This Clue Might Reveal Mariel Molino's Fate on 'NCIS: Origins'

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from drama series like NCIS: Origins and Chicago Fire, it’s that you shouldn’t get too attached to any one character because their position on the show isn’t permanent. Killed off or written out, some characters just aren’t meant to last forever.

And after the Season 1 finale of NCIS: Origins, which aired on April 28, 2025, fans believe they might be saying goodbye to Cecilia "Lala" Dominguez (played by Mariel Molino) after she’s involved in a tragic car accident.

The dramatic cliffhanger, coupled with what showrunners David J. North and Gina Lucita Monreal have suggested about Mariel’s potential exit, has many worried the actor is leaving the series. So, is she?

The Season 1 finale of NCIS: Origins closes with Mariel Molino’s character, Lala, with her life in limbo. On her way back to see Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Austin Stowell), she swerves to avoid hitting a child and ends up in a severe car crash. Her vehicle is completely totaled, and her injuries appear to be life-threatening, possibly even fatal.

Viewers won’t know if Lala survived the accident until Season 2 of NCIS: Origins, and that suspense was very much intentional. The shocking cliffhanger was put into place to keep fans coming back when the series likely returns in fall 2025.

While we don’t think Mariel will leave NCIS: Origins just yet, it’s likely she’ll exit the series at some point, mainly because Gibbs never mentions Lala in the original NCIS. That detail suggests something major eventually happens to her (possibly the car crash), and either it’s too painful for Gibbs to bring up, or the two simply drift apart. Either way, her absence hints that something significant is coming, and the Season 1 finale might just be the beginning of it.

Showrunner David J. North told TV Insider, "Going into this project, Gina and I knew we wanted to take big swings," adding, "Mariel, the whole cast knew what we were doing, that we were going to take big swings and they just show up every day and are willing to do the work at an exceptional level." While the crash is certainly one of those swings, North confirmed viewers will have to tune in to Season 2 to find out Lala’s fate.

Although the NCIS: Origins Season 1 finale hinted that Lala’s life — and possibly Mariel's time on the show — might be over, it doesn’t seem like her story with Gibbs is finished just yet. When asked how Gibbs will handle what happens to Lala, showrunner Gina Lucita Monreal told TV Insider, "We’ll dig into their feelings as we always do [in Season 2], but we’ll find the lighter side as well." That alone suggests Lala may survive the crash.

And let’s not forget the almost kiss in the pool. According to Gina, Gibbs had "huge news" to share and felt he couldn’t kiss Lala until he came "clean and puts all the information out there." So, while things looked pretty bad in the finale, there’s a strong chance Gibbs and Lala’s story isn’t over yet.