NCIS: Los Angeles - Humbug - Review: "A Holiday Gift for the Fans"

Ahhhh, finally. It feels good to end an episode being really excited about what you just watched. And “Humbug” elicited that response. It offered the sweet sounds of a symphony, with all of the different instruments working harmoniously together to create a beautiful piece. This episode really offered something for everyone. Whether you love Kensi and Deeks, Callen and Sam, or Eric and Nell, it was easy to find something to love. The episode utilized all of the main characters and gave fans of each a special treat for the holidays.

There’s no doubt the holiday spirit was in the air – the episode felt like a present wrapped up in a nice little bow. Thankfully, the producers and writers of “NCIS: Los Angeles” were not in a “humbug” mood themselves. They were in a generous, giving spirit – and fans were on the receiving end.

There was so much to be happy about this week. For a long time I have wanted to see a glimpse of the characters’ personal lives. This week I got my wish. We got to see them with their families, their significant others, and together outside of work. It made the episode feel extra special. Having the case of the week revolve around the main characters was also a great move. That made you care more about the outcome and what they were doing along the way. And I loved that the episode dealt with the team members’ holiday plans. Hearing their vacation plans was fun – as if we were getting a peek behind the scenes. Plus, the episode emphasized how much of a family they really are. On top of all that rang the sweet sound of resolution. The Deeks and Kensi limbo has finally been resolved. The show has made a decision about their future instead of wavering back and forth – and it was a gratifying decision for Densi fans. With all that to talk about, beware: This review is a long one!


Callen

I loved how much we got to see of Callen’s relationship with his girlfriend Joelle. It’s about time Callen got a little love in his life! After only seeing their first introduction/date – and later being told they were still dating – it was great fun to see how close they really are. With Callen being such a private person, that inside look was fascinating. It looks like Sam and Michelle’s set-up really panned out.

One of the things I loved was seeing how much Callen wanted to protect Joelle. As soon as he finds out what happened to her, he immediately wants to rush to her side and make sure she’s okay. And at her house he is extremely meticulous (and inventive) in trying to keep her attention away from the windows and what is happening outside. He doesn’t want her to know she’s in any danger.

Callen was also incredibly sweet. When he shows up at her house, he brings groceries and wine, telling her he is going to cook dinner for her. (She is amused since he can’t even fry an egg.) Then he turns on some music so she can’t hear any outside sounds and starts dancing with her to keep her attention focused on him. It was clever and cute. This was a different, loving side of Callen that was nice to see. I don’t imagine Callen liking to dance much, but in this moment he showed a romantic side to keep her mind at ease. All of this showed how much he cared.

But that is complicated by the fact that Joelle doesn’t really know what Callen does for a living. She thinks he is a securities trader. He has a cover to maintain and can’t tell her the truth. This episode made me think how difficult it would be to not be able to tell somebody what you really do. Your job is part of your life and how you spend a large majority of your time. To have to hide that from someone you love would take a toll. You can see its effects on Callen. He feels guilty about having to lie to Joelle. For a closed-off, private person, keeping secrets like this would make a relationship even more challenging. Because of his background and upbringing, Callen is already someone who keeps his distance with people, taking time to trust them and let them close. So keeping secrets could easily be used an excuse not to allow himself to get closer. That’s why I loved that his secret was revealed in the end. It enabled Callen to be able to draw closer to Joelle and move forward with her. This will be a huge burden off his shoulders. Now he can truly let someone into his life and trust them with his secrets.

Of course, Joelle has a hard time trusting Callen after learning the truth and feeling deceived. She feels she doesn’t really know him. And obviously he has lied to her about what he does. Calling him a “humbug” – a fraud, an imposter – is not an easy thing for him to hear. But I love that he didn’t give up. He leaves her a voicemail message reaching out to her. Whatever he says, it works. She shows up at the ice-skating rink and gives him another chance. I loved how he lit up with just a look as he understood her intentions of wanting to get to know the real him. He is thrilled to have that second chance. And he really wants her to meet his “family.” That was a precious moment that brought tears to my eyes. For Callen, his NCIS team is really his family – the people he cares about who always look out for him. You see how much it means to him to introduce Joelle to them. As the two glance over to the group talking and laughing amongst themselves, they really do look like a family. Their bond was undeniable. Even though Joelle isn’t ready for that yet, at least he reached out and asked. And amidst that dramatic moment, I love that the scene (and episode) ended on a comical note as Joelle wants to know his first name. Too bad it’s not that easy for “G.” He can’t help but laugh as he replies, “That is a little bit complicated.”

