‘NCIS: Origins’ Reveals How Mike Franks Met Gary Callahan

In one of the most moving episodes of the series thus far, the NCIS prequel reveals the origin story of the beloved canine member of NIS — and the agent who is inarguably the most attached to him.

The Tuesday, April 7, episode of NCIS: Origins goes back to the beginning for both Gary Callahan, from his puppy days as the runt of his litter to his first meeting with Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), neither yet with NIS, while in the present, the life of one hangs in the balance. Warning: Spoilers for NCIS: Origins Season 2 Episode 14 ahead!

As seen in flashbacks to open up the episode, Gary was the youngest of nine and born with underdeveloped hind legs, making him too weak to walk. But when he was brought to a kill shelter, he got up and walked — and dragged his box along with him. He lived on the streets until Franks was called in as animal control. It didn’t take long for Tish (Tonantzin Carmelo) to know that Gary wasn’t going anywhere, even as he ripped apart their couch cushions and cost Franks his job. A flashback shows Franks naming him Gary Callahan off the box he’d had with him up until he left him with his first NIS handler, Artie (Daniel Roebuck), of course making sure that he’d be cared for.

Greg Gayne/CBS

Nine years later, in Origins‘ present day, he’s living with Franks and sleeping with him in his bed. But when both are called to a crime scene — the murder of a grocery store owner who donated food to Camp Pendleton’s food pantry — and Gary chases a suspect, the dog is stabbed, and it’s bad. “Agent down!” Gibbs (Austin Stowell) yells as Franks hurries to hold him. With no emergency vets open in the area, they bring Gary to Doc Tango (Julian Black Antelope). Gary’s handler Herm (Daniel Bellomy) is torn up about Gary’s injury as well, and he and Franks get into it a bit, but it’s all out of concern for their K9 member. As Herm sees it, Gary shouldn’t have been out there without him or a leash and Franks sees him as a pet, while the team leader argues that Gary’s a hero.

But none of that changes the outcome after a vet operates on Gary: He’s stable but the blade damaged several nerves controlling the movement in his hind legs, and they have to be ready for the possibility he won’t walk again. Herm brings Gary back to NIS in a stroller, Mary Jo (Tyla Abercrumbie) gets a bed for the dog, and Kowalski (Michael Harney) has freshly baked treats for him. Gary goes home with Franks, who works from home while the team tackles the case. But Gary still helps since he has “the best sniffer on this side of the Mississippi,” helping them ID their killer, who is not the same person who stabbed him.

As for that person, after Gary told him to take care of something, as Franks tells Wheeler, who wonders if Gary’s now talking to him, the agent tells the young man he’s going to help him after he serves his time. Like Gary, this guy had the deck stacked against him and since Gary forgives him for what he did, Franks does, too.

While getting ready for Gary’s retirement ceremony, Franks admits to Herm that he never wanted to give him up, but coming to NIS was what was best for him. Part of the reason he started working there was to spend more time with him, and yes, he’s been doing that more since Tish left.

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The episode ends flashing between Gary’s induction ceremony as the inaugural K9 member, Agent Gary Callahan, during which Wheeler (Patrick Fischler) tells Franks that they “hire humans, too,” and his retirement, during which he surprises everyone by getting up and walking to retrieve his medal recognizing his courage and valor. As Mark Harmon‘s Gibbs puts it in his closing narration, “Maybe it was just grit or hell, or maybe it was a miracle, but in that moment, Gary Callahan stood up and took his first steps — for the second time.” And so Gary’s time as an agent continues, and he splits his time between Franks (weekends) and Herm (workdays).

What did you think of Gary Callahan and Franks’ origin story? Let us know in the comments section below.

NCIS: Origins, Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS