Review of the pilot episode “Enter Sandman”

This is what happens in the episode “Enter Sandman” of the series “NCIS: Origins”

Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell, Catch-22) has just been transferred to the NIS in NCIS: Origins after the murder of his wife and daughter. His boss, Special Agent Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid, Being Human), has high hopes for the newcomer, while his colleague Special Agent Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) harbors resentment against him.

Gibbs’ investigative skills and his teamwork skills are put to the test when he has to catch a sniper who seems to be killing people at random. But do the murders really happen without any motive, or is there more to it? As the FBI enters into a turf war with the NIS, Franks, Gibbs, Dominguez and their colleague Special Agent Bernard Randolf (Caleb Foote, American Horror Story) do everything in their power to find the killer…

Finally a breath of fresh air

As is well known, the NCIS franchise (actually more correctly: JAG franchise) is not exactly a source of innovative ideas. No matter where the officers of the Naval Crime Investigation Service appear, at their core they always deal with the same issues that are solved more or less in the same way.

This in itself is not a negative thing and has at least worked exceptionally well since 2003 (if you calculate “JAG“as an initial spark for the franchise, even since 1995). Nevertheless, as a crime series fan, you had wanted a breath of fresh air at least since NCIS: Hawai’i and the first woman in the leadership position of a team.

It is clear, however, that neither this series, which has unfortunately now been canceled, nor the rather mediocre format NCIS: Sydney brought any new impetus. In fact, the “NCIS“-Veterans Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North with “NCIS: Origins“To finally give the franchise the long-awaited new twist that ensures a new – yet old – tone.

Back to the past

For the two series makers it means in every respect: back to the past. Instead of just launching a new team to kill murderers and terrorists somewhere in the world, Monreal and North wisely decided to go back to basics. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that the adventures of the “JAG“-Lawyers are involved, but we finally get to know Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played brilliantly by Austin Sowell, at a young age and follow him as he takes his first steps towards becoming the man we have known him for 21 seasons (Season 22 is already, by the way). ordered) and love.

It’s nice that Sowell isn’t just being thrown at us as a replacement for Mark Harmon, but rather the old master of the investigation himself appears in the form of small cameo appearances and also as a voice-over narrator. Of course, the two Gibbs seen are not identical. The future NCIS boss is older, more mature and more sedate than his tempestuous young self, a fact that gives the series a completely new attitude.

In addition, for the first time we are not moving in the present, but over 20 years in the past and thus in a time when computers were still bulky boxes and investigative manual work. Mike Franks, who is well known from the mother series, is also rougher and less politically correct than is often the case in today’s formats. In 1991 – the present time of the series – the clock was ticking on things equivalence still different than today, a fact that the man in “NCIS: Origins“Taken into account with sensitivity throughout. Accordingly, Franks is a real cowboy who doesn’t like to be spit in the soup and does things the way he thinks is right.

Gibbs’ family

As in the original, the murder of Gibbs’ wife and child plays an exceptionally important role in the spin-off. We repeatedly experience flashbacks that show the last moments between him and his family. The grief over the murders that took place just a few months ago has left scars in the former sniper’s soul. This is a fact that Monreal and North make appealingly visible and tangible for the audience using auditory effects and slightly distorted close-ups.

On the other hand, his fate makes him receptive to that other person, which is why, for example, he quickly establishes a connection with the mother of the episode’s first victim. These – and his skills as a sniper – ultimately impact the solution to the case, even if the rookie is ultimately only one factor.

Gibbs’ colleagues Dominguez and Randolf don’t just fall by the wayside or fade into insignificant supporting characters. Rather, Dominguez is initially a kind of counterpart with slightly antagonistic traits, while Randolf immediately becomes friends with the newcomer.

Too abrupt an end

What’s great is that everyone ultimately does their part to hunt down the killer. However, it should not go unmentioned that the resolution of the case despite the one and a half hour double episode with the “NCIS: Origins“ begins, is not written completely satisfactorily. The finale comes across too quickly, too predictably and choppy.

There could have been a little more finesse after a total of 90 minutes. However, Enter Sandman spends a lot of time introducing the protagonists and tries honestly and successfully to create a connection to a series that has delighted fans for at least 21 years. In this respect, the abrupt finale is bearable, especially since we see a young Gibbs who fits perfectly into the franchise.

Conclusion

“NCIS: Origins“ dares to do something new and thereby enlivens the very dusty “NCIS“-Series landscape. The risk of telling a prequel is completely successful thanks to the quickly written story, the yet old characterization of Gibbs and the references to characters and events known from the original. “Sandman appears“ is exciting, has a new tonality, scores points with a friendly team and, despite all the prophecies of doom, finally takes us to where no one has ever been “NCIS“series has been before. Added to this is the well-known crime-military factor, which has always made the franchise special anyway.

We therefore distribute four and a half out of five NIS jackets.