"NCIS: Los Angeles" returned on Tuesday with the team trying to thwart a terrorist attack. Although the case of the week was intense, the episode was not without some joyful smiles. 

In "Allegiance," a financial crimes agent is killed in Los Angeles after returning from Kabul, so the team is called in to investigate. The team in L.A. and in Afghanistan work together to solve the case. 

A photo leads them to a rug shop where they met Eshan, a young man who trades money on Hawala, an anonymous system with ties to terrorist groups. While in the rug shop, Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) goes undercover as Sven, a fabulous interior decorator to the stars. 

After tracking the money trail, the team discovers that money is flowing in and out of Kabul through a hospital. Kensi (Daniela Ruah) and Granger (Miguel Ferrer) go to the hospital, and discover that it is a front for terrorist operations. The team eventually discovers the next target for a terrorist attack, which is a naturalization ceremony in Santa Monica. 

Eshan identifies the terrorists, and the team runs to the center. Sam (LL Cool J) and Deeks grab dead man switches off the two bombers at the same time, while Callen (Chris O'Donnell) makes the shots. Sam then defuses the bomb. 

While separated lovers Kensi and Deeks did not get to talk face-to-face in the episode, they did get to send selfies to one another, which elicited wide smiles from them both. 

While the next episode, "War Cries," will not air until February, TVLine reports that there will be all new episodes in February and March. 

TVGuide also reported that "NUMB3RS" star Dylan Bruno will guest star in "War Cries" as Robert Brown, a former Army intelligence officer who worked as a private contractor in Afghanistan.

His character is described as "athletic, together and unsuspecting," and he is genuinely afraid for his life, as he's own the run from people who want him to stop testifying about war crimes he witnessed. 

"War Cries" will air Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 9 p.m. on CBS.