How will NCIS: Origins likely showcase Jenny and Gibbs' relationship? Explored

NCIS: Origins serves as a prequel to the popular long-running show NCIS. At the center of NCIS: Origins is the character of Leroy Jethro Gibbs as the show chronicles his time before he moved from Camp Pendleton to the Navy Yard as a Naval Investigative Service Agent. NCIS: Origins debuted earlier this year in October and has so far released ten episodes on CBS.

Being a prequel, NCIS: Origins can afford to emphasize narrative arcs and characters that were not highlighted much on the original show. This would also mean that such characters that had either died or exited from NCIS could in a way resurface onto the narrative arc by virtue of their appearance on NCIS: Origins.

One particularly intriguing example is the role of Lauren Holly's character, Jenny Shepard. This character had a significant impact on the original NCIS series, and her presence in NCIS: Origins could add depth to her backstory.

The character of Jenny Shepard died on NCIS season 5 episode 18. Although she was close to the Gibbs and was even said to be involved in a romance with him, the former was remarkably unaffected by Jenny's murder at the hands of the Russian miscreant Svetlana. NCIS: Origins now has the unique opportunity to amend this mistake from the past.

Here's how they can explore this relationship.

NCIS: Origins: Jenny and Gibbs' narrative possibilities explored

Although the original NCIS had often featured flashbacks in the episodes to narrate key incidents from the past of characters such as Gibbs and the others, it never really went over the ramifications of those incidents and their genesis. As opposed to this, being a prequel, NCIS: Origins is poised to explore in depth the layered consequences of each of those incidents.

Jenny Shepard first joined NCIS following the death of her father at the hands of Rene Benoit, also known by the name "La Grenouille" (meaning "the frog"). She first came in contact with Gibbs back in 1999 after joining the agency. As part of their first mission together, the two were sent off to Paris to apprehend a Russian arms dealer and his fiancée in a covert operation. It was further mentioned in the third season of NCIS that the two had been involved in a romantic relationship while they were in Paris.

This narrative strand might be an excellent property for the makers of the show to exploit. By exploring the angle of the romantic relationship between Jenny and Gibbs, the prequel show might accentuate both their characters by adding several layers to them. Additionally, any interaction between them is bound to have tragic undertones given the fact that the audience knows that Jenny is supposed to die, leaving the love affair unfinished.

Apart from this, another interesting narrative landscape would be the consequences of Jenny and Gibbs' love affair when the former became the only female director of the agency.

Why was Jenny Shepard written off from NCIS?

According to a report by Digital Spy, Lauren Holly revealed on her official website back in 2009 that she grew bored of playing the character of Jenny Shepard. She stated:

"To be honest, now that the work bug had bitten me again, I got bored with my part of the 'Director.' Then the decision was made to kill me, and boy did they. About five different ways!"

In an instance of the past catching up to her, Jenny was murdered by Svetlana as the latter vowed to have her revenge for the death of her Russian arms dealer fiancée, Anatoly.

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