NCIS: Origins Season 2 set photos confirm Mariel Molino’s return despite Lala’s fatal accident

NCIS: Origins Season 2 is trending! The sudden return of Mariel Molino to the sets is causing a stir among fans. Molino, who played Special Agent Lala Dominguez in Season 1, was thought to have died in a devastating car crash in the season finale. But photos from NCIS: Origins Season 2 set verify she's back on the job, leaving us to ponder: is Lala alive, or does her return represent something more symbolic?

While Molino's return to NCIS: Origins Season 2 is now assured, the nature of her character's return is shrouded in mystery. CBS and the creators of the show have refused to confirm if Lala did survive the crash or if Molino would return through flashbacks, hallucinations, or some other technique. North told Us Weekly earlier,

“We can’t promise that [Lala is alive], but we can promise that you’ll get an answer if you come back in Season 2. Going into this, we wanted to take big swings. Mariel knew going into this that we were going to take big swings and she was on board for whatever was the best way to make the audience feel something in a truthful way. That’s what we’re doing.”

Until more details are made known, her destiny is as much a mystery to fans as it was during the last minutes of Season 1.

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Lala's Season 1 exit left viewers in suspense

In NCIS: Origins Season 1, Lala Dominguez was an integral part of the creation of Leroy Jethro Gibbs' early life NCIS experience. Her emotional depth and professional guidance as part of a male-dominated unit made her departure in the finale desperately mourned. The car accident that allegedly brought her arc to a close happened unexpectedly, creating the illusion of dramatic closure, yet never actually establishing whether she was killed on-screen.

The absence of an official body or funeral scene left only enough uncertainty for the fans to cling to hope.

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Molino's return is confirmed, but Lala's fate is not

Photos posted by both production sources and Molino herself now verify that she is working on new scenes for NCIS: Origins Season 2. She was spotted on location with main cast members, in her character's attire, and in what appear to be active scenes.

But this does not necessarily verify Lala's survival. The NCIS franchise has had a long-standing tradition of employing flashbacks, dream sequences, and even ghost-like visits from past characters, so several reasonable explanations are left open.

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Potential narrative strategies for Lala's return

Several viable methods NCIS: Origins Season 2 might include Lala without negating the effect of her assumed death.

Flashbacks: A staple narrative convention throughout the NCIS franchise, particularly among characters whose emotional presence continues to resonate.

Apparitions or hallucinations: Previously utilized within the franchise, this method might show Gibbs confronting trauma or guilt.

Pre-accident timelines: Scenes could delve into previous missions or incidents that happened before the automobile accident and further enrich Lala's history.

Survival twist: A less probable yet not impossible choice is that Lala survived the wreck, and her death was either misreported or fabricated for mission objectives.

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Why her return matters to NCIS: Origins Season 2

Lala's presence in Gibbs' life was cemented early in Season 1. Her emotional intelligence, keen instincts, and mentorship were a foil to Gibbs's young impulsiveness. If her character ever does come back, even in flashbacks, NCIS: Origins Season 2 can capitalize on the dynamic to explore Gibbs' growth from new agent to veteran more deeply.

Her death, or survival, had a clear influence on who he became, and returning to that trauma could reveal further depth to the storytelling.

The deployment of narrative ambiguity is nothing new for the world of NCIS. Former characters, such as Caitlin Todd and Ziva David, have materialized posthumously or out of the blue, even after many years away.

NCIS: Origins Season 2 could be using the same playbook by withholding information regarding the comeback of Lala to maintain story tension.

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In summary, although Mariel Molino's return in Season 2 is all but confirmed via set photos, her character Lala Dominguez's fate is yet unknown. Alive, in memory, or something in between, she will definitely influence the emotional and storytelling direction of Season 2.

Until CBS or the showrunners explain, fans can only guess and wait.

Also read: NCIS: Origins Season 2 – Renewal status, potential release window, and everything we know so far