Spoiler Alert for NCIS: Origins season 1, episode 5, "Last Rites"
NCIS: Origins redeemed Mark Harmon's final NCIS scene. During Harmon's last moments on NCIS, Gibbs went fly-fishing with Sean Murray's Timothy McGee. The senior NCIS agents were in Naktok Bay, Alaska, after a case brought them there. Still, the depth of the character's experience at that moment wasn't understood until NCIS: Origins expanded on a crucial element of Gibbs' backstory. Austin Stowell takes over as Gibbs in the NCIS: Origins cast, positioned in 1991 when Gibbs started at NIS.
In Harmon's final NCIS case, Gibbs helped remove Sonova Industries, whose copper mining project threatened to pollute the area. It was a critical case for Mark Harmon's NCIS exit. However, the original series never thoroughly flushed out Gibbs' love of fishing. NCIS: Origins finally explains what the hobby truly means to the former Marine, and the new detail explains the sense of peace Gibbs felt when he decided to retire. The moment initially lacked context, reflected by McGee's initial questioning, but now it makes perfect sense. Thus, the NCIS: Origins story continues to bring Gibbs' story full circle.
NCIS: Origins Episode 4 Reveals The Origins Of Gibbs' Penchant For Fishing
Austin Stowell's Gibbs Explains The NCIS Story
Custom image by Simone Ashmoore
NCIS: Origins episode 5 reveals the significance of fishing to Gibbs. Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid) and his team are working on a case in the episode that triggers an emotional reaction from Gibbs. Gibbs and Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) are on a sensitive operation in the desert. When a truck with two Latinx men pulls up, Gibbs escalates the situation to Lala's frustration. Lala can speak Spanish and is communicating with the civilians until one of them quickly reaches into the glove box, which causes Gibbs to point his gun at them while demanding they exit the truck.
Lala tells Gibbs that she must report the incident to Mike, especially in light of Gibbs' failed psych evaluation to join NIS. After the initial conflict, Gibbs tells Lala a childhood story, explaining he had a dog that got hit by a car when he was young, and his dog's death caused him to lash out. Gibbs' father taught him to fish, which helped clear his mind. Gibbs' backstory revealed in NCIS: Origins helps Lala understand that fishing is how Gibbs keeps himself centered, but that he hasn't been fishing in a while amid all the trauma he's experiencing.
Mark Harmon's Final Scene NCIS Was Odd But Origins Gives It A Deeper Meaning
NCIS: Origins Brings NCIS Full Circle
Harmon's final NCIS scene initially was a bit of an odd shot. McGee and Gibbs were standing knee-deep in waders used for fishing. Gibbs suddenly started explaining that his dad taught him how to fish, quoting his dad, saying, "If you want to learn something new about yourself, put on waders." The few lines are the only explanation Gibbs gives for his love of fishing, but NCIS: Origins expands on the significance of Harmon's final scene. With Stowell's Gibbs' explanation that fishing helps him process, we now know that Gibbs is staying in Alaska to heal.
