The aftermath of Dom's death continued to play out last night on NCIS: Los Angeles, as the team hunted down a terrorist leader and Hetty prepared to resign her post.

It was a solid episode and a smart move to continue the arc of Agent Vaile's abduction/murder even though he is no longer with us. It resonates much more this way.

Standalone episodes work, especially with the action sequences of this show, but with "Missing," "Found" and last night's "Hunted," NCIS: L.A. really found its footing.

Like its parent series (see our NCIS review from earlier), L.A. benefits from ongoing arcs that not only keep fans invested but show different sides to the characters.

In "Hunted," our team investigates after a prisoner is being transferred via private jet and somehow escapes, thanks to a shootout. This isn't just any prisoner, either.

It's Keshewar, the terrorist leader Dom's captors wanted in exchange for him.

Dom is gone, but the story line continued in this week's terrorist pursuit.

The NCIS agents must cooperate with the Army CID, which held Kesehwar before he broke loose, and failed to share that information last week, sparking Sam's wrath.

One of the airport workers killed in the shootout was a key to the puzzle, as his wife was held hostage to force his cooperation in flying the terrorist out of the country.

Since he died, that gave Callen, Sam and Kensi another chance to nab him.

The airport worker's boss was also involved in the security breach, but the key link in the case was Mo, who in exchange for leniency helped NCIS find the terrorists.

Sam and Mo have now come full circle: They were once like brothers until disillusioned Mo joined a sleeper cell, only to help Dom escape, then reconcile with Sam.

The final conspirator was an insider - one of the MPs tasked with capturing the terrorist leader, which we had a sense about from the onset. Bad vibes all around!

In typical NCIS: Los Angeles fashion, the action scenes were intense, with the feel of a big-budget blockbuster. Sometimes a bit extreme, but always entertaining.

Meanwhile, Hetty felt the effects of Dom's death deeply, having lost her first agent since a guy named Sullivan 10 years ago. It seemed too much for her to bear.

Rocky Carroll made a visit as Director Vance, to whom she tendered her resignation. Fortunately, in one of the coolest scenes of the night, Callen picked his pocket.

That we did not see, or see coming. He then talked Hetty out of resigning, which was actually suspenseful. For all we knew, Linda Hunt might have been leaving.

Fortunately not. Callen was right: The place would fall apart without her.

Steve Marsi is the Managing Editor of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Google+ or email him here.