Spoiler Alert NCIS: Origins episode 11, “Flight of Icarus”
This article discusses suicide.
Mike Franks' NIS team takes on an emotional case inNCIS: Originsepisode 11, revealing new details about the leader. TheNCISprequel show doesn’t move as quickly as its predecessor, butNCIS: Origins' cases have a strong heartbeat, and episode 11 is a prime example of that trend. Everything is back to normal for theNCIS: Originscastin the outing after Gibbs and Lala resolve their dispute about him killing of Pedro Hernandez.
During the first half ofNCIS: Originsfreshman run, flashbacks detailed Gibbs' journey of discharging from the United States Marine Corps and becoming an NIS agent.NCIS: Originsseason 1, episode 10, “Blue Bayou,” revealed that Gibbs' neighbor, Ruth, had a considerable influence on his life. In its return from its winter break, the prequel focuses on a different member of the famed team, as Franks fronts “Flight of Icarus” with flashbacks of his own.
9A Tear In Franks’ Boots Triggers A Flashback To Mike’s Adolescence
Mike Doesn’t Want To Replace His Boots
The opening ofNCIS: Originsepisode 11, “Flight of Icarus,” focuses on Franks. It witnesses the team leader meticulously getting ready for the morning, from stepping out of the shower to putting on his boots. Mark Harmon’s narration as Older Gibbs reflects on his former mentor, discussing the burdens the leader bears. When Franks goes to put on his cowboy boots that morning, he is devastated when the soul of his boot rips from its counterpart, rendering them unwearable.
Patrick Fischler
Special Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler
Mike discusses his boot dilemma with Tish before leaving for work that morning. He wants to take his boots to his partner’s shoe repair person, but Tish remarks that the artisan said Franks' boots were on their deathbed the last time she brought them in. When Tish asks Franks why he can’t just wear his black boots, he remarks they are for special occasions.
A flashback reveals that the Nile crocodile leather cowboy boots were a gift from Franks' older brother and mother, who saved the money to buy them for the younger brother’s birthday.
As Tish reluctantly agrees to take his boots to her shoe person, Franks wipes them down and reflects on their origin. A flashback reveals that the Nile crocodile leather cowboy boots were a gift from Franks' older brother and mother, who saved the money to buy them for the younger brother’s birthday. Rather than wear another pair of cowboy boots, Franks comically shows up to work in worn white tennis shoes.
8Mike Franks’ Team Is Investigating The Death Of Captain Cameron Reid & It Looks Like A Suicide
Franks' Team Performs A Death Investigation Regardless
Franks shows up in his white tennis shoes to the crime scene, causing his team to notice and take note. Gibbs is taking pictures for the first time at the scene of the crime as Franks and the medical examiner discuss the victim’s wounds. When they roll the victim over, they find the murder weapon, and the crime scene begins to look like a devastating, self-inflicted death.
Franks is concerned that the case will hit too close to home for Leroy Jethro because the Marine once tried to kill himself, but Gibbs assures Franks that he is okay to investigate.
The medical examiner discusses how the wound, blood splatter, and position of the weapon all suggest suicide. Franks is concerned that the case will hit too close to home for his probie because the Marine once tried to kill himself, but Gibbs assures his boss that he is okay to investigate. Instead, Gibbs is more concerned about where his camera flash is, continuing to take his crime scene photographer duties seriously.
7Cameron Reid’s Military Father Refuses To Believe His Son’s Cause Of Death
Cameron Reid’s Father Is A Three-Star War General
As Mike Franks and the rest of the team trickle into the NIS bullpen to discuss the case, Lala and Randy are thrilled about a development they discovered about Cameron Reid’s next of kin.Lala blurts out that Cameron Reid’s father is Alexander Reid, who she remarks is known as Alexander the Great (without any negative connotation). Gibbs clarifies that his colleagues are referencing Lieutenant General Reid from the Battle of Khafji.
Gibbs assumes the team won’t investigate due to evidence of suicide, but Randy clarifies they are still investigating, conducting what’s called a death investigation.
Randy confirms Gibbs' assumptions, remarking that the team is dealing with a certified war hero.Alexander Reid is a three-star war general, so the team is understandably excited to meet someone in their field who is highly regarded. They establish that Alexander Reid is on his way to NIS and intends to discuss the investigation when he arrives. Understandably, Mike is mortified that he wore his mowing shoes to work and trades Randy for his loafers.
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When Alexander Reid arrives at NIS, he wants to deal with Mike Franks personally rather than working through Special Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler.Franks works the case respectfully, telling the general that all signs point to his son committing suicide while honoring the war hero’s belief that his son wasn’t capable of taking his own life. Ultimately, Alexander the Great plays a vital role in his son’s investigation, providing the team with intel.
6Randy Wants To Set Gibbs Up On A Date With His Wife’s Friend
Randy’s Wife Has A Friend Named Amanda
Amid their investigation,Randy has an exciting prospect for Gibbs. The special agents have a moment to themselves while waiting to discuss forensics with their lab specialists, who are apparently out having lunch when they arrive. Randy asks Gibbs if he would like to grab dinner sometime while they stand in the hallway. Gibbs initially thinks Randy wants to have dinner as buddies, to which Agent Randolf laughs and clarifies his proposal.
