‘NCIS: Origins’ Season 2 Is Making the Same Mistake the Original Show Made Years Ago

When NCIS: Origins first premiered, it felt unlike anything we had seen in the franchise. It confidently dragged fans into Gibbs’ (Mark Harmon, Austin Stowell) past and held us there with a dark, gritty and serious tone. The closest thing we can liken the prequel spin-off to is the early seasons of the flagship show, but even then, Origins had its own noirish flair. But Season 2 is struggling to tread that line between darkness and levity, where it has started to frequently opt for the latter in recent episodes, making the same mistake as its predecessor.

‘NCIS: Origins’ Season 2 Episodes Struggle With Balance

Throughout Origins Season 2 so far, we’ve had fairly provocative storylines like Franks (Kyle Schmid) reuniting with his brother or Lala (Mariel Molino) dealing with her PTSD, but surrounding these central conceits are comedic subplots. Now, the subplots themselves are not an issue, but when they interrupt the pacing of the major story or overpower them, it’s distracting. The comedy of these subplots has also increased in absurdity. The miscommunication about going on a date between Franks and Vera (Diany Rodriguez) was amusing but awkwardly fitted in, while the secretary competition between Mary Jo (Tyla Abercrumbie) and the FBI was paced strangely, even if it ended up being meaningful.

But it is in Season 2, Episode 7, that the absurd comedic subplot is detrimental to Origins. Here, the show shoves in their go-to comedic relief Carl (Matthew Henerson), and gives him a random, confusing, and absolutely ludicrous subplot about finding a hidden passion for hunting down a cougar. A literal cougar. It’s not only a jarring addition to the episode, but also harms the central storyline around Wheeler (Patrick Fischler). It takes away screen time for the episode to fully explore Wheeler’s divorce, affair and sexuality, leaving the arc underdeveloped. The reasons behind his divorce and how he navigated it with his wife felt particularly truncated, as we only really got one scene of them interacting. Considering Wheeler is a character we barely saw in Season 1, he definitely needed more screen time during this episode, so viewers could properly empathize with the usually pedantic and antagonistic character.

Treading the line between levity and darkness is something NCIS has struggled with in recent years and these Origins’ episodes are slowly indicating that it may be going down this path — it shouldn’t. In Episode 7’s case, the comedy stole the potential of Wheeler’s backstory and character development, but if the series continues this trajectory, the price will be heavier.

‘NCIS: Origins’ Needs To Maintain Its Own Style in the Franchise

NCIS is managing somewhat to recover from its misstep in balance, but the stakes are higher for Origins. The prequel was built upon darkness and grit; this tone is what defines and differentiates the spin-off from its peers in the franchise. So, the potential tonal shift away from darkness threatens the very foundations of Origins and is not as easy to recover from. It’s especially damning as Harmon’s voice kicks off every episode, reminding us that this is a story he has never told anyone until now. With a proclamation that has that much gravity, it would be amiss to distract from the shadows and secrecy associated with the story. The atmosphere needs to reflect this sentiment and not be muddied by too much absurdity.

On top of this, the grittier edge is exactly what Origins needs to maintain to remain distinct within an ever-expanding universe. Previous spin-offs, like NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: Hawai’i retained the same cop procedural feel of the flagship show, while Origins was the first to dare to stray away from the formula, and give us an entirely new atmosphere made up of a new time period and even new coloring. NCIS: Tony & Ziva manages to do the same through a genre shift, but it was Origins that pioneered how the franchise would expand by not creating carbon copies in different locations. So, maintaining tonal autonomy and not following its predecessor’s footsteps is more vital than ever.

Even though the comedic subplots are entertaining in their own right, Origins needs to strike a better balance between them and its foundational darkness. If the latest episode is anything to go by, then the trajectory the show is going down is concerning. Please Origins, leave the levity for NCIS and return to the hard-boiled edge that enthralled us in the first place.