HOME / ENTERTAINMENT / TV

'NCIS: Origins' 2 Finale Recap: Gibbs-Lala moment takes center stage but a kidnapping sets up major twist

Gibbs and the crew solve the murder of two teenage boys in the Season 2 finale of 'NCIS: Origins'

The Season 2 finale of 'NCIS: Origins' featured the best of both worlds. Titled 'Hollywood Ending,' the latest installment provided long-time fans with one of the most romantic moments in the franchise, and delivered a devastating blow in the form of a kidnapping. The installment began with Mike Franks (Kyle Schmid), Leroy Gibbs (Austin Stowell), and Randy (Caleb Foote) watching 'Reservation Dogs' while the girl gang was engrossed in 'The Bodyguard.' Gibbs noted how neither of the movies had typical Hollywood endings, foreshadowing the events of the finale. The central case of this episode involved the deaths of two teenage brothers, who broke into a warehouse and were murdered on the spot. 

At the murder site, the team was suddenly ambushed by people from Flacco’s cartel. They apprehended one of the attackers named Antonio, but he refused to divulge any intel. The team got help from the FBI to figure out who owned the warehouse. Agent Swanson (Hannah Barefoot) connected them with Manny (Miguel Gomez) from witness protection, who shared that Antonio has a son who is around the victims' age. During their conversation, Lala (Mariel Molino) informed her ex that her Camp Pendleton office is on the verge of being shut down due to agency-wide restructuring. Manny suggested Lala move to his city for a fresh start. To the audience's surprise, as well as Gibbs', Lala began taking this offer seriously. 

Frank used Antonio's son in the questioning, which forced him to reveal that Abe Pruitt (Christopher Backus), a notorious crime leader, was involved in the murder. Forensics also made the startling revelation that Pruitt was possibly smuggling weapons in the wine barrels stored in the warehouse. The team concluded that Pruitt was trying to take control of the warehouse, and in the pursuit, the boys were murdered. FBI and NIS determined that Pruitt was still in the warehouse, and reached there to arrest him. Things got complicated when it became evident that Pruitt had hostages, including Mason. Both organizations worked together and eventually arrested the criminal. In the process, though, Gibbs got shot in his vest. 

After solving the case, the team began brainstorming ways to save their office. They then came up with the plan to add a C to NIS. This rebranding would imply that the organization is focused on solving criminal cases in the area, which means they would not have to transfer. Wheeler took the idea to the newly appointed Director, Tom Morrow, who liked it, and just like that, the office was saved, albeit with the name NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service). Afraid that Lala was set to leave, Gibbs took matters into his own hands and reached her home.

Lala was actually waiting for Gibbs to arrive. "I tried to leave, but I couldn't," she blurted out. "I wanted you to ask me to stay." After their long will-they-won't-they dynamic, Gibbs finally gave in and asked her to stay. As Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' played in the background, the duo shared a kiss. Unfortunately, tragedy followed as Randy was seen getting abducted by a person in an SUV. The older Gibbs' voiceover revealed that the kidnapping had something to do with the cases he was uploading to the portal. As the finale wrapped up, a few questions remained: What's next for Lala and Gibbs? Will Randy survive this kidnapping? Fans will have to wait until the third season for the answers.