Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Monsoon” are forward!
The latter half of NCIS: Origins Season 1 kicked off just a few weeks again with “Flight of Icarus,” which flashed again to a 21-year-old Mike Franks being drafted into the Vietnam Conflict (stream it now with a Paramount+ subscription). Tonight’s episode, “Monsoon,” noticed sequence common Kyle Schmid enjoying Mike in 1982 and, as you possibly can see above, he appeared much more matted in comparison with the place we discover him in 1991. Forward of the premiere of “Monsoon” on the 2025 TV schedule, I had the pleasure of talking with Schmid about his expertise enjoying his character almost a decade earlier than the occasions of Origins, which included him sharing how he channeled The Doorways’ Jim Morrison throughout this time.
The “current day” story in “Monsoon” confirmed the staff investigating the homicide of Marine Lance Corporal Peter Rice, a homeless Vietnam Conflict veteran whose loss of life was handed alongside by his good friend, Tom Molina, who was additionally homeless and met Mike Franks outdoors of a laundromat. In the meantime, the flashbacks confirmed that in 1982, Franks was drifting aimlessly in Texas, drowning in alcohol and medicines and prepared to move the latter for a number of hundred bucks. Sadly, Franks’ motorbike was stolen whereas he was stopped at a fuel station, however the vibrant facet is it led to him assembly Tish, the love of his life. Kyle Schmid beginning off recounting what it was like engaged on “Monsoon” with the next:
It was a really cool expertise to step again into yet one more period, one other decade, but additionally to have the ability to discover who Mike was post-Vietnam and to discover the politics of what that world appeared like for servicemen who had served. I believe one of many large takeaways of this episode, and I hope viewers can draw the parallel, is that Tom Molina and Mike Franks should not so totally different in any respect. The most important issue of their lives is the truth that Mike met Tish at a second when he may have very a lot develop into who Tom Molina was. And if Tom Molina had met Tish in that very same second, Tom Molina may have been Mike Franks. We’re solely as highly effective because the individuals round us, and in that point interval when vets have been coming residence from a warfare that was simply brutalized within the media. A variety of that negativity was all filtered all the way down to the individuals who served, who have been solely serving for the individual subsequent to them to save lots of their lives and save the lives of their brothers.
The one motive Mike Franks and Tish crossed paths was as a result of her tire blew out as she was driving previous him whereas he was strolling on the facet of the highway after his motorbike was stolen. Tish paid Franks for his assist, however as they continued speaking, he realized she was a hairdresser and requested how a lot she charged for a reduce. The remainder, as they are saying, is historical past, however like Kyle Schmid identified to me, had Tish not been driving previous Franks that fateful day, he might need turned out like Tom Molina, who, because it turned out, was the one who truly killed Peter Rice whereas he was struggling via a PTSD flashback.
Kyle Schmid definitely welcomed getting the possibility to play a Mike Franks with none sort of construction in his life, notably as a result of it gave him the chance to behave like Jim Morrison, who was The Doorways’ lead singer, whereas on set. As he informed me:
So with the ability to shift into that place the place we get to see a little bit little bit of the hippie come out in Mike, we get to see a little bit little bit of him being a little bit looser versus this very well-put collectively structured man that we all know that runs NIS. It was a lot enjoyable. I imply, you’re trying within the mirror and feeling like Jim Morrison. I used to be strolling round going, I used to be strolling round set going like, ‘Hey there, sweetheart, the way you doing? You wanna smoke a little bit dope later and hang around?’ It was enjoyable, it was a blast. After which, after all, we acquired to see how Mike meets, Tish, which was, I believe, so candy, and harmless and delightful in a means. We get to see sort of the origin story of how they met, so it was nice.
Once I later requested how Schmid envisioned Mike ending up the best way he did in 1982, he informed me it wasn’t “farfetched” for his character to return again the best way he did given what number of Vietnam Conflict veterans got here again from service with PTSD and weren’t being correctly taken care of by the federal government. With out the “goal” and “neighborhood” he’d gotten whereas he was within the Marines, and along with his brother now not in his life, Schmid mused that Franks skilled a “extreme sense of loss,” with that void being crammed by alcohol and medicines. Nonetheless, Tish helped give his life route once more, and and now I’m to see if NCIS: Origins will present how Franks grew to become an NIS agent subsequent.
Sadly, by the top of “Monsoon,” Tish broke up with Franks after he confessed to her that he hadn’t stopped searching for the person who sexually assaulted her. Whereas we all know from the unique NCIS that her and Franks don’t finally keep collectively, is it attainable they might patch issues up for a time as NCIS: Origins proceed? We’ll discover out as new episodes preserve airing Mondays at 10 pm ET on CBS.