Spoiler Alert for NCIS: Origins season 1, episode 8, "Sick as Our Secrets"NCIS, bringing new perspectives into the mix to develop the story while revisiting cherished NCIS lore. "Sick as Our Secrets" highlights Benjamin "Randy" Randolf, an agent on Franks' team tasked with showing Gibbs the ropes at NIS. However, episode 8 reveals Randy is more deeply connected to Gibbs, though Leroy doesn't know about it yet.

The prequel's first season reintroduces NCIS: Origins cast like Randy and Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molino) add even more to the series, bringing in completely new stories rather than retelling old ones. NCIS: Origins reveals the most yet about Randy as the team investigates the murder of a Catholic priest when Special Agent Randolf takes a fellow priest into protective custody. The case reminds Randy of what happened to Shannon, Kelly, and Special Agent Mitchell, with whom Randy has an intimate connection.

8 Mark Harmon’s Gibbs Revisits Rule #4 In NCIS: Origins Episode 8

Mark Harmon Narrates NCIS: Origins

While setting up the story for NCIS: Origins episode 8, Mark Harmon revisits Gibbs' Rule #4: "The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. The second-best way to keep a secret, tell one person. There is no third best." Harmon's Special Agent in Charge character has a long list of NCIS, which he established throughout his life and career to guide himself and others. As an extension of Gibbs' story, NCIS: Origins revisits the rule of keeping secrets, as the episode centers around discretion.

Jenny Shepard (Lauren Holly) first recited Gibbs' Rule #4 in NCIS season 4, episode 11, "Blowback."

The opening scene of "Sick as Our Secrets" alludes to a secret that Randy keeps, honing in on the character's life for the first time. Randy has commented about his newborn baby, and NCIS: Origins episode 8 shows a view inside Randy's home with his wife and child. While Randy visits his baby before work in the morning, something disturbs the new father, and his wife suggests that he is mulling over an issue that bothers him regularly. Harmon's narration suggests Gibbs wasn't aware that Randy was keeping something inside.

7 NCIS: Origins Reveals New Details About Lala Dominguez’s Family

NCIS: Origins Introduces Lala Dominguez's Sisters

NCIS: Origins episode 8 introduces Lala Dominguez's sisters and gives a new look into her family life. Before Franks' team is called to investigate a murder, Lala prepares to watch a movie with them, making popcorn as they arrive. The older of the two sisters reveals that Lala's younger sibling is particularly charming because she got caught smoking weed at school. Lala is disappointed but not overly mad. Lala's behavior towards her sister resembles how she treats Gibbs, suggesting Agent Dominguez is forgiving.

When Lala and her sister toast to succeeding without their mom and despite their dad, it implies new information about Lala's parents, who are no longer in the picture.

When the younger sister leaves the room to take a call from her new boyfriend, the older engages in a conversation with Lala about their journey as a family. The conversation suggests that Lala also used marijuana when she was younger, with Agent Dominguez remarking that she distinguished herself from their younger sister because she never got caught. When Lala and her sister toast to succeeding without their mom and despite their dad, it implies new information about Lala's parents, who are no longer in the picture.

6 Mike Franks’ Team Investigates The Murder Of A Catholic Priest

Randy And Gibbs Protect The Church's Other Priest

In episode 8, the team's investigation into the murder of a Catholic priest named Father Larkin sparks discussions about secrets. Father John Larkin is a Navy reserve chaplain who started working at the parish four years earlier after some time overseas. The other priest at the church, Father Bobby, finds Larkin's body and has a strong reaction, later revealing to the team that the attack may have been intended for him since he was supposed to be in the confessional booth where Larkin died.

Austin Stowell plays the young Leroy Jethro Gibbs character in NCIS: Origins.

The team takes Bobby into protective custody, with Gibbs and Randy setting up at a local motel to protect him. While at the inn, two young men attack Gibbs and Randy, but Bobby confirms the attack isn't related to Larkin's murder because, as he reveals at the motel, he knows their killer. When the team finds the murder weapon and ties it to a local robbery, Bobby tells the team he knows who did it, meaning he likely knows their murderer because they confessed the crime to him. The confession also gives their killer the motive to go after Bobby.

5 Randy's Connection To Agent Kurt Mitchell & The Gibbs Family Murder Explained

Randy Has A Secret Connection To Agent Kurt Mitchell

After Randy and Gibbs fend off their attackers, the latter returns to NIS, and the former confesses what's been bothering him to Father Bobby. Randy tells the priest that he feels guilt about what happened to Agent Kurt Mitchell because he was initially assigned as Shannon and Kelly Gibbs' protective detail. Randy reveals he requested to be unassigned from the case due to stress and exhaustion from his sick newborn baby.

Whoever killed Larkin initially came for Bobby but murdered the wrong person due to the covert nature of the confessional booth.

