Yahoo Lifestyle 'NCIS: Origins' Star Kyle Schmid Previews a Post-Vietnam Flashback for Franks (Exclusive)
NCIS: Origins is set in 1991, but the series goes back even further in time to tell the origin story of Mike Franks. From the “Flight of Icarus” episode, we learned how Franks (Kyle Schmid) became a Marine. But in tonight’s “Monsoon” episode, set to the era-appropriate sound of Procol Harum's "Whiter Shade of Pale," we learn a little of the aftereffects of his tour of duty in Vietnam and how it affects him in his work as an NIS agent.
The episode opens with a vet in trouble with the police. But Franks, who was sitting in a laundromat trying to find the man who hurt his girlfriend Tish (Tonantzin Carmelo), hears the commotion. He goes out to see what’s up, and that’s when Tom Molina (Nick Gomez) tells him that his fellow vet, Lance Corporal Peter Rice, had been murdered.
Franks and Tom go out to the homeless vet encampment where they find the body. The discovery of how Tom is living causes Franks to reflect on his own struggles following the war. But the result of that is he takes Tom seriously.
“When you go to war with somebody, you fight for the person beside you,” Schmid tells Parade. “You fight for your brothers. You’re fighting to stay alive. The politics of it doesn’t funnel down that far. This gives us a chance to explore the Vietnam era, when you had vets who had risked their lives, who were coming home to a world that didn’t want them, that wasn’t prepared to take care of them. It was such a harsh reality to live in.”
Related: NCIS: Origins Reveals a Pivotal Part of Mike Franks' Past, Including His Brother (Exclusive)
So, Franks sees the parallels between himself and Tom and takes him seriously, and gets the NIS team involved in the investigation of the murder of Tom’s friend Peter. The initial police officer didn’t take the fact that Tom was trying to report a crime seriously because of his unkempt appearance.
“We see that in the world nowadays, where people do not respect another human being simply based on their looks, their wealth, their skin color.” Schmid continues. “Franks relates to this character and goes, ‘Hey, man, I got you. What do you need?' And he listens to him like a human being because he deserves to be listened to as a human being. And that’s what Mike does well in this show, is he sees people as human beings all the time.”
For Franks, it was Tish who saved him. In the flashbacks to his post-Vietnam life, we see their meet cute and how, despite his long hair and beard, Tish gave him a chance.
“They teased me on set,” Schmid says. “They’re calling me 'sexy Jesus,' which is pretty funny. Look, how cool was that wig and that beard? They looked incredible, didn’t they? That takes weeks of prep, by the way, for our hair and makeup department. They were phenomenal. They were so invested. But to be able to hop on a Harley, too, I hadn’t ridden a bike in 10 years. I live in Los Angeles. It’s not safe to ride around here.”
Related: NCIS: Origins Reveals The Secret Behind Gibbs' Killing of Pedro Hernandez
The “Monsoon’ episode of NCIS: Origins only gives us a taste of Franks’ time in Vietnam and what went down with him and Tish after. And Schmid jokes that it’s like drugs, leaving viewers craving more of the story.
“The first one’s free to get you coming back,” Schmid says. “So good job to [co-showrunners] David [J. North] and Gina [Lucita Monreal], because that’s part of writing a TV show.”
In the “Flight of Icarus” episode, we learned that Franks has an older brother, Mason (Matthew Erick White), who enlisted in the Marines with him. But when we see his backstory in “Moonson,” Mason isn’t a part of his life – and no, he didn’t die in Vietnam.
“That’s an important thing,” Schmid says. “That blew my mind. I’m like, ‘Guys, what’s going on? Can you give me an answer? I don’t know how to deliver this line.’ And they went, ‘We can’t tell you that.’” Which also leaves Schmid wanting more.
Related: NCIS: Origins Star Austin Stowell Reveals the Personal Tragedy He Used to Get Inside Gibbs’ Head
"I want to know a lot more," he says. "I love playing this character. I love jumping into the flashbacks. I, for one, am incredibly curious as to what happens with my older brother. I don’t know why he’s not in my life. I’m actually a fan of my show, which is crazy to think. I can’t wait to see where the character goes."
The other part of Franks' life that hasn’t been explored yet is how he went from his hippy existence after Nam to becoming an NIS agent, and Schmid feels that Cliff Wheeler (Patrick Fischler) had a lot to do with it.
“We have a relationship that is strong, that is based on years of knowing one another,” he explains. “I have no doubt that he must be involved in my entrance into NIS. You do have an episode coming up–Episode 15–where you may have some of your questions answered. We do dip our toe into the pool with some flashbacks again, which I’m very excited to share with you guys. It’s another heavy episode.”
NCIS: Origins airs Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Streams next day on Paramount+.