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Randy tells Gibbs that his wife has a friend named Amanda and that he could set them up for a date. Apparently, Amanda is sweet and has a great sense of humor, and he thinks Gibbs would really like the teacher. That said, before Gibbs can answer his colleague’s burning question, Randy’s proposal is interrupted when Woody returns to the lab and chides Phill for making the agents wait outside.
5Flashbacks Reveal Mike Franks Was Drafted For The Vietnam War
Mike’s Brother Didn’t Want Him To Go
When Agent Franks returns to the crime scene to see if he missed anything, he sees a pamphlet advertising a Veteran’s support group. The artifact triggers another flashback, wherein Mike and his brother are looking for a lost group of livestock that has wandered off. The mood changes as the brothers watch a car approach their family’s Texas homestead. Shortly thereafter, Mike’s older brother argues with an armed service member who declares that"Michael Aaron Franks" has been drafted into the Vietnam War.
When Franks refuses to follow his older brother’s orders to flee the country, saying he can never come back, Mike’s kin enlists in the war and travels to the front lines alongside him.
Mike’s older brother insists that his younger brother won’t get sent to Vietnam, saying they will figure something out. After a series of flashbacks that put the whole story together, it’s clear that Mike Franks was enlisted in the Vietnam War via the draft, but his brother doesn’t want him to go. When Franks refuses to follow his older brother’s orders to flee the country, saying he can never come back, Mike’s kin enlists in the war and travels to the front lines alongside him.
4Nick Barnes Confesses He Gave Cameron Reid A Firearm
He Didn’t Know Why He Wanted The Gun
Alexander Reid returns to NIS for a status update. When Mike has little else to offer the general other than the fact that Cameron’s death still looks like a suicide, the war hero gives Franks a stack of brown file folders of intel that his office compiled of all of his son’s known contacts. Franks splits the evidence among his team, and hoards of Cameron Reid’s friends pour into the NIS bullpen for interviews as the team follows up on their findings.
Nick’s story matches the tale of an elderly neighbor, who told Franks that she heard two men arguing in Reid’s apartment a few nights before he died.
The most promising subject is Nick Barnes, who waits all day for his interview but hesitates to reveal his story when the time comes.Nick tells the team that he sold Cameron Reid a gunthe night the captain died. Nick’s story matches the tale of an elderly neighbor, who told Franks that she heard two men arguing in Reid’s apartment a few nights before he died. The neighbor heard one man say he was coming back with a gun, and Nick’s confession brings clarity to the eyewitness account.
3Franks Team Discovered Cameron Reid Would Rather End His Life Than Be Deployed To Somalia
Cameron Reid Didn’t Want To Repeat Kuwait
After talking to all of Cameron Reid’s known contacts, Mike’s team compiles a complete picture of his case, and Franks is ready to report his findings to the general. All the material evidence confirms that the younger Reid took his own life. However, Franks knows that Alexander Reid deserves to know more about what happened to his son, and he honors the war general’s request that he get to know him. Mike relates to the son’s struggle, remembering a heated argument with his brother.
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Franks tells Alexander that Cameron was a responsible young man who admired him. However, he ultimately did not want to be deployed to Somalia after his grave war experiences in Kuwait. The interviews that Franks and his team conducted suggested that Cameron Reid was struggling with untreated mental health issues after he was deployed in the war. It’s a grave but touching conclusion for the rookie procedural, proving thatNCIS: Originscan pull off a heartfelt casewithout the severity of twists its predecessor takes.
2Lala Makes A Weird Comment That Hints At A Romance With Her And Gibbs
Lala Is Protective Of Leroy Jethro Gibbs
At some point in the installment, Gibbs tells Lala about Randy’s propositionto send his colleague on a date with his wife’s friend Amanda. Lala remarks that the development is nice, but her eyebrows shoot upward, suggesting she’s surprised and perhaps a bit uncomfortable with the information. As Lala presses Gibbs on the identity of his prospective date, the pair is interrupted by Mike Franks, who updates his team members on the latest developments.
Lala then makes an odd request to Randy, proving she has a stake in Leroy’s love life. Agent Dominguez tells Randy that he should ensure the woman he’s set up with is good enough for him.
After the case wraps up, Lala checks in with Randy about Gibbs' theoretical date. Randy tells Lala that the date isn’t happening, remarking that their probationary agent colleague said he wasn’t ready to date. Lala then makes an odd request to Randy, proving she has a stake in Leroy’s love life. She tells Randy that he should ensure the woman he’s set up with is good enough for him whenever Gibbs is ready to date.
1Mark Harmon’s Narration As Older Gibbs Focuses On Mike Franks In NCIS: Origins Episode 11
Older Gibbs Is Thinking A Lot About His Former Mentor
At the end ofNCIS: Originsepisode 11, Mark Harmon cuts back in to narrate as Austin Stowell’s young Gibbs flips through a Veteran’s support group pamphlet. He talks about the man in charge, Mike Franks, and remarks that he has been thinking about him recently. older Gibbs also admits he frequently thought about his team leader while working alongside him. Harmon’s ending monologue continues to impress upon fanshow important Franks is to Gibbs in the prequel.
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Harmon’s narration discusses what Mike Franks had to do to be the person he was and what the rookie agent would have to achieve to be like him. Gibbs talks about how Franks toppled giants with one hand while he carried heavy burdens with the other. Older Gibbs' comments suggest that Franks' Vietnam War days could entail a dark conclusion and thatNCIS: Originswill further flesh out the events that formed the man Mike Franks became.
