Original subtitles

Rent's due first of the month.

You still want the place? Yeah.

VERA: Remember this guy-- Bugs, aka Sandman?

I'm interviewing him for my new program.

FRANKS: Pedro Hernández. GIBBS: The man who killed my family

is still out there.

LALA: We're gonna get him.

I'm gonna get him for you.

Pedro Hernandez was killed six months ago.

He was shot by a sniper.

OLDER GIBBS: No matter how hard you try or,

in my case, how far you go,

you can't ever leave it all behind.

There is no such thing

as a clean slate.

OLDER GIBBS: She knew I killed the man that killed my family.

She would have been right to tear me up

for going outside the law,

for not telling her the truth.

Hell, she would have been right to turn me in.

She didn't do any of that.

But she couldn't bring herself to look at me, either.

Franks saw what was going on.

He told her to teach me the camera.

She didn't argue.

Solution should be at 68 degrees.

Photo stays in the developer for 60 seconds.

Stop bath for 30 seconds.

Fixer for five minutes.

It's all in the notes.

(buzzer sounds)

OLDER GIBBS: Next ten days were long.

Work was slow.

I learned a lot about film.

But she still wouldn't look at me.

Before all this, she told me once that

the vents in that darkroom were a direct line

into Wheeler's office.

I never knew if she waited those ten days

for Wheeler to be out for the holidays

or if it just took her that long

to figure out what she wanted to say to me.

Whatever the reason,

eventually, she was ready.

I'm sorry.

For which part?

If someone killed my family, I don't know what I'd do.

Maybe the same thing you did. I don't know.

I laid awake at night, trying to figure out how to catch him.

For you.

To make you better.

To make you okay.

You were never gonna tell me?

It was safer that way.

You think I would have turned you in?

I meant safer for you.

Randy?

Only Franks knows.

(scoffs)

Lala...

I'm meeting with Wheeler Monday.

I'm asking off Franks' team.

You can't do that.

You think you're gonna tell me what I can do?

No. You think you have any say over what I do?

No.

I don't trust you, Gibbs.

I don't trust Franks.

I sure as hell don't trust the two of you together.

What kind of team is that?

(door opens) Hey.

You're still just practicing pictures, right?

Yeah. Good.

Gibbs, I need your help.

Let's go, sweetie. It's time-sensitive.

Last year, Gail helped me dig it out.

But she damn near died of a asthma attack in here.

Ugh.

It looks better with the tinsel on it.

There's a box here somewhere... Here.

Hiding behind the shredder.

I got it. Someone was shredding

so much, they burnt out the motor on this thing.

I can't remember who Gail said it was.

Should have just tossed the damn thing.

Leave it for Mary Jo.

OLDER GIBBS: We'd been holed up in that darkroom for days.

♪ ♪

It wasn't Christmas in there.

But everywhere else, it was.

(phone ringing) Uh... Hold on.

(sighs)

NIS. How may I help you?

OLDER GIBBS: It was my first Christmas without my family.

And now I was losing her, too.

Gibbs.

This is Gibbs.

OLDER GIBBS: She wasn't even mine to lose.

Not even close.

But a man can only take so much.

Thank you.

You okay, honey?

OLDER GIBBS: I could only take so much.

♪

So, yeah, my mom and her husband are flying in for Christmas Eve,

which, uh, you know...

He's a real jackass.

The hell's Gibbs at?

Oh, I heard he got a phone call earlier and he walked out.

Tell you what, I'm gonna have to go out

and get wasted three, four times just to survive.

Tonight?

No, Christmas. My ma's husband.

Oh. Well,

if you need a designated driver,

I-I could pick you up.

Hey. You guys give me a hand?

OLDER GIBBS: After that call I got, I needed a distraction.

The hell's all this?

OLDER GIBBS: I needed to keep myself busy.

Thank you. Where should I put it?

Oh, wherever. I got to haul it downstairs.

This your first time on night duty?

Putting in some shelves down in the storage room,

get it organized.

Got some more wood in the truck.

