As NCIS: Origins Delivered Some Of My Favorite Randy And Mike Franks Moments, Lala’s Flaco Storyline Took A Curious Turn

by

Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Happy Birthday” are ahead!

While NCIS: Origins focuses on young Leroy Jethro Gibbs’ time as an NIS agent, other characters also get their moments to stand out. In the recent episode, “Happy Birthday,” Caleb Foote as Bernard “Randy” Randolph and Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks particularly impressed viewers with scenes that showcased their engaging personalities. Meanwhile, a storyline involving Mariel Molino’s Lala Dominguez and Flaco Navarro, leader of the 63rd Street Chacales, took an unexpected direction.

How Randy Shined In This Episode

Randy, one of the most cheerful characters in NCIS: Origins, has always been a positive person, as shown in the episode “Happy Birthday.” He and his mother were very close and relied on each other, always striving to stay optimistic even when facing hardship. They loved listening to James Brown, especially “I Feel Good.” One birthday, when his mother didn’t make many sales, Randy surprisingly asked her not to sell their 8-track player, prioritizing their shared enjoyment of music over receiving a gift.

You can watch new episodes of NCIS: Origins on Paramount+ starting the day after they air on CBS. Paramount+ costs $7.99 per month or $59.99 per year, and offers two plans: an Essential plan for $7.99/month and an ad-free Premium plan for $12.99/month. There’s a wide variety of other movies and shows available too. Check out the deal here.

Randy had another difficult birthday in 1992, following the unsettling events surrounding a “Happy Birthday” case. The current investigation involved a murder victim with a quarter stuck in their throat, which triggered a memory for Randy of a similar case he’d researched on the NIS computer. He struggled to find the file, and in frustration with Randy’s preoccupation, Mike Franks accidentally destroyed the computer while trying to simply unplug it. This erased months of Randy’s work digitizing case files in an instant.

Fortunately, the team managed to recover information about an old case. Wheeler had mistakenly deleted it a while ago, and while a physical copy was found, it had gotten lost again. They solved the current case, but the important moment with Randy was realizing he struggles sometimes, just like everyone else. Thankfully, his positive attitude always shines through, and we hope it stays that way. Which brings us to…

How Mike Franks Shined In This Episode

Mike Franks got upset with Randy for using the computer this week because, like Gibbs, he’s not a fan of modern technology. However, his concern went deeper this time – he worried that all the computer use was negatively affecting Randy’s personality. This led to a short but strained argument between them.

As the song “Happy Birthday” finished and they were getting Randy’s new computer set up with Herm Daniels’ help, Mike finally explained why he’d gotten so frustrated with it earlier.

I feel bad about breaking the last one. Everyone keeps saying these new devices are the way forward, but I worry they might disconnect us from real human connection. Life is already full of unexpected changes, and it feels like time is flying by – suddenly you’re the one taking on more responsibility. I just hope Rando doesn’t change too much with all this new technology. I really value his personality, his happiness, and I don’t want him to lose that.

As a film fan, I found the scene where Mike was obsessively tracking packages – stuff belonging to his older brother, Mason, from their old Texas ranch – really touching. It’s clear he’s still adjusting to a different kind of relationship with Mason, and that worry seemed to blend into his concerns about Randy potentially changing for the worse. Honestly, it was a nice touch to understand where Mike’s skepticism about technology comes from, and he actually had a really good point about computers. Think about it – look at how dramatically smartphones and social media have altered how we connect with each other in just the last few decades!

What’s Going On Between Lala And Flaco’s Guy?

Exclusive NCIS: Origins Coverage

So, I was chatting with the folks running NCIS: Origins, and I had to ask about that connection they hinted at with New Orleans. Honestly, their answer totally surprised me! It seems like things are heading in a direction I didn’t expect at all, and I’m really intrigued to see how it all plays out. As a big NCIS fan, I’m always curious about how they weave the different shows together, and this little tidbit definitely got me excited.

The recent NCIS crossover event was a real highlight for fans of Mark Harmon’s character, Gibbs. I discovered how Harmon initially became involved with the show and what Gibbs is doing now.

The season 2 premiere of NCIS: Origins quickly revealed what happened to Lala, though she’s still recovering from a car accident. She’s also caught in a difficult situation with Flaco, a gang leader, because she refused to help him against his rival, Luna. In the episode “Who by Fire,” one of Flaco’s associates, later known as Manuel Santiago, followed Lala and told her that Luna was responsible for the deaths of two more gang members.

Things took a strange turn when Manuel arrived at Lala’s apartment with a new lock – especially since he’d already been inside to leave pictures of the men who had been killed. Flaco was unaware that Manuel had returned, or that Manuel later met with Lala at the church she’d been attending. Flaco had started going to the same church after previously intercepting Lala there, and Manuel and Lala unexpectedly had a very open conversation while sitting next to each other.

Is Manuel genuinely interested in Lala, or is he just using her as part of Flaco’s plan? If his feelings are real, could they fall in love? And if that happens, how will Flaco react? If Manuel is manipulating Lala, what is he hoping to achieve? Either way, I have a feeling this situation won’t have a happy ending.

Read More

2025-11-19 06:11