Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Darlin’, Don’t Chorus” are forward!
The Sandman case from NCIS: Origins’ two-part premiere appeared fairly open and shut at first, with Jameson “Bugs” Boyd being arrested because the sniper who gunned down 4 individuals, together with his personal girlfriend. Then in Origins’ Season 1 midseason finale, it was revealed that Bugs had not solely labored with a second sniper, however was concerned with the “catastrophic mishandling” of Operation Sunset. Reduce to final week on the 2025 TV schedule, “Bugs” revealed that Bugs hadn’t truly killed any of these individuals, although he was murdered earlier than he might identify the offender. Due to the occasions of “Darlin’, Don’t Chorus,” we now know the id of the true Sandman killer, and it seems that Leroy Jethro Gibbs had a private connection to them, which legitimately stunned me.
The occasions that unfolded in Origins’ newest episode, which could be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription, led the crew studying that the late Dustin Cruz was a non-public army contractor who’d organized off the books jobs for the CIA in the course of the Gulf Conflict. The CIA employed a corporation referred to as Flintport to run a safety element in Kuwait for a CIA asset named Abad Safar. 4 snipers have been tasked by Cruz, who was supervising Operation Sunset, to guard Safar, his spouse and his son. Sadly, the household was killed by insurgents once they found his collaboration, and this occur after the sniper crew was mysteriously referred to as away.
Flintport was dissolved after the incident, after which inside the previous few months main as much as “Darlin’, Don’t Chorus,” three of its high 4 executives had been killed in numerous components of the nation. The lone survivor, firm head Kevin Rayburn, was tracked down and found to be in hiding. He revealed that he pulled all his guys, together with the snipers, off their ops to assist cap the oil wells Sadaam Hussein burned, as the US was keen to pay tens of millions to get it performed. The Safar household died due to Rayburn’s greed, which led to Sandman enact his revenge.
You see, Bugs was on that crew of snipers, as was, to my shock, Luke Fletcher. The identify might not sound acquainted to some, however common NCIS: Origins viewers will certainly acknowledge him as the person who’s been operating the veterans assist group conferences that Gibbs has been attending. Gibbs figured this out when he was combing by footage of Vera Strickland’s interviews with Bugs and seen that the incarcerated sniper has talked about a quote from Napoleon that Luke had additionally talked about throughout one of many conferences.
Gibbs went to Luke’s house to try to discreetly get proof about his suspicions, however he was quickly found. Luke claimed he actually cared in regards to the vets he was serving to, however Gibbs additionally pieced collectively that Luke was utilizing the group as a approach to acquire entry to army data within the camps and bases he visited. Luke was additionally the one who planted the listening units on the Camp Pendleton workplace, which is how he realized that Bugs was on the brink of spill the beans final week.
A combat quickly broke out between Gibbs and Luke that ended with the latter’s loss of life. Earlier than he handed although, he confessed why he’d carried out these killings. Whereas Gibbs appeared to principally be okay after the combat, Lala Dominguez caught round his condominium to ensure he didn’t have a concussion.
Then there was Particular Agent in Cost Cliff Wheeler, head of the NIS Pendleton Workplace, who already had sufficient on his plate coping with his son performing out and catching warmth for fumbling the Sandman case, ensuing within the FBI taking it over. By the tip of the episode, Wheeler admitted that he’d shredded the doc mentioning Bugs’ accomplice and Operation Sunset, feeling on the time that they’d captured the best Sandman and felt it was in his finest curiosity to maintain the case closed. He’s now suspended indefinitely, leaving it unclear if he’ll be again for NCIS: Origins Season 2.
What we do know is that subsequent week brings us the Origins Season 1 finale, titled “Cecilia.” The episode will see Gibbs assembly Lara Macy, the investigator who’s seeking to uncover the reality behind Pedro Hernandez’s homicide, prompting Lala and Mike Franks to do what they will to guard their teammate.