CBS Is Unnecessarily Repeating A 10-Year-Old NCIS Storyline

Published Nov 12, 2026, 11:46 AM EST Alexandria is a British-Canadian writer with a passion for network TV. She has a bachelor's degree in computer science from Aston University, Birmingham. After initially working as a software tester, she rekindled a passion for writing and has written for blogs and publications like Hidden Remote, Make a Living Writing, and The Daily Voice. She has interviewed various actors and showrunners, with her most memorably being Tony Shalhoub and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Caution: This post contains spoilers from NCIS: Origins season 3 episode 5, "Baila Esta Cumbia."After two seasons of questions and theories, NCIS: Origins seemed to reveal everything. As Gibbs told Bishop during NCIS: Origins season 3, episode 4 that Lala had died in a plane crash years earlier, it felt like the chance of a reunion in the present day was over. Gibbs' decision never to tell Lala's story connected back to his silence about Shannon and Kelly for decades. Yet, NCIS: Origins season 3 episode 5 just dropped a spanner in the works, changing everything that Gibbs knows about his own story and who the second target is in NCIS: Origins' present-day story. Lala is still alive, faking her own death, and it's clear that Gibbs had no idea about this. The shock in his eyes told everyone that he believed the obituary, and that he mourned the loss of another love in his life. While it's heartbreaking and adds a juicy twist to the present-day storyline, there's something lackluster about it. This is a storyline that has already been done on NCIS, and it didn't make sense when it happened that time, either. There was a much better way to handle this, considering everything we know about Gibbs on NCIS: Origins season 3. Lala's Fake Death Repeats Ziva's NCIS Storyline CBS If Lala's present-day storyline feels familiar, that's because it is. Just 10 years ago, NCIS did the same thing, faking Ziva's death. At the time, the death was considered real, crafting an arc that would allow Tony DiNozzo to make the choice to leave the MCRT during the NCIS season 13 finale. With Ziva gone, DiNozzo learned that he had a daughter, and he decided to move to Paris to raise her. Just three years later, everything changed, as Ziva returned in the NCIS season 16 finale. While her father had died off-screen, she shared that she faked her death to protect Tali because there was someone after Ziva and her family. She knew that DiNozzo would step up when he learned the truth, and that he would always keep their daughter safe. NCIS: Origins has effectively repeated the storyline by faking Lala's death. Lala wasn't on the plane, which means that she allowed everyone to believe that she was there, likely to protect herself. Sure, there are going to be different reasons at the heart of the matter, but it doesn't change the fact that this has already been done before, and Gibbs was duped both times. How NCIS: Origins Season 3 Could Have Made Lala's Fake Death Twist Better It also doesn't make sense that Gibbs wouldn't have figured something out about the plane. When Ziva explained the faking of her death in the NCIS season 17 premiere, she made it clear that she left a trail for Gibbs, but he never picked up on it. That already didn't sit well, as Gibbs is a great investigator. Considering his love for Lala, he would have looked more into her plane crash than he ever did the explosion at Ziva's house. Gibbs should have known that Lala was never on the plane, and that it was a set-up to fake her death so that she could live under an assumed identity. He may have even had an idea as to why she had to fake her death, even if it wasn't connected to the men trying to kill him right now, and vowed to never speak of her on NCIS to ensure he didn't slip up. This could have created more of an urgency to find out who was after him from the NCIS: Origins season 3 premiere. Knowing that there was "one to go," Gibbs would have known exactly who that was, deciding that he needed to continue to keep her secret until he found out who else knew that she was alive. While Gibbs would have still been one step behind whoever hired the attackers, he would have been one step ahead on the location he needed to protect, crafting a fun and unique cat-and-mouse arc. While the reveal opens the door for a long-awaited reunion on NCIS: Origins, it is disappointing that the arc has been slightly rushed and feels like a regurgitation of Ziva's story. There could have been a much deeper love story woven into the fabric of the show, highlighting him sacrificing his own happiness to protect the love of his life. Release Date October 14, 2024 Network CBS Directors Niels Arden Oplev, John Terlesky, Diana Valentine, Edward Ornelas, Hanelle M. Culpepper, Lionel Coleman, Loren Yaconelli, Pete Chatmon, Pamela Romanowsky, Ruben Garcia, Jessica Lowrey Cast Austin Stowell Leroy Jethro Gibbs Kyle Schmid Special Agent Mike Franks NCIS: Origins is set in 1991, preceding the events of the original series. The series introduces Leroy Jethro Gibbs as a new special agent at NCIS Camp Pendleton. Under the leadership of NCIS legend Mike Franks, Gibbs navigates his role within a tenacious, unconventional team.