“Divided We Conquer” is another strong episode for Vanessa Lachey, which isn’t a huge surprise because when the conflict becomes personal for the team, of course it’s team leader Jane Tennant who’s going to be at the forefront. If she wasn’t spearheading the effort, she wouldn’t be much of a boss. But it’s Tennant who gets to confront the episode’s main villain, Dr. Analisa Cruz, who is revealed to be Tala Flores — a radical with an axe to grind against the United States. This includes a hotel room fight scene that ends with Tennant shooting Tala in the shoulder, and what might be the end in another episode is just the beginning of Jane Tennant going full Jack Bauer.
The sun may have set on NCIS: Hawai’i, but it left behind a fiery legacy — and at the center of it all was Jane Tennant. Fierce, fearless, and fully in control, Tennant wasn’t just the Special Agent in Charge — she was the heart of the show. And in the series finale, that heart beats stronger than ever. So, how does the NCIS: Hawai’i finale highlight her journey? Buckle up, because we’re diving deep into every twist, emotion, and powerful moment that turned Jane Tennant into a TV icon.
The scenes between Tennant and Tala feel like they could belong in any season of 24, except for that NCIS: Hawai’i stops short of Tennant literally pulling teeth. But Tennant makes very clear that she’s willing to do anything in order to get Tala to break — and Lachey’s performance makes those words count. TV crime drama fans have heard spiels like hers before, yet Lachey sells them not only in her delivery but with her body language so that Jane truly does feel like she’s dehumanized Tala. One of the best aspects of three seasons of NCIS: Hawai’i is seeing how much Lachey has been able to do in the role of Jane Tennant, and how she’s built up the character. This episode feels like a turning point in that character arc. The stakes make it plausible that Tennant will cross a moral line because she can’t do anything less. NCIS: Hawai’i isn’t the first TV show to pull out the “fake torture sequence” trick, but that characterization is why Tennant’s decision to have Lucy pretend to be Tala’s sister Maria works. Audiences understand that Tennant has taken the gloves off, so they’re not entirely sure that she isn’t having an innocent woman tormented. When it’s revealed that the whole thing is AI-generated, there’s a sigh of relief that it’s not real. But Lachey takes her character to another level emotionally in this episode, ensuring that Jane Tennant goes out on top. Unfortunately, that also makes the finale’s sole problem exceptionally glaring.
Did NCIS: Hawai’i End on a Cliffhanger?
Series Finale Was Clearly Foreshadowing for Season 4 The one issue with the NCIS: Hawai’i series finale is that it ends on a cliffhanger that audiences know will never be resolved. Season 3, Episode 10 ends with an unexpected home visit by Tennant’s frenemy and mentor Maggie Shaw (played by Tony Award winner Julie White, who is wonderful to have back, even if for just one brief scene). Maggie specifically refers to the future, which is further proof that no one was expecting NCIS: Hawai’i to get canceled. The creative team either didn’t expect it, or knew the show was on the bubble and included this part in hopes of convincing CBS to renew the series for Season 4. But making that choice and losing means that the fans are ultimately let down at the very end.
This is not a problem specific to this show; this is a problem that’s been plaguing all of TV for years. Open-ended season finales, without a known renewal, run the risk of leaving an entire TV series unfinished. In that sense, it’s okay to be disappointed by “Divided We Conquer” leaving what sounds like it would have been a giant plot point on the table. The same can be said for how Sam’s character arc is handled, which points to him staying around if there had been NCIS: Hawai’i Season 4. He’s the one that shoots Cruz, therefore saving part of his new NCIS team, and his last scene is at a welcome-back party after he gets out of the hospital. While LL Cool J was clearly brought onto the show in an attempt to grow its audience, his character has organically transitioned from high-profile visitor to part of the family.
Jane Tennant wasn’t just a character. She was a blueprint — for leadership, motherhood, resilience, and courage. NCIS: Hawai’i gave us beaches, bullets, and breathtaking plots. But most of all, it gave us her. And in her final moments, Jane proved what we already knew — she was always the strongest one in the room.
