In a franchise built on tension, teamwork, and secrets, few episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles have thrown the Office of Special Projects into chaos quite like “We Have a Problem.” Airing mid-season during one of the show’s most dramatic years, the episode wasn’t just a title—it was a warning. A mission goes sideways, loyalties are tested, and a once-cohesive unit finds itself in unfamiliar and unstable territory.
Mission: Crisis
“We Have a Problem” begins with a high-stakes international rescue operation—what seems like routine fieldwork for the veteran NCIS: LA team. A U.S. astronaut on loan to a private defense contractor has gone missing just days before a critical satellite defense launch, and the Office of Special Projects is tasked with uncovering whether it’s an abduction, a defection, or something far more insidious.
What unravels over the course of 43 minutes is a tense and layered story involving government cover-ups, cyber-espionage, and the terrifying realization that someone inside the NCIS ranks may be feeding intel to the enemy.
Sam Takes Command—and the Heat
With Hetty Lange temporarily sidelined (again) due to her mysterious D.C. dealings, Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) is placed in a leadership role. While the former Navy SEAL has no trouble commanding respect in the field, “We Have a Problem” forces him into uncharted waters: dealing with internal suspicion and fractures among his own team. It’s a situation that leaves Sam visibly on edge—and raises tough questions about his ability to lead without Hetty’s guiding (and often shadowy) presence.
Callen’s Secrets Catch Up
Meanwhile, G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell)—the enigmatic agent with a past full of question marks—finds himself once again under the microscope. As digital breadcrumbs from the missing astronaut’s laptop begin tracing back to familiar aliases from Callen’s deep-cover years, the episode teases a devastating possibility: Has Callen’s past finally put the team in danger?
Sam begins questioning whether his partner’s loyalty is split, not out of malice, but out of unresolved baggage that may be catching up at the worst possible time.
Kensi and Deeks Face a Turning Point
In a rare subplot that weaves personal stakes into the broader crisis, Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) are struggling to keep their family life from spilling into their professional roles. With their adoption plans hitting bureaucratic snags and the mission demanding around-the-clock attention, “We Have a Problem” paints a picture of two people pulled in every direction—and slowly fraying under the pressure.
The standout moment? A raw, emotional scene in the weapons locker where Kensi confesses to Deeks:
“We keep saving the world. When is someone going to save us?”
Eric and Nell’s Legacy Still Lingers
Though Eric Beale (Barrett Foa) and Nell Jones (Renée Felice Smith) are no longer part of the core team at this point in the series, their absence is felt more than ever in this episode. The cyber trail from the astronaut’s disappearance includes backdoors first created by Beale—and now used by outside agents for espionage.
It’s a reminder that even heroes leave shadows behind.
A Ticking Clock and a Shocking Finale
By the time the team uncovers the truth—an inside betrayal facilitated by a corrupt civilian contractor and a former NSA analyst—it’s almost too late. The satellite launch is moments away, and Los Angeles could be facing a black-ops disaster on live television. In a stunning final sequence, the NCIS team defies orders from Washington and stages an unsanctioned raid on a military facility, risking their careers to stop a cyberattack in progress.
The result? A win—but a messy one. The chain of command is furious. The team is bruised. And trust among the agents is… fragile.
Why It Still Matters
“We Have a Problem” isn’t just a mission-gone-wrong episode—it’s NCIS: Los Angeles at its most introspective. It forces its characters, and the audience, to ask:
What happens when the system you’re sworn to protect no longer protects you?
How do you lead when no one agrees on the threat?
And what’s the cost of doing the right thing when it makes you the enemy of your own agency?
For longtime fans, the episode was a sobering reminder that the world the OSP inhabits is as volatile as ever. And the problems? They’re never just on the outside.
“We Have a Problem” wasn’t just a line of dialogue—it was a declaration. The real problem? Trust. And in the NCIS: LA world, trust is the most dangerous weapon of all.
