NCIS: Los Angeles - Command & Control - Review: "Spotlight on Densi"

In “Command & Control,” Sam and Callen are targeted by a suspect who is trying to get revenge on NCIS for shooting and killing his brother, a drug smuggler. The man, Chad Brunson, leads the partners on a wild goose chase to stop a series of bombs. Fortunately they stop the bombs and save innocent people every time. Right before they shoot Brunson, he tells them it was one of their own who gave up their names.

I thought the plot was interesting enough this week. Sam and Callen did a nice job of diffusing all the threats. But for me it was the Deeks and Kensi scenes that made this episode so fun. I love how much we’re seeing of these two together. Finally we are getting a front row seat to their love story. It’s gratifying to see their relationship progressing so seamlessly. It was also nice to see more of Eric and Nell this week.

Deeks and Kensi

After forcing so much stagnation last year, the “NCIS: Los Angeles” writers are proving every week that they intend for this couple to finally be a real couple. Deeks and Kensi are going strong. Each week we are being treated to moments that show how much they care about one another. They are not holding back – and we get to watch them show their affection. What a treat that has been.

These two are still fun and playful with each other, but they are also sweet and tender in ways a new couple should be. They are enjoying their relationship and where they are with one another. They are comfortable with where they are. And they are relishing what they have together. They are also thinking about the future. This was clear with Deeks in this episode.

My favorite scene was the breakfast scene where Deeks makes Kensi frittatas. As they sit down to eat, Kensi is just enjoying the good food and nice moment with her boyfriend. But Deeks is distracted. He is thinking about the week Kensi spent undercover being lavished by a billionaire (who was funding domestic terrorism). Kensi was clearly wined and dined as she tried to get the man to talk. When all was said and done, the man was arrested – but Deeks was left thinking about money. He tells Kensi he doesn’t mind not having money himself but he feels bad not being able to give her nice things and spoil her that way. This was very thoughtful of Deeks. It shows how much he truly cares about Kensi that he wants to make her happy.

Kensi is just as sweet in return. She tells Deeks she has dated guys with money before and it means nothing. All she ever wanted was the feeling that Deeks gives her. She just wants Deeks by her side. “I don’t care where I have breakfast,” she tells him, “as long as you are there.” After this I loved how Deeks went in for a kiss. It was a comforting kiss, one that showed he appreciated what Kensi had to say; he wanted to show her he understood and trusted her. She had appeased his fears. As he pulled back, he looked at her with so much love in his eyes, it was unmistakable. His statement, “I love that T-shirt” almost felt like an “I love you.” It’s great to watch these two having meaningful conversations about the future. They envision being in one another’s lives as time goes on. They want to make each other happy.

There were other sweet moments throughout the episode, too. Kensi continues to acknowledge Deeks in front of the team, like when she told them all she liked “things with flaws” instead of perfect billionaires. The way she tickled Deeks at breakfast was adorable. And the way she appreciated his cooking was also cute.

Then there were the scenes about flipping houses. At first when Deeks asks Kensi about buying a house in the neighborhood, Kensi thinks he is trying to lavish her with expensive gifts. But Deeks teases her that not everything is about her. (He does it in a cute way.) He clarifies he wants to flip the house and make some money. He thinks he is an expert because he’s watched home flipping on TV, and he wants Kensi to do it with him. He tries to persuade her, calling her “baby” as he asks what she thinks. (How cute was that?) But Kensi thinks it’s a terrible idea and is not interested in pooling their money to flip a home.

Of course, Deeks doesn’t want to let it go and later gets excited to tell Eric about his plan. (Deeks is always funding Eric’s crazy plans. Maybe it’s time for Eric to invest in Deeks’ plan for once!) Kensi laughs when Deeks claims it is their plan together. She has no intention of letting Deeks “pillage all her savings.” But he just goes on about how he’ll get a TV show out of it – with Monty, too.

Kensi and Deeks were such a joy to watch this week. I loved all their interactions. It was fun to see them home together and fun to see them interacting at work in a cute way. I’m just loving them so much this season! Their relationship has been a total turnaround from last season. I’m glad the writers have finally come around to offer us so many great moments for the couple.

Sam and Callen

The plot of the episode revolved around Sam and Callen. They worked together to stay ahead of the bomber and make sure no innocent people were injured by his crazy actions. Even when they were doing things they didn’t want to do, they stayed cool under pressure. They had no choice but to silence two security guards, steal diamonds and escape from the LAPD, but their levelheaded thinking kept them one step ahead. I love watching these two work together.

The partners also had a short fun scene before the chaos began as they debated about Sam’s acai bowl. While Sam always loves healthy food and drinks, Callen is much more skeptical. (He acts like he is drinking a “baby-food smoothie” just to appease his friend.) He voices his distrust of acai, saying it’s a trendy food that will go out of style when something new comes in to replace it. And of course Sam knew about the newest healthy food trend.

