[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for NCIS: Origins Season 1 Episode 14 “To Have and to Hold.”]
NCIS: Origins reveals Mary Jo’s (Tyla Abercrumbie) heartbreak within the March 24 episode.
All of it stems from Mary Jo’s husband, Marcus (Man Lockard), sending her divorce papers. Their marriage had been over for years, however they by no means made it official. They simply grew aside, is all she tells Lala (Mariel Molino), who presents to have her sister look over the papers, and Vera (Diany Rodriguez). To Mary Jo’s shock, Marcus is asking for nearly half of all the things. However that’s all on his lawyer, he insists when she goes to see him; he didn’t ask for something. She admits she’s not upset in regards to the papers, however she simply doesn’t need to overlook. A flashback reveals what she means: the infant they misplaced and whose identify is written on the wall of what’s now simply her home — alongside three others.
Beneath, Abercrumbie opens up about Mary Jo’s heart-wrenching backstory, filming these emotional scenes, and extra.
How a lot of Mary Jo’s backstory had you identified earlier than this episode and studying the script?
Tyla Abercrumbie: Properly, I did know that she had misplaced a baby. I knew that as a result of in my audition, I used to be really having a dialog with Gibbs [Austin Stowell] about shedding a baby. So I knew that that they had perhaps had that someplace deliberate for her, however I didn’t know the extent to which — what number of kids she had misplaced or how she misplaced her kids, at what stage. And in order that was all very new for me. I obtained the script every week earlier than or perhaps three to 4 days earlier than we really started capturing on it, so it was a shock to me because it was for everybody else.
Erik Voake / CBS
However the collaboration [with coshowrunners Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North] led to understanding that I wished Mary Jo to have a life exterior of labor, that I wished her to wish from others as a result of she is, such as you mentioned, serving to all people. She’s carrying the entire world on her again. And I felt that a part of that for me, that’s not solely a manner that ladies have been seen within the ‘90s, but it surely’s additionally a manner Black ladies are seen persistently, that they will care for all people else, however they don’t have a life. And we mentioned that. So I knew slightly, after which I didn’t know she was going to lose as many kids as she’s misplaced or in regards to the divorce. We talked about, how did I desire a man within the lifetime of Mary Jo? And so [I knew] little or no, [and was] simply as shocked as everybody else, put it that manner.
We see the wall after which all of the names…
Proper? Intestine-wrenching, proper?
Sure. So if her ex hadn’t taken the step with the divorce papers, what would it not have taken Mary Jo to take action?
I consider that she wouldn’t have made that transfer until she met one other person who was essential to her and he or she felt like, how can I transfer ahead on this relationship with out closing off this marriage? I feel that if you turn into comfy and secure — you suppose that you simply’ve wrapped this up, it’s off there. It’s not bothering you, he hasn’t talked about it, I haven’t talked about it, it’s comfy that manner. We’re each comfy being hooked up however indifferent. So I don’t see that she would’ve carried out something.
That truly isn’t uncommon in marriages the place individuals separate for lengthy durations of time, particularly in the event that they don’t have kids they usually don’t even return to it, and other people which can be nonetheless in love with one another, however they’ve dysfunction. They’ve moved on they usually’re residing somewhere else, however they nonetheless have love for one another and it’s comfy. So I feel individuals don’t transfer on till there’s therapeutic. And what Marcus does when he sends the paper is he’s therapeutic, and therapeutic implies that it’s essential to have closure. So he forces her to have closure, however I don’t suppose she would’ve carried out it.
And it’s comprehensible as a result of anytime she sees him, that’s all she will be able to take into consideration. There’s no manner that they will take into consideration anything besides their losses after they see one another.
And that dialog will get stale, proper? It’s like, what do now we have to speak about now? As a result of we’re not even in one another’s lives. And I think about it to be a dialog that you simply need to maintain comfy since you don’t need to replicate, you don’t need to blame, you don’t need to really feel guilt or disgrace. When individuals lose their kids, particularly by way of miscarriage, I feel individuals can’t assist however really feel a level of fault. And it’s not anybody’s fault. You may’t predict it. Ladies face loss of life 10 occasions after they’re in childbirth, however I feel dad and mom can’t assist however really feel like, what didn’t we do or what may now we have carried out higher? That dialog can simply turn into laden with emotion and never mean you can transfer ahead since you maintain interested by this household, this life I assumed we’d have. And as a substitute we simply have this brokenness and these infants that by no means — we didn’t get to see develop and go to highschool and get married, and the way do you repair that? And that’s commonplace when relationships have one thing so emotionally tragic that they will’t transfer ahead even when they’re in love.