This your first overnight?

Third. Oh, so, then you know.

The guy you're relieving can't go until you're in the building.

You show up late and screw around in the doorway,

it really sucks, dude.

Well, you give me a hand, it'll go faster.

OLDER GIBBS: After my dad taught me to fish,

he showed me how to swing a hammer.

He said, "There's a lot in this world you can't make right.

"But the wood you can always make right,

and that's a start."

That night, all I wanted was to make things right.

But after I got that phone call,

that was impossible.

Making things right was impossible from the start.

And it started back then.

When you get back from killing the man that killed your family,

the uniform doesn't fit the same anymore.

You wish it did, but it doesn't.

You said Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs?

Got you here.

You turn in your ID, Gunny?

Yeah. Go ahead and set it down.

Just need a couple minutes of your time,

you'll be out the door, 100% civilian.

One Kevlar.

Two canteens.

One canteen cup.

Damn.

You really gave these hell, Gunny.

One LBV, one Alice pack.

(line ringing)

JACKSON: You've reached Stillwater General Store.

Leave a message, we'll get back to you.

(beep)

Hey, Dad. Uh...

I got to tell you,

I, uh, I went down to the base today, and, uh...

JACKSON: Leroy?

Hey.

You know we're closed Tuesday mornings.

You should have called the house.

I just stopped by here to get my glasses.

Lucky.

What were you saying? You were back on base today?

They cleared you for duty? That's great.

Yeah. I, uh...

Look, somebody's...

Huh?

Somebody's on the other line. I got to call you back.

♪ ♪

(banging on door)

RUTH: Open up, you moron!

Open the damn door!

(lock clicks)

The hell, man?!

You can't just walk in here!

I can walk wherever the hell I want!

You're in here disturbing the peace for the 15th time,

destroying my building. I'm not doing

those things. Oh, well, that's new.

I'll fix it. No.

Last warning was your last warning.

I want you out. Ruth,

come on. I'm having a day. Yeah,

well, I'm having a life. Clean all this up and I want you out.

Start packing your crap.

Get the hell out or I'm calling the cops!

(scoffs) Oh. Okay.

Hey, all right! Hey, I'll go.

I'll go.

OLDER GIBBS: The Camp Pendleton Rodeo. Hey, what? All I'm saying...

OLDER GIBBS: Thousands of tourists were bussed into town.

It just so happened to be going on

when I got kicked out of my place.

No vacancy for 100 miles.

So I made do.

GAIL: I'm sorry. Agent Franks is unavailable.

Can I take a message?

I'll call back.

OLDER GIBBS: I wasn't calling Franks for a place to stay.

I had that figured out for the time being.

I was calling because he was the one guy in the world

I could talk to about what I did in Mexico.

He was the only one.

I'd been living in my truck for days,

and Mexico was a lot to think about.

It was a lot to think about on my own.

(thunder rumbling)

(clanging)

See you landed on your feet.

What a drama queen.

It's enough. Come on home.

I made a list of your damages.

You're gonna need to get 'em fixed.

I want to approve 'em once they're done. And I'm keeping

your security deposit. It's mine now.

Yes, ma'am.

I know who you are.

I read the paper, stay up on things.

It ain't every day a white Marine with a Black name

loses his family to murder.

Your kitchen table's the only good thing in here.

I don't got a good flat surface.

("Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt playing)

♪ I feel so bad ♪

♪ I got a worried mind ♪

♪ I'm so lonesome ♪

♪ All the time (knocking on door)

(TV plays indistinctly) ♪ Since I left my baby behind ♪

♪ On Blue Bayou ♪

(door closes)

♪ Saving nickels ♪

♪ Saving dimes ♪

♪ Working till the sun don't shine ♪

♪ Looking forward ♪

♪ To happier times on Blue... ♪

You got-you have my brown piece over there.

There are a million dark brown pieces...

You can see it. It's staring right at me.

Dark brown, dark brown. This is dark brown. There you go.

There are no rules to puzzles.

RUTH: There are rules.

