Things We Want To See On The Next Season Of NCIS: Hawaii
The fourth iteration of the wildly popular "NCIS" series, "NCIS: Hawai'i" takes the core premise to an island paradise. Here, crime-fighting is paired with surfing, sunshine, and the occasional Spam sandwich. Jane Tennant (Vanessa Lachey), the Special Agent in Charge, leads this series' team as they try to make the islands a safer place. She's joined by second-in-command Jesse Boone (Noah Mills), newbie Kai Holman (Alex Tarrant), bold Lucy Tara (Yasmine Al-Bustami), and tech master Ernie Malik (Jason Antoon).
Season 1 of "NCIS: Hawai'i" puts these characters in all kinds of fascinating situations, ranging from complex love affairs to nightmarish kidnappings. It's enormously entertaining stuff, and fans are hungry for more. What sort of dangerous situations will these fine folks find themselves facing in Season 2? What about the state of their personal lives? Which supporting players will pop up once more? How will friends and families cope with the demands of an NCIS job? We don't yet know the answers to these questions, but we've already assembled a wish list. These are the things we want to see on the next season of "NCIS: Hawai'i."
Lucy and Kate navigating their workplace relationship
Season 1 is a doozy for Lucy and Kate (Tori Anderson). Though they're instantly drawn together, Kate is hesitant to develop a real relationship with Lucy because of her own deeply-rooted sense of professionalism. Nevertheless, they get close over the next few episodes ... only for Kate's ex-girlfriend to show up and ruin everything. The latter half of the season is full of angst and unspoken feelings, until Kate blessedly puts us all out of our misery by serenading Lucy and finally winning her back.
We're excited to see them officially back together, but there's so much more about their relationship that's yet to be explored. For example, Kate is a famously private person (her grand gesture notwithstanding) — how will she handle her relationship with Lucy being out in the open? Lucy's never been as worried about the potential complications of their relationship, but we imagine it could get dicey for both of them out in the field, especially if one of them gets injured. Remember how angry Lucy gets when Kate is injured in "Nightwatch"? Exploring these issues could make Season 2 all the more engrossing. Lucy and Kate are the primary romantic pairing in the series, after all — they deserve a thorough story.
The return of Captain Milius
While Lucy and Kate might be the series' romantic center, fearless leader Jane Tennant isn't afraid of getting some love in her life either. When she meets Captain Joe Milius (Enver Gjokaj) early on in Season 1, sparks fly. Of course, the sparks aren't necessarily good ones. Jane and Captain Milius quickly butt heads about how to handle a case and are both too stubborn to back down. Things eventually work out — Jane comes out on top, of course — and they reconcile. This reconciliation turns into romance, which is cut short when Milius gets a job offer from the Pentagon that he can't turn down. To the surprise of many (Jane most of all), Milius comes back at the end of the season as part of a secret project, and he and Jane rekindle their relationship.
As Season 1 comes to an end, the future of their bond is left up in the air. Milius is still headed back to D.C., and Jane remains realistic about how that limits their possibilities. Will they make it work regardless? Will they throw in the towel? We're not sure, but we're dying to know more. Season 2 would do well to focus on this electric pair.
Meeting Jesse's family
Like his boss Jane, Jesse is extremely dedicated to his family, which gives him a unique perspective. Jesse frequently talks about his three children and his wife Heather, but we rarely get to see them. In fact, the only family member we truly meet is his daughter Gracie (Chloe Csengery), who's featured in the memorable "Pirates," in which she and Jesse get kidnapped while on a sailing trip.
We loved getting to know Gracie and learning more about her relationship with her father, but we're dying to become acquainted with the rest of the Boone clan. Heather is particularly intriguing. She's off hiking when Gracie gets kidnapped, so we never get to see how she reacts to that fateful event — Season 2 could let us in on how that went over. The other two children offer many opportunities as well. So far, all we know about them is they like Pokémon. (Apparently, Lucy also shares this passion.) Meeting them could be a whole lot of fun, and would certainly give us more insight into Jesse's character.
Kai's love life
From the time he confronts two police officers harassing patrons at a local bar to the moment he's arrested on his first day of work, Kai is one of a kind. Despite his hardcore tactics, he's also a pretty friendly guy whose knowledge of the local culture and people are a huge asset to the team. His one struggle is his difficult relationship with his father, but he's doing his best to move forward and learn to forgive on that front.
