This post contains spoilers from NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 1 from this point forward.
After a long summer wondering about Lala's fate, NCIS: Origins season 2 has finally arrived to answer the burning question we have been waiting for. In the season 1 finale, Lala was on her way to Gibbs to share the good news that he was not going to be arrested for the murder of Pedro Hernandez when she swerved to miss a child and overturned her Jeep, leaving her upside and lifeless.
Gibbs and Lala were seemingly about to start something romantic as there had been sparks between since, well, basically the moment they met. However, Gibbs also met real estate agent Diane, who NCIS fans know he ultimately marries. But in NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 1, "The Funky Bunch," all eyes are on Lala. The first scene features Gibbs explaining that the days were long without her.
While the episode doesn't immediately share whether Lala survived, there are still changes on the team. Wheeler filled the void in Lala's absence, and Randy also got moved to desk duty. Gibbs also didn't know that he got his rifle back because of Lala. He simply just went through the motions without her at work, still hung up on what happened between them at the pool. And as for Lala...
Does Lala survive in NCIS: Origins?
Gibbs reveals that Lala didn't die in the car accident. Rather than continuing to swim in a neighborhood pool without asking, she asked the owners if she could use their pool for physical therapy. Lala survived the car accident but had a traumatic brain injury and a collapsed lung. Her left leg was crushed. She has a long scar on her thigh and is working to be able to return to work.
Without Lala on the team, Franks feels like the team isn't working to the best of its ability. Wheeler wants to return to office duty and Franks wants Randy back in the field. Gibbs fiends for a case to cover, and Mary Jo give him a case on a missing 19-year-old Marine named Thomas Meyers. While investigating the case, it's revealed that Gibbs and Diane are now dating. She's supportive of his work.
While Randy has Wheeler and Franks arguing about Marky Mark, Gibbs refocuses them on the Thomas Meyers case. His car was left in the barracks lot and he was said to be heading to a shooting range, but he hasn't been seen at any ranges. Randy has intel on a range where humans are allegedly hunted for sport. The team arrives at The Range and speaks with Aidan Pruitt. He won't let them in.
Across the way in the woods, Gibbs hears a noise, a metal clanging. He follows the sound and finds a dead male victim, Thomas Meyers, hanging from a tree by one leg. More of the NIS team arrives on the scene, and that includes Lala for her first case back. There's instant tension between Gibbs and Lala, though they don't speak to each other right away.
What happened to Thomas Meyers?
Gibbs reveals that he hasn't visited Lala since she was in the hospital. That means it's been months since they have seen or spoken to each other. He wonders if Lala should stay outside, but she insists on joining them inside the compound. Pruitt shows Franks around the compound and its plant nursery. He insists no one had anything to do with Thomas' death in the woods.
Lala and Gibbs later talk to each other in the red room as she's developing the photo of the dead coyote. He tries to open up to her, but he can't seem to get himself to be vulnerable. She breaks the ice about Diane, and Gibbs asks about her leg. There's a lot not being said between them. Lala keeps the encounter short and ends their conversation focused on the Thomas Meyers case.
The autopsy illustrated the chain of events that led to Thomas' death. He was shot, ensnared, and then bled out while he was hanging by his leg. A rush on his left ankle leads to more questions about what happened. Meanwhile, Randy gossips to Mary Jo about Gibbs and his feelings for Lala, and he's so real. The team discovers Meyers had a thumbtack on him, and Gibbs realizes he was lied to.
Franks interrogates Corporal Wade, Meyers' team leader. Gibbs believes the corporal lied to him about there being no hazing for Meyers' low proficiency. He thinks Thomas was forced to find the thumbtack in the woods. Lala joins Franks in the interrogation and immediately accuses Wade of taking off Thomas' shoes. They break him down, and Wade admits to leaving Thomas in the woods.
Does Randy rejoin the team in NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 1?
Wade confesses that Thomas called him because he found the thumbtack and wanted to be picked up. Instead of picking him up, Wade told him to go back into the woods and keep looking. He doesn't know where the call came from. The forensics team discovered the shoes Thomas was wearing: Sparks light-up shoes with liquid mercury that caused the rash on his ankle.
Gibbs and Lala speak with an elderly woman asking if Thomas asked to use her phone. Lala notices a red light flashing under a doorframe and finds a man wearing Thomas' shoes. He flees, but they chase after him. All the while, Gibbs is worried about Lala and the threat of the snares. Lala pushes back against him and warns him not to "put your hands on me again."
The team IDs the man as Lee Fabian and piece together the story that led to Thomas' death. After an argument, Pruitt arrives with a proposition about Fabian. They can't give him what he wants, so he can't help them. Gibbs talks some sense into him, and they're able to bring Fabian in. In spite of Mary Jo's explanation, Lala insists Gibbs is too complicated for her. Wheeler and Randy successfully plea their cases to switch places. The team is officially back in action and singing "Good Vibrations"!
NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on CBS, streaming next day on Paramount+.