When Sam Hanna walked back into NCIS headquarters, he didn’t just bring malasadas — he brought long-awaited updates from the NCIS: Los Angeles universe, including a fresh tease about the one and only Hetty Lange.
Before Sam (LL Cool J) even stepped into the big orange room, the episode dropped its first shocker: Sam Hanna is no longer an active NCIS agent. After the NCIS: Hawai‘i Season 3 crossover — where Sam witnessed the massacre of his NCIS ELITE team — he requested a leave of absence, seeking, as the team put it, “a change of pace.”
What kind of change?
A dangerous one.
Sam now works on Capitol Hill, laser pointer in hand, trying to persuade stubborn members of Congress to approve critical military interdictions — the kind that are essential but politically inconvenient. However, by episode’s end, one particularly combative lawmaker discovers he’s unknowingly tied to a corrupt military contractor, and suddenly Sam has his full attention.
Updates From the OSP Family
Sam didn’t come empty-handed. He offered several long-awaited check-ins on familiar faces from the NCIS: LA crew (and beyond).
• Callen & Anna’s Big News
Sam revealed that G. Callen is “not a lone wolf anymore.” He and Anna are “expecting a new pup.”
Interpretation? Almost certainly a baby, not a dog — and definitely not an actual wolf cub.
• Jane Tennant’s Family Update
Pearl Harbor SAC Jane Tennant is doing well. Son Alex is off at college, and daughter Julie — yes, Julie — is now 15. Jane also gave Sam her malasada recipe (yes, apparently Sam bakes!), which he used to surprise pastry-loving Alden Parker.
And Then… Hetty.
Just when it seemed the updates were done, Sam dropped the biggest tease of all. At the end of the hour, he informed Director Vance that he was quitting his job on the Hill.
NCIS would always welcome him back, Vance noted — but Sam had “some things to take care of first.”
Vance leaned in with the question fans have been asking for years:
“That wouldn’t have anything to do with Hetty, would it? I’ve heard rumors she’s been spotted on the wrong side of a DMZ.”
Sam, ever loyal and ever cryptic, replied with a knowing smile:
“It’s probably better the less you know.”
Where We Last Left Hetty
In the NCIS: Los Angeles finale, Hetty’s trail led to Morocco, prompting Sam and newlywed Callen to follow a set of plane tickets she’d mysteriously sent them. Instead of Hetty, they found Nell (Renee Felice Smith), Nate (Peter Cambor), Sabatino (Erik Palladino), and “the new guy” — played by Chris O’Donnell’s real-life son, Chip.
Nell confessed:
“Hetty got herself into a bit of a pickle, and I’m here to get her out.”
But the mission quickly escalated, leaving the team “up to our elbows in alligators” with still no clear lead on Hetty’s location.
The Bottom Line
Sam’s NCIS return didn’t just spice up a Case of the Week — it officially reignited the hunt for Hetty Lange. And if Sam Hanna is heading back into the field to find her?
We’re very interested in where this story goes next.
