Origins Finale Really Kill Off [SPOILER]? Showrunners Break Down Season 1’s Ending
Warning: Contains SPOILERS for the season 1 finale of NCIS: Origins.
Gibbs and Lala were so close to having it all in the NCIS: Origins season 1 finale. While we were prepared for the duo’s tragic ending, no one saw it coming quite this soon. And, despite the nature of Gibbs’ tale, there was always a flicker of hope that, maybe, things would turn out okay. However, nothing was okay about that final shot of Lala bleeding out in an overturned car, with Gibbs professing his love through Mark Harmon’s narration.
So what does this mean for NCIS: Origins season 2 (which has officially been renewed by CBS)? Regardless of Lala’s fate, creators and showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal confirm that Mariel Molino’s character will continue to have a profound impact on Gibbs’ life. The duo remain tight-lipped about her future, but since she hasn’t been pronounced dead, it’s possible that Lala will survive the accident when the show returns.
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NCIS: Origins episode 15 finally revealed why Tish actually left Mike Franks, and it is more heartbreaking than ever for the prequel’s best couple.
ScreenRant interviews showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal about that major cliffhanger, Lala and Gibbs’ almost-kiss, and exploring Franks’ relationship with his brother in NCIS: Origins season 2. (And while we didn’t have time to address Diane’s introduction, who else gasped?)
Fans Will Have To Wait Until NCIS: Origins Season 2 To Find Out Lala’s Fate
“We told them that this was going to be a show that we were going to take chances.”
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.
David J. 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, please, and find out the fate of Lala.
So she may be alive. It’s not a definitive death?
David J. 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 different—take big swings. We were doing it as more streaming for broadcast. Amy Reisenbach, the head of the network, has been so supportive of that.
And Mariel knew, and the rest of the cast, we told them this was going to be a show that we were going to take chances. And so Gina and I put a lot of thought into it. In season 2, we thought this was the most truthful way for the characters and what we saw, and we want to just leave that open and come back in season 2 and see what happens.
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?
David J. North: As far as Lala’s character, I definitely know that she’s going to continue to be a presence in Gibb’s life just solely from what’s already just happened. 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.
The Writers Debated Over Whether Gibbs And Lala Should Kiss In The Finale
“If he had gone through with the kiss, it sort of would’ve been disingenuous because he had this huge news to tell her.”
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.”
And I think, for Gibbs, she just kind of came into his life like a storm, and they weren’t sure how to approach each other or what to think about each other in the beginning, and slowly grew to trust each other, which was a big step for both of them.
So I hope that the audience has really seen the progression of their relationship throughout the season all the way up until they’re in that pool scene. 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. Did you ever consider them actually having the kiss, or did you always want it to be an “almost”?
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. They both really wanted to go there, but Gibbs needed to tell her the truth about what he had just done with Macy.
And if he had gone through with the kiss, it sort of would’ve been disingenuous because he had this huge news to tell her. 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.
David J. North: I agree. I totally agree. When I read what Gina had written, because to be honest, I wasn’t sure till I got the script, and I totally agree. I know a lot of people are going to be like, “Dammit, they were so close!” 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?
David J. North: We’re still having those discussions, obviously, but leaving like that, that moment’s going to send shockwaves through the team. So yes, we won’t waste much time before finding out Lala’s fate.
NCIS: Origins Season 2 Will Explore Franks’ Relationship With His Brother
“We see that there is some sort of wall that has been put up between them over what happened in Vietnam.”
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?
Gina Lucita Monreal: Like David said, I think that this event, no matter what Lala’s fate ends up being, will send shockwaves through the team, including Franks. 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 you go back, and you think about the last thing you said to someone, you think about the last thing you did before this event happened, and you stew on that. And it has an effect on who you are moving forward. And I think that will be true for all of our characters.
David J. North: She means so much to him, to Franks. The fact she pushes back on him and his criticisms of her, if he had to be in a foxhole with anyone on Earth, it’s her. 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. He is such an integral part of the team, the energy he brings, just who he is, and who Caleb is as a human being and an actor. There will be no shortage of Randy in season 2, but we’re excited to explore this sort of different kind of storyline for him where he is questioning his place in the field, but he will still be present in season 2 in all of our episodes.
David J. North: Gina and I are constantly revising and picking apart these stories we want to tell. And the one thing that’s never been said is, “You know, there was too much Randy in that episode.” We adore him, and he’s going to remain a big presence like Gina said.
And then, of course, Franks gets that call at the end of the episode from his brother…
Gina Lucita Monreal: So his relationship with his brother, we saw the beginnings of it in those flashback episodes. We saw how close they were. I think that a lot of our audience may have thought that Mason died in Vietnam because of Franks’ reaction to talking about his brother after that, but we find out in the finale that Mason is actually alive and well.
Franks knew that all along, and now Mason wants to reconnect in some way. We see that there is some sort of wall that has been put up between them over what happened in Vietnam. So there definitely are plans for us to tell that story of what happened in Vietnam and also a story about what is going on in present day because of what happened in their past. So we’re looking forward to exploring that dynamic with Franks and his brother present day, as well.
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About NCIS: Origins Season 1
Created By Gina Lucita Monreal And David J. North
A young Gibbs embarks on his journey as a Naval Investigative Service agent in the early 1990s. Set against the backdrop of Camp Pendleton, NCIS: Origins explores Gibbs’ formative years, the cases that shaped him, and the mentors who guided his path, including Mike Franks.
Check out our previous interview with Monreal and North, as well.
NCIS: Origins season 1 is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