While we love what we've seen of Kai so far, there's one area that's been a bit lacking: his love life. Things start to move in the right direction in "Nurture," when the team is called to investigate a shipwreck that happens to be carrying dangerous exotic animals. Kai gets to know a fish and wildlife agent named Melanie (Alisa Allapach) while working on the case, and finally gets up the courage to ask her out by the end of the episode — with Lucy's prodding, of course. But we never hear anything else about them. Whether it's with Melanie or someone else, we hope Kai gets a little romance in his life in Season 2. He certainly deserves it.
Lucy's family
Despite her small stature, Lucy is a pretty big presence on "NCIS: Hawai'i." She's outgoing, brave, and eager for action. But there's still a lot we don't know about this fascinating character. The most interesting (and largely unexplored) aspect of her personality has to do with her family. As Season 1 reveals, Lucy, a Texas native, comes from a wealthy family involved in the oil business. They're quite disappointed she went into law enforcement instead of joining the family business. Beyond this, Lucy rarely talks about her kin or addresses what her (presumably strained) relationship with them is like. We'd love to know more.
Many murky aspects of Lucy's character might be intriguingly explained by her family. For instance, Lucy's reaction to Kate lying by omission could have something to do with experiences she's had in the past. Though she certainly has a right to be upset with Kate, the anger and mistrust she harbors towards her for months feels rooted in something deeper. Whether or not this has anything to do with Lucy's family is still up for interpretation, but that's exactly why we're itching for the writers to address it further. Lucy is always trying to prove herself to the team, and often walks around with a chip on her shoulder. How did she become this person? Why did she become this person? What do her origins have to do with it? Season 2 could reveal all this and more.
Alex in college
On top of having a demanding and dangerous job, Jane also has two children to co-parent with her ex-husband. In Season 1, her son Alex (Kian Talan) faces a major milestone: He must figure out his college plans. Alex is a talented kid, especially when it comes to baseball, which he intends to continue playing in college. He ends up getting into Amherst College in Massachusetts, but doesn't tell his parents: His father Daniel (Anthony Ruivivar) hates the idea of Alex going to school so far away. Things get even more intense in "Nurture" when Alex ruptures his Achilles tendon, potentially ending his baseball career.
Alex is a great character unto himself and a fascinating part of Jane's storyline. It's incredibly interesting to watch her struggle to protect him while reckoning with the fact that he's growing up. Season 2 would do well to focus on Alex's college journey for a variety of reasons. It's a major source of storytelling tension, a very relatable experience for many viewers, and a potential source of growth for everyone's favorite special agent. Jane is a wonderful, fierce mother, who will be enormously affected by her son's choice, whatever it might be. We hope Alex doesn't leave too soon, though — like his parents, we really enjoy having him around.
Kate bonding with the team
Kate Whistler grows more than any other "NCIS: Hawai'i" character over the course of Season 1. She starts off as a stern, by-the-book intelligence officer who clashes with Jane and her team, especially since they have a tendency to bend the rules. But Kate's relationship with Lucy slowly thaws her icy demeanor, and we begin to see a softer, more sensitive side emerge. It's hard to believe the bossy, annoyed Kate of Episode 1 is the vulnerable, singing-in-public Kate of Episode 22, but that's the power of love for you.
Kate's relationship with the rest of the team improves as well. She becomes friendly with Jane, and seems to have earned the respect of Jesse, Kai, and Ernie. In fact, it's Ernie's advice that leads Kate to serenade Lucy in the first place. But the rest of the team still doesn't really know Kate all that well, and we'd love to see those relationships develop further. We know that Kate and Kai both love the movie "Say Anything" — what else do they have in common? Early on, Jesse calls Kate the "mean girl," but what with that public declaration of love in the finale, we think his opinion has probably changed. But in what ways, precisely? There's tons of room for development here, and we can't wait to see what new connections are made in Season 2.
More surfing
In "Recruiter," Kai goes undercover with a surf gang and brings Jesse along with him as bait. Later, in "Nightwatch," Lucy kinds Kate during her Saturday morning surf to call her in for a case. Her reaction is one of the best Lucy moments of the entire season: She's so overwhelmed by seeing Kate come out of the ocean in a bikini, she loses the ability to form full sentences. Surfing brings out the best in these characters in a variety of entertaining ways, and we want more in Season 2.
How might surfing be incorporated into the show as it moves forward? The options are endless. It's been established that Jesse, Kai, and Kate all surf, and we'd love to see them all go out on the water together some day. It's unclear how Lucy would fit into this equation because she has an extreme fear of water, but that anxiety could surely be mined in interesting ways. Plus, we're dying to see her lose her marbles at the sight of Kate doing one of the world's most attractive hobbies again. It could also be interesting to learn if Jane surfs. She's already proven herself to be extremely adept at most things, including horseback riding, so we wouldn't be surprised. Team surfing session, anyone?
