The mustache is gone. That’s the first thing you notice. When we think of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, we think of the silver-haired, stoic commander played by Mark Harmon for nearly two decades. But in NCIS Origins ep 1, titled "Enter Sandman," we meet a version of Gibbs that is—honestly—kind of a mess. It’s 1991. The hair is darker, the eyes are more frantic, and the emotional walls haven’t been fully built yet. This isn't a superhero origin story. It’s a study of a man who has just lost everything.
Most people tuned into the premiere expecting a procedural. You know the drill: body found, Abby (or her 90s equivalent) does some science, Gibbs head-slaps someone, and the bad guy gets caught before the credits roll. But "Enter Sandman" is different. It’s gritty. It’s rainy. It feels more like a noir thriller than a standard Tuesday night CBS show. If you were looking for the "Rule 12" Gibbs, he isn't here yet. He’s still figuring out how to breathe after the brutal murder of his wife, Shannon, and daughter, Kelly.
The Raw Reality of NCIS Origins Ep 1
Austin Stowell had a massive mountain to climb. Replacing an icon is a death sentence for most actors. But in NCIS Origins ep 1, Stowell doesn't try to "do" Mark Harmon. He plays a man who is vibrating with grief. The episode opens with Gibbs failing a psych eval. He’s "deemed unfit for duty," a phrase that carries a lot of weight in the military world. Yet, Mike Franks—played with a gravelly, cigarette-smoke charm by Kyle Schmid—brings him in anyway. It’s a mess of a situation. It’s nepotism, it’s rule-breaking, and it’s exactly how the NIS (before the 'C' was added) operated in the shadows of Camp Pendleton.
The setting is a character itself. 1991 isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a vibe. There are no smartphones. No high-tech facial recognition. Cases were solved with shoe leather, payphones, and gut instinct. This lack of technology makes the stakes feel higher. When Gibbs is chasing a suspect through the mud, he can't just call for backup with a GPS ping. He's isolated.
Why Mike Franks is the Real MVP
We’ve seen Mike Franks before as a ghost and a mentor in the original series. Here, he’s in his prime, but "prime" for Franks means he's a bit of a loose cannon. He runs the "Ragtag" team. This isn't the polished NCIS of the 2000s. These are the guys in the basement that nobody wants to deal with.
- Franks is the one who sees Gibbs’ potential when everyone else sees a liability.
- He’s willing to risk his own career to give a grieving sniper a purpose.
- The chemistry between Stowell and Schmid is the backbone of the show. It’s a mentor-protege relationship built on trauma and shared secrets.
The episode spends a lot of time establishing the NIS office. It’s cramped. It’s filled with smoke. It feels lived-in. You’ve got characters like Vera Strickland, played by Wendy Makkena, who brings a much-needed sharpness to the room. She isn't there to mother Gibbs. She’s there to do the job.
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Breaking Down the "Enter Sandman" Plot
The actual case in NCIS Origins ep 1 involves a double homicide that hits way too close to home for Gibbs. A young girl is involved. For a man who just buried his own daughter, this is the worst possible first assignment. Or maybe the best. The showrunners, including David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, lean heavily into the "trial by fire" trope.
There’s a specific scene where Gibbs is looking at a crime scene photo. He doesn't say a word. The camera just lingers on his face. In the original series, Gibbs was a master of the "thousand-yard stare." In Origins, we see the moment that stare was born. It’s uncomfortable to watch. It’s supposed to be.
Wait, let's talk about the narration. Mark Harmon provides the voiceover for the series. At first, I thought it might be distracting. Like, why do we need an old man telling us what we're seeing? But it works because it adds a layer of hindsight. It’s the elder Gibbs reflecting on the mistakes of his youth. It gives the show a "Wonder Years" or "A Christmas Story" feel, but with more dead bodies and federal investigations.
The Misconception of the "Action Hero"
A lot of fans thought NCIS Origins ep 1 would be an action-heavy military show. It’s not. It’s a psychological drama. Gibbs is struggling with what we would now call PTSD, though in 1991, the military was still pretty bad at acknowledging it. He’s shaky. His aim is slightly off. He’s human.
The episode doesn't shy away from the bureaucracy, either. We see the friction between the NIS and other agencies. It’s a reminder that back then, the agency was the "underdog." They weren't the rockstars of the federal world. They were "the navy cops" that nobody took seriously.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the Timeline
There’s some confusion about where this fits. This is roughly 12 years before Gibbs makes his first appearance in the JAG backdoor pilot. A lot can happen in 12 years. Some fans were annoyed that Gibbs seems "too weak" in this premiere. But that’s the whole point. You don't start as the king. You start as the guy who can't sleep because he hears his daughter's voice in the hallway.
- The Gun: Gibbs is using a Sig Sauer P228, which was the standard. Seeing him handle the weapon with a slight tremor is a powerful detail.
- The Rules: We don't see the famous list of rules yet. We see the need for them. The rules were a survival mechanism Gibbs created to keep his life from spiraling.
- The Support Staff: The team is small. It feels intimate. You get the sense that these people are the only family any of them have.
Honestly, the pacing of the first episode is a bit slow. It’s a slow burn. If you’re used to the frantic energy of NCIS: Sydney or the later seasons of the flagship show, this might feel like a slog. But it’s a deliberate choice. It wants you to feel the weight of the 1990s. The shadows are longer. The silences are heavier.
Acknowledging the Limitations
Is it perfect? No. Some of the dialogue feels a little "on the nose." When a character says, "You're a hunter, Gibbs," it feels like they’re trying a bit too hard to bridge the gap between the two versions of the character. We know he’s a hunter. We’ve watched him for 19 seasons. We don't necessarily need to be told.
Also, the lighting is very dark. I get it—it’s "gritty." But sometimes you’re squinting at the screen trying to figure out if that’s a suspect or a coat rack. It’s a common trope in modern "prestige" TV, but it can be a bit much for a network procedural.
Despite those small gripes, the premiere succeeds because it treats the source material with respect. It doesn't retcon the things we love. It just adds context. It’s like finding an old photo of your dad from before you were born and realizing he was a completely different person than the man you knew.
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How to Approach the Rest of the Season
If you've just finished NCIS Origins ep 1, don't expect the mystery to wrap up neatly in the next hour. This show is clearly playing the long game with the "Sandman" arc. To get the most out of this series, you should focus on the parallels between the cases and Gibbs' internal state.
Watch for the "Rule" Origins
Keep a notebook or a mental tally of when Gibbs encounters a situation that clearly inspires one of his later rules. Rule 1 ("Never let suspects stay together") or Rule 3 ("Never believe what you're told. Double-check") likely have roots in these early 90s failures.
Pay Attention to the Background Characters
The "Ragtag" team isn't just window dressing. History tells us that many of the people Gibbs worked with early on didn't make it to the later years. Their fates will likely be the driving force behind Gibbs’ eventual isolation and his "lone wolf" persona.
Compare the Narrator’s Tone
Listen closely to Mark Harmon’s narration. He’s not just telling the story; he’s expressing regret. It changes how you view the "heroic" actions of the younger Gibbs when you realize the older version of the man thinks he was being a fool.
The best way to experience this show is to stop comparing it to the 2024 version of NCIS. This is a period piece. Treat it like a 90s cop drama, and it becomes one of the most compelling additions to the franchise in years.