Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Vivo o Muerto” are ahead!
One of the most important pieces of backstory concerning Leroy Jethro Gibbs in NCIS lore is that his first wife, Shannon, and their daughter, Kelly, were murdered by a drug dealer named Pedro Hernandez in 1991. Over the course of NCIS: Origins’ run on the 2024 TV schedule, this aspect of the character’s history has been fleshed out, from Austin Stowell’s take on the character deliberately walking into enemy fire after hearing the tragic news, to the reveal that Randy was originally supposed to be the agent protecting Shannon and Kelly.
However, tonight’s episode, “Vivo o Muerto”, delivered arguably the biggest moment yet in this storyline: Gibbs killing Pedro Hernandez. It’s a moment that longtime NCIS fans have known was coming, and while the killing was shown in flashes on the flagship series, Origins fully back the curtain on how Gibbs was able to pull that off. In an interview with CinemaBlend, Origins executive producer David J. North about what this this latest twist means for his relationships with Lala Dominguez and Mike Franks, as well as confirmed that this storyline isn’t over yet.
What Happened In The Latest NCIS: Origins Episode
“Vivo o Muerto” saw Gibbs and Lala traveling to Tijuana to investigate the disappearance of a Navy woman named Dana Rogers, who was later revealed to have been kidnapped when she and her friend were taken to a club by a woman named Amelia. Amelia was a scout for human traffickers, and the club was a front for the Reynosa drug cartel. That’s the same cartel that Pedro Hernandez was working for; in fact, it turns out that him and a man named Saul Ortega were now running the cartel together. However, when Gibbs and Lala learned about Hernandez’s connection to their case, Gibbs barely reacted.
Nevertheless, Lala understandably became concerned that Gibbs’ judgement would become clouded now that the possibility of finding Hernandez was on the table, especially once they figured out where the women were being held. Things got especially hairy when Gibbs and Lala were nearly gunned down in their hotel room shortly before Mike Franks came to help out. Fortunately, in the end, the team was able to rescue Dana and the other women who were being held captive. Unfortunately, not only was Hernandez not there, but they learned from one of the surviving gunmen who was guarding the women that he was killed by a sniper six months earlier, which the cartel covered up so as not to look weak.
At that point, we learned that half a year earlier, Leroy Jethro Gibbs was able to track down Pedro Hernandez’s location using information from the file that Mike Franks let him unofficially look at. Noticing that a car with a partial plate tied to Hernandez matched a car parked near a church being restored in Baja in a newspaper picture, Gibbs went south of the border, staked out the church and sniped Hernandez as he was driving away.
How Gibbs’ Relationships With Lala And Mike Franks Are Affected By The Pedro Hernandez Reveal
It wasn’t hard for Lala Dominguez and Mike Franks to put two and two together and figure out that Leroy Jethro Gibbs killed Pedro Hernandez, although none of the three characters outright discussed this by the time “Vivo o Muerto” finished. Still, this revelation changes things on NCIS: Origins in a big way, and when I had the pleasure of speaking with David J. North, who served as the prequel’s showrunner alongside fellow co-creator Gina Lucita Monreal, I asked what this meant for Gibbs and Lala’s already complicated relationship going forward. He answered:
It means it’s even more complicated. Lala's a character that certainly wouldn't look at him for doing this and pass judgment. After all, Pedro did kill his entire family, so for her, she understands that part of it. But also being on a team, the most important thing is trust, and when she poured her heart out to Gibbs and [he] really saw the character of Lala get emotional for the first time and saying, ‘Franks will pull you off this case, but I'm gonna get him, I'm gonna get Pedro for you.’ And Gibbs didn't tell her the truth, didn't say that he had already got him. So that’s certainly a wrinkle to their relationship, for sure.
At the end of NCIS: Origins’ first episode, Mark Harmon’s older Gibbs described this chapter of his life he’s looking back on as a story he doesn’t like tell that’s about “her,” referring to Lala Dominguez. Although North didn’t shed any light on that specific mystery during my interview with him, his statement above does make it seem like Lala knowing the truth abou Hernandez’s death could play a role. As for if the Pedro Hernandez killing will shake things up between Gibbs and Mike Franks, North told me:
No, I think for Gibbs and Franks, this was the secret that they both thought they were going to take to their graves. Certainly Lala finding out impacts it, but for Franks, he showed Gibbs that file for a reason, and I think that reason is if Franks was in Gibbs’ shoes, that's what he would want someone to do for him.
We already knew from the original NCIS that Mike Franks (played in that show by Muse Watson) was aware what Leroy Jethro Gibbs had done, but as David North laid out, he’s not remotely bothered by what his “probie” did. So while there are new avenues to explore in their relationship, this won't be one of them.
There’s More To Come From The Pedro Hernandez Storyline
Since NCIS explored Gibbs’ murder of Pedro Hernandez being exposed to his cohorts by the late drug dealer’s adult children in Season 7 and the beginning of Season 8, NCIS: Origins could have easily put this particular storyline to bed. However, the mention of Saul Ortega running the Reynosa cartel with Hernandez had me wondering about if this was a tease for something coming up, or if Ortega was just a random name thrown in. Here’s what David North told me:
No, nothing was random. I'll say that what happened, what Gibbs did is certainly not buttoned up and done with, it's going to come back to haunt him.
There’s only so many people who will be able to learn about Gibbs killing Pedro Hernandez given the events that will later unfold in NCIS. That being said, clearly this mess hasn’t been up to bet yet among the core Origins characters, and I’ll be interested to see how the show handles this while staying true to the canon. Also, if we’re going to meet Saul Ortega, is he just as ruthless as Hernandez was or even worse?
The NCIS: Origins midseason finale airs next Monday at 10 pm ET on CBS. Don’t forget you can use a Paramount+ subscription to catch up on older episodes, and the rest of their NCIS franchise, during the holidays.
