“NCIS: Origins” takes audiences back to the 1990s, where Leroy Gibbs, the character whom Mark Harmon originated, will be played by Austin Stowell (an actor who should look familiar to fans of “Whiplash”). He’ll be joined by an excellent supporting cast who will undoubtedly help to shape Gibbs into the man we know and love. Some will be younger versions of characters we’ve met before, but there are also some new additions, like Mariel Molino’s Lala Dominguez, who appears to be a love interest for Gibbs.
Ahead of the first promo for the spin-off, Molino has shared a new behind-the-scenes photo of her in costume as Lala. The photo was uploaded to the actor’s Instagram Stories, which self-deletes after 24 hours, so it’s no longer there. No other information was provided in terms of her character, and it simply states how she’ll play “Agent Lala.” She’s in a pretty casual outfit, wearing a plain white shirt and black pants with a gun holstered on her side.
Deadline provides the following description of Agent Lala: “A former Marine who navigates her 1990s male-dominated field with a steely resolve and a dark sense of humor. When a tormented Leroy Jethro Gibbs joins her team, the ensuing story between these two enigmatic outsiders is filled with sp arks and turns that will keep the audience guessing.” Molino previously uploaded a BTS photo of her with some of the other “NCIS: Origins” cast members, showing that production is in full swing for the show, which is slated to debut during the 2024-2025 network television season.
Agent Lala is one more Gibbs romance that can’t last
Mariel Molino has already revealed quite a bit through her Instagram Stories. In fact, she uploaded an “NCIS: Origins” script that had a Metallica Easter egg in it, hinting that Gibbs might’ve been a headbanger at one point. However, “NCIS” fans don’t need a social media post to know one thing about the new series: Gibbs’ romance with Lala can’t last. Based on the timeline, it appears as though “NCIS: Origins” picks up after Gibbs’ first wife and daughter are murdered. He’ll undoubtedly be in a precarious emotional state, but perhaps the “sparks” that form between him and Lala will pull him out of his funk a bit.
After his first wife’s death, we know Gibbs gets married three more times, with each one ending in divorce. Lala Dominguez was never one of his wives, so their relationship can’t get too far. It also begs the question as to what’s going on with Lala in the present day, as she’s never been mentioned once during the span of “NCIS.” The darkest possibility is that Lala dies over the course of “NCIS: Origins,” a tragedy that hurts Gibbs so much that he never wants to bring up her memory ever again.
A more intriguing opportunity would be to introduce Lala on “NCIS: Origins” and then bring an older version of the character into “NCIS” to add someone who has a unique connection to Gibbs even though he’s no longer part of the team. Hopefully, Agent Lala sticks around for a while before parting ways with Gibbs in whatever manner that happens.