Spoilers ahead for Season 2, Episode 6 of NCIS: Origins, “Happy Birthday,” streaming now with a Paramount+ subscription.
The latest episode of NCIS: Origins on the 2025 TV schedule dug deeper into Randy’s backstory, but it wasn’t the happy birthday he thought it would be. It included a major fight between Randy (Caleb Foote) and Franks (Kyle Schmid) that ended with a computer getting broken, courtesy of Franks and his frustrations. However, Foote opened up about the aftermath of the fight and why those stories are important for the franchise.
In Tuesday’s episode, “Happy Birthday,” the team deals with a case that Randy is sure is similar to one he typed on his computer, where he’s been digitizing files. Franks, who is still dealing with his estranged brother, gets upset at Randy for depending on his computer and ultimately throws it on the ground and breaks it. Even after that happens, Randy manages to keep positive and even forgives Franks and writes him a note saying that they can hug tomorrow. Foote told TV Insider it’s just who he is:
Absolutely. It’s just who he is, and it’s who he’s always been. It’s just so lovely that that’s who he is, and I get to play that character, and yes, there’s going to be times of intense turmoil like last season, Episode 8, where I’m tackling a dude and then crying in the same span. Things obviously are going to be getting crazy, but Randy doesn’t crack, and you need that levity. Even talking to a friend who was in the special forces, we were talking about, would you ever make a joke in a crazy time like this? And they said, absolutely.
Only two seasons in, and fans know that Randy can go with the flow at times, but it can also be fun to see inside those cracks and see how these characters came to be who they are. Randy and Franks’ fight was pretty big, but the way that Randy handled it was pretty impressive, as mentioned above. And the fact that he has still maintained that lightheartedness about him, even admid all the cases and occasional fights just shows what kind of character Randy is.
The same can be said about a lot of characters throughout the franchise as they find that balance, and it’s what Foote thinks has helped keep the NCIS franchise going all these years. He continued:
That’s how you don’t lose your mind is by just finding things to keep you sane. And it can’t all just be the crime of the week. It has to be these interpersonal relationships and joy. I think that’s what makes NCIS work for 23 plus seasons is that, are the relationships around the case of the week.
If NCIS fans know anything, it’s that the shows can really take dark and intense turns at times, but they can still maintain the comedy and lightheartedness when needed. And Randy is definitely there to bring the light on Origins, especially following Lala's accident. Of course, everyone has their limits, and Randy certainly has his, but if a fight with Franks and a broken computer won’t dampen his spirits, what will?
If anything, Randy has basically forgiven Franks for what happened, so their relationship should be going back to normal by the next episode. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that all is completely forgiven, but Randy knows what kind of person Franks is, and all Randy wants to do is make him and the team proud:
Yeah, I think this is one of those situations where Randy just had to take the high road. It might come back because everyone’s an elephant on a TV show like this. Once you establish something, it’s going to return, and that payoff is really valuable for audiences. But it’s just something that Randy, he’s not taking the higher ground, but I guess he recognizes the virtues of his boss, and in a way, he’s forgiven him because he knows that’s who he is. He’s a great guy, he’s a wonderful detective, and really, he was just trying to solve this case and do right by his team. He just went about it incorrectly. So, Randy at the end has, I would say, forgiven him.
Considering that Herm (Daniel Bellomy) was able to swipe Randy a new computer and that Franks helped him set it up, it can be assumed that Randy will be very happy when he arrives at work and sees it. While fans won’t see it, Foote explained that it’s insinuated within the team that they all care for each other. Which is really all that matters as the show continues to explore Gibbs' early years.
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