NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 3 focused on young Ducky and paid a touching tribute to David McCallum through Adam Campbell's performance. All the emotion and the warmth of that episode set the bar high for upcoming ones. But episode 4 doesn't disappoint. It places the focus on Mike Franks and tells his emotionally charged story.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 4
NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 4 also does something unique for the spinoff, and rarely done in the NCIS universe — the new case the team is working on is tied to a previous one, and the main suspect has an unexpected connection with Mike Franks.
Which past case does NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 4 tie to?
Mike Franks and the team have to investigate a robbery at the Navy bank. They soon learn that one of the robbers was injured by a bystander, Petty Officer Balkan. And they get eyes on the suspects' caravan. Franks and Lala engage in a car chase, which becomes too traumatic for her. Franks stops, but is pissed at losing the van.
One of the robbers that Franks got eyes on for a brief moment calls him at home, playing mind games and claiming he has a connection to Franks. Later, the team finds the van with one of the robbers, Kurt Vandreesen, dead inside. He was the one who hit bank worker Alanna Clark and put her in a coma.
The NIS and FBI joint task force holds a press conference with Alanna's husband, Captain Reginald Clark, to appeal to the other robber's emotions. And it works. The man calls Franks again, talking about having left another man behind. FBI fails to trace the call, but Vera helps the team realize the robber is military, with medical training, and knows Franks.
That's all it takes for the pieces of the puzzle to fall into place. Mike Franks remembers the voice and face on the other side of the line. That's how the current case circles back to the Meyers case from the NCIS: Origins season 2 premiere. It was Mike who told Corporal Wade during interrogation, "No man left behind", and who left a strong impression on the corporal.
Turns out Joel Wade still felt responsible for Meyers's death and wanted the money for the family. Franks appears to see some of himself in the young, broken Corporal Wade.
Mike and Mason Franks finally make up in NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 4
The case is not the only way NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 4 circles back to episode 1. In the NCIS: Origins season 2 premiere, we saw a brief phone call between Mike Franks and his brother, Mason. Episode 4 finally marks Mason's return, and the Franks brothers have a lot of issues to work through.
Mason shows up on Mike's doorstep because he has nowhere else to go. He's about to lose the family ranch, and he owes money to the wrong sort of people. Between their conversations and short flashbacks to their shared past, it becomes clear why they're estranged.
Mike Franks had a drug problem from their days in the Vietnam War, one that continued back home. Mason looked out for his brother as best he could — until he had had enough. Eventually, Mason kicked his brother out of the house to protect their mother. The real issue is that Mason kept Mike at a distance even after he got clean. Mike couldn't be there when their mother died.
The Franks brothers slowly find their way back as they try to save the ranch their mother had to sell while her boys were at war. They do everything they can think of, including reaching out to Diane for help. But she finds no loopholes. While the ranch may be lost, Mason tells Mike how proud he is. And Mike, in turn, helps his brother settle in at The Range, offering him a community that understands.
Get ready for more surprises from NCIS: Origins and its crossover with the original NCIS. NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 5 comes to CBS on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 8/7c.
Get the latest NCIS news and updates with Precinct TV.