♪ To Blue Bayou ♪

♪ Where the folks are fun

♪ And the world is mine ♪

♪ On Blue Bayou ♪

♪ Where those fishing boats

♪ With their sails afloat ♪

♪ If I could ♪

♪ Only see ♪

♪ That familiar sunrise ♪

♪ Through sleepy eyes ♪

♪ How happy I'd be ♪

♪ Gonna see my baby again ♪

♪ Gonna be with ♪

♪ Some of my friends ♪

♪ Maybe I'll feel better again

♪ On Blue Bayou ♪

♪ Saving nickels, saving... ♪

We don't always have to do two corners each, you know.

♪ Working till the sun don't shine ♪

♪ Looking forward to happier times ♪

What?

♪ On Blue Bayou ♪

I'm out.

What?

You can keep that one, do it yourself.

What are you...?

What'd I do? I say something wrong?

We weren't even talking.

Why would you talk? We never talk when we puzzle.

What, you want to talk?

Look at you. You're a damn loser.

(scoffs) I don't associate with losers.

(scoffs) I don't have time for this crap.

You need help. I need help?

Yeah. Look in the mirror, man.

Wash your hair, get a job.

You're no better than the homeless guys

going through my garage

all the time. Hey!

If I want a job, I'll go get one,

and it's got nothing to do with

what you think, all right? Whatever.

(door opens)

(scoffs) (door closes)

OLDER GIBBS: Couple of days later...

...I started at the grocery store.

Got a lot of compliments from the customers.

Fine job there, young man.

Everything I learned at my dad's store was paying off.

A week went by, Ruth started

coming back over with the puzzles.

We'd do a few hours at night when I got home from work.

She said I looked like crap in my apron.

I'm pretty sure she said that

'cause she knew that apron wasn't me.

(Franks laughing)

Oh, and a carton of them smokes, too.

What do you want to do for dinner tonight, baby?

TISH: I'm going out with Angie, remember?

FRANKS: No.

Don't leave me. I'm dead without you.

Agent Franks.

Gibbs.

How are you?

Tried calling you.

Tish, this is Leroy Gibbs.

I've, uh...

It's nice to meet you.

Ma'am.

I tried calling.

I-I need to talk to you about something.

Some other time. Kind of in a rush.

I get off at 4:00. You want to grab a beer?

Today doesn't work. We got a thing.

She said she's having dinner with a friend.

(coins jangling)

Keep the change.

It ain't gonna work out tonight, Gunny.

How 'bout tomorrow?

Double bag that, will you?

Appreciate it.

Tomorrow?

It ain't gonna work out.

Poor guy's been through hell. Least you can do is talk to him.

OLDER GIBBS: He tried to walk away from me.

But no way in hell was I gonna let him off that easy.

Mexico was too big to carry on my own.

Hey.

What about the day after next?

This damn kid.

Now's good.

What, Gunny?

I'm not a gunny anymore.

Yeah, I just put that together.

How'd your pops take it,

you leaving the Corps?

Haven't told him yet.

It's your life.

It ain't his.

I been needing to talk to you.

I been...

Pedro Hernandez...

No.

Listen to me. I just need

a minute of your time... I said no, damn it.

That ain't how this works.

Now, I'm gonna talk and you're gonna listen, okay?

I never wanted to show you that file.

But I did it anyways. I did.

But that don't put me on the hook for what comes next.

You go off the grid for weeks. Now you're calling me,

ambushing me while I'm trying to buy milk with my lady.

(scoffs) You got one of two things going.

Either you're spinning your wheels,

looking at me like I got intel that I ain't got...

...or you want to get something off your chest

that ain't my business.

I never want it to be my business.

You understand, Gunny?

Now you can answer--

yes or no--

do you get how this could be a problem?

Yes.

Do you want to make problems for me?

No.

I'm real sorry for everything you've been through.

I mean that.

You want my advice?

Put it all behind you as best you can.

Hit the reset button.

Find a new purpose.

You're a bright guy, Gibbs.

Too bright to be bagging my beer.

