SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for NCIS: Origins Season 2, Episode 16.
NCIS: Origins Season 2, Episode 16 is a good example of how the CBS show is constrained by being an NCIS prequel. “Who’s Gonna Drive You Home?” is also an example of how the writers try to work around those limitations. It happens to have some pretty solid guest stars in it, too.
That would be Scandal alum Brian Letscher as Admiral Jake Cane, the head of NIS, and Alicia Coppola (who previously appeared in JAG, NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles) as Cane’s wife Julia. These are two recognizable and reliable actors that elevate their roles, since viewers don’t get to know a whole lot about their characters beyond what’s needed to further the plot. The case of the week revolves around a purported attempt on Cane’s life, but the real bulk of the episode is actually about Gibbs and the end of his relationship with Diane.
Audience members familar with NCIS canon already know that Gibbs and Diane’s marriage isn’t going to last. So from the start, when Mark Harmon’s narration details the growing distance between Gibbs and Diane, it’s not a surprise. In fact, once it was established that Diane was moving away for her new job in Los Angeles, Origins viewers have likely just been waiting for this to happen. But the way this episode gets around the predictability is to infuse the predictable moments with enough emotion that it doesn’t matter. There’s not an actual word of dialogue in the scene where Gibbs and Diane part company; Harmon’s narration plays over it. But viewers can feel that anyway because of the performances by the actors.
The same can be said for other moments in the episode that have little to nothing to do with Gibbs. There’s a subplot about Kowalski’s loneliness that doesn’t get mentioned head-on until he confides in Mary Jo near the end, but the audience sees and feels it in Michael Harney’s work. And there’s a wonderful scene between Kyle Schmid and Mariel Molino, when Franks approaches Lala about driving Manny’s car. It has the typical Mike Franks brusqueness, but him saying that all he needs to know is that she’s okay followed by the awkward hug is priceless. It’s these small moments that make NCIS: Origins pop off the screen. Every procedural wants to say that its characters are like a found family, but this one actually feels like it.
This works in contrast to the theme about Gibbs’ family, both Diane and his father Jackson, who makes an unexpected appearance. There’s a running joke about Jackson talking to almost everyone else in the office because of an issue with phone extensions, and it’s funny (mostly thanks to actor Austin Stowell’s reactions), but that only goes so far. This is an episode where Gibbs gets a wake-up call about the strain that his work puts on his loved ones. Yes, it gets him to where he has to be in order to keep with established canon, but it also feels like the character experiences some meaningful growth at the same time.
There is a fair amount of action to keep NCIS: Origins viewers guessing, too, as the episode’s villain literally appears out of nowhere to almost kill Julia in an airport lounge. The fight sequence between him and Lala is another strong moment for Mariel Molino, with an assist from Diany Rodriguez as Vera Strickland swoops in at the end to save the day. But before Vera gets there, the brawl demolishes most of a bar. The plot resolution is a bit on the convenient side, as it’s then explained how Julia’s aide had a whole scheme that she roped her boyfriend into. Any time a crime drama has to explain its case in the fourth act, it always feels anticlimactic. But “Who’s Gonna Drive You Home?” gets a bit of a pass on that since it’s clear NCIS: Origins is trying to save screen time for the goodbye between Gibbs and Diane.
That’s the real point of this episode, with the case of the week being in the background. Stowell once again reminds viewers why he’s the right choice to play the young version of Gibbs, while Schmid, Harney, Molino and guest star Robert Taylor all are able to step into the spotlight at different moments, and Letscher and Coppola give the case part some personality. The hour feels like a check-in as to where Gibbs and Lala in particular are in their lives, before NCIS: Origins starts whatever it has planned for the rest of Season 2. It’s a shame that the show has had its episode order shortened for Season 3, because this is proof that it’s the most creative of the NCIS series.
NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of CBS.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