Woven through Callen’s entire storyline with Joelle was a great theme – that of being “safe” in a relationship, of not taking a step forward and really putting yourself on the line and risking your heart. Joelle couldn’t express her feelings for Callen enough to buy him a personal gift. She wanted something that said, “You’re the most important person in my world,” but instead she bought him something safe, practical and unemotional. She was afraid of taking that next step that would show how much she cared and was invested in their relationship.

But after realizing this, she later does open up and take a risk by telling Callen she loves him for coming to be with her after her scare. Callen doesn’t answer, looking at first a little surprised and then guilty at having to lie about why he was there. I think her openness with him emphasized how he was not returning the favor. But later, with his secret out in the open, he took steps away from the “safe zone” as well. Leaving her a message, asking to introduce her to his “family” and being willing to reveal himself were all pieces of proof that he was willing to take a risk with his heart to try to keep her in his life.


Kensi and Deeks

That is the same issue Kensi and Deeks have been struggling with themselves. They have been playing things “safe” for a while now. They’ve made it very clear they like each other. But they haven’t been willing to take a risk to move forward. After going back and forth between them, Kensi recently has been the one to hold back, flirting with Deeks but not allowing them to really be a couple. (Yes, I now believe these two were not a full-on couple before this moment. This episode made that clear. And I also realized through enlightening comments a couple weeks ago that Kensi’s stealing of Deeks’ breakfast food in “Traitor” likely happened at work, not at home. So it didn’t imply as much as I thought.)

In fact, I believe the reason viewers were so confused about their status to begin with was because the characters were confused as well. They liked each other but were holding back. They wanted to move forward but yet they were scared. One minute one of them was ready, another minute the other one was. And it became a game. They partly acted like a couple because their feelings led them in that direction, but their heads were telling them to stop. So in essence they were getting their toes wet without jumping into the pool. But they didn’t realize as time went on, they kept wading deeper and deeper into the water. They were trying to stop themselves from having a full-on relationship while in reality they were still naturally heading in that direction. They were getting closer while trying not to be together. The boundaries were constantly being crossed, which left things hazy and murky – for them and us. We didn’t know what was happening because they didn’t know. I must say, I still think it was a great disservice to the viewers to string us along for this amount of time, but at least now I understand why the relationship was so confusing to fans. Kensi and Deeks themselves didn’t know how to define their “thing,” so why would we?

After all of that confusion and wondering what was going on between them, it made it extra sweet to finally see a decision. And it was nice to see Kensi thinking about what she wanted throughout the episode. Of course, we didn’t always know what she was pondering, but the groundwork was laid. Joelle’s thoughts were making Kensi reconsider her situation. Twice Kensi and Deeks talked about Joelle. First they comment on how crazy it is that Joelle can’t tell Callen how she feels about him or give him a gift that says she cares. As they lament the sadness of the situation, it’s very interesting to hear Deeks say, “Life’s a little short for that kind of hopscotch.” I thought that was a great line - and an ironic one. Kensi and Deeks both acknowledge that it makes no sense to jump all over the place without expressing real feelings, yet realistically that is what they are both doing with each other.

Then later when they are in the car together Kensi mentions that their job tends to ruin any chance of having a personal life. She is clearly struggling with the thought. It’s a view she’s expressed before. But Deeks sees things a lot simpler. He believes their upcoming snowboarding trip together is proof of their personal life. But Kensi believes it is simply convenient – they have the same days off and can easily travel together. Doing something with Deeks just because it’s convenient is beginning to bother her. That is not much of a personal life.

