The third season of NCIS: Hawai’i has come to an end, and fans have sadly known for weeks now that the beloved drama won’t be coming back for Season 4 later in the 2024 TV schedule. Despite a renewal for NCIS and two new franchise shows in the works, the Aloha State-set series was cancelled back in April after the finale had already been filmed. Now, “Divided We Conquer” aired to reveal the cliffhanger that would have made a great hook for a fourth season, but it was Sam Hanna‘s final speech that really bummed me out all over again that the show got the axe.
The Cliffhanger
“Divided We Conquer” tied up the loose ends for the case that spanned the two-part finale event, so fans at least aren’t left hanging about the bioweapon or its antidote. The kicker came after a time jump of some weeks, when Sam was recovered enough from his near-death experience courtesy of Compound X to enjoy a surprise party with the ohana. Tennant went home after, expecting to find her daughter Julie waiting, only to discover none other than Maggie Shaw sitting in her home, with Julie White reprising her role.
This was Maggie’s first appearance since the Season 2 finale, when her thunder was a bit stolen by the exciting news about LL Cool J coming over from NCIS: LA. NCIS: Hawai’i was apparently holding her return for a big cliffhanger to keep fans guessing over summer hiatus… only for the brutal cancellation news to break. Maggie ultimately got the very last line of the series when she said this to Tennant: “You’re probably gonna need a drink for what’s coming next.”
Alas, the only thing that could be “coming next” for Jane Tennant might be if one of the other NCIS shows – which will include the original show, NCIS: Origins with young Gibbs,and the Tony/Ziva spinoff with Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo – dedicates an episode or two to wrapping up the Hawai’i stories, which I don’t think is particularly likely.
After all, Origins is set in a different era, Tiva presumably have more going on, and the NCIS Season 21 finale set up its own mysteries to be explored. So, Maggie Shaw returned for an NCIS: Hawai’i cliffhanger, and we likely will never see whatever was planned for the payoff. While I was more or less resigned to the cancellation by the time “Divided We Conquer” began on May 6, Sam’s final speech really salted the wound.
Sam’s Speech
One of the brightest spots of the finale was that it did take the time for one last big team scene, as they came together for a surprise party (with champagne) to welcome a recovered Sam and Tennant back. It felt like a scene that was needed in a series finale, so it was a stroke of luck that it was included in an episode that was originally only intended as a series finale.
