Lala is back in NCIS: Origins season 2 (but that doesn't mean she survived the crash)

The end of NCIS: Origins season 1 seemed to leave us one cast member short. Lala’s Jeep flipped, leaving her unconscious and seriously injured in an upside-down vehicle.

This immediately seemed to suggest that Lala had been killed. After all, we know that Lala isn’t around in NCIS, and Gibbs shared at the beginning of the series that this story was about “her,” and that it’s a story he’s never told before.

However, the idea of killing off the female lead in the first season seems short-sighted. When some behind-the-scenes footage showed Mariel Molino on the set of NCIS: Origins season 2, it looked like she would make it through.

Bend, Don't Break — “Bend, Don’t Break” – A murder near Camp Pendleton leads Gibbs and the team to a suburban mall in San Diego, where Gibbs takes matters into his own hands. Jackson Gibbs pays Franks an unexpected visit, on NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Oct. 21 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs)*. Pictured (L-R): Mariel Molino as

The NCIS: Origins showrunner confirms Lala will be back (somehow)

Now, co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal seems to have spoiled the second season. During TVLine’s Women to Watch, she confirmed that Molino has been back to the set, and even said that we will see her in the show.

Does this mean that she survives the car crash? It certainly seems so, but the way that Monreal continued hints that it may not be in the way that we expect. Monreal went on to say that while it’s fair to say that we will see her in the show, the way she is in it is a mystery.

“I can confirm that Mariel has been on set with us. I think it’s fair to say you will see her in the show, but how you will see her remains a mystery. And what her fate actually is remains a mystery.”

Does this mean that Lala died and we’ll see her in another capacity? Or could we end up seeing her in the hospital for some time?

“Enter Sandman” – NCIS: ORIGINS follows a young Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell) in 1991, years prior to the events of NCIS, and is narrated by Mark Harmon. In the series, Gibbs starts his career as a newly minted special agent at the fledgling NCIS Camp Pendleton office, where he forges his place on a gritty ragtag team led by NCIS legend Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), on the series premiere of NCIS: ORIGINS, Monday, Oct. 14 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on

How could Lala return to NCIS: Origins season 2?

Just because NCIS is set in the “real world,” doesn’t mean that it can’t include any supernatural elements. NCIS: New Orleans was the spinoff to do with the most, but the flagship series also has a history of including some ghostly appearances.

We saw Tony have visions of Kate Todd, and Gibbs has seen visions of Mike Franks after his death. Even Parker has had visions of the ghostly girl, Lily. So, the idea of a younger Gibbs seeing Lala isn’t that inexplicable.

It’s not just Young Gibbs who could see her. She had a connection to Randy and Franks, as well, meaning that they could end up seeing her for a few episodes. With filming only just starting and Molino being around, it does hint that her appearances for now are attached to the start of the season, which could even mean we see her in the hospital or at her funeral.

However, I still don’t think she’s dead, considering the emphasis on her character throughout the first season and in the narration. I’m excited to see how she will return.

NCIS: Origins season 2 premieres on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c on CBS.

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