The new episode of NCIS: Origins will be bringing some surprises, and star Tyla Abercrumbie told PopCulture.com what’s in store.
In “The Gambler,” airing on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, “When the NIS 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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Abercrumbie, who portrays secretary Mary Jo Hayes on the NCIS prequel, said the episode is “gonna be good, and it’s gonna be a surprise.” She continued, “I think a surprise no one is expecting. Because even when I was told about it, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s good.’ So I’ll tell you that you will definitely learn more about Mary Jo, and you’ll be surprised.”
While the actress didn’t get into details about what that surprise will be, there will be much more to look forward to in the episode, which will dig even deeper into Mary Jo. Abercrumbie praised the writers, as well as co-creators Gina Lucita Monreal and David J. North, for doing a “wonderful job at involving Mary Jo in the beyond what happens at the office, but the cases, developing a relationship with Wheeler, who I think between Wheeler, Franks, and Gibbs being these stereotypical men, especially in the ‘90s.”
“Very straightforward, very direct, very demanding, that they have shown vulnerability on each of them,” she continued. “In Season 1, it was Franks and Gibbs. In Season 2, I think we will see vulnerabilities in Wheeler. And we’ve seen vulnerabilities in Wheeler that we didn’t expect. And they all tie back to Mary Jo. So you see this friend to all of these agents in a way that you don’t see with them and each other. And I really like how they manage to do that. So get her involved in the cases and show how important she is to the dynamic.”
Speaking of importance, Mary Jo is basically the glue that holds NIS together, and with a possible transfer, it can only be assumed that her position will become even more important. Abercrumbie said it “feels great” for Mary Jo to have such an important role on the show, especially in the time it’s set in.
“It’s tremendously valuable because not allowing this particular character to just become a function of the simple parts of their jobs,” she shared. “The complicated parts are going out there and catching the bad guy, interrogating the bad guy, finding the witnesses. But Mary Jo is very much a part of all of that happening smoothly. And I think that not allowing her to just become background is very exhilarating for me. And to be a black woman in this office in the ‘90s and be controlling and running things and have so much value to how this team sticks together is just great. I think they do a beautiful job of making sure that is understood and shown.”
There is going to be a lot going on in the new episode, and it sounds like Mary Jo will be bringing some surprises with her. Tune in tonight at 9 p.m. ET on CBS to see what happens in the new episode of NCIS: Origins.