NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 10, “Blue Bayou” is the episode many other TV crime dramas wouldn’t do. It really gets to the core of who Leroy Jethro Gibbs is and spells out his last steps to becoming an NCIS agent — but it does so in a way that’s unexpected and that other shows might think boring. But the CBS prequel deserves its flowers for bucking the genre patterns and pausing its first season on a high note.
“Blue Bayou” is named after the Roy Orbison song, as the Linda Ronstadt cover is a favorite of Gibbs’ landlord, Ruth. The song takes on an important significance in Gibbs’ own life after he forges the most unlikely friendship with Ruth. And what could have been a conventional pre-Christmas episode winds up saying so much more about not only Gibbs, but the world around him.
NCIS: Origins Deals With the Aftermath of Pedro Hernandez’s Murder
Season 1, Episode 10 Uses That as a Framing Device
NCIS: Origins Season 1, Episode 10 picks up in the wake of Gibbs murdering Pedro Hernandez, the man who killed his wife Shannon and his daughter Kelly. There’s tension between Gibbs and Lala Dominguez as a result; she doesn’t know what he did specifically, but she knows that something is wrong. Another TV show could’ve really dug into this point, especially because it’s so ripe for dramatic storytelling. There could have been just another case of the week while Gibbs tried to keep his secret from Lala. Instead, “Blue Bayou” uses their relationship as a kind of framing device, as the episode begins with them and ends in part with Gibbs telling Lala the truth.
Lala Dominguez: I don’t trust you, Gibbs. I don’t trust Franks. I sure as hell don’t trust the two of you together.
It’s refreshing that the Pedro of it all doesn’t hang over their heads for the entire rest of Season 1 (or even the series). That’s not to say there won’t be problems, and the trio of writers — creators David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, along with Brendan Fehily — can’t resist the habit of dropping in a cliffhanger involving some shredded documents for procedural fans to worry over until January. But it would be easy to drag out the secret for as long as possible in the name of generating suspense. Instead, Gibbs’ confession becomes a touchstone for him and Lala to build upon, and a reason for her to stay with the team. And importantly, it doesn’t make everything okay; it’s just the start.
Plus, given the events of the rest of the episode, it has a wonderful resonance to it. This is essentially a story about Gibbs, the women in his life and how they’ve shaped him — whether they’re present or not. And it’s beautifully moving without having to hit the audience over the head with what they’re supposed to feel.
NCIS: Origins Makes Ruth the Hero of Episode 10
It’s Refreshing for a Civilian to Take Center Stage
When NCIS: Origins was initially announced, there was obvious interest in exploring the relationship between Gibbs and Mike Franks, as fans already knew how far back they went and how much they meant to one another. But one of the great things about the prequel has been its ability to highlight other people who are also important in the making of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. When Ruth was introduced, nobody would have guessed that she’d get an episode like “Blue Bayou.” She felt like a quick supporting character introduced for color and/or comic relief, like the TV procedural equivalent of Mr. Roper from the 1970s sitcom Three’s Company. Now Ruth has her own special place in NCIS history as the person who pushed Gibbs toward joining NCIS (or NIS, as it was known then).
Austin Stowell is great in the episode, and anyone who still wonders why Sean Harmon isn’t reprising the role of young Gibbs shouldn’t need any more convincing after this. But the true MVP of the hour is actor London Garcia as Ruth. She expertly balances Ruth’s gruff one-liners and her more abrasive side with genuine vulnerability, making the character’s growth believable. Thanks to Garcia, Ruth becomes someone that the audience cares about beyond her relationship with Gibbs. That’s important, because it’s Ruth’s passing that’s the big end-of-episode twist, and if the viewer isn’t invested in her, then there’s no emotional conclusion. And when Ruth comes face to face with Franks and tells him off for how he’s treated Gibbs, she becomes the voice of the audience in that moment.
Ruth: I’m like a wrecking ball that never misses.
It’s just charming to have a civilian who serves as the inciting character in the narrative of NCIS: Origins. Usually, the character who’s the catalyst for such backstories is someone’s boss or teammate, or maybe a family member or significant other. It’s very rare to see such attention paid to a character who’s not only totally ordinary, but who seemed inconsequential.
“Blue Bayou” turns Ruth into something more akin to the fan-favorite Mrs. Landingham from The West Wing. Mrs. Landingham would never describe herself as important, but she was a hero in the eyes of Josiah Bartlet and everyone who worked with her. Ruth is a hero for Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and she even gets her own perfect sendoff by being able to reunite with her estranged son.
NCIS: Origins Avoids Christmas Sentiment
It’s a Different Approach to a Holiday Episode
Now to the proverbial elephant in the room: this is a Christmas episode that really isn’t a Christmas episode. Unlike NCIS Season 22, Episode 9, “Humbug,” which was specifically designed to spread holiday cheer, the most festive thing that happens in “Blue Bayou” is Mary Jo getting the office Christmas tree out of storage. Some viewers might find that jarring — especially since the NCIS script was very much meant to be a holiday story. But the holiday itself doesn’t fit within the narrative of “Blue Bayou,” which is equal parts filling in the last few blanks of how Gibbs got to NIS and a psychological study of him, too. The audience knows Gibbs failed his psychological evaluation, but now they have a very clear grasp as to why. And they have very clear examples of how he reacts to trauma.
Mike Franks: You want my advice? Put it all behind you as best you can. Hit the reset button. Find a new purpose.
This is what makes NCIS: Origins successful. The audience already knows where Gibbs is going, and they have a pretty good idea of what makes him tick. In fact, one of the weaknesses of “Blue Bayou” is the narration by Mark Harmon, which gets inserted instead of viewers actually getting to hear the full extent of what Ruth says that makes Gibbs think he’ll be “a pretty damn good cop.” There’s enough between Ruth and Gibbs to get the gist, but that conversation is so pivotal that it deserves to be played out, not just told to the viewer. Aside from that, though, this is how backstory episodes in procedurals should be done. They don’t need to be fit around a case, and they don’t have to follow any particular pattern. Sometimes, they can just be about ordinary people helping others to be extraordinary.