Several lives (and perhaps a bit of love) were left in jeopardy as CBS’ NCIS: Los Angeles wrapped its fourth season. Tonight at 9/8c, the drama picks up right where it left off, with Deeks being brutally tortured for intel on Quinn and Sam’s wife dangling from a window ledge. (As previously scooped, Michelle is not easily felled.) Here, showrunner Shane Brennan previews the physical and emotional fallout, his big plans for a milestone hour and hints at a midseason surprise.

TVLINE | As the new season opens, obviously we’re not getting rid of Sam and Deeks. So I guess it’s not a question of will they survive, but how they survive?
That’s correct. It is always hectic to come out of these things and explore what the implications are — not just for them, but for their relationships with others.

TVLINE | Are you going straight into it, or are you going to show us everything fine and dandy and then give us “12 hours earlier…”?
No, we pick it up where we left off, roll straight into it and it’s pretty full-on, for want of a better description. There’s a big surprise in it. When we think that they’re about to be rescued, maybe they’re not. It gets pretty brutal for the guys. And then there are the ramifications of that, which certainly ripple very deeply into the season.

TVLINE | Eric Christian Olsen told me that Deeks has his most honest conversations ever with both Sam and then later with Kensi.
And there is a lot to talk about. The second episode is very, very emotional. And in Episode 4, there’s a scene between Hetty and Granger, where they’re talking about Kensi and Deeks, and basically Hetty says, “Partnerships can be tricky.” So it really cuts deeply into this season, and there are some very, very big surprises and big turns. This is probably the most laid-out season we’ve ever done. We know every turning point of this season and it really is quite powerful.

TVLINE | What does Kensi think about what Deeks has gone through? Does it give her a bit of a scare?
It gives her a big scare. And because everything was predicated by the kiss, a very unexpected kiss, there are two things to be discussed or to be handled. The first is: How will Deeks physically and mentally come through this? Once that is kind of resolved, then there is the elephant in the room, the kiss, which is clearly just between Deeks and Kensi. As a consequence of both the kiss and what happened to Deeks in the finale and what happens to him in the opening episode, their relationship goes to a new level. It continues at that pitch right through the season and then takes a most unexpected turn at the back end of the season. It takes a very, very interesting turn. I mean, really interesting. This is a big act for the season, Kensi/Deeks, and we’re moving it pretty rapidly through the season. When I say “moving it,” their relationship goes to a new level, to a place that a lot of these shows don’t go. And obviously, we take another step in Callen’s journey…

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Source: TVLine