NCIS: Origins' first Christmas episode will reveal how Gibbs came to work for the NIS
By Sabrina Reed
NCIS: Origins episode 4, "All's Not Lost," gave fans a look at the day that Gibbs found out that he'd lost his wife Shannon and their daughter Kelly. The episode let us see how far he's come since that tragic day where he had tried to let an attack on his camp return him to his family. While he still harbors a lot of anger, the death wish his father Jackson says he has may be dissipating judging by the end of this episode.
It's clear Gibbs has found a sense of purpose with the NIS. Previously, Shannon and Kelly had been his reason for living. And, while Mike Franks does recognize that Gibbs' suicidal ideations aren't as far behind him as the probie would like him to believe, Gibbs is taking steps to let people into his life including his boss and Trish.
When is NCIS: Origins' Christmas episode?
As viewers, we can expect more flashbacks of Gibbs' past to come up this season. CBS has announced that one such dive into his life pre-NIS is scheduled to air on Monday, Dec. 16 at 10 p.m. ET in an episode titled, "Blue Bayou." This will also mark NCIS: Origins first Christmas episode, young Gibbs' first without his family, and the halfway point of season 1.
According to the synopsis, the flashbacks featured in "Blue Bayou" will encompass the "unlikely journey" that brought him to the Naval Investigative Service in the wake of immense loss. We saw in "All's Not Lost" the events that led to Gibbs being injured while deployed. It came just after he'd received the news of Shannon and Kelly's murders. We may learn more about that time before episode 10 premieres in December but it's also possible we'll be waiting until then to see Gibbs' physical recovery, his return home, and the start to his life without his two reasons for living.
Since the episode is a ways off, we can expect Gibbs to have grown even closer to Mike and Lala Dominguez. His boss has been looking out for him since they met during the investigation into Shannon and Kelly's deaths. He sees that his probie needs an anchor and the job is doing just that as is his tough love regarding Gibbs' mental state and his work in the field.
Lala, too, has Gibbs' back. She's been worried since the beginning that his grief will overwhelm him. In "All's Not Lost" she kept looking out for him, letting Mike know that he needed to check in more, and assessing when she thought the case about Mildred Jones, a little girl who'd gone missing after her deployed father's girlfriend Brianna Davis was killed, was weighing too hard on Gibbs.
Between the two of them, and the rest of their NIS family, Gibbs does have people looking out for him in California. He may not always ask for or accept their help but they're there nonetheless. We could see that in full force during this holiday episode. Personally, I have high hopes for it considering the series has been so good in depicting Gibbs' journey through grief and building a new life for himself.
Stay tuned to Americans Undercover and follow us on X for livetweet threads and more content! NCIS: Origins airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Next day streaming is available on Paramount+.