Austin Stowell, who plays young Gibbs in NCIS: Origins, teases how his character’s relationship with Special Agent Lala Dominguez (Mariel Molina) may have inspired the creation of Rule 12: Never date a coworker. Originated from NCIS, the prequel series follows the story of a young Gibbs, who joined NIS after his wife and daughter’s deaths, but due to Gibbs failing his psych evaluation and the struggle of women working in a male-dominated field in the 1990s, Lala gave Gibbs a hard time.
Stowell discusses how Lala and Gibbs’ relationship may have something to do with creating Rule 12 in an interview with US Weekly. The actor explains that “there’s a lot of Lala in Gibbs and vice versa,” but their timing is bad, so even if there are feelings, Gibbs would be “quieting them” because of his recent losses. Stowell further teases Lala and Gibbs becoming intimate in Episode 7, which will arrive on Monday, November 25, where Gibbs will need to make “some edits” to the rules. Check out what the actor said below:
There’s a reason that people who work together sometimes end up getting together. It’s that they understand each other. There’s a lot of Lala in Gibbs and vice versa that they see a bit of a mirror image. But they’re both very stubborn.
At this point, we’re still just months after Gibbs lost his wife and child. Even if those emotions are creeping in, he probably is quieting them and feeling as if he shouldn’t have those feelings. If his wife and daughter were still alive, he would be with them. It is only because of their death — their murder — that he blames himself for that he’s even in the position and interacting with the people he’s with.
The turmoil that probably causes him [is obvious]. [This week’s] episode was a great example of that, where you see Gibbs and Lala physically getting intimate for the first time and having to work together. That’s where their bond is created. When you go through experiences with another person — particularly ones where you have to overcome a certain endeavor and succeed — that can be a real bonding memory for the two of you. That event can be the catalyst for something more.
It would not be a good idea. Rule 12, we haven’t seen that rule get written yet. It might be in [Gibbs’] box, I’m not sure. But he might not have had a reason to write that rule if he was with [his wife] Shannon already. So there might be some edits to the rules coming up.
Certainly, his attraction to Lala has as much to do with who she is as a person as her aesthetic value. He sees something inside her that lights him up.
What This Means For NCIS: Origins
Gibbs & Lala’s Relationship Isn’t Likely To Have A Happy Ending
Lala didn’t want Gibbs on the team in the first place because of how he’d overshadow her efforts and make it even harder for her to be recognized as an agent. NCIS: Origins takes an interest in Lala’s struggle working in a male-dominated field and reveals that Lala’s psych evaluation might even be worse than Gibbs’s when she first got to the Naval Investigation Service, hinting that the two are a lot alike. Stowell’s comment confirms their on-screen attraction and why Gibbs took a special interest in telling Lala’s story might be because of their bond, both intimately and professionally.
Since Gibbs arrived, Lala has given him a hard time, but working those problems out also provided a chance for the two to create a deeper bond. Mike Franks has pointed out the physical tension between the two, hinting that Lala might be attracted to Gibbs, but since Gibbs has been focusing on his career and grief, their relationship always seemed unlikely. Stowell’s comment confirms that the two will be physically involved in Episode 7, but their relationship is destined to fail. Instead, it serves as a necessary lesson for Gibbs.
Our Take On NCIS: Origins
Things Are About To Get Rocky
Despite the bad timing, Gibbs and Lala’s relationship is special and beautiful. Episode 6 sheds more light on how trapped Lala felt and how Gibbs always thought of her as someone who kept pushing the envelope. Lala is like an inspiration to Gibbs, even though she may not see it, but for Lala, her relationship with Gibbs would only make everything worse. NCIS:
Origins has already shown her being called a “workplace distraction.” She was the reason the undercover work went well in Episode 6, but Gibbs received all the praise, where everyone only noticed how beautiful she looked.
Lala’s struggle played a huge part in her relationship with Gibbs and foresaw the potential conflicts that might sink their relationship. It’s forbidden love between the two. From Gibbs’ side, it’s only been months since he lost his wife and child. Being with Lala would feel very wrong. It seems that NCIS: Origins is about to get sadder with their doomed relationship.