OLDER GIBBS: I went back in and finished my shift.

Grabbed a sixer on the way out.

It turned into the kind of day where you just want to go home

and drink alone.

Pick it up. Come on, pick it up.

Move it over there.

Where?

OLDER GIBBS: Getting numb sounded good.

But I couldn't picture anything worthwhile

on the other side of that six-pack.

(door opens) RUTH: Hey!

Hey!

Stop, you little bitch!

Hey!

They robbed me! They're taking my stuff!

Hey!

Go, go, go!

(engine starts) Hey!

Let's go, let's go!

(grunts)

No, no, no. You stay here.

Screw you. I'm coming. Ruth!

Drive, damn it. They're getting away!

Seat belt.

Huh? Seat belt!

Oh, for the love of God.

There they are.

That's them. They hurt you?

Get closer. I'll write down the plate.

They grabbed your arm?

Three, six,

something...

Three, six,

seven, P,

C, E. Okay, got it.

Let's find a phone and call the cops.

Slow down. I got it.

I said slow down.

(echoing): Come on, you're gonna get us killed!

Leroy!

(regular volume): Leroy!

(brakes squeaking)

(engine shuts off)

Is it just your arm?

What?

Did they hurt you anywhere else?

What, this?

They didn't do this.

I ran into a door yesterday, you lunatic.

(door opens)

(door closes)

Dude's out of his damn mind.

Get your ass out here.

You literally drove me to drink.

Literally.

Why would they want to steal your vacuum?

Thing was top of the line.

It was a Hoover.

I'm guessing they're gonna hawk it.

They're living in their car.

Nothing to vacuum, nowhere to plug it in.

(scoffs)

Little bitches. Got my Simple Dreams record, too.

Linda Ronstadt.

Yeah.

Want to go call in the plate now?

Nah.

No use even chasing 'em.

Cops won't do nothing. It is what it is.

Here.

Thanks. Mm-hmm.

You loved that record.

You get sad when "Blue Bayou" comes on.

No, I don't.

(scoffs) Okay.

♪ ♪

Reminds me of my son,

that song.

He's not dead or anything.

He lives in New Orleans.

He's an architect.

I messed up his life for a whole lot of years, so...

...makes sense why he don't want to talk to me no more.

I'm like a wrecking ball that never misses.

But you know...

I guess sometimes it's better to feel sad

than to feel nothing at all.

The man who killed my family...

...I hunted him down and I killed him.

(laughs softly)

Wow. Feels good to have somebody else know that.

Sorry to dump that on you.

I understand if you don't want to come over anymore.

What the hell?!

(laughs)

What is happening right now?

I tell you I'm a crap mother, you tell me you killed a guy?

(laughs)

(chuckles)

This can't be normal.

Do people really talk like this?

I don't think so.

(exhales)

So, you killed the guy, huh?

That explains a lot.

Hey.

Let me tell you something.

OLDER GIBBS: She told me what she saw in me.

That I was a guy who managed to hunt down a killer

that no one else could find.

That I was ready to chase down her robbers

without thinking twice.

That I paid attention,

that I noticed what music she liked

and cared about a bruise on her arm.

She said out loud what my gut

had been telling me for weeks:

that if I went all in,

if I got myself together,

I could make a pretty damn good cop.

OLDER GIBBS: The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

in Georgia became my home for the next two months.

After Scout Sniper School and Desert Storm,

FLETC's physical training was easy.

Clear!

OLDER GIBBS: Franks still didn't want

anything to do with me,

so I went over to the Twentynine Palms office.

Being a Marine helped me get approved quick.

They said I'd be a probationary agent when I got done here.

Problem was my head still wasn't right.

I thought maybe I bit off

more than I could chew.

But Ruth said otherwise.

She wrote, "The comeback's always stronger

than the setback." And sometimes,

she'd add a few other words of encouragement.

Ruth's letters meant everything.

And after graduation...

(indistinct conversation)

...I couldn't wait to get home and prove her right.

(chuckles) (door opens)

Hey.

