Earlier than NCIS: Origins premiered on the 2024 TV schedule, lead actor Austin Stowell mentioned that Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Mariel Molino’s Lala Dominguez wouldn’t have a “romantic vibe” between them. And but, six episodes into the CBS prequel sequence, a novel connection appears to be forming between these characters, and the older Gibbs (reprised by Mark Harmon) even mentioned on the finish of Origins’ first episode that he’s trying again on this time of his life as a result of he’s telling the story about “her,” i.e. Lala. So might she be the explanation Gibbs got here up with Rule 12, “By no means date a coworker”? Stowell has shared his tackle this, and I’m nearly satisfied that is the case.
NCIS: Origins takes place in late 1991, a number of months after Gibbs’ first spouse, Shannon, and his daughter, Kelly, had been murdered by Pedro Hernandez, and he was so heartbroken by this information that he intentionally walked into enemy hearth. Now he has new function in life due to being recruited into NIS (as the federal government company was recognized again then) by Mike Franks, and Lala is considered one of his teammates. Chemistry is beginning to brew between these two, however as Austin Stowell informed Us Weekly, the timing on his is horrible. As he put it:
There’s a cause that individuals who work collectively generally find yourself getting collectively. It’s that they perceive one another. There’s lots of Lala in Gibbs and vice versa that they see a little bit of a mirror picture. However they’re each very cussed. . . . At this level, we’re nonetheless simply months after Gibbs misplaced his spouse and youngster. Even when these feelings are creeping in, he in all probability is quieting them and feeling as if he shouldn’t have these emotions.
This was definitely evident in final week’s episode, “Incognito,” which noticed Gibbs going undercover for the primary time, and Lala was by his facet, as they had been posing as a pair. Per Austin Stowell, that is the place their “bond is created,” and their mission may very well be the “catalyst for one thing extra.” Nevertheless, contemplating that Lala Dominguez was by no means talked about throughout NCIS and the older Gibbs mentioned he doesn’t like to inform the story about her, it may be surmised that no matter’s forward for these two doesn’t finish effectively.
Longtime NCIS watchers know concerning the guidelines Leroy Jethro Gibbs has provide you with to dwell his life by and educate others in his life. Whereas a few of these guidelines, which he was impressed to jot down by Shannon, have been written when the occasions of Origins begins, many nonetheless have but to be drafted, though it’s unclear if that features Rule 12. Austin Stowell famous that Gibbs and Lala are “very cognizant” of the truth that they’re coworkers, including:
It might not be a good suggestion. Rule 12, we haven’t seen that rule get written but. It is perhaps in [Gibbs’] field, I’m undecided. However he won’t have had a cause to jot down that rule if he was with [his wife] Shannon already. So there is perhaps some edits to the foundations developing.
To be clear, Austin Stowell mentioned he doesn’t really know if NCIS: Origins will present how Rule 12 got here to be, however he did acknowledge that Gibbs’ attraction to Lala “has as a lot to do with who she is as an individual as her aesthetic worth,” and that he “sees one thing inside her that lights him up.” Taking all this info into consideration, I might not be shocked in any respect if we’re getting the Rule 12 origin story, though then that begs the query about if this will probably be chronicled within the recently-expanded Season 1 or potential future seasons. That mentioned, as talked about earlier, if Gibbs has been so unwilling to mirror on Lala, I can’t assist however suppose that the creation of Rule 12 may very well be created in response to particularly heartbreaking and even tragic occasions.
We’ll see what finally ends up occurring as NCIS: Origins airs new episodes Mondays at 10 pm ET on CBS. The sequence can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription alongside all the opposite NCIS exhibits.