7 Questions We Still Have After ‘NCIS: LA’ Series Finale
NCIS: Los Angeles wrapped its 14-season run on CBS with a finale all about what the title suggested: new beginnings. But that being said, not everything was wrapped up in a nice little bow.
After all, the last scene of the finale featured two of the agents reuniting with a former team member and her recruits for a mission to rescue one of their own. A couple multi-episode arcs were left unresolved. Agents had started to look to the future in the final episodes, and it’s possible not everyone stays with NCIS in the future. One is even going to be recurring on another show in the NCIS franchise next season.
With that in mind, below, we take a look at the burning questions we still have after 14 seasons and more than 300 episodes of NCIS: LA.
Will Sam, Callen, Nell, and her team rescue Hetty?
Last we heard, Hetty (Linda Hunt) was in Syria. But it’s to Morocco that Nell (Renée Felice Smith) summons Sam (LL Cool J) and Callen (Chris O’Donnell) as she stages a rescue mission, with a couple familiar faces (Peter Cambor’s Nate and Erik Palladino’s Sabatino). “If we knew we had another season and Linda had been available, we probably would’ve gone to rescue Hetty and wound up in trouble and then had to have resolve that in the next season,” executive producer R. Scott Gemmill told TV Insider.
Now with LL Cool J recurring in Hawai’i Season 3 — he helped out Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Kate (Tori Anderson) in Caracas because he was nearby — what might that mean for the operation to rescue Hetty? Will that remain vague? It’s hard to imagine him heading to the island if Hetty’s still in trouble, unless something draws him there that requires him to leave that in the hands of the others.
How much of a threat is Kessler still to Kensi?
Kessler (Frank Military) made it clear that he wanted to kill Kensi (Daniela Ruah) and that threat very much remains out there. “I imagine we would’ve finally brought him to justice,” Gemmill said. With Kensi pregnant and her and Deeks’ (Eric Christian Olsen) family growing, we can’t help but think that another season would’ve seen at least one of them in some serious danger.
Will the Body Stitchers case ever be resolved?
The Body Stitchers case is easily the most disturbing one of the entire series — and those responsible (including a member of the FBI!) for piecing together victims and leaving them in grotesque displays remain free. Since they stepped back from the spotlight last we saw them, it’s also easy to imagine them popping up elsewhere, meaning the threat isn’t just to Los Angeles and the agents on the case. But given how long they’ve evaded authorities thus far, we can’t help but worry about how much longer they could keep operating — and going dormant for a period clearly isn’t a problem — before the case is closed.
What will the team look like going forward?
“I could see Sam going into the private sector or Callen. I think all our characters love what they do. I could see Kensi staying with NCIS and Deeks becoming a stay-at-home dad. I think he would be quite content to do that for a while. Fatima [Medalion Rahimi] and Rountree [Caleb Castille] would probably stay with the team and be upgraded to the higher echelon of the team. And then I could see Kilbride [Gerald McRaney] retiring, especially if Sam and Callen moved on. Hetty, I think, will do this until her dying breath,” Gemmill said while pondering the team’s future. With Sam spending time on Hawai’i, that could impact what the future holds for him after that.
Will any of the agents suffer any long-term effects from injuries sustained on the job?
The team has been through a lot over the years, with multiple members tortured and hospitalized. And Gemmill noted that the storyline involving Sam and his father (who has Alzheimer’s) “was for Sam a little bit of not a wake-up call but a glimpse into possibly his own future because of the things our guys go through. There’s no way that they don’t have sort of long-term health effects in terms of the number of times they’ve been knocked out or suffered a concussion from an explosion. So it was a little bit of foreshadowing in terms of Sam, in terms of what he might be faced with in his future as well.” Might at least one of them be forced out of the field as a result versus making the choice to leave the agency on their own accord?
Will Sam’s appearances on Hawai’i reveal much about the team or any of these questions?
