Season 2 of NCIS: Origins came to an eventful end with a kidnapping — and a surprise scene between Gibbs and Lala.
During the Tuesday, May 5, episode of the NCIS prequel, the Camp Pendleton office was in danger of being shut down. In an effort to save the office, members of the team considered different future possibilities, including Lala (Mariel Molino) who weighed a potential move to be closer to Manny. Her contemplation took Gibbs (Austin Stowell) by surprise.
The team was able to keep their jobs by suggesting that NIS become NCIS, especially since the team solves more crime-based cases. Lala, however, still appeared to be leaving for good — and that inspired Gibbs to pull a romantic move lifted straight from the iconic 1992 film in The Bodyguard.
In the last scene of the episode, Gibbs arrived at Lala’s house, where they finally shared a kiss as present-day Gibbs (Mark Harmon) hinted that despite their romantic moment their happiness wouldn’t last forever.
“In the foreseeable future, we can enjoy the ride a little bit and see what happens,” Molino, 33, teased exclusively to Us Weekly. “Romantically, I would say, however, that I know the writers love a curveball.”
When speaking to Us, Molino expressed excitement at how Gibbs and Lala’s relationship shift will affect both of them moving forward.
“We don’t really know much about Lala’s history and so we will know more of that in season 3,” she explained. “How will that affect Gibbs and Lala’s relationship? I think that will be interesting to see.”
She continued, “I don’t think you can ever really sleep peacefully but I think we all want to see what happens romantically with Lala and Gibbs. We’ve deserved it. We’ve come this far. So even if it’s a secret romance, let’s flesh it out.”
Fans who are familiar with Harmon’s version of Gibbs from the original NCIS are aware he had a total of four wives — Shannon, Diane, Rebecca and Stephanie. While Lala wasn’t mentioned in the OG show, the prequel has made viewers hopeful that the character could be embedded into canon.
“We know that there has to be some tragedy in the sense that we know Gibbs never talks about it. Obviously there’s something that happens. There’s also a rule he has to never get involved with a coworker. However — in the near future — I hope they get to explore this at least for a little bit,” the actress continued. “They get to have fun and possibly have a romance in secret.”
Molino pointed out that Gibbs and Lala’s biggest obstacle would be their boss: Franks (Kyle Schmid).
“Franks blows up on Gibbs and says, ‘Your feelings for her are what’s jeopardizing this.’ If Frank’s catches wind that something is happening between us, I don’t think he’s going to be OK with that,” she added.
Despite Lala’s unclear future, Molino has loved seeing the clever theories from fans.
“I feel so flattered that people have taken to Lala — especially because at the beginning that was a fear that people thought that maybe she was too tough on Gibbs,” she said. “I was really scared that they wouldn’t like Lala because of that since Gibbs is America’s dad. To see that actually fans are so supportive of Lala and also want Gibbs and Lala to be endgame is a gift.”
Molino is also thrilled how the show will keep digging into who Lala is outside of Gibbs.
“That kiss was a long time coming. I think our writers really did a really phenomenal job of really exploring the relationship between Gibbs and Lala but also selfishly exploring who Lala is separate from Gibbs as an agent, as a woman, as someone who’s also complex,” she explained. “It was just nice to be able to get the opportunity to have all these different facets of her without just being like the love interest for Gibbs.”
She continued, “To then end here in season 2 feels so much more deserved and it feels fun for the fans. It’s also very nerve wracking for the both of us because we waited for this for so long. We wanted to get it perfect and can’t help but get nervous. There’s all this pressure.”
Looking ahead, Molino would like to explore Lala’s “early adolescent years,” her journey to become a Marine and her home life.
“I think we’re due for that,” she said, before weighing in on the popular assumption that present day Lala is dead. “You and me both want her alive, let me tell you. But honestly, it makes sense that something tragic would have happened. Gibbs we’ve seen as someone who does not talk about his emotions and he bottles everything up and doesn’t deal with trauma very well. So maybe in his older years in Alaska, he’s opening that up. Or she’s there … or she shows up.”
Molino isn’t just focused on Lala’s story on the show. She reacted to Randy (Caleb Foote) being kidnapped at the end of the season,
“Never underestimate Randy but I’m a little more concerned for the aftermath,” she said. “He’s already been on the fence of whether or not he should be an agent on the field so if we rescue him, I wouldn’t want that to change him. He’s obviously the light of our lives and the energy in the room.”
In response to Us’ question about whether Randy and Lala would have been better off with a transfer to the NIS’ Naples office, Molino quipped, “We could have been in Italy. We still can. You never know.”
NCIS: Origins has been renewed for season 3 and is streaming on Paramount+.