I was gonna wait till you came down to say hi, but

I saw you drive up, so...

♪ ♪

Thank you.

I'm real proud of you, Leroy.

Real proud.

Well, it's not official yet.

I got an appointment over at NIS.

My psych eval.

With jet lag?

No, I slept on the plane.

Well, I need to get going, though.

Don't want to be late.

For you.

You know, you're always saying you're a crap mom, but...

you're a damn good big sister.

You got another bruise? Uh, it's nothing.

Get out of here. You're gonna be late to your thing.

Ruth. What's... I'll see you when you get back.

Ruth.

Sit down.

No, I don't want to sit.

Sit down.

This test will be a comprehensive analysis

of your mental health and functioning.

It's designed to tell us

if you're in an appropriate state

to handle the stressors of the job.

I said it to you a bunch of times in my head.

I knew I should say it out loud.

But I...

Turns out I'm dying.

Some of my questions may be difficult,

as we delve into your family history.

All I ask is that you answer honestly.

Does that make sense?

I been to all the doctors.

They drew my blood so many times,

my veins run the other way now.

It's blood cancer.

I can't pronounce the name.

PSYCHOLOGIST: A man can only take so much.

Isn't that right, Mr. Gibbs?

You are not okay.

(echoing): You're not okay. You're not okay.

You are not okay.

(regular volume): Mr. Gibbs?

Are you okay to begin?

♪

(indistinct chatter)

You friends with Mike Franks?

Yeah. You know him?

Yeah. He's a prick.

(laughs)

Can I get some change for the pay phone?

Thanks.

(line ringing)

RUTH: Hello?

Leroy? That you?

Yeah.

You mad at me?

For what?

Thought you were coming back after your thing today.

Why didn't you tell me you were sick before I left for Georgia?

So you are mad.

I wasted two months.

That's time we could have had.

Wasted? Leroy.

Helping you become the man you were meant to be...

...is the only good thing I've ever done.

Well, I'm not gonna be an agent.

What are you talking about?

My psych eval. I failed it.

Says who?

The psychologist. (scoffs)

He didn't have to say it. I was...

It was all over his face.

Leroy...

Sorry I let you down.

♪ ♪

("Blue Bayou" by Linda Ronstadt playing)

♪ I feel so bad, I got a worried... ♪

Dude. You got to be kidding me.

♪ I'm so lonesome... ♪

Hey.

Yo.

We're shooting pool here.

Why you playing Olivia Newton-John?

It's Linda Ronstadt.

(chuckles)

Like that's supposed to make it any better.

♪ Looking forward to happier times ♪

♪ On Blue Bayou... ♪

Don't.

(grunting)

♪ I'm going back someday ♪

♪ Come what may ♪

♪ To Blue Bayou ♪

♪ Where the folks are fun ♪

♪ And the world is mine ♪

♪ On Blue Bayou ♪

♪ Well, I'll never be blue ♪

♪ My dreams come true ♪

♪ On Blue ♪

♪ Bayou. ♪

OLDER GIBBS: Everything's backwards.

Your wife and daughter are gone.

Your one friend in the world is dying.

Your career is tanked.

Last thing you need is someone hell-bent

on making you feel worse.

Can I help you? Special Agent Franks.

Got a call from Smitty over at Daly's.

You got a Leroy Gibbs back there?

Being processed out as we speak.

Processed out? To who?

Her.

Hello, Mike.

Should I know you?

Ruth Orozco,

building manager.

We met once in passing.

The day I showed Leroy his apartment.

Yeah. Right.

What are you doing here?

Taking Leroy home.

Why?

'Cause I'm his best friend.

When'd that happen?

Around the time you walked out on him.

You hear he graduated from FLETC?

Yeah, I heard. Valedictorian.

That's not a thing. Top of his class,

whatever, he was the best.

And everything was on track until that dumb psych eval.

He thinks he failed it.

Did he?

(exhales) Damn it.

He only failed that test 'cause of me.

The hell'd you do?

I'm dying, that's what.

