The season one finale of NCIS: Origins, aired April 28, 2025, on CBS, hit like a freight train, slamming the brakes on a budding romance between young Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Special Agent Cecilia "Lala" Dominguez just as it was heating up. Fans who’ve been glued to the prequel’s slow-burn love story got a gut punch instead of a long-awaited first kiss, with a cliffhanger that’s got everyone buzzing about what’s next.
The episode, titled “Cecilia,” zeroed in on Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell, and Lala, brought to life by Mariel Molino. Their chemistry’s been simmering all season, a tangle of trust, trauma, and unspoken feelings set against the gritty backdrop of the Naval Investigative Service in 1991. One scene had them inches from locking lips in a moonlit swimming pool, the kind of moment that makes you lean toward the screen. But Gibbs, wrestling with guilt, pulled back to confess he’d handed over his sniper rifle to military police investigator Lara Macy. That rifle ties back to his killing of drug lord Pedro Hernandez, the man who murdered his wife and daughter—a choice that’s haunted him all season.
Lala, loyal to a fault, took a massive risk to protect Gibbs. She lied to her friend Macy, claiming she was there when Gibbs pulled the trigger, convincing Macy to drop the case. It was a move that could’ve cemented their bond, but fate had other plans. As Lala sped off to tell Gibbs he was in the clear, her car flipped in a brutal crash. The screen faded to black with her bloodied and unconscious, leaving her fate—and their love story—dangling over a cliff.
The showrunners, David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal, didn’t shy away from the stakes. They’ve confirmed the crash’s aftermath will ripple into season two, already greenlit by CBS for next fall. The episode also dropped a bombshell: Gibbs crossed paths with Diane, a real estate agent who’ll become his second wife, hinting at why Lala’s name never surfaced in the original NCIS series. Mark Harmon, who narrates as older Gibbs and serves as executive producer, framed the finale with a heavy line: “This is the story of her.” It’s a nod to Lala’s outsized role in shaping the man Gibbs becomes.
No official word confirms whether Lala survives, though the showrunners have praised Molino’s performance, noting her character’s emotional cracks under pressure. Stowell, meanwhile, called the crash a turning point for Gibbs, saying it could either pull him closer to Lala or make him shut down to avoid more loss. The finale, now streaming on Paramount+, also tied up loose ends with other characters, like Mike Franks learning his mysterious calls came from his brother, Bernard, seeking a desk job.
The episode’s title, “Cecilia,” underscores Lala’s centrality, and its 18th-episode run delivered 5.2 million viewers on average, per CBS data, making it a solid performer for the network. Season two’s renewal was announced March 2025, with production slated to start this summer.