10 episodes of NCIS to watch before NCIS: Origins and why

NCIS: Origins is debuting, so here are some classic NCIS episodes to watch to get ready for it!

NCIS fans have long been missing Agent Jethro Gibbs. The heart of the series since it debuted as a backdoor pilot on JAG, Gibbs was loved for his stern demeanor, dedication to his job, sometimes wry humor and tragic backstory of losing a wife and child. Mark Harmon made the character beloved, so it was a shock when Gibbs opened Season 19 by quitting to retire to Alaska.

Fortunately, Harmon will be returning to the franchise in a unique way. NCIS: Origins takes us back to 1993 with Austin Stowell playing a younger Gibbs joining the agency and how he became the agent we know. It looks to be an intriguing spin on the franchise and to prepare for it, these episodes are must-watch to see what parts of Gibbs' life can come to play. 

Hiatus (Season 3, Episodes 1&2)

The two-part Season 3 finale had Gibbs injured by a bomb and developing amnesia of anything since 1991. This introduces Mike Franks to bring Gibbs up to speed on things, with Gibbs literally sick over events like 9/11. This leads to flashbacks of Gibbs' past, including his late wife, joining the service and more. It ends with him supposedly quitting, but of course, he'd be back.

Besides good insight into his past, the episode also introduced Mike Franks, who would become a popular figure and will play a major role in Origins as Gibbs' mentor.

Requiem (Season 5, Episode 2)

When the daughter of his childhood best friend drops by the office seeking help, Gibbs naturally decides to do it. It looks like a simple case of her trying to keep her Marine ex-boyfriend from stalking her with Gibbs warning the guy off. When the Marine kidnaps the girl, Gibbs discovers there's more going on. 

A key moment is when Gibbs is in a car sinking underwater and hallucinates his wife and daughter telling him it'll be okay. It's a big scene that shows Gibbs still carrying the memories of his family close to him. As Origins will take place with Gibbs still grieving them in 1993, this episode is a good turn. 

Ex-File (Season 5, Episode 3)

A running bit on the show was Gibbs' various exes, all redheads. This comes up in this episode when the witness to a murder is his ex-wife, Stephanie Flynn (Kathleen York). Even worse is Gibbs's then-girlfriend Hollis Mann (Susanna Thompson) is investigating the case, so Gibbs endures the worst nightmare of any man, his current flame and his ex talking. 

While there's comedy, there's also touches on how Stephanie sums up how every woman in Gibbs' life had to compete with Shannon's memory and he's never gotten over her. While not as in-depth as we'd get on his other exes, this episode was good, showcasing Gibbs' troubled romantic past.

Heartland (Season 6, Episode 4)

For a long time, Gibbs' family was a pretty secret both to his teammates and viewers. We finally got an answer when a case brought Gibbs back to his hometown of Stillwater, Pennsylvania. That meant a reunion with his father Jackson (played by Ralph Waite).

It's a classic episode with Gibbs remembering how he met his future wife Shannon in the town and the father and son being pretty distant. They are able to bond by the end, and Origins will play on this difficult father/son relationship, which had a beautiful showcase here. 

Swan Song/Pyramid (Season 8, Episode 15 &16)

Mike Franks became a beloved character in his various episodes, with the dynamic of still treating Gibbs like a probie and putting him in his place. That's why fans were shaken when Franks was killed by the Port to Port Killer the team had been tracking. That obviously rocked Gibbs, even when he learned that Franks was already dying and wanted to go out on his own terms.

It was a heroic end as in dying, Franks left behind the key clues to stop the Killer, yet his loss haunted Gibbs for quite a while. 

Life Before His Eyes (Season 9, Episode 14)

For the 200th episode of the series, the producers took an interesting tack. An encounter with a gunman has Gibbs imagining himself in a diner where the ghost of Mike Franks shows him alternate worlds where Gibbs made a different choice. That includes one where Kate Todd lived, another where Gibbs didn't avenge his family and becomes a broken man, and one where Shannon and his daughter didn't die, but Gibbs ended up killed in action.

It's a powerful hour to show Gibbs' past and make him realize he shouldn't regret the choices that made him the man he is today. It's a good celebration of the show while looking to the future. 

The Namesake (Season 10 Episode 5)

While searching for evidence on who shot a petty officer, Gibbs finds a pawnshop selling a Medal of Honor. He's shocked to find it belongs to Jethroy Lee Moore, an old friend of Gibbs' dad, whom Gibbs was named after. Gibbs tracks his childhood hero (Billy Dee Williams) down to learn that he and Gibbs' dad had fallen out long ago.

Gibbs gets Moore and Jackson together and the beef leads to a shocking revelation about the death of Gibbs' mother. It does come to a warmer conclusion and another great turn by Waite as Jackson while delving deeper than ever into Gibbs' past. 

Under the Radar (Season 11, Episode 3)

NCIS: Origins will use a younger version of agent Vera Strickland, Mike Franks' partner. So it's a good idea to catch up on her first appearance where she's played by Roma Maffia. Facing imminent retirement, Strickland briefly joins the team only to get injured, thanks to Tony. Maffia shows the agent a sharp-tongued and smart investigator in this brief appearance, so it'll be interesting how she's shown in a full appearance in the upcoming prequel. 

Honor Thy Father (Season 11, Episode 24)

The original plans for the Season 11 finale were changed when actor Ralph Waite died in early 2014. Thus, as the team investigates a standard case, Gibbs gets the word that Jackson has passed away from a stroke. The team also remembers Jackson well before working the case while Gibbs returns to Stillwater for the funeral.

Of course, things get complicated as the case involves an attempt on Gibbs' life. But the focus is on Gibbs remembering his dad and works as a wonderful tribute to both Jackson and his actor to showcase the bond he and Gibbs had. 

Everything Starts Somewhere (Season 18, episode 2) 

For the 400th episode of the series, we got a wonderful showcase of the Gibbs/Ducky friendship that ended up being one of the last times Mark Harmon and David McCallum worked together.  Harmon's son Sean plays a younger Gibbs who, in 1980, is stuffed in a trunk connected to a case and meets Ducky for the first time. 

It's a fun episode mixing the past and present as we see younger, more headstrong Gibbs, with Ducky already showing a mentor side pushing him to reunite with Shannon. It's a great celebration of the show, the characters and intriguing to see how different a younger Gibbs was. 

NCIS: Origins premieres Monday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c on CBS.