More Carla Chase
We don't know much about medical examiner Carla Chase (Seana Kofoed) just yet, but what we do know, we love. Simply put, she's a weirdo in the best possible way. When there's a possible anthrax exposure, she tells Lucy and Jesse that they aren't going to die — today, at least. She does an autopsy wearing a full gas mask, just to be safe. And who can forget her story about the time she dated a butcher? Chase is full of fun facts and strange anecdotes, and we want more in Season 2.
To be clear, we don't actually want to know everything there is to know about Chase: Her mystery is a major part of her charm. We simply love that she's an endless well of surprising knowledge, and want more of that. This seems likely, going forward: She's invited to Jane's end-of-the-season party, which we hope means she's officially part of the team. Of course, more Chase also means more dead bodies. It might feel a little macabre to wish for that, but they've got to keep solving crimes somehow, right?
A full team karaoke night
Before you take it upon yourselves to fact-check us, we'll concede this point: Technically, group karaoke happens in Season 1 of "NCIS: Hawai'i." In "Gaijin," after finishing an especially difficult case, the team (sans Jane) goes out for karaoke. Jesse and Ernie are totally into it, but Lucy famously hates the pastime and refuses to join. She's finally convinced after Kai bribes her with alcohol ... but when she does get on stage, Jesse and Ernie live to regret it. Lucy's karaoke skills are, shall we say, not great.
The biggest thing that's changed since that episode is that we now know Kate is a pretty talented singer. We've never heard Jane sing before, but that woman is good at everything, so we wouldn't be surprised if she can carry a tune as well. Thus, our wish for Season 2 is to see a full team karaoke night. We'd love to see Kate bust out her powerhouse vocals — an occurrence that just might make Lucy a fan of karaoke after all. We've also never really seen the team party together. It'd definitely be a treat to see our hardworking agents let loose.
Jane dealing with her feelings about Maggie Shaw
One of the most devastating developments of Season 1 is the shocking revelation about Jane's best friend, Maggie Shaw (Julie White). Maggie and Jane have been friends for over 15 years, having met when Jane started working for the CIA. Maggie became Jane's mentor and eventually her close friend, and convinced her to become a spy rather than sit behind a desk. They're so close, Jane's kids think of her as their aunt.
This all comes crashing down in "Spies, Part 1" and "Spies, Part 2" when Jane finds out that Maggie has been working as a double agent for many years. Moreover, Maggie's working with a sought-after Chinese operative named Bao, who happens to be her long-lost son. Jane is devastated by the betrayal, even if she understands why Maggie did what she did.
Jane spends several episodes reckoning with this development, but the show really only touches the surface of how it must be affecting her. Jane trusted Maggie with her kids' lives. She's also someone who takes truth, duty, and loyalty extremely seriously. We imagine it will take years for Jane to truly recover from Maggie's betrayal, if she ever does, and we hope we see more of that process in Season 2.
More Boom Boom
One of the things we love most about "NCIS: Hawai'i" is that all the characters, including the secondary ones, are a ton of fun. One especially delightful character is Norman "Boom Boom" Gates (Sharif Atkins), a demolitions expert with the Navy. His debut episode, which is aptly titled "Boom," follows the team as they try to track down a notorious group of thieves. Boom Boom proves to have an especially humorous relationship with Kai, whom he doesn't allow to call him "Boom Boom." He goes out on a high note in "Ohana," the season finale, when he ever-so-calmly helps defuse a bomb Jesse happens to be standing on.
All of this adds up to a character who should definitely be brought back in Season 2. Boom Boom is funny, has a great personality, and is undoubtedly an asset to the team. When TV Insider asked executive producer Jan Nash about Boom Boom's potential return in Season 2, she expressed enthusiasm for Atkins' work and the possibility of further Boom Boom appearances. We certainly hope they come to pass.
A storyline involving Julie
We get a good dose of Alex Tennant in Season 1. This is great, but we also think Julie (Mahina Napoleon), Jane's younger child, deserves some attention too. So far, we know Julie is a good student and militant vegetarian who loves soccer and her mom and brother. We're not suggesting she has some sort of secret life we have yet to discover, but this is all fairly surface level, and we'd love to dive a little deeper into the most charming member of the Tennant family.
In Season 1, Jane struggles to describe her experiences of racism to Julie because she wants to protect her from discovering how harsh the world can be. This is definitely an interesting dilemma for someone as protective as Jane, but we'd like to learn a little more about Julie's thoughts on the subject. How is she navigating such tricky issues as a child? What are her hopes for the world? From what we know about her, she seems incredibly strong and very bright. We're confident Julie could handle anything the writers throw at her in Season 2.