On a scale of 1 to “What just happened?” how surprising was the revelation in NCIS: OriginsSeason 1, Episode 9, “Vivo o Muerto?” If you’re Lala, these options don’t begin to cover it. Episode 10, “Blue Bayou,” deals with the fallout from the revelation in Mexico that Gibbs killed the man responsible for his family’s death, and Franks was aware. The logline below for the December 16 episode teases the show’s Christmas-themed episode and a trip to the past. CBS also released a promo video that offers a sneak peek into Lala’s reaction after the team returns to NIS.
“As Leroy Jethro Gibbs prepares for his first Christmas without his wife and daughter, flashbacks reveal the unlikely journey that led to his first day on the job as a special agent at NIS’ Camp Pendleton office working with Mike Franks and Lala.”
Lala Loses Her Trust in the Team in ‘NCIS: Origins’ Season 1, Episode 10
The video above almost exclusively deals with Lala’s actions following her discovery in Mexico. She feels used, cheated, and discarded, and her trust in Franks and his team wanes significantly. “I’m asking off Franks’ team,” she informs Gibbs. “I don’t trust you, Gibbs,” she continues. “I sure as hell don’t trust you two together,” Lala concludes. Learning this secret only serves to compound Lala’s feelings about working in this team, which has made her feel like an outsider since she joined. And now they kill people extra-judicially? Showrunner David J. North previewed to TV Insider Lala’s feelings around the issue, saying:
“Well, I think it’s interesting because Lala is herself a character who is far from a goody two shoes, but she’s also someone that needs to trust the people that she works with. And when she told Gibbs, I’m going to get him, I’m going to get Hernandez, and I’m going get him for you, Gibbs didn’t say anything. He didn’t tell her the truth, which is that he already got him. So that’s something that Lala is going to have to wrestle with and whether or not, Gibbs as a partner on her team is someone that she can trust moving forward.”
Following Lala’s rejection and her impending departure from the team, Gibbs retreats inside himself. As he lies inside a dumpster with the rain beating down on him hard, he feels right at home with the rest of the trash.
Tune in to CBS on Monday, December 16, to see how everything plays out in the episode written by J. North, Gina Lucita Monreal, and Brendan Fehily and directed by John Terlesky. Catch up with past episodes of NCIS: Origins on Paramount+.