LL Cool J made a cameo in the NCIS: Hawai’i Season 2 finale. After, it was announced he’ll be recurring in Season 3. How much will Sam’s time with the Hawai’i team reveal anything about the LA agents? Will we find out if Hetty is rescued (and if so, how)? Will we, depending on how long Sam is around and when he shows up, find out if Kensi and Deeks have a boy or girl? Will we hear what’s going on at the Office of Special Projects (OSP) while Sam is on the island? Is Sam even going to be planning to return to work there?
Will anyone else show up on NCIS or Hawai'i?
Thanks to the three-show crossover in January, the door is open for any of the OSP agents to be called in for a reason to one of the other shows in the franchise after previously working with the other two teams.
Conversation16 Comments
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T
Answering the 1st question is quite simple: Make a big sequel movie for Paramount + showing the rescue mission and all the happy reunions that come with it. After 2 years of teasing and promises, it's really what we deserve instead of a 2 second mention from someone saying that Hetty is 'fine'. Plus, fans would go WILD over it!
2nd question: Just say Hetty had him killed off screen. Simple as that.
3rd question: Just say it was wrapped up off screen. (that case should never have gone past the 1st episode anyways)
Everything else, hard to tell. Only person I really could've seen leaving was the admiral. I can easily see everyone doing this kind of work in some capacity until they're dead. They like their jobs too much to quit, plus the actors themselves loved their jobs a lot too!
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O
Linda Hunt is not physically capable of doing that kind of work anymore and all shows have to end sometime let this one end where it did
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T
You don't know that for sure, neither of us do.
Everyone got a peaceful ending, except we don't know if they ever found Hetty and brought her home. Yeah, the 1 person who made this team as great as it is today is still stuck in limbo overseas when the final scene is played!
Yeah yeah yeah, that question can simply be answered by someone saying that she's 'doing fine', but would that really help though given how long this arc has lasted?
We deserve to see the REAL heart of this show be saved and brought home by the people she called the 'greatest family she had ever known', not have to be stuck with a 2 second update on NCIS Hawaii and done with it.
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R
I think the TV producers are stupid. Instead of canceling NCIS LA they should have brought Hetty back, and carried on. The show was well watched. Fans were not happy when they learned the show was leaving. I do not believe that they could not have carried on and reduced the budget some, and stayed high in the ratings. Louise hooked on NCIS LA
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G
I'm not sure but I've read various stories that indicate Linda Hunt who plays Hetty is in failing health.
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O
She is
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P
She wanted to leave the show after her car wreak
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O
She is sick and physically unable to do it anymore she didn’t want to leave her health caused her to leave
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O
I still can't believe they canceled it one of my favorite shows I will hope they bring it back I would much rather see NCIS Los Angeles over NCIS Hawaii just my opinion I do love shows about Hawaii but in that case that's where Hawaii Five-O came in at
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G
I'd like 2 know who decided to cancel NCIS L A. The same rocket scientist that canceled Magnum? That person is the one that should be canceled.
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O
A lot of shows are canceled way sooner than LA was and all shows have to come to an end eventually
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G
Since the FBI took over the case of the Body Stitchers before they came back to LA and now the remaining members are still on the loose and being chased by the FBI to who knows where the Body Stitchers could be concluded on a 3 way crossover on the 3 FBIs with G and Sam dropping in to consult on one show and Deeks with a possible pregnant K showing up on another and gang together for the final take down.
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G
I was pissed at the way CBS ended this fantastic series! It left everything unsettled. I really have stopped watching CBS except for The Equalizer, S.W.A.T., FBI and Blue Bloods! CBS used to have really good shows...I guess they lost their imagination!
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S
NCIS LA was the BEST show on TV! They say it costs too much to make it! Well blue bloods took a pay cut to stay on TV I read. Why can't you do the same? Or cut back somewhere else? I'm very upset this show is canceled please reconsider & bring it back! Come on Linda Hunt! Do your magic!
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O
Linda Hunt is ill she physically can’t do it anymore
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C
Would really love to see Callen take over from Gibbs leaving. Then Ellie could be cleared of the bogus charges and can come back to work with Kensi teaching ops. Eric and Tim working together would be a hoot to see. The show is slowly coming close to me to stop watching with Parker in charge. NCIS isn't fun to watch anymore to me. I'm all for the crossing on from the LA crew.
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