'NCIS: Origins' Reveals The Secret Behind Gibbs' Killing of Pedro Hernandez

Longtime NCIS fans know that Leroy Jethro Gibbs got his revenge on Reynosa cartel member Pedro Hernandez by killing the man who killed his wife and daughter, but the how it came about part of it has never been explored in detail until tonight’s “Vivo o Muerto” episode of NCIS: Origins.

The story started when a missing woman who disappeared after a night of clubbing with a Navy seaman led the NIS team to a Tijuana nightclub, where they learned of a possible connection to Gibbs’ past as the Reynosa cartel is responsible for kidnapping and trafficking women.

Gibbs (Austin Stowell) and Lala (Mariel Molino) made the drive down South of the border to coordinate with the Tijuana police and try to rescue the American woman. Once it was revealed that the Reynosa cartel was involved in the kidnapping, Lala comes clean to Gibbs that she feels responsible for not bringing Pedro Hernandez to justice before this.

Austin StowellPhoto: Robert Voets/CBS
Austin StowellPhoto: Robert Voets/CBS

Meanwhile, Gibbs has this huge secret. He has already killed Pedro, but he hasn’t told anyone.

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“This is a secret that that Gibbs had intended to, at this point in his life, take to his grave,” co-showrunner David J. North tells Parade. “It was just going to be something that he and Franks knew and that was it. I think for Gibbs that's as much if not more so about protecting others than even himself. That's a lot to put on somebody, a lot to burden them with.”

Related: Get a Sneak Peek at Gibbs and Mike Franks' First Meeting in NCIS: Origins (Exclusive)

That is the reason why when Lala came clean and was overwhelmed with emotion as she promised Gibbs that she was going to get Pedro for him, Gibbs didn’t break his silence. After all, the cartel had kept Pedro's death a secret, so law enforcement wasn't aware.

“Gibbs’ silence there, although I think we could all understand why he didn't tell her, that becomes a huge complication for Lala and their relationship, which first and foremost has to be built on trust,” North continued.

But then later after the women are rescued, when a member of the cartel was being interrogated by Lala, he revealed that Pedro had been dead for six months, killed by a sniper. At that moment, Lala recognized the truth, and she related to Franks and Gibbs what she had learned.

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“What Franks knew was that he had shown Gibbs that file,” North said. “He didn’t want Gibbs to tell him, even though Gibbs was trying to tell him.”

Mariel Molino, Austin StowellPhoto: Robert Voets/CBS
Mariel Molino, Austin StowellPhoto: Robert Voets/CBS

The truth coming out in that fashion led to a long car drive home in a very uncomfortable silence because Franks knew the part he had played in the killing of Pedro Hernandez by showing Gibbs the file, and Gibbs had breached Lala’s trust by keeping his secret. The drive home took place in an uncomfortable silence, maybe the longest ride of their lives.

Related: NCIS: Origins Star Austin Stowell Reveals the Personal Tragedy He Used to Get Inside Gibbs’ Head

But what viewers were also shown was how Gibbs figured out where to find Pablo Hernandez when no one else could.

“Like Franks said in Episode 7, once these guys get across the border, it gets really complicated with jurisdiction and everything else, but in this case, Gibbs was able to solve this out of sheer will,” North explained. “He wasn’t sleeping, he poured everything into it and then seeing that partial [license] plate in that newspaper article that matched something that was in the file that Franks had showed him, that's where he put it together.”

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And that was the start of his realization that he could be an agent.

“That was an important moment in Gibbs’ life, too, where his gut first started to tell him, ‘Well hey, maybe I could be good at this. Maybe I could be an agent,'” North wrapped up.”

But there’s a twist to that part of the story as well, which is revealed in next week’s episode and which we won’t spoil here, but you won't want to miss.

NCIS: Origins airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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