Hetty Lange: MIA, Maybe Immortal, Mostly Mysterious - NCIS: LA's 2022 Enigma
Ah, Hetty Lange. The diminutive powerhouse who runs NCIS: Los Angeles with an iron fist hidden in a velvet glove (and possibly a secret stash of jellybeans). But in 2022, eagle-eyed fans noticed something fishy – or perhaps not fishy, given her aversion to seafood – Hetty was missing in action!
Where in the World is Hetty?
Theory #1: Super Spy Shenanigans Our money was initially on Hetty being off on some classified, super-secret mission that would make James Bond blush. Maybe she was wrangling rogue dolphins trained for underwater espionage, or perhaps negotiating a peace treaty with a colony of hyper-intelligent penguins (hey, you never know with Hetty!).
Theory #2: Kidnapped by rogue squirrels! Okay, this one's a bit out there, but remember that whole "feeding the birds" incident that nearly brought down the entire office? Maybe the local wildlife mafia finally decided to get revenge.
The Shocking Truth (Kind Of): As it turns out, Hetty wasn't chilling on a beach somewhere (though, let's be honest, that would have been our first guess). Nope, according to the show, she was on a long-term mission in Syria. Now, that's one tough cookie (or should we say baklava?)
But Wait, There's More! (Because of Course There Is)
The "Dead" Ringer: Things took a turn for the dramatic when the team found a body with Hetty's ID in the season premiere. Panic stations! National mourning for our favorite cryptic leader! But then, in true Hetty fashion, it turned out to be a fake-out. The body belonged to a child, not our beloved leader. Classic Hetty, pulling a disappearing act that would make David Copperfield jealous.
Hetty's Grand Return (Well, Sort Of): Thankfully, Hetty did eventually grace us with her presence (well, a letter, technically) in the series finale. She even sent Callen and his new wife on a romantic getaway and dangled a new mission in front of Sam and G. So, while we didn't get a full-blown Hetty comeback in 2022, we did get a satisfying glimpse into her ever-mysterious world.
Will We See More of Hetty in the Future? That, my friends, is the million-dollar question (or perhaps a million-jellybean question, given Hetty's preferences). The actress who portrays Hetty, Linda Hunt, has limited her appearances due to the pandemic. But hey, if anyone can defy the odds and make a surprise return, it's Hetty Lange. Until then, we'll just have to keep an eye out for cryptic messages hidden in fortune cookies and rogue squirrels sporting tiny fedoras.
