Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
It looks like NCIS: Origins is swapping out the usual gunfire and life-or-death situations for a bit of emotional warfare. Seriously, this has to be the most exciting episode of the season.
To be honest, I’m not sure why the series needs to go back to how Gibbs ended up in the NIS. The story could have easily continued without Gibbs’ brief journey from Marine to NIS agent. It looks very dry.
Thankfully, the writers of “NCIS: Origins” never miss an opportunity to show how easily they can make viewers cry. Someone should take a look at how Kleenex stock is doing.
While “Blue Bayou” doesn’t offer action scenes or exciting twists and turns, it does provide the insight we’ve been craving from Gibbs and even Lala. That said, is anyone else annoyed by the Christmas bait-and-switch episode?
Gibbs could never move on without a helping hand
If you’ve read the spoilers for “NCIS: Origins” Season 1, Episode 10, you’ll know that CBS is making “Blue Bayou” look like a Christmas episode.
Well, now we know that was just a farce. The network’s clip shows a scene with the credits still rolling and two unknown characters unrelated to the plot.
Then again, how could they do this? “Blue Bayou” is a giant flashback to one of the most tumultuous periods of Gibbs’ life. That’s an understatement because he was crying to those military men in the bar.
It definitely helped that viewers saw a more stable and united Gibbs at the start of NCIS: Origins’ first season. A testament to his journey of healing and growth.
Most importantly, it shows that Gibbs, while a great agent, is still human. He could never overcome the trauma on his own.
As Gibbs says at the beginning of the series, “This is her story.” Move over, Lala, because “Blue Bayou” is Ruth’s story.
This is the story of Ruth
Ruth is the definition of “I came in like a wrecking ball.” The woman bulldozed her way through Gibbs’ oppressive life until she saw the light of day.
In one episode, we learn more about Gibbs’ self-proclaimed sister, Ruth, than we’ve learned about Lala all season. The series doesn’t hold back either.
We first met Ruth in NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 7. Don’t think about it for too long.
Actor London Garcia, who plays Ruth, has been making her mark on the broadcast world since the 1990s. Garcia’s versatile character qualities allow her to fit seamlessly into any story.
She’s certainly seen her fair share of procedural roles on shows like “9-1-1: Lone Star” and “S.W.A.T.” What.
The most heartbreaking part of the episode was asking, halfway through, “If they were so close, where was she all this time?” Was that realization also shocking to you?
The writers of ‘NCIS: Origins’ are sick geniuses and they’ll squeeze every last tear out of them
If anyone needed proof that NCIS: Origins has some of the best writing on broadcast television, this episode proves it.
Raise your hand if you thought Ruth was terrible at the beginning of the episode. To be fair, Gibbs wasn’t much better, and she had every right to blame him for leaving the apartment dirty.
In the end, this is indeed the story of Ruth. She set Gibbs on the path he should be on.
Most importantly, she made Gibbs stop acting like a drama queen, because God, that man had turned into a whiny child. Big sisters can be so great.
However, we weren’t prepared to discover the implications of Gibbs’ call at the beginning of the episode.
This is great writing, but I’m ready to curse everyone on CBS’ NCIS Origins. They introduce us to this amazing character and take her away from her at the same time.
That said, as someone who lives in New Orleans, I can tell you that this is one of the best cities to spend your final days.
‘NCIS: Origins’ Ends Gibbs’ Trauma with a Nice Little Bow, Prologue to the Series
Okay, so “Blue Bayou” wasn’t the Christmas episode some were hoping for, but viewers got something better after a closer look.
Ever since the first season of NCIS: Origins premiered, the show has tried to portray Gibbs and Lala as romantic leads. Let’s put it this way: The whole thing feels forced, awkward, and confusing.
However, by the end of NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 10, I can now totally see Gibbs and Lala becoming deeply intertwined in each other’s lives.
As great as NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 9 is, it throws out random plot points in the most inorganic way because anyone else knows that Lala is still so deeply involved in the Gibbs family case ?
To be honest, I probably missed it because it wasn’t until this episode that I realized Lala’s Mariel Molino (Promised Land) had two different colored eyes, aka heterochromia.
Regardless, sticking around to watch NCIS: Origins definitely paid off, with all the ducks falling in a row and all the characters becoming likable for once.
Overall, this was a great episode to wrap up before the winter break. It nicely sums up what got Gibbs to where he is now, and now, like the character, the series can move forward.
However, it looks like we’re back to where we started. Despite the recent chaos, Vera is still hard at work on her analytics program.
We’re back to the NCIS: Origins Season 1 premiere. If you missed the end of the episode, there was a close-up of a shredded document that read: “Buggs worked closely with the second sniper.”
It’s a pretty strong pivot back to the main story, but really, how long can NCIS: Origins keep its focus on Gibbs’ backstory without getting stale?
While we’re probably still a month or so away from the return of NCIS: Origins to fight more crimes and preserve Mike’s mustache, fans can still relive NCIS on Paramount+ A great first half of the first season of “Origin”.
How do you feel about Lala after everything that happened?
Do you think the show will move on from Gibbs’ trauma and bring a new second half to NCIS: Origins Season 1?
Leave a comment below to let me know how you enjoyed this episode, and join me again as I review another episode of NCIS: Origins!
Be on the lookout for NCIS: Origins spoilers, which will be released ahead of each new episode!
Watch NCIS: Origins online
