NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 2 quickly got into Gibbs’s return to San Diego, California, and what brought him to retired forensic analyst Woody. What made him go to Woody, and what happened that led to Woody owing him a favor?
Gibbs wanted Woody’s help with the fingerprint; he managed to lift off of his neck using a piece of tape. Since the person who did it thought Gibbs was dead, he wanted to be discreet instead of going to anyone who currently worked in forensics, such as anyone he knew like Kasie Hines.
NCIS: Origins focuses on Woody's back story as Gibbs goes to him for help in the present
In 1992, Gibbs helped Woody when the latter was accused of murder. He had gone to Tijuana and got into a bar brawl after trying to help a woman who was being hassled. Once they returned to Woody’s house, they were stunned to find the dead body of his bowling rival, Sheila Hoffman.
FBI Agent Casey Bloom comes on the scene to take over the investigation. He works with Swanson, who was busy and couldn’t make it, much to Franks’s displeasure. They are barely able to talk to Woody, and then the team discovers Woody’s fingerprint was found on the necklace Sheila was wearing.
They get Phil back from an anime convention so he can try to talk to Woody since they work together on cases, and Woody has not been charged yet. Despite Woody still barely being able to get his thoughts together, he does tell Phil and Mary Jo that the only person who might know anything is Melissa, another player on his bowling team.
When the team goes to the bowling alley to learn more, they find out that a man named Graham Taylor recently left. Woody had eviscerated a paper he wrote about fingerprint transfer, and it could be the motive they need for who would frame him.
However, when they find Graham, they learn he was also at an anime convention and that while he may have been dabbling in illegal chemistry, he didn’t kill Sheila. However, he does tell them that both Woody and Sheila disliked one another.
Woody is still trying to figure out how the forensics work out and how Sheila’s body ended up in his house. Mike tries to get Woody to focus and remember to ask for a lawyer when Bloom questions him. Unfortunately, Woody ignores his suggestions and inadvertently gives Bloom a reason for why he would want to kill Sheila. She had once played a practical joke on him, and he broke his wrist as a result.
Gibbs goes in to talk to Woody, finding out that his colleague has never been given a reason to think he is part of a team, hence why he won’t let anyone help him. He convinces him to let them try, and eventually, Woody gives him his notebook. As the team is going through his notes, Gibbs remembers Woody’s key getting stuck in his lock despite it not being an old lock.
The team determined, with Phil’s help, that someone must have tampered with his key to make a duplicate, and the only way that could have happened was if someone got into his locker at the bowling alley. Remembering that the owner, Ray, mentioned the restaurant had been shut down, they learned that Sheila had complained about it, which led to its closure and to his losing revenue.
It was for this reason that Woody would later tell Gibbs he owed him one, so over 30 years later, he came to collect. Woody thought they were even since he helped Gibbs get a hit through AFIS, even though he didn't have access to the final result to show the name. However, Gibbs had a different favor in mind. He told Woody he needed him to look after his dog, whom he affectionately referred to as Blue. Woody wasn’t thrilled but willingly let Gibbs leave and do what he needed to do.
Gibbs ended up at the NCIS offices where he worked for years, and audiences heard the voices of Tim McGee, Ziva David, Tony DiNozzo, and even the late Ducky Mallard as Gibbs approached his desk. He eventually went upstairs to the director's office, foreshadowing that we would see Tony DiNozzo soon.
Even though we didn’t get a lot of information yet on who is after Gibbs, seeing the journey he has gone on from Alaska to San Diego and now has been exciting to watch. Now knowing we will see a reunion between Gibbs and DiNozzo is something else to look forward to once the show returns with a new episode!
The episode did also show a disconnect between Lala and Gibbs, showing there were still some things she couldn't let go off. She brought up that he doesn't always think five steps ahead, which was her way of bringing up his marriage to Diane. Gibbs wasn't thrilled about this, but she did admit that she let it affect their work briefly. It shows that while there is an attraction there, there are still things Lala needs to work through if they ever wanted to attempt something again.
Knowing that Gibbs eventually does marry his third wife at some point, we wonder what the future has in store for these two in the end.
NCIS: Origins airs on Tuesdays on CBS at 10/9c.
Add us as a preferred source on Google