Ever since NCIS: Origins wrapped its first season run in April, fans have had one major question on their minds to mull over all summer: Will Lala be back, or did she die in the car accident? The hit CBS drama series and the NCIS prequel series ended season 1 with a huge bang that casts an even bigger shadow on how season 2 will begin. We all want to know what's going to happen to Lala.
In the NCIS: Origins season 1 finale, Lala successfully talked military police investigator Lara Macy out of arresting Gibbs for killing Pedro Hernandez. The team had banded together to help Gibbs out of trouble for murdering the man who killed his wife and daughter. Lala was on the way to meet up with Gibbs to share the great news, but she crashed her car when a little girl ran into the street.
Lala's car flipped over multiple times, and the episode ended with a closeup shot of her lifelessly dangling upside down in the overturned car, blood dripping down her face. The finale left Lala's fate hanging in the balance (literally), and we're left to wonder whether she survives the crash. Luckily, the showrunners have teased when we can expect those answers to arrive in the season 2 premiere.
Lala's fate will be revealed in the NCIS: Origins season 2 premiere
Obviously, NCIS: Origins fans know that Mariel Molino shared a photo from the set of season 2 and was present for the first table read. Co-showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal confirmed that Molino was on set that we "will see the Lala character in some capacity," though they wouldn't elaborate on whether that was simply through a flashback, as a ghost, or if she lived.
However, in their interview with TV Line previewing what to expect from NCIS: Origins season 2, Montreal and North responded to how long in the premiere episode fans will have to wait to learn about Lala's fate. The bosses didn't divulge exactly when we'll discover if she's dead or alive, but they did confirm that we will find out before the season 2 premiere ends.
"Well, we’ll just tell you that you will get your answer in the premiere episode. We will not take all 42 minutes," North teased. Montreal backed up that answer with a bit more clarity: "It will not take the whole episode." While we might not find out in the very first season of the season 2 premiere, we're definitely going to find out long before the last scene, according to the showrunners.
North and Montreal also stated that when we catch up with Gibbs and the team in season 2, two months have passed since the season 1 finale events. That doesn't mean there won't be flashbacks at some point in the episode, but it's further confirmation that the narrative is progressing forward with a time jump. Honestly, two months gives Lala plenty of time to recover from her injuries.
Even though Lala's fate could go in a direction that creates a lot of pain for Gibbs and the team, Montreal hinted that season 2 will take on a lighter tone after wrapping up Gibb's arc about his family. The showrunner promised that season 2 will "embrace the lighter side of things" and will be "sprinkling in a bit more lightness." Hopefully, that means Lala pulls through the accident.
NCIS: Origins season 2 premieres Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 8/7c on CBS.