Is ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ About to Kill Off [Spoiler] — and Would It Break Callen?

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 12, Episode 12 of NCIS: Los Angeles, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”]

Special Agent G. Callen (Chris O’Donnell) now knows what girlfriend and ex-government agent Anna Kolcheck (Bar Paly) has been up to — and not up to, which is not helping rebuild a community —and it leads to things getting bloody for one of his exes, CIA Officer Joelle Taylor (Elizabeth Bogush).

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In the February 28 episode, Callen found out who was following him and the connection to Anna in quick succession: her ex-boyfriend, Maksim Myshkin (Alex Portenko), with the FSB (Russia’s Federal Security Service). Furthermore, it’s all tied to a coded message MIA operations manager Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt) sent the team about a major threat that led to dead CIA officers in a warehouse.

Russian spy Katya (Eve Harlow) resurfaced; she fell off the radar after she and Anna, who was working undercover in prison, escaped. Anna knew she’d come after her, so she made up an excuse (the rebuilding) to get out of town and assess the danger, namely the threats to Callen and her father Arkady (Vyto Ruginis). The working theory was Katya claimed she wanted to defect to the U.S. then killed the CIA officers watching her. (It was all just to get back on American soil.) Russia wanted their rogue agent back, and Anna joined forces with the FSB team to hunt Katya down.

Monty Brinton/CBS

But then Katya contacted Anna (but didn’t show her face and disguised her voice) and revealed she had Joelle. The spy offered a trade — the CIA officer’s location for Anna — and Anna agreed … only for Maksim to turn on her. Russia wanted Katya dead, not back. Nothing went according to plan at the meet (Katya and Joelle were nowhere to be found), but NCIS did join DOJ Special Agent Effie Carlson’s (Nicki Micheaux) task force.

Not only was Katya still free by episode’s end, but Joelle was in even more dire straits. She’d been injured earlier, Katya had warned, but then Callen received a package, delivered by courier to the LAPD. Inside was a burner phone … and Joelle’s finger! “Now she’s losing even more blood,” Katya, voice disguised, warned in a message on the phone. “Follow the rules or next time I’ll send something larger. See you soon.”

Will Callen, Anna, and the team find Joelle before it’s too late? Or might NCIS: Los Angeles be about to kill off one of its recurring characters? There’s no love lost between Callen and his ex — Joelle hadn’t told him she was one of several CIA officers targeting the team as revealed in Season 8 — but it would be a tough loss for him and for Anna. (The two women had worked together.)

Or could this be setting up an even harder loss for Callen. He was planning to propose to Anna before the truth came out about what she’s been up to. And NCIS: LA has killed off a significant other in the past (LL Cool J’s Sam lost his wife, Aunjanue Ellis’ Michelle, due to the job).

Monty Brinton/CBS

If this does end with a death, it could very well be Arkady’s. Anna did insist Callen call her father and make sure he knew the danger Katya poses. But it is hard to imagine NCIS: LA not wanting to keep Arkady around since it’s always amusing when he shows up, such as when he drinks vodka while training for a marathon.

Whatever happens, let’s just hope there’s not another bloody package in Callen’s future.

NCIS: Los Angeles, Sundays, 9/8c, CBS