‘NCIS: Origins’: Kyle Schmid Says Christmas Episode Is ‘Pivotal’ for Franks & Gibbs
Preview
Going into NCIS: Origins, we knew about Gibbs’ (Austin Stowell) and Franks’ (Kyle Schmid) long history. We’ve gotten a taste of it just over the first four episodes of the NCIS prequel. But in the show’s upcoming Christmas episode, airing on December 16, we’ll get even more of it.
In “Blue Bayou,” as Gibbs prepares for his first Christmas without his wife and daughter, flashbacks reveal the unlikely journey that led to his first day on the job as a special agent at NIS’ Camp Pendleton office working with Mike Franks and Lala (Mariel Molino).
“Gibbs, Gibbers, I love him. He makes more trouble for me than I’d like, but I think the best part about the relationship as it grows is the fact that we kind of know where it ends up, but we potentially have 10 years of geography to navigate that gets us from A to B,” Schmid tells TV Insider. “We’re really just at the beginning. This is the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much story to tell, and Austin is so damn good at playing Gibbs. At this point in his life, he’s so emotional. So Austin’s a great actor. It’s a pleasure to go to work with him every day. And it’s exciting to see what he brings to the stage when we go to put these things up because you never know what you’re going to get and that’s exactly what you want.”
It’s a “constantly evolving” relationship, with key moments coming in the Christmas episode. That “is going to be a really cool snapshot that unveils a lot of the how and why of what transpires that convinces Franks to take Gibbs into his life and give him a second shot,” previews Schmid. “And I think that moment in their relationship is so important because without it, there would be no future for anything. And so this is such a pivotal episode because it explains the catalyst of what gives us the future of Franks and Gibbs.”
The fifth episode airs on November 4, and the cast is filming the 10th, but already, they’re connected to their characters. “Austin and I work in such a way that when we start talking about our characters, they’re so close to who we are and we kind of take on these roles, these responsibilities, and these lives that it just feels so human and vulnerable to talk about why,” Schmid explains. “It’s almost like asking you what happened yesterday in your life that made you want to wake up this morning and you’re just like, wow, what a loaded question. We’ve fallen in love with these characters and these people that I think there’s just this kind of external weight that comes along.”
What are you hoping to see in the Christmas episode? Let us know in the comments section below.
NCIS: Origins, Mondays, 10/9c, CBS
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services