SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for NCIS: Origins Season 2, Episode 8.

Fans of NCIS: Origins knew that Season 2 of the CBS prequel would be more focused on the story of Lala Dominguez, given her importance in Gibbs’ history and that crash cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Lala has been on her own journey throughout the season, but Season 2, Episode 8 puts a button on that in an incredibly impactful way. The only thing “End of the Road” doesn’t quite master is its subplots.

The episode revolves around an attack on one of Lala’s confidential informants, Tony Baldino. It’s a massive deal because Lala happens to have a close relationship with Tony—but the point NCIS: Origins is trying to make is that’s the rule, not the exception. Gibbs sums the message up perfectly in voiceover: “To Lala, they weren’t just CIs. They were people. They were worth taking the time to connect with.” That’s a powerful statement, because many other TV crime dramas treat their informant-type characters as plot devices. If they do have a personal relationship with one of the main characters, it’s usually a one-off exception (i.e. someone the hero is romantically involved with) and it often doesn’t end well. But in the world of NCIS: Origins, everyone is a person, no matter the size of their role.

This more humanistic approach to procedurals is what’s served NCIS: Origins well, so it’s no surprise that “End of the Road” is written by co-creator Gina Lucita Monreal. It perfectly encapsulates what she and David J. North have been trying to do with the whole show. There are two separate character arcs for Lala across the hour: one about how she struggles with Tony’s fate, and the other flashing back to the time immediately after her release from the hospital. Monreal doesn’t beat the audience over the head with the parallels. But she doesn’t need to anyway; viewers can get the point through where the flashbacks get placed, as well as Mariel Molino’s incredible performance.

Molino has been doing the best work of her career as Lala, and “End of the Road” is another episode where she gets to spread her wings. It’s always a pleasure when Origins cracks Lala’s tough exterior, and Molino is great at doing that. There are so many tough female characters on TV who don’t get developed much past that. But there’s a much greater sense of who Lala Dominguez is, and this episode allows that in a few strong scenes. The best of them is when Lala speaks with Tony’s mother, who reveals that Tony talked to her about both Lala and the watch that Lala gave him. It’s quietly emotional—not overdone, as so much is said in so few words.

That watch is a great throughline as well. On another show, when Lala realizes that someone else has Tony’s watch, that would just be used to solve the crime and be done with it. Another crime drama would also likely have Tony die in the hospital for dramatic effect. NCIS: Origins is comfortable enough in its own skin to choose the good ending. Not only does Tony live, but it turns out the watch wasn’t stolen; he loaned it to the undercover DEA agent, knowing the other man was struggling and wanting to offer his support the way that Lala had supported him. Tony also shows up at Lala’s home to support her, too. The fact that he’s passing on what he’s learned is heartwarming, and it further reinforces the idea that these characters aren’t stereotypes. They can grow and change and get better. Having a procedural that doesn’t just look for the most exciting or dramatic option is a breath of fresh air.

And Origins doesn’t need to find drama to keep the audience’s attention when it has such strong character moments. Viewers likely will not have expected Lala to fail her physical the first time, but when Mike Franks shows up to break the news, it’s a moment of vulnerability for them both. Franks could have been the one to give the rallying speech—yet it being Tony who pleads with Lala not to give up on herself makes it mean that much more. “End of the Road” shows how Franks, Randy Randolf, Vera Strickland and Mary Jo Hayes were all there for Lala in little ways (not just the big ones). But NCIS: Origins gives Tony a huge role in Lala’s journey. It doesn’t save its critical scenes for the main characters. And because Lala knows Tony, the message resonates more for her than it would have to hear it from anyone else.

The two subplots in NCIS: Origins Season 2, Episode 8 are not quite as successful, but there are reasons for both. The subplot involving Franks and his brother Mason is clearly foreshadowing, since the hour ends with the young man from The Range blowing up an Oceanside movie theater. So there’s little development that can be done there, since that story is being played out later. The other story is about Gibbs and Diane Sterling’s breakup turning into a quickie marriage. On one hand, it unintentionally takes a bit of the focus off of Lala, since that is such a big moment in Gibbs’ history. But on the other, Gibbs’ voiceover does some lifting here as well; he explains how Lala influenced his decision to get remarried. The idea of her influence on others is already woven into the episode through Tony, so it does all tie together, even if it feels like a separate thing.

“End of the Road” is closing that chapter about Lala’s accident and her recovery by connecting all the dots, while also telling a moving story about how she helped someone else other than Gibbs. It would be lovely if other TV crime dramas gave their ancillary characters the amount of depth and consideration that Gina Lucita Monreal does in this episode. But NCIS: Origins does things different from the pack, and that’s why it’s so memorable. This episode leads with what it wants to say about its characters, and lets the story bend around that.

NCIS: Origins airs Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Photo Credit: Courtesy of CBS.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.