NCIS: Origins premiere ending explained: Who is the Sandman?

NCIS: Origins has gotten a strong start with the two episode premiere, "Enter Sandman," which took us on a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs' first case with the NIS. This Gibbs isn't the surefooted investigator that NCIS fans know and love but rather a green, hesitant to speak up agent who is holding a lot of anger because of the murders of his wife and daughter.

During the case, Gibbs was encouraged by his boss Mike Franks to "share with the class" when he has a hunch or gut feeling about the evidence they're sorting through and the people they suspect. But his co-worker Lala Dominguez consistently made her displeasure known about his inclusion on their team. Like Mike, she'd been on the case concerning his family and was aware of the immense loss that Gibbs suffered. She didn't trust that he wouldn't get himself or anyone else killed because of his state of mind while Mike begged to differ.

By its end, "Enter Sandman" saw the apprehension of the sniper the team was after but there's something that older Gibbs, our narrator, said that has me wondering if they really did nab the right guy. Here's what happened.

Who's the Sandman in the NCIS: Origins premiere?

When the NIS were called to the scene of a murder that involved a house fire, they'd thought they were looking for a killer who committed arson to take out the victim, Melanie Hewitt. But, upon looking closer at crime scene photos, Gibbs deduced that they needed to be in search of a sniper. Later, the killer struck again, this time at a beach. The sniper's target was a man named Dustin Cruz and the two other deceased were collateral damage.

Because the investigation elevated to involve a citizen who had no ties to the military, the FBI took over jurisdiction. This became a problem when the team hauled Bugs, Melanie's drug dealer, into custody when they found him about to jump from the window of the second sniper's nest. Mike knew Bugs was withholding information and he pressed him with the clock ticking.

Bugs admitted to having seen Melanie be killed. He was in her house when it happened. Due to being an addict, he didn't think anyone would believe him that he didn't kill her so he started a fire to cover up the crime. Mike would have accepted this confession had Gibbs and Lala not shown up with the military tie they needed to hold Bugs without the FBI's interference.

At the age of 16, he'd enlisted illegal under his cousin's name. He'd been in the Navy and on track to become a SEAL sniper. When Mike presented this information to him, Bugs broke and told him that he'd killed Melanie because she didn't want him anymore. Dustin was the man she was seeing instead. It was some plot twist but Gibbs had a gut feeling he didn't share while watching Mike interrogate Bugs.

Then, after Mike's sexist tirade against Lala for being a "distraction" and his clandestine meeting with Vera Strickland for the file he'd pushed his boss to give him from the FBI, older Gibbs had the following voiceover: "The worst monsters lay in wait. They let you breath. They let you think it's over. They lull you to sleep and then, enter Sandman."

Sandman was the name given to the sniper. The moniker's inclusion by older Gibbs after Bug's confession paired with Gibbs ignoring his gut and the ominous voiceover seems to imply his first case wasn't as closed and shut as the premiere makes it. And somehow this could tie back to Lala since older Gibbs states that this is her story and he's never shared it with anyone until now.

We may be in for a season long arc about the mystery hovering over this premiere. I'm looking forward to more of the ride the show has us on. NCIS: Origins will move to the 9 p.m. ET slot on Oct. 21. Next day streaming will be available on Paramount+. Stay tuned to Americans Undercover for coverage. Follow us on X and Facebook for more content.