NCIS: Origins Reveals Lala's Surprising Fate In Season 2 Premiere — Read Recap

"NCIS: Origins" returned on Tuesday, delivering long-awaited answers on Lala's fate. 

For those who need a refresher, the Season 1 finale of the CBS spinoff saw Lala on her way to find "probie" Leroy Jethro Gibbs to tell him the good news: that she had convinced MP investigator Lara Macy to not arrest Gibbs for the murder of cartel boss Pedro Hernandez. On her drive over, a small girl darted out into the road, causing Lala to swerve, flipping her Jeep several times. Lala was last seen dangling upside down in the driver's seat, bleeding profusely.

It was easy to assume that Lala died on the spot — in fact, we previously said that would be the very best version of the powerful finale — but in our most recent conversation with star Austin Stowell, he seemed to let it slip that Lala may have lived.

The Season 2 premiere picks up a few months after the crash and confirmed her fate: Lala did survive. She suffered serious injuries — her left thigh was crushed, her lung collapsed and she had a traumatic brain injury — but she lived.

Meanwhile, we find out Gibbs and Diane have already begun dating. Early in the premiere, we see the two getting cozy, where Diane embraces a shirtless Gibbs and encourages him to come back to bed. While we don't hear an official exchange of "I love you," we do hear Diane tell Gibbs that her friends think the new guy she's dating is too work-obsessed. Diane then tells Gibbs she told her friend, "I love that about him. He's a hero." So whether or not she outright declared it, we can clearly see this woman is in love! (Remember, we already know these two will ultimately marry — and later divorce.)

But that leaves us with so many questions: How did the two become so deeply connected after their brief finale meeting? What happened to Gibbs and Lala in the aftermath of her accident? Was Diane there to help Gibbs cope with Lala's scary accident? None of these questions were explicitly answered by the duo, but Randy did step in to provide his own theory: After Lala's accident, Gibbs simply couldn't handle losing another person he loves, so he started dating Diane because it was the safer option. (We agree, Randy!)

But enough about romance, let's talk NIS. Lala returns to work just months after her accident, helping the team investigate the death of a missing Marine, and she looks miraculously back-to-normal considering all that she has suffered. But with her return comes plenty of awkwardness between her and Gibbs. To start, there's the Diane of all. Though Lala congratulate Gibbs on his new relationship, things feel unresolved between them. Gibbs even has flashbacks to their steamy moment in the pool from Season 1, proving he hasn't quite moved on. 

Plus, Gibbs' fear over losing Lala manifests in some annoying ways. First, he wants her to wait on the sidelines as the team infiltrates the compound where the Marine is found dead. Later, he tries to get a rolling chair put into the dark room in order to help her move around with better ease. (Though she appears to be moving around just fine, which she says herself.) Then he orders her to stop pursuing their murder suspect, claiming she is being reckless, that she might get trapped up by a hidden snare — meant to catch coyotes — just like their victim had. 

But the pair overcomes all the tension — at least for now. The episode ends with the entire NIS team — including Randy, who finally gets off desk duty — jamming out to Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations."

Are you happy to see Lala alive and well in the "NCIS: Origins" Season 2 premiere? Give it a grade in our poll, and hit the comments with all your reactions!