[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the NCIS: Origins Season 2 premiere, “The Funky Bunch.”]
“I honestly didn’t know the extent of how much fans loved Lala,” Mariel Molino admits. Then came their reactions to the NCIS: Origins cliffhanger, which left her character’s life hanging in the balance after a finale-ending car accident.
The premiere reveals that Lala is alive, and she’s just ready to return to work. But there’s tension between her and Gibbs (Austin Stowell), both personally (he’s now dating Kathleen Kenny‘s Diane after not kissing Lala or visiting her) and professionally (he’s way too overprotective). Below, Mariel Molino talks about how Lala’s doing going forward, how she feels about Gibbs and how their relationship is, and more.
First of all, I am so glad that Lala is alive.
Mariel Molino: I am, too!
How has the response been to that cliffhanger for you? Because so many people were so worried that she was dead.
I honestly didn’t know the extent of how much fans loved Lala. So it was actually kind of just really sweet and endearing to see that people have responded to a character that you have created and have worked so hard to bring to life and that they were shocked and upset that she was dead was really — I mean, I’ve never experienced anything like that, so that was actually, I guess in a bitter kind of way, very, very loving to see, I guess.
So, how is Lala feeling being back at work? It’s what she needs, right?
Definitely. I mean, she’s trying to come back to normalcy. She’s trying to be there for her team and trying to make sense of what her life is now and why she survived. And I think that’s what we’re going to see her grappling with this season is the why. Why did she survive? Why is she alive? Why didn’t she die?
Talk about filming that sing-along in the car at the end.
Oh my God, I even forgot that that existed. [Laughs] That was super fun. I mean, to me, that encompasses kind of where I think this season is headed. I think we’re at a point now where we really know who these characters are, and also the writers know who we are and how we interact with one another. And I think that scene is just another way of showing just how much of a family this group is, and how no matter what’s happening, good or bad, at the end of the day, we want to just be there for each other and laugh and get by because of all the gruesome murders we have to deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes you just want to turn on the radio and rock out to Marky Mark.
CBS
To say that things are complicated between Lala and Gibbs would be an understatement. At this point as she’s returning to work and by the end of the premiere, is she ready to really unpack everything between them yet?
No, absolutely not. I think there is some resentment on Lala’s part to feeling like Gibbs is the only one that didn’t really come to visit her and didn’t check in on her after the crash. And so as far as she’s concerned, it feels like he doesn’t care or he’s choosing to move on and there’s just so much that hasn’t been said. At the end of Season 1, we saw Lala, who was about to go to Gibbs and tell him that he was going to be OK and that he wasn’t going to go to jail. And I think if things would’ve been differently, she would’ve told him her true feelings and she would’ve told him that she loved him, and then this crash happened. She wakes up and now Gibbs has moved on and has a girlfriend, so she’s not ready to really unpack anything with him.
So does she feel like their moment slipped by because of that because he’s now with Diane?
100%. Well that, and he didn’t kiss her in the pool.
I know. I was like, “Kiss her first, then talk.”
Exactly, you and me both.
With how she feels about Gibbs as a potential love interest and loving him and what we’ve been talking about, does she still feel the same way or has that changed at all or does she just want it to have changed and it hasn’t changed?
Yeah, I mean, I think she still feels the same way. She still loves Gibbs, but she also has to respect the fact that he’s moved on and he has a girlfriend, and Lala is just as proud as Gibbs, and so she’s not going to let that show. But I mean, if we were being honest, yes, I think she would love to explore that.
There’s also this tension between them on the job. We see the way he acts with her being back on the job in the premiere. How much is there going to continue to be that tension between Lala and anyone when it comes to what she does on the job?
I think we see that there is a bit of protecting of Lala and perhaps doubting if she’s ready to be back. And that’s the one thing that upsets her because I think she’s always had to prove that she is worthy of the job and that she’s an incredible agent. And I think having an accident like she did just sets her back 20 steps and she already felt like she was behind. So now she has to reprove that she’s ready to be back on the scene with her team. And I think it’s just a really frustrating situation to have to prove that she’s strong enough and that mentally she’s ready to take this on.
That’s why I loved when she burst into the interrogation and just did her thing.
Yeah.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
One of the most interesting dynamics onscreen has to be that between Lala and Franks (Kyle Schmid). That oner in the finale of them yelling at each other was so good. And then there’s this nice moment where he greets her in the premiere and there’s the pat on the arm, it’s his way of saying he’s happy to see her, obviously. How is that dynamic this season?
