Does Lala die in NCIS: Origins Season 2? Character’s fate explored

CBS's popular procedural drama series NCIS: Origins Season 2 premiered on October 14, 2025, and finally revealed the answer to the cliffhanger shown in the Season 1 finale. Fans had been waiting since April 2025 to know whether Special Agent Cecilia Dominguez (Mariel Molino), also known as Lala, succumbed to her horrifying car crash.

The premiere episode of NCIS: Origins Season 2 gradually revealed through the OG Gibbs' voiceover that Lala survived the car accident but had to go through a challenging phase of recovery and rehabilitation. Furthermore, the road ahead for Lala also includes emotional turmoil as Diane Sterling, Gibbs' future second wife, has also been introduced in the show, cutting her and Gibbs' love story short.

More on this in our story.

Does Lala die in NCIS: Origins Season 2? Character’s fate explored

In the Season 1 finale of the police procedural series, Lala was seen in a horrible car accident after she tried to save a young girl who came running into the road. The series ended with Lala stuck in her vehicle while blood came seeping through her nose. Many viewers thought that it was the end of Lala's character. However, killing one of the main characters of the series would not have served the show right.

In the premiere episode of NCIS: Origins Season 2, the scene does not pick up from where it left off in the Season 1 finale, therefore creating more curiosity among viewers. Further, Lala's absence and the team confessing to missing their member complicated the situation.

Later, via voice over of OG Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, revealed that Lala had survived the car crash and was in rehabilitation. He revealed that Lala had suffered a collapsed lung, crushed thigh muscle, and a brain injury. However, she was pushing herself hard to recover and join her team. She is seen swimming in the same pool where we saw her in the Season 1 finale with Gibbs, but now with the neighbor's permission.

While her path to recovery has been difficult, she joins the team in the premiere episode of NCIS: Origins Season 2. However, with Diane's entry into Gibbs' life, Lala's personal life is also turned into a shambles, as her love story with Gibbs did not even get a chance.

NCIS: Origins Season 2 - Actress Mariel Molino's comments on Lala's survival

The way the finale of Season 1 and the premiere episode of NCIS: Origins Season 2 played out left many questions for a while about whether Lala survived the accident or not. Not just the viewers but actress Mariel Molino, who plays Lala, also shared with USA TODAY that she thought the same.

After reading the script, Molino also doubted the fate of her character. She said:

"When I first heard the details of that episode, at the end of the conversation, even I asked, 'Wait, do I die?"

She further added that with Diane's entry in the show, Lala's fate became more questionable. However, she was later told that her character does not die. She stated:

"And then Gibbs meets Diane, I could totally justify that Lala dies, and it changes Gibbs' life trajectory. But I was assured, Lala's story continues."

Along with Mariel Molino, NCIS: Origins Season 2 also stars Austin Stowell as a young Gibbs, Kyle Schmid, Diany Rodriguez, Caleb Foote, and Tyla Abercrumbie, among others.

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