NCIS: Hawaii's two part finale saw episode 21 end with a major cliffhanger as Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey)'s ally, Charlie 1, is murdered in front of her by a former CIA operative Jane had thought was dead. The episode reveals more of Jane's troubling history with the CIA, and former mentor Maggie, and begins with Jane being discovered with the dead body of a former MI6 agent.
It forces her to go to extreme lengths to clear her name and track down the responsible party, including taking Special Agent Kate Whistler (Tori Anderson) with her to Caracas, Venezuela, to get to the bottom of the case - only for Jane to handcuff Kate to the kitchen counters to stop her from getting further involved.
© CBSBack in Hawaii, the team led by Jane's second-in-command Jesse Boone (Noah Mills) are left floundering as they realize just how much of Jane's past they don't know about, and are taken over by Supervisor Agent John Swift (Henry Ian Cusack) of the Office of Special Projects - whose appearance will change the team forever.
Going into the second-part of the finale on May 21, the cast has shared that fans can expect the team to lean further into the sense of 'ohana', or family.
© CBSMORE: Nick Lachey and Vanessa Lachey's relationship timeline
© CBSFor Tori, the season finale is a moment for Kate to realize she is ready for anything life throws at her.
"Throughout season one and season two, we've seen Kate rely on Jane in a lot of ways. Jane is a leader in her eyes and someone who Kate greatly admires, especially when Jane has been the voice of wisdom that she's needed and hasn't had in the past," said Tori.
"Kate will go out on Jane's trail; she's trying to track her down and ultimately trying to save her - but they do get a little help from someone. Kate is also trying to navigate dealing with the team back in Hawaii and being in a foreign country and not speaking Spanish. She's out of her depth a little bit but she's ready for the task."
© CBS"Kate has grown more confident in the field but she's also realizing the priorities of her job and she's always been someone that's gone by the book and wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her job," Tori continued.
"Her going out of her way to help Jane, when Jane goes completely rogue, leaves her surprised. She's really understanding of family and what family means and that it doesn't have to be blood but the people you rely on. She's willing to jump now."
MORE: NCIS' much-anticipated new show following bittersweet end for NCIS: LA – all we know so far
© CBSAs for Ernie?
"Ernie is doing his normal lair-cyber-specialist stuff for the team and really helping Jane out. I think there's no worries about anyone cutting his fingers off and then he can't have a job, you know?" quipped Jason.
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