He found out right before he took the test

and that's why he failed.

(exhales)

Sorry about your situation.

The why don't matter.

Rules are rules.

Rules ain't exactly your forte,

are they? Oh, yeah.

He told me everything.

Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me.

Hell, I must be as screwed up as you,

'cause I think you did right by him

when you showed him that file.

But then you abandoned him.

The hell you talking about?

Poor kid can't bring himself

to tell his own father he left the Marines,

he's having a full-on identity crisis,

he reaches out to you to listen

and you leave him standing there alone in his apron.

(sighs)

And I'll tell you what, he blames himself for all of it,

'cause he thinks you're great.

You're the whole reason he picked NIS.

What he does, what he thinks--

that ain't my business.

Then what are you doing here?

It is your business, you just wish it wasn't.

Two totally different things, you selfish prick.

Leroy Gibbs is coming out now.

Uh, which one of you wants him?

She does.

(door opens, closes)

♪ ♪

Your signature there.

You look like crap.

Yeah, I know.

Come on, let's go home.

MAN: Paper or plastic?

Sir?

Paper.

Here, let me double-bag that for you.

(indistinct chatter)

Listen up.

We got a new agent joining the team.

A name you know.

Really?

I heard he was starting over at Twentynine Palms.

I figured that was off.

I heard an MP talking about how he just got hauled in

for mutual combat.

That was one beer too many.

He's done with all that.

(grunting)

And this is official? Yep.

Just got the word.

Ain't that right, Cliff? Sure.

You really think he's ready for all this, boss?

He'll fit in great.

Hey! Hey, hey, that's enough.

Get... That's enough!

Guy's crazy.

I bumped into him, he started swinging.

Hey, you didn't say excuse me.

Guy was just in here last week

fighting with a couple Marines.

Why are you still talking, huh? Come on!

Come on! What are you gonna do?

You want to meet me outside? Why don't we do that?

Easy! It's okay.

NIS. I got him. Sit.

Sir, procedure says we got to write him up.

Then write him up. I got him.

Sit.

What?

You passed your psych eval, Gibbs,

so stop acting like you didn't.

The SAC called from Twentynine Palms,

said they're pulling their job offer.

'Cause I told 'em to.

You're coming to work for me.

Report tomorrow morning, 0800.

Got an agent named Randolf.

He'll show you the ropes, give you the tour.

Tell your pops you left the Corps 'cause I recruited you.

Welcome to the team, probie.

Go home. Get some rest.

♪

Yes, sir.

OLDER GIBBS: For years, I couldn't understand

why he hired me.

Then, one day, over beers,

he told me about his talk with Ruth.

I wasn't surprised she got in his head.

Morning of my first day of work...

I heard Kelly laughing.

I saw Shannon's face.

It was enough to make me want to crawl back in bed.

But then I heard a voice in my head say,

"Leroy, quit being a little bitch

and get up and go to work."

I wish I could have saved her

like she saved me.

But the best I could do was track down her son.

She spent her last months with him in New Orleans.

Exactly where she wanted to be.

The call I got earlier that day

was from him,

telling me she was gone.

(grunts)

Oh... (grunts)

Aw...

♪

Hey, Gail.

We got a call?

Hey.

Hey. You, uh,

making some shelves?

Yeah.

How come?

It's a mess in here.

You got a phone call earlier.

I saw you walk out.

I just...

I wanted to see if you're okay.

What happened?

It's a long story.

I got time.

My meeting with Wheeler isn't until Monday.

So...

(chuckles softly)

Tell me.

(instrumental version of "Blue Bayou" playing)

OLDER GIBBS: I told her all about Ruth.

And she told me

she was canceling her meeting with Wheeler.

She said she couldn't stomach the idea

of having to answer to a wannabe Franks

on some other team.

She was still a long way from trusting me.

But she said she wanted to try.

And I was grateful.

Because it was like Ruth always said about puzzling.

"When you got a partner,

you only got to do two corners each."

Captioning sponsored by CBS

and TOYOTA.

Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org