NCIS: Origins
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for the season 1 finale of NCIS: Origins.
Gibbs and Lala were so close to having it all in theNCIS: Originsseason 1 finale.
While we were prepared for the duo’s tragic ending, no one saw it coming quite this soon.
So what does this mean forNCIS: Originsseason 2 (which hasofficially been renewed by CBS)?
Regardless of Lala’s fate, creators and showrunners David J. ScreenRantinterviews showrunners David J.
(And while we didn’t have time to address Diane’s introduction, who else gasped?)
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ScreenRant: Let’s start with the obvious question.
Is Lala really dead?
Gina Lucita Monreal: We need you to come back for season 2 and find out.
A young Gibbs embarks on his journey as a Naval Investigative Service agent in the early 1990s. Set against the backdrop of Camp Pendleton, the series explores Gibbs' formative years, the cases that shaped him, and the mentors who guided his path, including Mike Franks.
North: I’ve been waiting on Gina to tell me.
Gina Lucita Monreal: I’m not even going to tell David.
Return for season 2, yo, and find out the fate of Lala.
So she may be alive.
It’s not a definitive death?
North: We talked so much about it is the truth of this.
And going into this, we knew we wanted to do this show a little differenttake big swings.
We were doing it as more streaming for broadcast.
Amy Reisenbach, the head of the web connection, has been so supportive of that.
And so Gina and I put a lot of thought into it.
Gibbs says again at the end of the episode that this is the story of Lala.
Does that mean that season 2 is going to focus more heavily on her origins?
And we just heard Mark Harmon, the older Gibbs say, “I loved her.
I still do.”
So she’ll remain a presence regardless of what her fate was that night.
Gina Lucita Monreal: Right, because she’s clearly had an effect on him this entire season.
He says he loved Lala, and he’s always loved Lala.
Was there a moment when you pictured a shift from friendship to more?
Gina Lucita Monreal: For me, it’s been a gradual progression of their relationship.
That’s always what we planned on doing when they first meet in that burnt out house.
It’s in the prose of the script.
It was like, “She’s the storm that you crave and fear.”
Hopefully, that moment between them felt really earned because that was something we worked really hard toward.
They almost kiss in the pool before Gibbs tells her that he gave up the weapon.
Gina Lucita Monreal: We spoke a lot about that moment in the writers' room.
There was much debate about whether it should be a kiss or not.
In the end, we decided to have it be a near-kiss.
And to us, that was in line with Gibbs' character to hold back in that moment.
So he does hold back.
I love that it was an almost.
It actually made the ending feel even more tragic.
North: I agree.
But it was honest, it was true, and it makes the ending even more powerful for me.
So I’m glad you said that.
So where might we pick up in season 2?
Will we see what happens right after the accident?
Is there a time jump?
So yes, we won’t waste much time before finding out Lala’s fate.
One of the last conversations that Franks had with Lala was him accusing her of selling out Gibbs.
Since she put herself on the line to save him, how is Franks going to feel after this?
I think this is something that is so relatable.
A major event happens in one moment, and in the blink of an eye, everything is different.
And it has an effect on who you are moving forward.
And I think that will be true for all of our characters.
North: She means so much to him, to Franks.
She just means the world to him.
He just has a very Franky way of showing it sometimes.
Randy is finally looped in about everything, but he wants to do more desk work.
What is his storyline going to look like in season 2?
Gina Lucita Monreal: We love Randy.
North: Gina and I are constantly revising and picking apart these stories we want to tell.
We adore him, and he’s going to remain a big presence like Gina said.
We saw how close they were.
Franks knew that all along, and now Mason wants to reconnect in some way.
So we’re looking forward to exploring that dynamic with Franks and his brother present day, as well.
Enjoy ScreenRant’s primetime coverage?
North
A young Gibbs embarks on his journey as a Naval Investigative Service agent in the early 1990s.
Check out ourprevious interviewwith Monreal and North, as well.
NCIS: Originsseason 1 is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
