Why the NCIS: Origins Showrunners Made the Right Call on Gibbs and Lala’s Almost Kiss

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Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Cecilia” are ahead!

The final episode of Season 1 for “NCIS: Origins” was broadcasted earlier this week according to the 2025 TV schedule. It ended with a significant surprise that has left fans speculating until Season 2 starts later this year. Towards the end of “Cecilia,” Lala Dominguez crashed her car, leaving viewers uncertain about whether her character survived or not. However, that wasn’t the only dramatic moment in this episode. Lala and Austin Stowell’s Leroy Jethro Gibbs almost shared a kiss, marking a significant development in the ongoing ‘will they, won’t they’ dynamic between these characters this season. After listening to showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal explain their reasoning behind the handling of this prequel aspect, I agree with their creative choice.

Since Lala and Gibbs almost shared a kiss in the Season 1 finale and throughout the season, I wondered if there was ever a version of the finale or the entire season where they actually kissed, or if their romantic separation was part of the plan from the beginning. Monreal then shared that:

From the start, it was clear their relationship would face hurdles due to Gibbs’ emotional state following his family’s loss, Lala’s professional circumstances, her feelings towards Gibbs, and how these evolve throughout the season. Consequently, we planned for this narrative to be a love story, but one fraught with significant challenges along the way.

Given that Lala wasn’t one of Gibbs’ future ex-wives and wasn’t even mentioned during Mark Harmon’s time as the character on NCIS, it seemed unlikely that their romantic relationship would be smooth. In fact, older Gibbs hinted in NCIS: Origins’ two-part premiere that Lala’s story wasn’t one he enjoyed recounting. As Gina Lucita Monreal pointed out, NCIS: Origins certainly didn’t make it easy for Gibbs and Lala to develop a close relationship – from Gibbs still grieving the murder of his wife and daughter, to Lala initially having a boyfriend, and later finding out that Gibbs had killed Pedro Hernandez.

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In the story “Cecilia,” there seemed to be a moment where Gibbs and Lala might express their affection, as they nearly shared a kiss in the pool. However, Gibbs spoiled the atmosphere when he disclosed his intention to hand over the sniper rifle he used on Hernandez to Lara Macy of Claire Berger’s team, who was investigating the drug dealer’s death. This revelation upset Lala, and Monreal told me that under the circumstances, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for them to continue with their kiss.

In the room, there was a debate about whether they should kiss at that particular instant. We went back and forth on this issue, but in the end, we decided that since Gibbs has significant news to share with her that could change his life, if he kissed her then, it might not be entirely genuine from his perspective. It seemed out of character for him, so we had him hold back as much as he desired at that moment.

In the finale of “Cecilia”, it wasn’t clear if Lala was alive or dead, leaving us in suspense until the next season of NCIS: Origins starts. However, even if Lala did survive the crash, it seems unlikely that a romantic relationship between her and Gibbs will develop due to his encounter with Diane, the real estate agent selling the house where Gibbs lived with his family. This suggests that Season 2 may focus on the budding romance between Gibbs and Diane.

We’ll simply need to be patient until NCIS: Origins Season 2 debuts this fall, along with NCIS Season 23. This is also when the spinoff NCIS: Tony & Ziva is scheduled to premiere on Paramount+. As for NCIS: Sydney Season 3, its release date hasn’t been announced yet. So, we’ll have to wait and find out if there will be more interactions between Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Lala Dominguez in the meantime.

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2025-05-02 16:09