But their conversation is interrupted when a biker gives them a phone, and Brunson on the other end alerts them to a bomb. Fortunately they act quickly to save everyone at the bus stop where the bomb is about to go off. It was fun watching Callen save the woman and little girl, knowing the actors were Chris O’Donnell’s real-life daughter and wife. That gave some extra excitement to the scene – though it would have been fun to see them a little more. You barely saw them on screen at all, but it was still a nice heartfelt moment.

I also enjoyed the mention of Joelle when Sam was talking about how all of their loved ones and family members would be in lockdown. It was nice to know Callen is still dating her. I love those little hints into the characters’ personal lives so we’re not left in the dark.

Eric, Nell & Granger

I was happy to see more of Eric and Nell this week. I enjoyed the scene of Eric practicing his jiu jitsu training. He was so funny crawling around on that mat, trying to exercise. He looked like such a goofball! I found it interesting to hear him mention he was coming along with his firearm training. But then he admits he’s too nervous to actually go to his jiu jitsu class. He looked so disappointed and intimidated when Nell confesses she’d dated an instructor at the facility. He doesn’t want to be outdone by a jiu jitsu instructor when he can’t even get past the warm-up. But it was cute how Nell tried to console him and act like it didn’t matter. She wanted to make him feel comfortable.

I didn’t realize Eric wanted to be in the field as much as he does. It was sad to watch him offer to go with Granger and then have Granger stare back at him like he was crazy. Poor Eric! Nell was put in a funny situation when Granger said he would take her instead. But the look on her face was cute. It showed an awkward uncomfortableness that said, “I’m sorry. I feel for you – but I can’t really do anything about it.”

I quite enjoy Nell and Granger together. The two of them are always a little awkward, but that makes it more fun to watch. Nell’s “Karate Kid” dialogue was great as she told Granger she didn’t know if this was a “Mr. Miyagi, Daniel-san, don’t-ask-any-questions” kind of moment. Then after listening to his advice on what to look for since they didn’t find any obvious clues at the garage, she responded, “Miyagi ain’t got nothing on you… Sir.” Granger has a lot to teach her and it was nice that she listened and took it all in.

But I was very happy that Granger also addressed her self-deprecating attitude. Nell often has no confidence when it comes to being in the field. She thinks of herself as “tagging along” and thinks maybe she was getting in Granger’s way. Hearing her talk like that annoys me. Agents can’t be that self-conscious on the job. She needs to stop acting like she doesn’t add anything helpful to the team and be confident in her abilities. So I was thrilled when Granger said exactly what I was thinking. He told her not to belittle herself or her accomplishments because she deserved respect – she’d earned it. I hope she took the talk to heart. She needs to know that her skills and accomplishments are important to the team. I’d like to see her confidence shine through when she leaves Ops.

It was definitely sweet, though, when she got choked up and emotional after hearing Granger’s speech and then reading Eric’s text wanting to know how it went. It was cute that he wanted all the details. You rarely see Nell emotional so it was fun to see that she took it all in and was feeling good about everything. I also loved how she wanted to grab Eric to take him to eat with Kensi and Deeks. She appreciated the fact that he was checking on her and she didn’t want to leave him out. It was important for her to include him. That was a nice moment.

Other Thoughts

- I enjoyed how the beginning of the episode differed a little from the usual “NCIS: LA” format. Instead of opening with a team moment following the opening sequence, we saw a flashback scene from five hours earlier. Sometimes it’s fun to see the show veer from their usual format and do something different.

- I loved seeing Kensi all dressed up in that expensive $3,000 dress. She looked beautiful!

- It was also fun seeing Kensi in her Iron Maiden T-shirt and torn skinny jeans. She looked cute in her casual, day-off clothes.

- It was impressive how Sam and Callen didn’t hesitate when they were asked if they would give up their lives for strangers. They are selfless and ready to sacrifice themselves all the time.

- I liked how the whole team worked together to stop the bomb in the catering truck. While Sam disarmed the bomb, the rest of the team fought off the other men. As always, it took them working together to come out ahead.

- We have another mole in NCIS? It’s weird that once again someone from inside the agency is giving out sensitive information. As Granger mentioned, the information could have come from the previous mole before he was apprehended. But I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.

- I am really excited for Michael Weatherly to guest star on next week’s “NCIS” crossover episode. I love him! That should be a really fun episode. I can’t wait to see how he gets along with all of our “NCIS:LA” team members.


What did you think of "Command & Control?" How much are you enjoying Deeks and Kensi this season? Do you have any thoughts on the potential mole? Join our discussion in the comments below.

About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas

Tonya Papanikolas is an online, print and broadcast journalist who loves covering entertainment and television. She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor/reporter and now does everything from hosting to writing. She loves covering NCIS: Los Angeles for SpoilerTV. (She's a big fan of Kensi and Deeks!) She also writes SpoilerTV articles on other great shows.