Randy's confession involves how he can hardly look at his child because Agent Mitchell also has a son, and he blames himself for separating the child from his father. Randy believes that he should have died instead of Agent Mitchell, and the confession resonates with Father Bobby, who also experiences remorse for someone dying in his place. Whoever killed Larkin initially came for Bobby but murdered the wrong person due to the covert nature of the confessional booth.

4 Randy’s Confession And A Message From Kowalski Convinces Father Bobby To Give Up Joshua Adams

Randy And Kowalski Inspire Bobby To Do The Right Thing

Randy's confession moves Father Bobby. It inspires him to tell Randy that he feels something for a parishioner he visited the day he was absent from the church. Randy initially laughs at the confession, relieved that Father Bobby isn't confessing to the murder. The uproar in laughter causes another NIS agent to check on Randy and Bobby, ing that he has a message to on from Kowalski, who works at NIS and is a former Army chaplain.

Earlier in the episode, Franks tries to convince Kowalski to say something to Father Bobby that will persuade him to break the sacramental seal that causes him to protect their murderer's identity. Franks believes that Kowalski's perspective will have a more profound effect on Bobby, and he's right. After reading what Kowalski scribbled on a piece of paper, a quote from deceased folk musician John Denver, Bobby tells Randy that the man they're looking for is Joshua Adams, the troubled son of a church employee.

3 Agent Dominguez Wants The Promotion Up For Grabs (But Franks Reveals He Didn’t Recommend Her)

Even Vera Strickland Discourages The Promotion

Throughout NCIS: Origins episode 8, Lala Dominguez vies for the singular promotion that's up for grabs. Dominguez first tells her older sister about the promotion and then tells Vera she's going for it at work, suggesting she's serious about advancing in the ranks at NIS. Lala's conversation with Vera reveals that Agent in Charge Cliff Wheeler (Patrick Fischler) is taking recommendations from team leaders about who should advance, meaning Franks has the final say in Lala's development.

As they investigate the case together, Franks tells Lala that he's not recommending her for the promotion, but the leader hesitates to articulate his position. Cliff Wheeler even suggests that Dominguez would be good for the promotion, but Franks pushes off the decision, saying he will further evaluate her performance. Ultimately, Franks tells Lala that he didn't recommend her a second time, noting that she's meant to be "in the dirt" with him. The moment sets up further NCIS: Origins, as women struggle to excel at NIS and on Franks' team.

2 Gibbs Mails His Letter To Agent Mitchell’s Family After Asking Randy And Lala About Him

Gibbs And Randy Make Peace With Agent Mitchell

Throughout the episode, Gibbs asks about Agent Mitchell, the agent assigned to protect Shannon and Kelly. Gibbs asks Randy about Mitchell and his family, which affects the special agent, who also reflects on his role in Kurt Mitchell's death. Gibbs tells Lala that he wrote a letter to Kurt's family but never sent it, and in the closing of episode 8, Gibbs drops his letter in the mailbox outside the Mitchell family home, adjusting the family's nameplate on the mailbox as he does.

NCIS: Origins uses its position in time to embellish how Pedro Hernandez ruined the lives of multiple families, not just Gibbs'.

NCIS: Origins episode 8 shows the agents processing Mitchell's death from various perspectives, honing in on how Randy and Gibbs cope with the collective tragedy. By having Gibbs interact with Mitchell's family, it builds on his story in 1991 after Shannon and Kelly's death, showing the tragedy impacted more than just Gibbs' own family. NCIS: Origins uses its position in time to embellish how Pedro Hernandez ruined the lives of multiple families, not just Gibbs'.

1 Vera Is Preparing To Do Her First Interview For Her NIS Profiling Program

Vera Interviews Bugs From The NCIS: Origins Premiere

Throughout "Sick as Our Secrets," Vera Strickland prepares to do her first interview for the NIS profiling program. In NCIS: Origins episode 5, Vera gets approval for her program despite Wheeler's initial hesitation to fund it. With the help of Mike Franks, Strickland receives the funding for her program and prepares excitedly for her first interview in episode 8. She has a meaningful interaction with Kowalski, who tells her she's a rare gem.

Kowalski compliments Vera on her effort to improve NIS, and when she hesitates to accept the praise, he tells her it's about her efforts, not her success.

Vera checks out a camera from NIS to record her interview, and the episode closes with Strickland's first subject. Vera is interviewing Bugs from the NCIS: Origins premiere. While it's a brilliant moment for Agent Strickland, her interaction with Kowalski may have foreshadowed the direction her program is heading. Kowalski compliments Vera on her effort to improve NIS, and when she hesitates to accept the praise, he tells her it's about her efforts, not her success. Vera's NCIS: Origins program isn't mentioned in NCIS, so there may be heartbreak ahead for Franks' partner.