NCIS: Origins’ Season 2 Premiere Revealed What Happened To Lala, And Now I Have Two Important Gibbs-Related Questions

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Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins Season 2 premiere are ahead!

Fans of *NCIS: Origins* have been wondering about the fate of Mariel Molino’s character, Lala Dominguez, ever since a car crash left her situation uncertain at the end of Season 1. The Season 2 premiere, titled “The Funky Bunch,” finally reveals whether she survived. While it’s good to have this storyline resolved, it brings up two big questions about the show’s lead character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell.

Where Things Stand With Lala

As the season 2 premiere of *NCIS: Origins* suggests, the episode was full of positive moments. Fans of Lala will be happy to know she survived the car accident that kept her off-duty for months. She officially returned to work while Gibbs, Mike Franks, and Cliff Wheeler investigated a new case.

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By the end of the episode, things mostly went back to how they were with Lala’s return and Wheeler and Randy successfully arguing to their boss, Ronald Barrett, that they should be reinstated. However, there was some tension: Gibbs worried Lala was taking unnecessary risks with the case due to her health, while Lala felt Gibbs was being overly cautious and hindering her work.

By the episode’s conclusion, it appeared they had resolved their issues. However, with Gibbs now in a relationship with Diane, who would become his second wife, Lala has accepted she doesn’t see him as anything more than a coworker, telling Mary Jo he’s simply “too complicated” for her to pursue anything further.

Why Didn’t Lala Tell Gibbs About Her Confrontation With Macy?

In a two-part episode of *NCIS* Season 6 called “Legend” – which also introduced *NCIS: Los Angeles* – Leroy Jethro Gibbs discovered that Lara Macy had hidden evidence linking him to a murder. The Season 1 finale of *NCIS: Origins* revealed that it was actually Lala who persuaded Macy to stop investigating the case. Macy was driving to share this news with Gibbs when she was involved in a car accident.

I get that Lala might not have romantic feelings for Gibbs anymore, but I don’t understand why she’s hiding the truth about Macy from him. He won’t find out for almost twenty years! I’m curious why Mariel Molino’s character suddenly doesn’t seem to think it’s important to explain how she prevented him from going to prison. Is this going to be another plot point the show changes later on, like what happened with Jackson Gibbs and Mike Franks? I really need to know what’s going on!

How Is NCIS: Origins The Story About Lala?

I was thinking about this same question last year, and it’s come up again. It would make sense if Gibbs didn’t want to talk about the story if he’d lost her in a car accident, but that didn’t happen – she’s still here. So what is it about the relationship between Gibbs and Lala that makes him so reluctant to mention her or write about their history, even after he’s retired from NCIS?

We’re still waiting to find out what happened, but there’s hope that Lala Dominguez might still be alive. You can catch new episodes of *NCIS: Origins* on CBS Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Eastern, or stream them later on Paramount+.

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2025-10-15 05:11