NCIS: Origins episode 2 ending explained: Who killed Melanie?
NCIS: Origins is the prequel to the extremely popular American military police procedural drama series NCIS. It is also the sixth installment within the NCIS media franchise, also popularly called the NCISverse. The show is set in 1991 and is narrated and executive-produced by Mark Harmon, who played the lead protagonist Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the original series.
In the first episode, Enter Sandman, Gibbs is introduced as a retired Marine who is grieving the murder of his wife and daughter and has to now deal with a twisted murder case of a woman named Melanie, as the new NIS special agent working under Mike Franks.
At the end of episode 2 of NCIS: Origins, it is revealed that Melanie was killed by her drug dealer and friend, Bugs. The troubled drug addict killed her for rejecting his love. The episode ends with Mark Harmon's cryptic narration that suggests something big and bad is about to happen.
Melanie was killed by a troubled drug dealer named Bugs
NCIS: Origins premiered with the first two episodes airing back-to-back on October 14, 2024. The episodes, titled Enter Sandman Part 1 and 2, introduce the protagonist of the series Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played originally by Mark Harmon, and now by Austin Stowell in NCIS: Origins.
On the first day of the job, Gibbs is involved in a brutal homicide case of a young woman named Melanie. She burnt to death in her house, which looks like a place of satanic worship. However, with his Marine Corps experience, Gibbs found out that Melanie was killed by a sniper. The killer burned her house to distract the investigators.
The case gets further complicated when a similar sniper killing happens at the local beach, attracting media coverage, who dub the killer as the Sandman. At the end of episode 2, Gibbs and the team apprehend a troubled drug dealer named Bugs, who is trying to jump to death.
Mike Franks interrogates Bugs, who reveals that he was there when Melanie was killed and he was the one who burned her house out of fear of getting framed as the killer. However, Gibbs and Lala stop Mike mid-interrogation and hand him a file that reveals that Bugs had trained as a sniper in the military.
With the newfound information, Mike can push the right buttons to get Bugs to confess to his crimes. He confesses to killing Melanie because he loved her and couldn't handle her pushing him away.
Mike and Lala have a heated confrontation in NCIS: Origins episode 2
After successfully catching the killer, special agent Lala Dominguez, played by Mariel Molino, tries to pat Mike's back, but he gives her cold shoulder. When Lala tries to know the reason, Mike confronts her for telling Gibbs that he failed his psych evaluation and the comments she made about his recruitment.
Despite failing his psych evaluation, Gibbs was recruited to the NIS by Mike Franks. But this information was hidden from him, as he was already dealing with his wife and daughter's murder. But Lala isn't happy with his recruitment as his mental condition can become a matter of life and death for her and the rest of the team while working in the field.
Mike Franks uses harsh words to tell her that he doesn't like workplace distractions and doesn't appreciate her scratching and licking Gibbs' wounds. Lala threatens to complain to his boss Wheeler if he ever talks to her like that again. But Franks reverts with 'Wheeler doesn't like distractions either' before storming out of the door.
Later, Mike can be seen meeting someone and receiving a file, which suggests that he might be working on a secret case. If we go by the NCIS lore, it might be the murder case of Gibbs' wife and daughter.
Gibbs and Lala will be the center of the NCIS: Origins story
As the narrator of NCIS: Origins, Mark Harmon, in the opening episode narrates to the viewers that 'this is her story.' By 'her' he meant Lala Dominguez, implying that she is going to be the center of Gibbs' story arc in this season.
The second episode opens with Gibbs narrating how he failed to listen to his gut while leaving his wife and daughter behind for his duty. He thinks they would still be alive if he hadn't left.
In the episode, we also witness Lala's disapproval of Gibbs' recruitment, partly for his questionable mental fitness for the job and partly because she thinks that he might have been brought in as her potential replacement.
In the concluding narration, Gibbs says that he has just only started to listen to his gut, while also teasing the viewers about a 'monster'. It has already been established that this story still haunts him, of which Lala is the centerpiece.
NCIS: Origins premiered with two episodes on CBS on October 14, 2024, while the next episodes will air weekly on Mondays.
