NCIS: Origins keeps the emotional tension high. After spending episode 7 digging into Wheeler and Oakley's relationship — and revealing a side of Cliff Wheeler viewers rarely see — episode 8 shifts the focus back to Lala. Since season 1, it was clear that Confidential Informants (CIs) trusted her most.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 8
NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 8 shows exactly why: she invests in them, treats them like people first, and earns trust others can’t. And some CIs are like family to her.
Lala almost loses her favorite CI in NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 8
Twitchy Tony is Lala’s favorite CI because he’s more than that — he’s her friend. She was there for him when he needed it most, giving him her watch so he'd know she's always in his corner. Tony saw her as a sister. That's why, when Tony pages her 911, things spiral fast. She's in a panic even before they get to the scene, and once they see he's been shot, it breaks her.
She rides with him to the hospital, sits by his side — hoping against hope — even when doctors say he won't make it. A man shows up while she's there, claiming to be Tony's friend. Lala's guard is up; she knows Tony didn't have any friends. And when she sees the man wearing Tony's watch — the one she gifted him — she's convinced he's the shooter. But he escapes.
When they finally catch him, it turns out he's an undercover DEA agent, and truly Tony's friend. Tony lent him the watch when he was going through a rough patch, just like Lala did for him all those years ago. And thanks to Tony's ledger, they find the real shooter.
Back at the hospital, Lala asks Tony to keep fighting, just as he once pushed her to after her accident. She almost lost him, but he opens his eyes, thanking her for returning his watch. She laughs, and relief is written on her face.
NCIS: Origins season 2 episode 8 shows how Lala recovered from her accident
While at the hospital with Tony, Lala remembers when she went home after her accident, putting on a brave face for her family, Mary Jo and Vera, until they leave, and she is alone and broken. Later, while speaking to Tony's mother, the old lady says something about how much it matters that she's there for Tony, triggering Lala's memory of when Randy went to visit her, laughing and joking, and telling her how the day she gets back would be the "best day ever."
She remembers Franks bringing flowers before breaking the news that she hadn’t passed her physical test and was being moved to a desk job. The one who helped her get up from that new low was Tony. He went through the trouble of finding her address and visiting, gifting her a wall clock so she'd know he's in her corner, too, "like massively."
He told her to keep fighting, do more rehab, go to church — anything it takes to get back on her feet. When Lala and Gibbs argue in the car — a fight that's been simmering ever since she got back — this is what she rubs in his face: how everyone was there for her, and he didn't visit once. He was scared and pushed her away, ruining things between them. Lala tells him not to do the same with Diane.
By the end of the episode, Gibbs finally listens. Instead of pulling away from Diane, he holds on — so tightly that the two end up married. How long can a drunken wedding in Vegas last, though?
NCIS: Origins is officially on winter break. It returns on Tuesday, Feb. 24 on CBS at 9/8c.
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