Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Flight of Icarus” are forward!
Final month, NCIS: Origins spent its midseason finale wrapping up its Gibbs-centric flashback storyline, exhibiting the ultimate sequence of occasions that led to Austin Stowell’s character becoming a member of the Naval Investigative Service. However that doesn’t imply the present is finished with flashbacks altogether, as co-showrunner David J. North knowledgeable CinemaBlend that Origins Season 1 would give audiences extra data on “how Mike Franks grew to become Mike Franks.” That point got here tonight with the discharge of “Flight of Icarus” on the 2025 TV schedule, and North, in addition to fellow showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal, opened as much as me about delving into Franks’ previous and the way these flashbacks for Kyle Schmid’s character will proceed.
Whereas the “current day” storyline of Origins’ newest episode noticed Gibbs, Franks, Lala and Randy trying into the demise of infantry officer Cameron Reid, whom they pieced collectively died by suicide, the flashback storyline wound the clock again to when Franks had just lately turned 21 years outdated and was engaged on his mom’s ranch in Texas alongside his brother, Mason. After I spoke with Monreal and North forward of the airing of “Flight of Icarus,” I requested early on into our dialog what was the massive purpose they wished to perform with this storyline, and right here’s what they informed me:
Gina Lucita Monreal: “Properly, we now have quite a lot of house to fill. We’ve got sure guideposts that we all know from the unique present about Franks’ previous, however quite a lot of issues have been extensive open. And so we have been seeking to actually simply dig into who he’s as a human being, attending to see his household and the place he got here from and the way he bought to the place he’s within the present. It’s what we’re hoping to delve into on a deeper degree, what makes him tick.”
David J. North: “This episode is simply actually the start of this, seeing him go off to Vietnam, after which as these flashbacks proceed in future episodes, we’re gonna skip forward in time and see what occurred when he will get again from Vietnam. And let’s simply say like in the case of Franks to anticipate the surprising.”
Initially all of the youthful Mike Franks needed to fear about was his toes bleeding from breaking within the new boots Mason and their mom purchased him, in addition to some horses and a calf from the ranch operating off. However issues kicked up a notch when Mike was drafted to serve within the Vietnam Warfare. Whereas Mason initially tried to persuade his youthful brother to go to Mexico so he might dodge the draft, Mike refused. So as an alternative, Mason determined to enlist too on the situation that they each signal as much as be Marines.
Because it was left ambiguous on the finish of “Flight of Icarus” whether or not or not this storyline would proceed, I used to be glad to listen to from Gina Luctia Monreal and David J. North that it’s going to unfold over a number of episodes, similar to what was achieved with Leroy Jethro Gibbs within the first half of NCIS: Origins Season 1. They elaborated upon this once I requested what the scenario was with Mike and Mason’s father, as he was nowhere to be seen:
Monreal: “That is one thing that we’ll discover as nicely. Like I mentioned, Franks’ story is form of extensive open in some ways, and in order that’s one thing we’re gonna discover sooner or later as nicely. So as an example, we knew that he was a Marine and that he had been in Vietnam. So our process is to fill in all of the blanks whereas nonetheless staying true to the character that we learn about.”
North: “Which truthfully, Adam, is the enjoyable half. I imply, when you’ve gotten a present like NCIS, it is so beloved and been on for 20 some years, there’s quite a lot of canon that you need to persist with, however Gina and I’ve actually labored so onerous to stay to that canon, however then on the identical time creating these new, contemporary tales that in case you’ve by no means seen NCIS, you may nonetheless sink your enamel into. That is been actually necessary to us.”
Whereas we all know from the unique NCIS how Mike Franks’ story will finish, I’m glad NCIS: Origins is dedicating time to exploring the character outdoors of the 1991 setting. Gibbs could also be Origins’ principal character, however Franks is a key part of this collection too as the person who recruited Gibbs into NIS. The extra we are able to study his life years earlier than assembly Gibbs, the higher the character, whether or not he’s being performed by Kyle Schmid or Muse Watson, will be appreciated.
New episodes of NCIS: Origins air Mondays at 10 pm ET on CBS. Afterwards, you may stream them, together with all of the NCIS franchise reveals, with a Paramount+ subscription.