NCIS: Origins Season 2 Finale: Gibbs and Lala Kiss, Lala's Kidnapping Twist, and Monreal's Exit Revealed

Note: This story contains spoilers from “NCIS: Origins” Season 2, Episode 18.

NCIS: Origins Season 2 Finale Delivers Big Moments

“NCIS: Origins” wrapped up Season 2 with a dramatic finale, titled “Hollywood Ending”, featuring a surprise kiss, a kidnapping twist, and the resolution of long-running mysteries. The episode followed NIS agents as they faced the potential closure of the Camp Pendleton office after a scandal threatened to disband the team.

The finale’s biggest twist involved Lala (Mariel Molino) considering leaving the organization to accept a sheriff position in a remote California town where her love interest, Manny (Miguel Gomez), was placed in witness protection. However, the possibility of losing Lala finally pushed Gibbs (Austin Stowell) to fight for her, culminating in a Hollywood-style kiss that sealed the episode.

Lala immediately decided to stay, leaving the door open for a potential relationship between the two characters. Co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal shared her thoughts on the moment with TheWrap:

“Bringing that moment to life was really satisfying, especially because it feels like there’s so many things in the world that are sad, so it felt good to have a moment of happiness — especially in contrast with what we did last season. We really went for it!”

Mysteries Resolved and New Sparks Ignited

The episode also concluded the mystery surrounding the elusive cult that Franks’ brother Mason (Philip Winchester) became entangled with. Additionally, it set up potential romantic sparks between Mike (Kyle Schmid) and FBI agent Joey Swanson (Hannah Barefoot).

The finale’s comedic twist resolved the potential office closure by revealing the origin story behind the organization’s name change from NIS to NCIS — a resolution based on real-life events. However, the episode ended on a cliffhanger with Randy (Caleb Foote) being kidnapped, leaving his fate uncertain for the summer.

Monreal Exits as Co-Showrunner After Season 2

The Season 2 finale also marked the final episode for co-showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal, who will exit the series after Season 2. David J. North, the co-creator, will take over as the sole showrunner for Season 3. The upcoming season is set to return this fall and will consist of 10 episodes.

Behind the Scenes: The Finale’s Inspiration and Legacy

TheWrap spoke with Monreal and North about the finale’s biggest moments and their collaboration shaping the prequel series from the start. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.

Why a Hollywood-Themed Finale?

TheWrap: What a great, high-stakes finale you left us with this season, and a very different vibe from the first season ender. What inspired this Hollywood-themed episode to close out Season 2?

Monreal: We knew from the beginning of the season that we wanted this to end in a kiss with Gibbs and Lala. Usually on “NCIS,” we will tease that out until we cannot tease it out anymore. We really wanted to do something different and give people a surprise and hopefully that landed. Lala and Gibbs, our favorite fated duo, had quite a journey this season, yearning from afar when they couldn’t be together and seeing other people — Gibbs getting married and divorced.