Warning: SPOILERS for the NCIS: Origins episode “Fools Rush In” are ahead!
The NCIS: Origins Season 2 midseason finale ended things with a bang, figuratively and literally. On the literal front, Stanley, a 22-year-old man living at The Range like Mason Franks, bombed a movie theater. While that was happening, Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Diane Sterling traveled to Las Vegas on a whim to get married, despite her about to take a job that would make their relationship long distance. Now Origins has returned from hiatus to resume airing on the 2026 TV schedule and follow up on these plot threads. Along with delivering another big Gibbs first in the process, there’s also a new shakeup with Lala Dominguez that I’m concerned about.
Gibbs Carried Out His First Successful Interrogation
Gibbs did his first interrogation in NCIS: Origins Season 2’s second episode, titled “Who By Fire,” and unfortunately it didn’t go well because he pushed the suspect too hard. Since then, Gibbs continued studying tapes of his teammates’ interrogations to pick up on things he can use. This dedication to figuring out the craft caught Kowalski’s eye in tonight’s episode, as the NIS Evidence Custodian knows a little bit about interrogation from the other side from when he was a POW during the Korean War. Although he commended Gibbs for looking to his teammates for inspiration, Kowalski told him it was more important to trust his own instincts and listen to his gut.
Gibbs put that advice to good use when he interrogated Abe Pruitt, the charismatic leader of The Range. To make a long story short, we learned in “Fools Rush In” (which you can watch with your Paramount+ subscription if you missed it live) that Abe manipulated Stanley into bombing that movie theater as a part of a convoluted plan for him to maintain control of the compound. At first, it didn’t seem like Abe had any weaknesses for Gibbs to exploit, but then fortune swung his way.
Although we’d previously met Abe’s wife at The Range, it turns out his ex-wife technically wasn’t that just yet, as the divorce hadn’t gone through. Meaning, Abe was married to two women at the same time, and as Gibbs learned while he and Diane were in Las Vegas, bigamy is a federal crime. So while they weren’t able to tie directly Abe to the bombing, Gibbs, as Mike Franks put it, “Al Capone’d his ass” with a technicality.
Lala And Manuel Are Romantically Involved
Flaco Navarro, leader of the 63rd Street Chicales, has been a thorn in Lala’s side since NCIS: Origins Season 1, but it’s gotten even weirder between them in Season 2. Not only did Flaco unsuccessfully attempt to try and get her to put away one of his rivals by any means necessary, she’s also formed a strange bond with Manuel Santiago, Flaco’s second-in-command. Manuel got Lala a new lock for her apartment after he previously broke in, and they had a surprisingly open conversation at the church she’s been going to since her car accident.
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Flaco and Manuel reentered the picture in “Fools Rush In” when the former called in a fake tip about the bombing just as a way to see Lala again and confront her about her lack of action regarding the aforementioned rival. Manuel, however, had no idea that Flaco was going to do this, and at the end of the episode, he showed up at Lala’s place to apologize. Lala, having just learned that Gibbs loves Diane and doesn’t intend to get the marriage annulled, immediately pulled him inside and they started making out.
There’s no way this doesn’t end badly, right? She’s a law enforcement officer and he’s a high-ranking gang member. Assuming this isn’t just a one time thing and Lala and Manuel begin a relationship together, how’s Flaco going to react when he learns this? How will her NIS teammates react? This is destined to cause all sorts of problems, but since Lala just learned that the door’s basically closed on her and Gibbs ever getting together, I don’t blame her for acting impulsively with Manuel. We’ll see how this plays out, along with if Abe Pruitt is brought back, as new episodes of NCIS: Origins air Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS.