I’ve to say I used to be offended for Mary Jo when she obtained the divorce papers and he or she’s like, ‘He desires what?’
I used to be offended by that, too. Let me inform you, after I noticed it, I used to be similar to, now, wait a minute. We can not write this brother out right here asking for alimony and half the home.
However it led to that basically good scene between the 2 of them.
I cherished it as a result of I feel that the visceral response that I had, and also you had, and all people else goes to have, however then we go additional, which is a lovely factor that Gina and David have carried out is like they set you as much as be like, what? Even when Franks [Kyle Schmid] says, “Mary Jo, get it proper,” or no matter he accuses her of, Mary Jo made a mistake. You’re like, what? And then you definately get this lovely resolve with them, together with her telling him, we don’t get to stroll away from what now we have to do. Then he goes and says the identical factor to Randolf [Caleb Foote] and Randolf is repeating it. And so that you get to be upset after which like, “Oh, okay. Alright. Right here they go in Origins getting me all emotional.”
Talking of, I’m actually having fun with the Mary Jo and Franks scenes — that dynamic is so good.
Sure, I find it irresistible. I really like working with Kyle Schmid. He’s superb. I do love that now we have this work marriage, and I feel that’s additionally very fulfilling to Mary Jo, to have this work marriage the place no person else can discuss to him and get him proper aside from her as a result of she feels very comfy in, what are you going to do to me? I feel you are feeling that comfy with individuals when you already know you want them they usually know that you simply want them they usually want you, and that consolation lets you be sincere with that particular person. It’s like, I’m by no means going to not be sincere with you and I’m all the time going to have your greatest curiosity at coronary heart as a result of I really like you as an individual. And I feel Mary Jo and Franks have that. There’s a strong respect and a love for each other, and they also’ll be these individuals who could be mad at one another and nonetheless talk. They don’t need to shut down.
Sonja Flemming / CBS
He is aware of that place would collapse with out her.
He is aware of that. He is aware of that he relies upon quite a bit on her. And when you already know that, although you don’t acknowledge it, I feel that you would be able to respect the individual that you could have that reference to.
Speak about filming the flashbacks with Mary Jo and her husband, after which with that reveal. It was so emotional to look at.
It was very emotional. It was a really exhausting day in truth. Working with Man Lockard was nice. It was nice as a result of he was so able to be out there. And that was the primary time we have been assembly; we’d by no means met earlier than as actors on every other mission, and we didn’t know one another beforehand. It’s not simple to indicate up and be emotional with somebody that you simply by no means had any sort of communication with. So I actually applaud him, which is all of our jobs, to be prepared and out there and do what we’re requested to do. That’s not a shock that he would present up like that, but it surely felt actually nice and supported to indicate up, know I’ve to have this by way of line for this character, and my scene companion was like, let’s do that.
It was very exhausting, lots of crying. And on high of that, the following day, I’ll always remember, oh my God, it’s so humorous to me — that day had taken a lot out of me and like Mary Jo, I felt like, “Okay, I did my job nicely yesterday. Oh, that’s so good.” I confirmed up the following day, and my mind was fried. I used to be stumbling over traces. I used to be transposing sentences. Oh, I simply felt so unhealthy as a result of I don’t know if my mind was exhausted or I used to be simply emotionally drained as a result of the reality of it’s, I’m performing a personality, however my mind and physique don’t know that this isn’t actual. I give up to the reality of what I’m doing, and I feel we generally overlook that you would be able to’t simply shake it off and present up and be like, now what do I’ve to do?
And for Mary Jo particularly, that was the primary time I had to try this. Usually I’m simply operating across the workplace and speaking and carrying on. This was the primary time I needed to have my emotional day after which present up and be the previous Mary Jo. And I used to be like, oh no, my mind wasn’t clicking. So it was very troublesome. It was lovely as a result of I love with the ability to have emotional scenes and inform slightly extra about her and let individuals see one thing else apart from her within the workplace.
NCIS: Origins, Mondays, 10/9c, CBS