There are plenty of questions about Lala’s fate after the NCIS: Origins season 1 finale. The good news is we’ll get answers in the NCIS: Origins season 2 premiere. The bad news is the showrunners are remaining coy about her fate.
We know that Mariel Molino has been on the set of NCIS: Origins season 2. This seemed to hint that she would make it through the car crash at the end of the first season, but now showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal cast some doubts on that.
Lala will be in the NCIS: Origins season 2 premiere
In some good news, we’ll see Lala in the premiere of the NCIS prequel series, according to TVLine. What we don’t know is how we’ll get to see her. This could be a flashback, or it could be dead. After all, we all know in TV that a death hasn’t happened unless it happens on TV. We need to see the body to know that it’s real.
Of course, we could also see her as a ghost, which is something the NCIS universe has done in the past. While NCIS: New Orleans was one of those more in tune with the supernatural side of things, the flagship show has had its fair share of ghosts. Tony saw Kate after her death, while Gibbs saw Franks after his death.
“You will see the Lala character in some capacity, but whether she’s in a flashback, alive, dead, a ghost… all of your questions will be answered in the premiere.”
So, it would make sense for Gibbs to see Lala after her death, which opens the door for a ghost to appear. Even Mike Franks or someone else could see her ghost, as they remember her spirit and her light.
The episode will pick up two months after the accident, making a ghost or flashback all the more possible. Flashbacks could fill in the gaps of events that happened, as the team is still processing the accident at this point.
It makes more sense for Lala to survive in NCIS: Origins
That being said, we could learn that Lala is alive. This is the arc that makes the most sense, considering how important Lala has been to the Young Gibbs story so far. Mark Harmon’s voiceover has always said that this story is about “her,” and to end that story after just one season doesn’t make sense. Lala is the draw, right? Why would Gibbs continue to tell the tale after all these years?
So, we are likely to see her alive, but maybe injured to the point where she can’t work with the team again. There were stricter protocols for those injured in the line of duty, especially if it meant missing limbs or certain operations, so maybe she is forced into retirement and has to figure out something else to do.
This could set up an arc for Lala to resent Gibbs. She was racing through the streets to tell him that she has solved his Hernandez issue, and that’s when she crashed the car. Even if she doesn’t feel resentment, it could be something Gibbs takes with him, believing that the end of her career is because of him.
All we know right now is that Lala will be in the NCIS: Origins season 2 premiere in some way. That’s when we’ll learn her fate.
NCIS: Origins season 2 premieres on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c on CBS.