More than a decade after NCIS: Los Angeles debuted, one of its earliest teased storylines may finally pay off in NCIS: Origins. The two-part backdoor pilot, “Legend,” hinted at the first meeting between Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Operations Manager Lara Macy — a relationship that was never fully shown on screen.
Those episodes revealed that Gibbs and Macy crossed paths at Camp Pendleton, where Macy investigated the 1991 murder of Pedro Hernandez, the man responsible for the deaths of Gibbs’ wife and daughter. Although Gibbs was the prime suspect, Macy secretly covered up evidence to protect him, understanding the circumstances behind the killing. This act created a complicated bond between them, one that NCIS: LA only briefly explored before Macy was later killed offscreen.
With NCIS: Origins focusing on a younger Gibbs and already revisiting the Hernandez storyline, the prequel has a rare chance to finally show what really happened between Gibbs and Macy — and deepen the emotional foundation of the franchise’s most iconic character.