Spoilers ahead for the Season 3 premiere of NCIS: Hawai'i, called "Run and Gun."
NCIS: Hawai'i has officially returned to CBS in the 2024 TV schedule, but the time jump since the end of Season 2 wasn't so large that Tennant was fully back on the job after her injuries in the finale. Sam Hanna was in the mix as part of the interview process for her to get back to work, with LL Cool J reprising his NCIS: LA role once again as part of his role as recurring guest star. "Run and Gun" was definitely an eventful hour for the full team, and culminated in a prison transfer plane crashing into the ocean, but my biggest question after the premiere is all about what Sam is hiding.
Although news that LL Cool J would appear multiple times in NCIS: Hawai'i Season 3 was confirmed back in the spring of 2023, and one star was sharing his excitement that the former NCIS: LA star would be on board, details were few and far between about Sam. There was bound to be more to his role than just clearing Tennant for a return to duty. "Run and Gun" proved that he had a unique angle for getting through to Tennant, by touching on his own past tragedy with the death of his wife.
That particular tragedy was already well known to fans of the larger franchise, however; what's less known is what Sam was trying to dodge questions about. While Sam was lending a hand on the tech front, Ernie started fishing for info. Sam may not have given him much to work with, but it was what he wasn't saying that really caught my attention. It started when Ernie was speaking to the computer he was trying to crack while in Sam's presence:
- Ernie: "Man is not what he thinks he is. He is what he hides."
- Sam: "I'd like to think I'm not hiding that much."
- Ernie: "Not you. The computer. I will eventually find what you're hiding."
- Sam: "I'm not hiding anything, Ernie!"
- Ernie: "Again, Sam, not talking to you. But you totally are."
Methinks Sam doth protest too much, because I'm with Ernie! LL Cool J's character is totally hiding something. I just don't have any more clue about what it could be than Ernie does. NCIS: LA ended without any huge plot cliffhangers that Hawai'i needs to resolve, unless an update on the Densi pregnancy counts (and I would like that update). Sam's story obviously didn't end once the credits rolled on LA; could he be hiding something that happened after that show's series finale but before his arrival on Hawai'i? Or does it go back even further than the first NCIS spinoff?
I have no idea, but I'm officially invested in tuning into NCIS: Hawai'i for any clues that will be dropped in Part 2 of the Season 3 premiere! According to the episode description from CBS, Sam will once again join forces with Tennant to track down a high-profile Russian prisoner, known as The Chemist, who presumably escaped after the crash of the prison transport plane. That may not leave much time for Sam to drop details that he was hiding from Ernie, but I'm also not expecting it to be LL Cool J's only remaining appearance in Season 3.
It would be fun if he appeared in the episode directed by his fellow former NCIS: LA co-star, as Daniele Ruah is set to helm an episode that airs in April. For now, we can just look forward to him in the second half of the two-part NCIS: Hawai'i Season 3 premiere (available streaming with Paramount+ subscription) in the new episode that airs on Monday, February 19 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