I think Lala and Franks have an intense relationship. They love each other so hard, but neither of them has the communication skills to really say that. They’re both Marines and they’re both tough and proud. And so it’s difficult for them to communicate that. And I think that pat on the back encompasses that in a way where if it were perhaps a Franks that existed in 2025 that had gone to therapy, he would’ve burst crying and hugged her. And I think that’s what you see. And throughout the season, I think you’re going to see them come to a head with the way that they handle things. And you can expect that Lala is going to keep pushing back as she always has with him. And I think there’s still this undeniable bond that they have where she respects him and loves him, and I think they’re both trying to protect each other in their own way.
Who is she leaning on this season?
I think she’s leaning on Mary Jo [Tyla Abercrumbie] and Vera [Diany Rodriguez] heavily, the women in the office, and then also Randy [Caleb Foote]. Randy’s always like her little brother, and I think that she feels a sense of normalcy with Randy and a sense of companionship with him that she doesn’t feel with Gibbs and Franks.
I was going to ask about more Lala, Mary Jo, and Vera scenes. There was that great Lala and Mary Jo stuff in the premiere.
Yeah, I mean, I think Mary Jo sees right through Lala, sees right through all of her bulls**t, and is there for her, I mean, in ways that she doesn’t even know. And I feel the same way with Vera. And there’s something else coming up between Vera and Lala, which is going to be interesting because I think Lala really looks up to Vera and she’s really the only other female agent that she can depend on and who gets it the way that she does. And yeah, I think there’s going to be some interesting stuff there.
How much are you going to see Lala’s rehabbing continue? We see her in the pool in the premiere.
I think Lala is always going to keep preparing herself for whatever may come. I think we’re going to see a lot of the repercussions of this insane accident that are going to come up in ways not only physically, but mentally. She suffered a traumatic brain injury, and we’re going to start to see what that means in terms of not only physically but emotionally for her. So that’s something that it’s not dealt with, and it’ll keep coming up in different ways throughout the season.
Gibbs is going to be preparing for his first interrogation. We know how great Lala is in those. Will she be helping him?
No. [Laughs] I think the way that she helps Gibbs is by, I guess — I mean, for example, with the first interrogation, she kind of the one who sets him on this path to even want to interrogate because it’s almost like she’s challenging him always. And even though maybe he doesn’t notice it, she’s the one that asks him in the first episode, are you interrogating? And he says, no. And so she’s like, why aren’t you doing that? And I think there’s a bit of a challenge because if Lala were in Gibbs’ shoes, she would’ve already started interrogating because she knows she has to be five steps ahead of all the guys. And so I think there’s a bit of, when someone wants to prove to someone that they’re good enough, and I think that’s exactly what Gibbs feels with Lala. He wants to prove that he is a good agent as well and that he’s an asset of the team, and he, I think, looks for her approval in many ways. So in that way, I think she is helping him without knowing it, right, because she’s pushing him. But I don’t think she’s sitting down and giving him a play by way because she’s like, sink or swim.
Young Ducky (Adam Campbell) is coming to Origins. What can you say about what Lala thinks of him and their dynamic?
Oh, I loved getting to do scenes with young Ducky. That was really special. Adam is an incredible actor and he’s so present and so generous. I’m very, very excited for you guys to see that dynamic because I guess it’s completely different to any other dynamic she has with anyone else on the show. She actually feels a sense of comfort with him and that she can trust him in a way that I can’t really describe, but there’s something about him not being a permanent member of the team that gives Lala a good amount of confidence in sharing with him things that she’s not ready to share with the rest of the team, specifically when it comes to the accident and some of the stuff that has happened to her. So, it’s a great episode. I cannot wait for that episode.
Then it sounds like he’s coming in at the right time for Lala.
Oh, yeah. And it’s kind of like when you sometimes have these interactions with strangers where you end up telling them some of your most vulnerable things, and you don’t understand why you’re saying that to a total stranger, but there is a sense of connection and just humanity that I think these characters share.
Then there’s also the upcoming crossover with the mothership. What can you preview about what we’ll see from Lala in that?
Oh gosh. It’s an episode that will test every single member of the team in a lot of ways. I mean, we were dealing with all the elements. There’s a huge dust storm that makes it virtually impossible for any of the agents to solve their crime, but I think you’re going to start to see her open up to Gibbs, and I guess he starts to see behind the veil of what’s really going on with her. Also, we see her back in action again, which is great because I think she wants to be the leading team member that she was before the accident. So it’s a really good episode. It feels like a Western, honestly.
NCIS: Origins, Tuesdays, 9/8c, CBS