‘Seriously became attached’: ‘NCIS: Origins’ revealed a special character’s fate in the fall finale and, um, I can’t process this

NCIS: Origins has given the people what they want (more Jethro Gibbs) but the Fall 2024 finale has basically ruined every fan’s life.

Alright, that might be too dramatic, but then again, the tone of season 1, episode 10, “Blue Bayou” was so melancholy that it feels just dramatic enough. Gibbs’ apartment manager Ruth (London Garcia) passes away from a fatal blood cancer, after they chatted and connected when he was younger. There are two brutal moments in the episode: when Gibbs learns Ruth is sick (no!) and when he finds out she has died.

On a scale of “oh, that’s sad” to “that’s completely devastating and I’m never going to be okay again,” I’m the latter, and a lot of other fans feel that way, too. As one X user explained, they “seriously became attached to Ruth in one episode and now she’s gone.” This was super cruel! Gibbs has already lost his family, and now he’s losing another important person? Who decided this?

Others proclaimed their adoration of Ruth, with one writing “Ruth is the best!” and another saying she is “the person Gibbs needed at that time.” Viewers mostly expressed the same sentiment: watching Ruth made them cry. Ruth only appeared in episodes 7 and 10, but everyone loved her no-nonsense vibe. Can everyone have a landlord-turned-friend who is so charming and nice?

NCIS: Origins co-showrunner David J. North told TV Line, “This whole episode means so much to us here. It’s really why Gina and I got into this.” North and Gina Lucita Monreal also spoke to Deadline about this powerful episode, which is more emotional drama than action-packed thriller. North explained that Ruth is the reason why Gibbs becomes successful because “Ruth was there for him when no one else was” and “led him to believe that this could be a career for him.”

Ruth is a special character because, as the showrunners explained, viewers knew Gibbs killed Pedro Hernandez because he murdered his daughter and wife. But “Blue Bayou” created a richer inner world for Gibbs at this time in his life and added more detail to this plot point. Instead of showing him as an angry and emotionally distant agent who works hard so he doesn’t have to face his feelings, which can be the case with shows that are less well-done than NCIS, the prequel series let viewers see him in a more vulnerable state. I also loved these scenes because Austin Stowell really owned them, and he’s doing an awesome job playing a younger version of Mark Harmon’s iconic character.

Since NCIS: Origins season 1 got a full season, I would have loved to see Ruth in more episodes. She forces Gibbs to pass his training when he ends up in jail after fighting with someone in a bar and knows that he’s better than that. It’s amazing to think about whether he would have gone on this journey without her presence. This episode is proof that you never know who’s going to impact you. Your landlord or neighbor who you only see a few times could seriously alter your life and change it for the better. That’s a nice thought, right? But you know what might be even sadder than Ruth’s death? The fact that, like other network dramas, NCIS: Origins is taking a winter break and the next episode will air on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. Alright, that’s not quite as bad, but it’s still a tragedy.