'NCIS: Los Angeles' Season 12 Episode 1: Did Kensi Blye just confirm her exit by the end of this season?
Spoilers for Season 12 Episode 1 'The Bear'
Intelligence analyst Nell Jones' (Renée Felice Smith) return to the NCIS: LA team got a lot of emotional chatter flowing, the most significant one being between Nell and Kensi Blye (Daniella Ruah) herself. While Nell's departure hit like a brick to the fandom just as hard as it had hit the now "eccentric" Eric Beale, there's no doubt that Kensi was quite hit by losing out on the one female member on the team as well.
So the moment Nell returned, once Hett's order of business was out of the way and Sam and Callen were off chasing the bad guys, Kensi and Nell sat down for a chat where they opened up about their time apart. Nell talks about losing her mother, and when it comes to Kensi, she drops hints that this might not be all she wants from life; is that an upcoming exit from the show?
When Nell and Kensi sit down to chat, they cover a lot, starting with Nell's mother whom she recently lost. At the end of Season 11, Nell had expressed interest in leaving the job for good. The older, more seasoned special agent had instead advised her to dwell over the idea before finalizing something and off Nell went on a vacation to mull over things.
Turns out, she had been taking care of her mother all along. "She fought a good fight," Nell tells Kensi, still debating whether or not she should take up this task permanently now that she's returned to the team as a replacement for Hetty.
But Nell's thoughts are interrupted by Kensi's answers in the same conversation. When Kensi noticed Nell's hesitation in sticking to the NCIS: LA job permanently, she expresses empathy saying she too seems to be questioning what she really wants to do in life. This is where Nell offers her a pep talk about how she thinks Kensi is already where she's supposed to be but there's enough going on with the other woman's face to suggest this is not all Kensi wants.
The previous season focused a lot on Kensi and Deeks trying to become parents. They were trying, stopped trying, had an accidental scare, false alarm, disappointing periods, and what not... Maybe what Kensi really wants is some time to build a family with Deeks. Clearly the pandemic isn't a highlight on the show's timeline yet, so there's no other foreseeable arc for Kensi to split with NCIS for.
'NCIS: Los Angeles' premiered on November 8 and will air on Sundays at 8.30 pm on CBS.