Warning! Spoilers ahead for NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 4, “No Person Left Behind.”NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 4 may not be about Gibbs and Lala, but the outing manages to drop a telling clue about the chances of their romantic future. While the flagship remains the most-watched show in the franchise, NCIS: Origins is proving to be the best installment in the universe that is currently on the screen.

Aside from compelling weekly cases that are mostly reminiscent of earlier mysteries that the MCRT handled, it also tells an intriguing romance between Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Lala Dominguez. While NCIS: Origins lied in its marketing about what it’s really about, it’s difficult to find anyone who is opposed to the narrative that it is currently telling.

For context, NCIS does not mention, let alone feature Lala, which is a double-edged sword for the prequel. On the one hand, it makes crafting her story in NCIS: Origins trickier, as the writers need to be mindful of the canon. However, it also creates more mystery for the show.

Diane’s Existence Makes Lala & Gibbs’ Possible Romance Trickier To Pull Off

Impressively, the period piece is doing a great job keeping its viewers on their toes with regard to where Lala’s story will go. After her near-death cliffhanger in the NCIS: Origins season 1 finale, the show set her up with a much more harrowing future as Gibbs begins dating Diane Sterling. Unlike Mariel Molino’s character, the red-head real estate agent was not just referenced in the flagship, she also appeared in it multiple times as a focal character.

This is also why Diane’s current relationship with Gibbs is detrimental to the chances of his romance with Lala. As established in NCIS, the current loves ended up marrying, and while their marriage didn’t last long, this makes it difficult for the prequel to find the perfect timing to pay off its main romantic relationship. After keeping them apart for a while now, NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 4 finally has the women cross paths, to Gibbs’ dismay.

Diane Never Mentioning Lala In NCIS: Origins Hints That She & Gibbs’ Romance Doesn’t Come To Fruition

Somehow, however, NCIS: Origins season 2, episode 4 manages to drop a substantial clue about what to expect from Lala and Gibbs’ future romance. The fact that Diane never mentioned Lala in all of the years that she was in the flagship hints that she wouldn’t be able to have a proper relationship with Gibbs moving forward. At this point, the only window in the timeline that is plausible for a Lala and Gibbs relationship is after his marriage to Diane.

During her deeply vulnerable conversation with Mark Harmon’s character in the flaghip, Diane was still convinced that the real reason that they broke up in the flagship was because Gibbs couldn’t move on from Shannon. Because she eventually married Tobias Fornell, she remained a part of Gibbs circle even after their divorce. If Gibbs and Lala ever got together after his second marriage, she would have known, and most importantly, she would have brought it up during her many appearances in NCIS. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

Now, NCIS: Origins‘ challenge is to find a way to pay-off what’s looking like a long-term will-they/won’t-they dynamic for Lala and Gibbs without breaking canon.

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NCIS: Origins

Release Date

October 14, 2024

Directors

Niels Arden Oplev, John Terlesky, Diana Valentine, Edward Ornelas, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Lionel Coleman, Loren Yaconelli, Pete Chatmon, Pamela Romanowsky, Ruben Garcia, Jessica Lowrey

Writers

Brendan Fehily

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  Austin Stowell

  Leroy Jethro Gibbs

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  Kyle Schmid

  Special Agent Mike Franks