The season 14 premiere of NCIS: Los Angeles dropped on Sunday night, and the episode delivered some major news about Hetty Lange that should give any fan pause. The last we knew of Hetty (Oscar-winner Linda Hunt), she was traveling to Syria on a top-secret mission, with few updates emerging over the past couple of seasons. She was not in Seasons 12 or 13 very much, and the new season isn’t looking too promising. Please Note: Spoilers Below for NCIS: LA.
In the Season 14 premiere, a bomb explosion left the remains of one individual in question, with many presuming it might have been Hetty. The body held an ID in the name of Trudy Chambers, which was one of Hetty’s known aliases. For the majority of the episode, the team was left waiting for DNA test results to tell them if the deceased was Hetty. The good news is that it turned out Hetty was not the one killed by the blast, but, sadly, a young girl was, and she somehow wound up with Hetty’s fake ID. Adm. Hollace Kilbride (Gerald McRaney) believes Hetty planted the ID on the body in the hopes that she could throw her enemies off her trail. At this time, Hetty’s whereabouts remain unknown.
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NCIS: Los Angeles fans have been wondering when Hetty will make a full return to the show, but unfortunately therehas only been mostly disappointing news regarding her status. According to comments from NCIS: Los Angeles showrunner R. Scott Gemmill, who spoke with Parade.com, Hetty’s “story continues.” However, he indicated that it would not be until after Season 13. “She was in at the beginning of this season and then we had her disappear,” he said. “The plan is to follow that up next [season] with some reveal.”
Ahead of Season 12, while speaking to TVLine, Gemmill clarified how the show was handling Hetty’s role while taking into consideration how cautious Hunt has to be with the Covid-19 pandemic being so dangerous. “We’re doing everything we can to keep everyone safe, and Linda is a little extra special in terms of how we have to look out for her,” he said. Hunt is 77 years old, and was previously in a car accident that impacted her health and forced her to take time away from the show in 2018.
Later, after Season 12 had ended, Gemmill explained, “Linda was away a lot more this season because of COVID and us trying to keep her safe…. And then finally, Linda had both her vaccines, she was feeling great, and she came back [for the finale]. And she was so happy to be back. She had been gone for so long and hadn’t really interacted with anyone, so she was just so thrilled to be back on set.” NCIS: Los Angeles airs Sundays at 10 pm ET, on CBS and Paramount+.
