In the promo, while the team in Origins solves the original murder, the team in NCIS is after an escaped convict, the killer they eventually catch in Origins. Gibbs is also looking back on the case while at his home in Alaska, but as showrunner David J. North has confirmed, Gibbs is “no longer alone” (though the promo does not reveal who is with him). Another familiar face returns, as the team in NCIS brings in retired special agent Vera Strickland (Roma Maffia) to help them on the case. The synopsis for “Funny How Time Slips Away” is a follows:
“When a naval officer mysteriously dies in the ‘90s, Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and the team travel to the small dust-blown town of Serenity, Calif., where they encounter secret-harboring residents, an uncooperative sheriff and an investigation that will reverberate for decades.”
The synopsis for “Now and Then” reads:
“A prison break by an inmate who had just three weeks left on a sentence compels the team to reopen the case of a naval officer’s death that was originally investigated by Gibbs and Franks in the ‘90s, and enlist the help of retired special agent Vera Strickland. Also, the team has different views on what to include in a special Navy time capsule.”
The Case of Yesterday Haunts the Team of Today in ‘NCIS’ and ‘Origins’ Crossover Event
In the promo, it’s revealed that this case in particular was hard on Mike Franks, played by Kyle Schmid in Origins. And in the promo, we see Franks becoming frustrated and kicking at something in the promo. Schmid recently said in an interview that Harmon’s presence in the crossover “elevates it.” He says, “When Mark [Harmon] said he’d come back to do Episode 5, we were all over the moon. His presence does something to the show that just, I think, elevates it. And so I’m excited for that.”
Previously, Harmon had briefly appeared in the series’ pilot, but this episode looks to be a more in-depth appearance. Showrunner David J. North explains, “We know how much fans have missed seeing Mark and have wondered what Gibbs is up to today. Well, on November 11, we’re so excited to announce that Mark Harmon will return as Leroy Jethro Gibbs in the Origins hour of the NCIS crossover event. We don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say Gibbs is no longer alone.”
