NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2 recap: Is Gibbs ready for his first interrogation?

NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2, titled Who by Fire, aired on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 9 pm ET on CBS. After the season premiere, the show explores its characters' emotional and professional struggles.

This episode explores Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his team's personal complexities, particularly Gibbs's changing life. The high-stakes investigations test his relationships and professional development, revealing his vulnerabilities and growth.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2. Reader’s discretion is required.

Who by Fire opens with a traumatic incident involving a young swimmer’s mysterious death. This sets the stage for a gripping investigation while Gibbs prepares for his first interrogation.

The episode intricately intertwines Gibbs’s personal crisis, where his emotions and unresolved issues with his colleague Lala come to the forefront. Gibbs is not ready for his first interrogation because his emotional turmoil and aggression hinder him from gathering information.

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The unsettling discovery on the beach in NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2

The ending of NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2 (Image via CBS)

A college swimmer's body is found on a beach in NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2. John Doe, the swimmer, was ready to surf in a wetsuit, but his safety rope was around his waist instead of his ankle. The medical examiner finds abrasions on the swimmer's shins and chest compressions, indicating rescue attempts.

Despite trying to save him, the rescuer left the body for hours. We learn that the swimmer is Miguel Castillo, a troubled college athlete. Gibbs and his team discover that Miguel's father pushed him to swim well, possibly at the expense of their relationship.

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The father’s suspicion and Gibbs's tunnel vision

Soon, the team finds Miguel's dad, Jack Castillo, who at first seems like a likely suspect in his son's death. Jack had been training Miguel nonstop to get him a swimming scholarship, but Gibbs's focus makes him question the father too much.

Because Gibbs is so focused on one thing, he misses important details in what Jack says, which keeps him from finding the truth. Jack suggests problems with other swimmers on the team, but Gibbs is too focused on his suspicions that Jack killed his son.

Franks intervenes to advise Gibbs to step back, concerned about his judgment. He says Gibbs isn't ready for interrogations because his aggressiveness is impairing his ability to listen and gather information.

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The growing tension between Gibbs and Lala

The ending of NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2 (Image via CBS)

Gibbs's professional struggles are compounded by his emotional turmoil over Lala’s behavior. It’s clear that he’s still harboring feelings for her, and his actions throughout the episode reflect his internal conflict.

He watches a video of Lala conducting an interrogation, not as a learning exercise, but because he is captivated by her. His longing for her becomes even more apparent when he watches her from a distance and avoids discussing his feelings with his girlfriend, Diane.

The tension between Gibbs and Diane grows throughout the episode, as Diane becomes increasingly suspicious of Gibbs's emotional detachment. She recognizes that something is off, especially when Gibbs dismisses her attempts to connect with him by saying he's "hungry" instead of engaging in a deeper conversation.

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The wrong path and Gibbs’s mistake in NCIS: Origins season 2

Gibbs illegally questions Miguel's teammate Owen Hawkins during a crisis. Gibbs harasses Hawkins like Franks without permission. Gibbs's attempt fails when Hawkins shuts down, leaving the team with little.

Franks saves the day, but Gibbs has made major mistakes that could jeopardize the investigation. As the episode progresses, Gibbs's personal issues hinder his work. He keeps making mistakes, unable to separate his emotions from the task at hand, frustrating his colleagues and worrying about his future as an investigator.

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The truth behind Miguel's death

When it comes out that both Miguel and Hawkins were involved in a dangerous drug trafficking operation, the investigation takes a surprising turn. Miguel's scholarship was taken away, and the school dropped the swim team, leaving them with no money.

Miguel and Hawkins had been forced to smuggle drugs for a cartel in exchange for money, but things went horribly wrong when Miguel accidentally drowned while attempting to deliver the drugs.

In the conclusion, Hawkins admits that she tried to save Miguel but that things got out of hand. There was a bigger crime plan with the two young men, and Miguel's death was an unfortunate accident. Without Gibbs's mistakes, the case is solved by the team, but not before Gibbs has to deal with a lot of personal and professional problems.

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Lala’s moral choice

The ending of NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 2 (Image via CBS)

At the same time, Lala is faced with her own moral dilemma when Flaco Navarro, the leader of the gang, asks her to help him kill a rival. Lala is tempted but ultimately refuses to become involved in Flaco’s illegal activities.

She makes up her mind that she can't give up her honor, especially not for a man whose past is troubled. At the end, Lala makes the right choice and says again that she wants to do what's right and be a good example for Gibbs.

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NCIS: Origins season 2 airs on CBS and is available for streaming on Paramount+.