As we hoped, Sam Hanna (LL Cool J) coming back to NCIS meant that we got somewhat of an update on other characters in the NCIS universe. We also learned something about Sam that wouldn’t have been included had he not been a part of the NCIS season 22 episode. While I am still devastated about NCIS: Hawai’i, and would give anything to have the show back, the cancelation is a blessing in disguise for Sam fans out there.
The update about Sam came with the sad news that he chose to leave NCIS after the events of the NCIS: Hawai’i series finale. However, Director Leon Vance (Rocky Carroll) has made it clear there is always a home with him somewhere within NCIS. Yet, Sam was affected after the end of the NCIS spinoff more than he had anyone believing in the closing moments of the series, and the cancelation means that we didn’t have to go through it with him.
NCIS Season 22, Episode 18 Reveals That Sam Has Left The Agency
The Grief Was Too Much For Sam Hanna
During NCIS season 22, episode 18, Vance caught up with Sam to share that there is a place within NCIS if he wants to come back. This alerted us to not only that he had resigned from the team, but that it was connected to the end of the fourth series within the NCIS universe. As the conversation went on, Vance mentioned that Sam’s resignation came off the back of losing his team.
However, when we saw Sam at the end of NCIS: Hawai’i, he looked to be doing well. He was smiling and focusing on the Ohana that was the Hawai’i team. This was a man who had lost many others in the line of duty, both via the Marines and NCIS, so it was a little surprising to find out that he had resigned due to the loss of this team.
It means the series didn’t show the full extent of his grief at the end of NCIS: Hawai’i season 3. This could have been due to having little time as the series wrapped up, and it could have been something planned for a fourth season. In the end, the whole storyline had to be done off-screen.
NCIS: Hawai’i Getting Canceled Spared Viewers Watching Sam Leaving The Agency
It’s Always Hard To Watch A Character We Love Grieve
Had the Hawai’i-set series continued, it would have meant more of Sam Hanna and his struggles. While this would have been great for fans of the character, it would have also meant that we would have needed to watch him grieve. Watching our favorite characters grieve is always hard, as we end up feeling the emotions that they portray. We end up grieving with them, and we just want to be able to reach through the screens and pick them up. This would have been the case with Sam, especially considering the type of man that he is and the loss that he has already been through.
Due to the cancelation, we were spared all of that. With the grief happening off screen, we didn’t need to experience the former NCIS: Los Angeles character make the difficult decision to leave NCIS completely. Not only would this have been hard to watch, but it would also have taken time away from the core members of the NCIS: Hawai’i team, and it would have made a fourth and final season annoying to watch as we looked for closure for everyone else.
What’s Next For Sam After His NCIS Season 22, Episode 18 Return
Sam Is One Another Mission In The NCIS Universe
While we learned about Sam resigning, we also learned that he is up to something big. After Vance offered him a chance to return to the agency, Sam shared that he wouldn’t be able to do that. He has some personal projects to take care of, and one of them was hinted to be linked to NCIS: Los Angeles’ Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt), bringing us the update that we had all been waiting for to find out that Hetty was still alive.
If Sam returns to NCIS again, there is hope of another update on Hetty and how this project is going.
At the end of the canceled NCIS: Los Angeles, the series didn’t have time to get Hetty out of Syria, but Nell’s team was able to extract her. Vance knows that she is working on a project with the DMZ, which means that it is something official but also dangerous. Due to this, Sam made it clear that he wouldn’t confirm anything, but we know Sam well enough to know that he wouldn’t just give up on protecting people. If Sam returns to NCIS again, there is hope of another update on Hetty and how this project is going.