The Leroy Gibbs prequel series NCIS: Origins has been airing on the 2024 TV schedule and giving fans an early-‘90s look at the newly-minted NIS agent just weeks after losing his wife and daughter. Viewers are also learning more about characters both familiar to the NCIS franchise, as well as new ones. After the series teased “the story of her” in the premiere, implying a much bigger story at play, Austin Stowell has a theory about why fans have never heard of it in the mothership drama.
Mark Harmon stepped back into the shoes of Gibbs mostly off-screen, serving as the narrator on Origins, though he did appear in the series premiere. Towards the end, he was saying that this is a story he’s never told, which has been the premise of the teasers and the posters prior to the premiere, but then quipped “This is the story of her,” seemingly in reference to Mariel Molino’s Lala Dominguez. So why are we only just now hearing about it after 19 years of NCIS stories?
Austin Stowell, who plays young Gibbs on the prequel, told TVLine his own personal theory, and I can honestly see it being a legit reason to keep that story quiet, even if the actor thinks they're beyond it now. As he put it:
I had a theory going for the first few episodes that she was actually Pedro Hernandez’s daughter. I thought that they might be related somehow. That would do it. But I think those hunches have been quelled at this point. I think it’s off the table.
In case anyone needs a quick refresher, Pedro Hernandez was a Mexican drug dealer who was responsible for murdering Gibbs’ wife, Shannon, and their daughter, Kelly. Gibbs ended up killing Hernandez in 1991, so it would certainly be interesting if that was the case. It would make sense why Gibbs hadn’t told the story before, but it sounds like that idea has since been shot down, and Stowell is just as clueless as anyone else.
Whether it was an epic romance, she turned out to be a traitor, or someone that is the complete opposite of who she is, it sounds like fans may not know the reason, at least for now. Origins is, of course, a prequel centering on Gibbs, and so far, it is mostly focusing on Gibbs’ story, but as the series goes on, we will likely be digging deeper into each character. The story of “her” is just one of many that still needs to be told, and for now, it seems like no one knows just what that is or why we have waited for so long.
Meanwhile, as the story of her continues to be a mystery to many, the story of Gibbs continues to shed more light on his backstory. Origins recently introduced yet another familiar character important to him when it brought a young Agent Fornell into the mix. The series also finally showed how Gibbs and Franks met, and there is still much more to be told.
With Origins nabbing a full-season order, that means that fans will be able to dig even deeper into these characters, and there is no telling what will be found. It should be interesting to see what else is uncovered and hopefully find out why these stories are only just being told. New episodes of NCIS: Origins air on Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
