Is Linda Hunt leaving NCIS: Los Angeles, and is Hetty dead?
Before we dive into the premiere, though, let’s start with a reminder that Hunt is technically still in the opening credits. However, over the past few years, she’s been an occasional presence at best, turning up in just a few episodes a season if that. Some of that is due to the global health crisis, but even before that the actress was away recovering from a car accident. The writers love her, but we’re not sure she’ll ever be a frequent presence on the show again.
While we know that tonight’s premiere is going to feature a story in which a body is discovered in Syria that bears a lot of similarities to Hetty, we still have a hard time thinking it’s her for multiple reasons. For starters, it’s just hard to buy that the show would kill off a huge character like this in such a way. Also, it’s far more realistic to us that Hetty would find a way to fake her death for some specific purpose. One of the most important things to remember here is that few characters are as exceptional at keeping secrets as she is; her mission for the past year has been very much mysterious, and for showrunner R. Scott Gemmill, that is largely a part of the fun.
We’ll see if Hetty returns this season; we’re crossing our fingers and hoping for the best!
The good news…
At the end of the episode, Kilbride was able to 100% confirm that the body uncovered in Syria was that of a child. Yet, they had Hetty’s IDs attached to them. She wanted people to think this was her, since it would take a forensic analysis to prove otherwise. She’s still out there, and the question becomes now what exactly she’s up to … and why she needed to fake her own death.
Related – Check out more news on NCIS: Los Angeles, including some other updates on what’s coming up next
Entering the NCIS: Los Angeles season 14 premiere today, were you worried that Linda Hunt was leaving the show permanently?
Share right in the comments! Once you do just that, come back for some other updates. (Photo: CBS.)