{"id":1819,"date":"2025-02-15T16:55:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-15T16:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/?p=1819"},"modified":"2025-02-15T16:55:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-15T16:55:02","slug":"ncis-just-solved-its-most-tragic-mystery-after-18-years-but-also-created-a-franks-plot-hole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/?p=1819","title":{"rendered":"NCIS Just Solved Its Most Tragic Mystery After 18 Years (But Also Created A Franks Plot Hole)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One lingering mystery from arguably NCIS\u2019 most tragic twist is finally answered 18 years later in NCIS: Origins, but it creates a new plot hole along the way. While the NCIS franchise is not new to spinoffs, the Mark Harmon-spearheaded offshoot is the first one to be set in the past. Picking up after Leroy Jethro Gibbs\u2019 family is murdered, NCIS: Origins follows him as he rebuilds his life, which includes joining the then-called NIS. The first few episodes of the prequel stayed true to this premise, but as the show goes on, its storytelling has continued to expand.<\/p>\n

Since returning from its mandatory winter break, NCIS: Origins has used Austin Stowell\u2019s young Gibbs so sparingly, even though the outings are still bookended by Harmon\u2019s narration as the original version of the character. Instead, Kyle Schmid\u2019s Mike Franks has been at the center of its storytelling. After learning about his pre-Vietnam War deployment life in Texas, NCIS: Origins episode 13, \u201cMonsoon\u201d reveals what happened to him after he came back from being deployed. Subtly, the offering also answers a major mystery that stemmed from arguably Franks\u2019 biggest heartbreak on the flagship that happened 18 years ago.<\/p>\n

NCIS: Origins Episode 13 Introduced Liam O\u2019Neill\u2019s Mother
\nThe Mother Of Mike Franks\u2019 Son In NCIS Has Been Unknown Until Now<\/h2>\n

As old Gibbs talks about his most loyal friend and mentor, NCIS: Origins episode 13 goes back in time to 1982 Texas. The flashbacks establish that Franks was in some sort of romantic relationship with a woman named Mary O\u2019Neill. The outing doesn\u2019t spend much time in this setting, because they eventually split up after Franks chose to take a mule job that would have taken him to San Diego. Despite that, considering the name and the timeline, Mary is the mother of Liam O\u2019Neill \u2014 Franks\u2019 surprise son in NCIS season 4, episode 18, \u201cIceman.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the time this was revealed in the flagship series, Muse Watson\u2019s version of the character was already an established guest star in the flagship. His relationship with Gibbs allowed him to pop in and out, especially after the then-MCRT leader\u2019s near-death experience. In NCIS season 4, episode 18, however, his return was driven by his own ties to Liam. Unfortunately, even Gibbs didn\u2019t know about the boy\u2019s existence, because his father only learned about him a couple of years prior to him being a victim. It turned out, Liam tracked down his dad after his mother died.<\/p>\n

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Franks Claimed That Mary Left Him, But NCIS: Origins Episode 13 Reveals Otherwise
\nIt Was Franks Who Walked Out On Mary<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s great to see that CBS is using NCIS: Origins\u2019 story to fill some gaps in its narrative. The franchise has been on the air for more than two decades, but because of its procedural format, it hasn\u2019t been able to fully explore the personal lives of characters beyond its core cast. The prequel has done a great job fleshing out Gibbs\u2019 grief and thirst for revenge during this time, so it\u2019s great to see that Franks also benefits from the show being able to retroactively build on what\u2019s known about the character\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\u2026Franks offered some basic information about his relationship with Mary, saying that they were only together for 6 months and that he didn\u2019t know that she was pregnant when she left him. As seen in \u201cMonsoon,\u201d however, it was Franks who chose to leave.<\/p>\n

Mary O\u2019Neill\u2019s NCIS: Origins episode 13 is well-executed \u2014 if not for a small but important plot hole that it creates. Back in 2007\u2019s \u201cIceman,\u201d Franks told Gibbs that it was Mary who left him. They didn\u2019t have a lot of time discussing the matter, because MCRT was also trying to solve the case. That said, Franks offered some basic information about his relationship with Mary, saying that they were only together for 6 months and that he didn\u2019t know that she was pregnant when she left him. As seen in \u201cMonsoon,\u201d however, it was Franks who chose to leave.<\/p>\n

Liam\u2019s Mother Twist Makes His Story In NCIS So Much Sadder
\nIt Highlights How Franks\u2019 NCIS Life Had Been Defined By Tragedy<\/h2>\n

Franks and Mary\u2019s last interaction in NCIS: Origins episode 13 is also the last time that Liam\u2019s parents were ever in contact. For what it\u2019s worth, he appears to be internally struggling after his time in Vietnam, and as \u201cMonsoon,\u201d highlights, it isn\u2019t until he meets Tish later on that he is able to get back on his feet. While Franks and Tish also end up separating at the end of the same outing, NCIS: Origins suggests, through Harmon\u2019s narration, that she was his true love.<\/p>\n

That said, the way Watson\u2019s version talked about Mary in NCIS season 4, episode 18 established that despite their ugly, and now confusing split, they had some fond memories. Although they didn\u2019t get to spend much time together as a family, Franks and Liam were able to immediately connect when they connected just two years before the latter\u2019s death. Many NCIS characters have tragic personal lives, but somehow, NCIS: Origins just made Franks worse.<\/p>\n

Enjoy ScreenRant\u2019s primetime coverage? Click below to sign up for our weekly Network TV newsletter (make sure to check \u201cNetwork TV\u201d in your preferences) and get the inside scoop from actors and showrunners on your favorite series.<\/p>\n

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One lingering mystery from arguably NCIS\u2019 most tragic twist is finally answered 18 years later in NCIS: Origins, but it creates a new plot hole along the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1821,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1819\/revisions\/1821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ncisnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}