felt like the obvious solution.
It made sense because of how much they all love and care for each other. They have a very “pass it forward” kind of mindset.
It feels less like we’re tuning in to a show every week and more like checking in on our friends with dangerous jobs and complicated lives.
In my NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 14 review, I mentioned that the series doesn’t currently have an overarching plot. However, after “From the Ashes,” I’m starting to think it doesn’t need one.
What’s great about an overarching plot is that even if an episodic story doesn’t work, there’s still the main plot for viewers to look forward to.
However, every episode of NCIS: Origins so far has been pretty action-packed, with plenty of plot from beginning to end.
Now, I’m focused more on how the series will wrap up NCIS: Origins Season 1. Since the show has already been renewed, there will likely be a cliffhanger.
It could have something to do with Wheeler. We haven’t seen much of the Supervising Agent, and what we have seen has left us slightly perplexed.
What was his deal with Mike contacting the FBI Agent, Noah? He was acting like a spoiled child who doesn’t like to share his friends.
Whatever the CBS series has planned is going to be incredible. We were all pretty skeptical of this series when it first aired, but it has proven to be one hell of a show.
As long as NCIS: Origins keeps delivering emotional roller coaster episodes, they’ve got a fan in this TV Fanatic.
How have your thoughts on the show changed since its premiere?
Did any part of this episode have you crying as well?
Please drop a comment below to let me know what you think, and join me again when I review another episode of NCIS: Origins!
Watch NCIS: Origins Online
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