NCIS Star Offers Dark Theories About Gibbs & Lala’s Inevitable Split After Electric First Kiss
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Published Jun 26, 2026, 11:21 AM EDT
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Unfortunately, Gibbs and Lala's romance in NCIS: Origins will have to eventually end.
The NCIS franchise expanded its portfolio with its first period show in 2024. Set in the early '90s, NCIS: Origins tackles Gibbs' earliest years with the agency, under Mike Franks' team over at Camp Pendleton. Like other installments in the universe, the series is an ensemble, which means a love line is involved. Aside from being a co-worker, Lala is also Gibbs' love interest in the prequel, and after a series of back-and-forth, NCIS: Origins finally paid off their romance.
As if the prospect of having a relationship with a co-worker wasn't complicated enough, NCIS: Origins season 2 made things complex for the pair. Gibbs got married to Diane in a spur-of-the-moment decision — something that he eventually regretted. Meanwhile, Lala continued to act like it didn't bother her that he was in a committed relationship. After everything that they went through during the show's sophomore year, NCIS: Origins season 2 ended with them finally sharing a kiss. Unfortunately, their love affair cannot last a long time, per canon.
Speaking with TV Insider, Molino shared her theories about what will ultimately drive Lala and Gibbs apart. Unsurprisingly, all of them sound horrible. The list included the pair betraying each other and a potential tragic ending for her character. Read her full quote below:
“There’s only a couple outcomes that I see that could be realistic. I think there’s a possibility that there was some sort of betrayal on either Gibbs’ end or Lala’s. I also think there’s potential for a very tragic ending, and that could be the reason that Gibbs has never talked about Lala. I think something definitely has to happen that is pretty pivotal in both their lives for this story about her, right? I mean, it can’t just be that they fell out of touch.”
CBS
Unfortunately, despite the mostly positive response to Gibbs and Lala's pairing, NCIS: Origins can't keep the pair together. Based on the timeline, they only have a short window to be happy in their relationship before Austin Stowell's character begin a romance with Jenny Shephard during one of his undercover operations with Franks. Obviously, NCIS: Origins can stretch out this time period, but regardless, Gibbs and Lala's affair will have to come to an end.
The only possible way to give them a happy ending is to reveal their reunion in the present time. While Gibbs returned in NCIS season 23, he remains retired in Alaska. So far, it seems like he continues to be alone there. However, if CBS decides to offer fans a more fulfilling payoff to the pair's love story, they can eventually reveal that they are together in Naktok Bay, which would explain why he has yet to properly come back to the DMV.
After Leroy Jethro Gibbs' first NCIS story in five years, CBS has officially killed any chance of his proper return in the foreseeable future.
For now, fans can enjoy Gibbs and Lala's moment. It would be such a disappointment if NCIS: Origins season 3 immediately subject them to a relationship crisis, considering that they just got together. That said, with the show's truncated run, they might not have any choice, especially if they want to tell a complete story for them.
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