By episode’s end,it’s not even clear whether Lala is still alive.
So why couldn’t creators David J.
North and Gina Lucita Monreal do us a solid and let them have that one intimate moment?
Austin Stowell and Mariel Molino in ‘NCIS: Origins’.Credit:CBS
“We did have funny conversations about that kiss,” says Monreal.
“We only filmed it that way.
That’s the way it was written.
Mariel Molino and Austin Stowell in ‘NCIS: Origins’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
And that’s the decision that we made.”
Sonja Flemming/CBS
“We felt it was the right decision for the characters,” she continues.
It just wouldn’t have been truthful in that moment.
Kyle Schmid as Mike Franks in ‘NCIS: Origins’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
So he pulls away and tells her the truth."
The kiss wasn’t the only big moment of the finale.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: On the Franks side of things, is Tish gone for good?
Mariel Molino and Kyle Schmid in ‘NCIS: Origins’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
NORTH:The difficult thing with Franks and Tish is that he really is the love of her life.
But in the future, only time will tell.
Lala is confronted with the misogyny and the racism that she has to put up with at every turn.
Mariel Molino and Claire Berger in ‘NCIS: Origins’.CBS
How much do those reminders weigh on all of these decisions she makes?
That all goes into that confrontation and conversation that she has with Franks.
And she does that until the end of this episode.
Tyla Abercrumbie as Mary Jo in ‘NCIS: Origins’.CBS
Does any part of Franks actually believe Lala has it in her to betray them?
MONREAL:Franks thinks exactly what he said.
They trade information, and she may have mentioned something in passing that got Laura Macy curious.
Claire Berger as Lara Macy in ‘NCIS: Origins’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
He’s looking to take out his frustration somewhere.
And unfortunately, that place is often Lala.
So why do you think he goes ahead and gives Lara the rifle?
Caleb Foote and Kyle Schmid in ‘NCIS: Origins’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
NORTH:It’s who he is, ultimately.
Gibbs is someone that wants to make a run at stand up and do the right thing.
I don’t think that means he always does do the right thing.
He felt he was doing what was honorable.
There’s other people involved, and this wasn’t your call to make."
She doesn’t really want to take down the rest of the team.
Mary Jo is the one to identify that Lala is struggling with her feelings for Gibbs.
Is it fair to say that that conversation is what provokes Lala to confront Macy?
Or is it something else?
Diane in ‘NCIS: Origins’.CBS
MONREAL:Yes, it’s that conversation with Mary Jo and her coming to terms with her feelings.
So, she goes armed with that idea to Macy.
In that moment, she’s realizing what she’s willing to do for him.
So it is a pivotal turning moment for the Lala character.
Lala makes a decision as impulsively as Gibbs.
In this situation, Lala really saw what she was doing as entirely selfless.
MONREAL:She really does think she’s saving him in that moment.
And when she says, “Well, we can’t tell Randy.”
It’s true that they do both do the same thing, but they see it in different ways.
Lara Macy has a long journey ahead of her before we meet her in the mothership.
Might we see her on the show again?
MONREAL:We never say never.
She’s in our world now, so could be.
Franks' brother calls him up to talk about Vietnam.
Does that mean we’re going to see him in season 2?
Can you tell us about what that might open up?
MONREAL:The plan is to fill out that story with Franks' brother Mason in season 2.
So we’re excited to play that out in season 2.
So, it really is a wide open area for us to explore.
Randy wants a desk job.
Where is that ask going to lead him in season 2?
So we’ll see where it takes us.
Gibbs, as he says, collides with his future a bit in these final moments.
His real estate agent is Diane, who viewerrs know is Gibbs' eventual second wife.
Will we see more of her in season 2?
MONREAL:We definitely will stick to canon.
It’s an interesting challenge, and one we’re definitely up for.
That’s older Gibbs reflecting.
How long did it take him to realize?
Was there any part of him that would’ve tried to tell her prior to this point?
NORTH:Gibbs has been knowing and fighting these feelings.
But that moment in the pool was where everything came to a head.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
