Nell (Renée Felice Smith ) had no idea when she agreed to impersonate Hetty (Linda Hunt) on last week’s episode of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” just how life-threatening the mission was going to be. And even though Sam (LL Cool J) and Callen (Chris O’Donnell) were on the case, Nell had to take a life to save her own.

Traumatized by the action, on tonight’s episode, Nell is huddled up at home, where she gets a visit from Operational Psychologist Nate Getz (Peter Cambor), who visits to help her through her traumatic experience, but also to determine if she will be able to return to the field.

Of course, Hetty’s life is still in peril, and her team — Sam, Callen, Kensi (Daniela Ruah), Nell, Eric (Barrett Foa), and Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) — go to desperate lengths to keep her safe, even as she endangers her own life by returning from Washington, D.C. into the face of menace.

In a conversation with Renée and Barrett, the two talked about the separate journey their two NCIS characters have been on, how they will be back to the Nell and Eric banter we love so much in the future, and more.

Did it affect you as a person to have to pretend to kill someone? Or because of the way it is shot, you don’t really see it happen?

Renée Felice Smith: We don’t see it happen, but I am a pretty sensitive person so it did affect me in having to play the aftermath of shooting someone, it does affect you psychologically. But that is what the character has to go through as well.

Tonight, we see her dealing with her emotions and Nate comes back and we talk it out to see if she can handle it.

Nell isn’t as close to Nate as she is to Hetty. Is he going to be able to help her or does she need her mentor to come back and make things okay?

Renée: She actually gets to talk to both of them. Nate comes back and assesses her. Then Hetty has a heart-to-heart with her as well, so she gets both doses of good medicine.

Is Eric jealous of the fact that Nell is in the field, or he by no means wants to do the dangerous missions?

Barrett Foa: What Eric and Barrett want and need is different. I like when Eric gets out. It is fun to be on location and getting to see how the other half of our show works. Eric mostly works with the inside headquarters half, and I don’t get to meet the fans on the street and see the sunshine. But there is something actually comforting about that, also. Being on the soundstage is comforting, like being home. You know how it works: You know the camera angles, you know the lighting, I have it all down to a science. There is something outside the box when you go out into the field. Eric is used to showing where the bad guys are, not being where the bad guys are. So Eric is comfy inside, but it is always fun to have someone who is comfy be in an uncomfortable place.

Even though Eric doesn’t want to be out there, danger finds him anyway, because on “NCIS: Los Angeles,” no one is ever 100 percent safe. So when that happens, does he find that he is cool in action?

Barrett: Eric is never cool. There is stuff coming up where Eric is in a lot of danger first hand. It is exciting to see how Barrett as an actor dealt with that because it is something I had never done before. Eric has never been in that kind of danger, and I have to think, “What would I do? How would I react because Eric is not used to it?”

Renée: We all react in our own way. It is interesting to see a fish out of water sometimes.

I know we are only a few episodes into the new season but it feels as if as if the bit of romance between these two isn’t being played as much. Has something changed?

Renée: Nothing has changed. I think they were focusing on Nell now being a junior agent outside, so they haven’t physically been together on a lot of these missions. We are looking forward to them coming back together as the season goes on.

Barrett: I think that gets reestablished in upcoming episodes a little more. There is like a lovers/friends quarrel coming up, which is an indicator of how close they are.

Renée: It is great to see that they are comfortable enough to be honest with each other.

Barrett: There’s a really nice resolution. It was nice taking a break from it and then going back. It is going to be super sexy coming up.

So Hetty has all these places to live that were compromised in last week’s episode. Is she going to have to sell them all and move since the addresses were revealed? Does Hetty come from money?

Renée: You have to remember that Hetty is an enigma wrapped in a riddle covered in a …

Barrett: conundrum.

Renée: We know that. Her houses remain her houses. It is yet to be determined if she has to sell them and get some new extravagant [places to live]. I have to tell you, that house we shot in was absolutely gorgeous. It had gold-leaf detailing on the ceiling and murals from the 1920s.

Barrett: Who knows if Hetty has money or not, but, remember, she is well connected. Maybe these are favors; maybe these are gifts. I think

Renée: We just saw that she knows the pope. This is a woman who is well traveled and has a lot of friends in high places. One may never know where Hetty gets her money from, but we do enjoy [the mystery].

What would you like to see for your character going forward?

Barrett: We talked about something earlier. I think, for me, I am glad we took the Nell/Eric break, but I am excited for that to get rekindled. I miss that funny banter that was so delicious.

Renée: I miss the funny banter. The danger has been heightened and highlighted on the show, so it will be good to get back to the banter, which, I think, is the heart of our show. I am always looking for a dance break. Hopefully, one of these days, we will get one.

Barrett: At first I thought that was a metaphor. You want an actual dance break?

Renée: A choreographed dance break with Nell and Eric. I think Kensi and Deeks had one.

“NCIS: Los Angeles” airs in its new Monday night timeslot at 10 p.m. on CBS.

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