Reviewer Rating: 5/5.0
5
Well, everyone can pick their jaws up off the floor. We wanted some answers, and NCIS: Origins gave us the absolute best curveball ever.
For one, we finally learn how Lala’s story intertwines with Gibbs’. We did get some answers as to where Gibbs’ revenge is going. That’s all the subtlety left in me.
All I’m saying right now is: this is the best episode of NCIS Origins so far. Anytime a show can make me hear gasps, that’s a win for me.
It’s a pretty heavy episode, but at least it doesn’t require Kleenex to get through. Just when we thought NCIS: Origins was going to take a twist, it does.
If you’re someone like this TV junkie, you’ll be absolutely shocked by the ending of “Vivo o Muerto.” We’ll talk about the rest of the episode, but let’s get right into the highlights of this incredible episode.
Talking about the gunshots heard around the world
If you’ve read the “Vivo o Muerto” spoilers, you know we fully expect something to do with Gibbs’ past due to the plot description.
I also suggested that we might see flashbacks of Gibbs planning his revenge at work. However, this clearly only scratches the surface.
He’s not technically hiding in the background, because by the time we meet young Gibbs, he’s already exacting his revenge.
It answers many questions about the state of NCIS: Origins since its first season premiered. For example, does anyone else find it weird that Gibbs has a crush on Lala?
This seems like an odd choice in terms of plot, because why would a grieving man be so open to the idea of new love? I mean, Gibbs has a history of pursuing ladies, but here’s a man walking into enemy territory trying to kill himself.
Now that we know he’s out for revenge, it raises another question: Does Gibbs care about getting caught? He doesn’t seem too concerned about covering his tracks in the last eight episodes before this one.
Now it all makes perfect sense. This explains why Gibbs went from a cantankerous alcoholic to a level-headed man who was branching out into a working family.
I think Mary Jo’s beautiful shoes cheered him up.
Just when Lala and Gibbs start to think it’s possible, NCIS: Origins explicitly prevents that from happening
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t foresee this being a Matlock-level twist. If you have a clue before the episode ends, tell us how you came up with it in the comments.
The rest of us were as shocked as Lara. I just had to see the look on her face through the two-way mirror to know something had happened.
Every word she spoke became more intense. First, she says, “Hernandez was killed,” so you think, “Oh, he probably faked his death.”
And then she hit Franks with the phrase “six months ago,” like, “Oh, that’s, uh, a funny coincidence.”
But when she finally said, “It’s a sniper,” the air seemed to be sucked out of the room. It’s like a blanket falls over the entire collection and you know everything is going to be different after that.
Can you imagine Lala, Gibbs, and Franks riding back together in the car? You know it would have been awkward if Franks hadn’t tried to break the silence.
It’s funny because everything that happened leading up to the big twist gave Lala and Gibbs some real chemistry. This time, the romantic opportunities they might encounter aren’t forced.
However, this will be a difficult challenge for Mariel Molino (Promised Land) Lara. Seeing how much she cares about finding Pedro Hernandez says a lot about Lala and Gibbs’ relationship.
Well, technically how she connected, because now Hernandez is dead, so whatever their connection is supposed to be, it must have something to do with covering up what Gibbs did.
Regardless, I doubt the outcome will be romantic. Gibbs may have been married four times, but I didn’t see a Latina on the list.
Thankfully, we have one more episode left before NCIS: Origins takes a bit of a hiatus over the winter. While it’s great to see what happens with this revelation, I’m now more interested in what happens to Tish.
‘NCIS: Origins’ Has a Serious White Knight Syndrome
While “Vivo o Muerto” focused on Lala and Gibbs (Austin Stowell), you know “NCIS: Origins” won’t let Franks take a break from the show or his personal life.
Seriously, what happened to Tish? When did that happen? Obviously, this was some kind of attack, but if Tish was ready to move on, it must have been a while ago.
I love the macho guy with the mustache, but gosh, he’s a sentimental guy. You can almost see him cry when he has to leave Tish to meet Lala and Gibbs in Mexico.
His love for his woman is so sweet and so sickening at the same time.
Look, Franks (Kyle Schmid) and Gibbs are both great characters who express their emotions in the best possible way. But enough of the “white knight” nonsense.
Every time Tish talks to Franks, she has to tell him not to treat her like a fragile China. I know he loves her very much, but there are boundaries.
Also, Tish doesn’t look like the kind of woman you’d want to be on the bad side of. I don’t know what she looked like before the incident, but I can tell that this woman is very capable of controlling herself.
In fact, all of the female characters are strong depictions of women. From Vera to Mary Jo, even Lala’s complicated ass can take down a grown man on her own.
That said, this is one of the most realistic aspects of NCIS: Origins. The strong, silent good guy always wears the hat of “protector” and never asks anyone if they really need help.
NCIS: Origins has always delivered heavy drama with just the right amount of light comedy.
“Vivo o Muerto” is a wild ride, from drama to action to adventure and especially comedy, and it hits all the marks in terms of the comprehensiveness and layering of the plot.
We can always count on CBS’s “NCIS: Origins” to break up any tense dramatic moments with truly hilarious subplots.
I mean, the split screen between Lala and Gibbs from the start of this episode, with Spandau Ballet’s “True” playing in the background, was way better than I expected from NCIS: Origins Much easier, but it works.
However, did anyone else find it weird that the song was played again when Gibbs was aiming his sniper rifle at Pedro Hernandez? I think I actually sang along with the music. There are so many confusing emotions at play.
That’s what I mean by comprehensive, because this episode evokes not just one emotion, but all of them.
Man, that agent who sent away the drunk/drugged Marines really let people know that getting laid was more important than doing his job.
I expected Caleb Foote’s Randy to reject him until the guy said he was going to brunch with a girl he’d been trying to get close to for a year. One year. Why would he admit this? Why did Randy encourage him?
To be fair, in the same situation, I think I would be so shocked that I would agree with everything this guy said. I’m glad Mary Jo didn’t hear him.
Speaking of the NIS’s best executive agent, how fun would it be to see her take off her sneakers and put on work heels? I bet she could beat multiple guys without breaking her heels.
However, the comedy MVP of this episode is undoubtedly Woody, who calls Lala and Gibbs to tell them that the Navy has been drugged. I don’t know what’s going to happen in that forensic lab, but if it’s done like Supermarket, I’ll watch a spinoff of it. I’m just saying that.
As I said in my NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 9 spoilers, the promos for this episode make it look like the case won’t be a top priority in “Vivo o Muerto,” and that’s not entirely wrong.
Everything revolves around the case in some way, but by the end of the episode, it’s like, “What case? Has anyone been taken away?”
While this twist is impressive, it kind of ruins the heartfelt moment at the end when the kidnapped girl is released. Once this twist happened, I completely forgot about the case.
Then again, we still have one more episode to go, so whatever NCIS: Origins has in store for viewers, I’ll be on the edge of my seat along with the rest of you.
What do you think will happen when Franks, Lala, and Gibbs return to the precinct?
Is Gibbs’ revenge what you imagined?
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 ahead of each new episode!
Watch NCIS: Origins online
