Tonight on CBS NCIS: ORIGINS returns with an all-new Tuesday, March 24, 2026, season 2 episode 12 called, “The Gambler”,” and we have your weekly NCIS: ORIGINS recap below.
In tonight’s NCIS: ORIGINS season 2 episode 12 called “The Gambler,” as per the CBS synopsis, “When the NCIS Regional Director tries to transfer Mary Jo, she reconnects with an old friend from Atlantic City to help investigate the roadside deaths of two Marines.”
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Tonight’s NCIS: ORIGINS Recap begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
In tonight’s NICS: ORIGINS episode, nothing was ever good enough for Dalton Basement. He moved to the basement to get away from all the laughter upstairs. He was not a pleasant man and so the one person that bore the brunt of it was always Mary Jo. He bothered her for what felt like stupid things everyday.
She came to realize with time why he came to her. Dalton had a crush on Mary Jo and he happened to be her type. The two started dating. They were dating secretly because they didn’t want the whole office to know about it.
Funnily, Lala knew something was up by the look on Mary Jo’s face. She was returning from the scene of a double homicide and Mary Jo had this look on her face that said she had a secret.
It was a good secret because Mary Jo only pretends everything is fine when its good. Franks didn’t see it. He was also concerned about that double homicide. There were two soldiers that were ran off the road and killed. The theory was road rage. It happened to be a theory Gibbs was late to because he was late to work. Diane took the job in LA.
Diane planned on coming back to town on the weekends. They were still married. They still wanted to make it work. Franks said that was no reason to show up late and no tell them on the radio.
He apparently worried Lala when he was late to work. Not that Lala said as much. She mostly focused on the case when she wasn’t gossiping. The two marines that were killed were coming back from a cross-country journey from Jersey. One of them had an aunt up there with lots of land. They looked forward towards their entire deployment.
The case hadn’t made it all that far. Regional Director Barrett had issues new decrees for the station. Like putting in their badge to use the photocopier and with just one of those it led to a long line.
Everyone also had to disclose interoffice relationships. Gail admitted she slept with JJ the once. It happened after she thought she was going to die after Lengya so she’s not sure if it counts. It does because she asked Wheeler that in front of everyone. They all knew about it now. There was just paperwork left.
If that wasn’t bad enough, Barrett also stopped by the office. He was a sleaze to Mary Jo like he usually is. He said that sex scandal in Washington has people taking a closer look at him. He thought the best way to get out of it was by upping his case solves. He said the secret to wheeler having the best numbers in the region was Mary Jo.
Barrett was now going to poach her. He claimed that he wanted Mary Jo around to get his numbers. The truth was that he liked being a sleaze to her. And getting her to work directly under him allowed for the sexual harassment to continue while also silencing her.
It technically was a promotion to go work for Regionals. Barrett spoke of it as a done deal, but that doesn’t mean it was. Wheeler asked Mary Jo if she wanted to transfer and she said no. It was enough for him.
Wheeler was going to do everything possible to keep Mary Jo. He was supposed to be interviewing who to trade for Mary Jo from Barrett’s office. He found out that most of the secretaries over there were desperate to transfer. They hated Barrett. He was a sleaze to them too. He also took one young secretary shopping because she wasn’t picking her skirts to “flatter her figure”.
Wheeler began taking details from the secretaries about all the ways Barrett was horrible. He thought this might be the way to hold onto Mary Jo. They slow walked the transfer by saying they needed her help with the double homicide.
She ended up being more helpful than they thought. The two marines had gambled at Atlantic City. Mary Jo used to work there. She still knew people with contacts there. She tapped her friend Lou into helping. Lou told her that the guys won two hundred grand by betting on Blackjack.
They didn’t play anything else. They didn’t bet more than gray chips. Mary Jo knew that she wasn’t being told everything and that’s where Dalton came in. Dalton didn’t like the way Lou was talking to Mary Jo.
He threatened to arrest him. Lou talked. He said those two guys were laundering money through the casino. They came in with two hundred thousand dollars. They left with that same amount. They were driving back to base. They stopped at dinner. They picked up a hooker named Sunshine.
Sunshine brought this case home. She said they took calls from someone named cap. They talked about meeting up that night. The young men were boys and they stole money from the people of Kuwait when they over there.
They did so with the help of Captain Declan. Declan later claimed that he killed them accidentally. Wheeler thinks it was pure greed that stopped him from splitting that money three ways like promised. Wheeler also stopped the transfer. He reported Barrett’s activity and he’s been suspended pending investigation.
Mary Jo was so happy that she celebrated with her friends. They had poker night and Dalton came as her date. She hadn’t reported the relationship officially because she wanted to protect Dalton. He was looking to become SAC one day. And she didn’t want the relationship holding him back.
THE END!
