NCIS: Origins episode 12 recap: Who stole the cash from the NIS office?

NCIS: Origins, the new investigative drama series on CBS, is a spinoff of the popular ongoing series NCIS, which Mark Harmon's Leroy Jethro Gibbs helmed for 19 seasons. The prequel, set in 1991, follows a young Leroy Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell, as the newly appointed agent in the NIS, working under his mentor, Mike Franks.

After an eventful post-mid-season break episode that explored the backstory of Agent Franks, NCIS: Origins episode 12, titled, Touchstones, gave us a backstory for another character, Kowalski. The episode followed the NIS team investigating a burglary of $41000 from their office, which was later revealed to be an inside job.

The series, created by Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North, stars Austin Stowell, Kyle Schmid, Mariel Molino, Tyla Abercrombie, Diany Rodriguez, and Caleb Foote in prominent roles.

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NCIS: Origins episode 12 explores Kowalski's origins

The episode opens with Mark Harmon narrating the story of a mouse who built his house with hard labor, only to see it destroyed. The story signified the condition of one of the underappreciated members of the NIS team, the Evidence Custodian, Kowalski, who found his place of work, the evidence room, destroyed. Someone had broken into the office and stolen $41000 from the safe.

While Lala and Franks were processing the scene, Kowalski stood there in shock. The scene cuts back to his time as a prisoner of war in North Korea during the Korean War. In a voiceover, we hear about how Kowalski's prison time broke him and his faith, as he no longer continued as a military priest.

It is shown that Kowalski held on to a rock, accidentally swept towards his corner when he was imprisoned. He hears an old recording of himself, explaining how that rock was all he had during that time, but it was the first of many things he was going to have.

The mess in the evidence room made him feel that everything he had could be so easily destroyed, which prompted him to resign from the NIS. He left his resignation on a yellow notepad outside the evidence room and walked away.

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Lala's past fling returned in NCIS: Origins episode 12

The agents came up with the theory that the dealers from whom the $41000 was confiscated might have come to reclaim it. Lala and Gibbs visited one, Dalton Basement, to get information. He said that all the members from the bust were behind bars, except Flaco. When Lala and Gibbs were heading out, he reminded Lala to take care of this guy.

As Lala and Gibbs went to see Flaco in a public park, Lala's past fling, the man she cheated on her ex-boyfriend with spotted her. He came up to make small talk and established that he had been thinking about her since that night. Lala asserts that she is working and he needs to walk away.

Later, Lala shared with Gibbs that she had broken up with her ex-boyfriend. Later, Gibbs tells her that she should call him and say that she is missing him.

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Roger admitted to stealing cash in NCIS: Origins episode 12

While investigating the break-in spot, Lala noticed ladder marks on the floor, which completely flipped the angle of investigation, and confirmed that it was an inside job. Mike called the famous K-9 Unit, Garry Callahan, to sniff out the cocaine money, if it was still hidden in the office.

Garry found the cash hidden in a drawer, and it took Mike no time to find out that Roger was the culprit. Mike interrogated Roger, and he confessed to stealing the money to repay the amount he owed to some bad people. He had got into this position due to his gambling habit. He also confessed to giving out information about Millie, to an unknown person, establishing that her life might be in danger.

NCIS: Origins episode 12 ended with Lala calling Eddie after Gibbs' encouragement and Kowalski's return to the NIS. As a symbol of his appreciation for Herm, he gifted him his Korean rock.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on NCIS: Origins and other films and TV shows as the year unfolds.