By the time she talks to Deeks at the ice-skating rink, Kensi has had time to think about this. And she has realized she doesn’t want things between them to be “safe” any more. She doesn’t want the relationship to be convenient. She doesn’t want them unable to take a risk for each other. She has finally understood that to be together, they need to go “all in.” Otherwise they are doing themselves a disservice. As she points out, if they’re holding back, they are not even fully being themselves with each other. In a great speech, she acknowledges that alone they are individually bold and brash – they can move mountains by themselves. But together they are safe. They don’t put everything on the line and don’t take a risk to let the other know how important they really are, despite the fact they are naturally risk-takers. They have played it safe instead of jumping in. And Kensi is finally ready to jump. As she grabs Deeks’ hand in her own, she tells him she wants to be bold with him. Deeks immediately understands what she is saying. He clarifies that they are agreeing not to play any more games – that they are putting all their chips on the table and going “all in.” And in that moment there is total joy. As they start to talk like a couple mentioning every moment they will be “all in” together, Deeks can’t wait for Kensi to finish her thoughts as he grabs her and kisses her. This is what he has been waiting for and he doesn’t want to wait any longer after knowing she is ready. As they pull apart both of them have huge smiles on their faces and Kensi shows a slight nervousness that reveals her vulnerability. It was great to see this side of Kensi, normally so sure of herself. In that moment she was vulnerable with Deeks, letting him in and risking her heart. This was the scene Densi fans have been waiting for – and though we waited a long time, it paid off! The scene couldn’t have been any better.

I even liked how Deeks tried to skate away from her when she first told him she wanted to talk. The fact that she had to work to gain his full attention made it even more impactful. She had to take a risk just to approach him about the subject. And when she finally had him there, taking the next step was a scary leap. But though she grew more and more nervous, she didn’t chicken out. She expressed her feelings bravely.

It is also interesting to note the place they had this conversation: an ice-skating rink, an important parallel to “The Frozen Lake.” In that episode, Kensi was worried about wanting something so much (a relationship with Deeks) that it destroys you in the end, using a metaphor of a frozen lake. In the metaphor, the desired object was in the middle of a frozen lake you thought you could reach without cracking the ice – but you are so focused on it, you don’t realize the ice is already falling apart around you. In Kensi’s mind it was very dangerous to want something so much it’s all you could see. She feared it would inevitably destroy them. So it’s significant that this new step forward took place on an ice-skating rink, a symbol of abandoning those fears and being willing to stand on the ice, being willing to risk any cracks and being confident they can make it without everything falling apart. Kensi is no longer thinking about all the dangers a relationship could create. She isn’t thinking about cracking the ice. She is willing to go out on the frozen water and take a step toward Deeks and see what happens.


Sam

I was entertained by Sam’s frustration with having to spend Christmas in San Francisco with his wife’s sister and her three cats in a very small place. He wanted time alone with his family, which showed his devotion to them. But when Callen questions him about why he just doesn’t tell his wife Michelle the truth, Sam laughs that Callen doesn’t understand marriage at all. I thought that was amusing considering how true it was.

It was nice to see Sam’s entire family in this episode. In the past it’s been hard to figure out how many kids Sam has because they don’t all live together. His youngest daughter (Kam – we finally heard her name, short for Kamran) lives at home, while his older son Aiden (whom we’ve never seen before) is in military school. In this episode we learn he hasn’t seen his son in three months because he didn’t get to come home for Thanksgiving. He was too busy working hard to become a cadet sergeant. Just like last week, we saw Sam questioning whether a young high school kid should be so serious. But that is clearly what his son wants.

Later when his wife Michelle gets the whole crew together to go ice skating (what a sweet thing for her to do), she gives Sam the best gift possible – bringing his son home for the holidays. Aiden has been promoted to cadet sergeant and his father is very proud of him. It was the perfect gift and a touching moment for Sam. And it was nice to finally see his whole family together.


Nell and Eric

Nell and Eric fans got a treat this week as the two talked about their own holiday plans. I love that they were planning to spend a holiday weekend together watching a Christmas horror movie festival. How unique! I love it when these two share similar quirky interests. So when Nell canceled their plans to go home early to see her family, Eric was disappointed but he understood. He knew what it meant to her to be able to go home. But then comes the big shocker: Nell suggests he come home with her. I was surprised at the offer – meeting the family is a big step. But it was a fun decision. And I loved the hilarious comic timing of Eric almost shocking himself on his electronic equipment as he hears her words.

I also loved his planning for the big trip. Thinking ahead, Eric realizes he will need a cover story since Nell’s family thinks she is a news editor. So he figures he can pose as a photojournalist (by day and a superhero at night. Very funny). Again, the comedic timing was perfect when Nell says his cover story will need to be more believable – and a boyfriend would be even better. Wow – that is bold! And again, Eric inadvertently sets off his camera flash with a nervous jolt at the suggestion. That is one holiday visit I would really like to see. There is no going back from pretending to be a couple in front of your parents. But the fact that Nell was willing to suggest it says volumes about where they stand with each other. (Even though, like Kensi and Deeks, I think these two have been too nervous to take the real jump.) As Eric leaves, it’s hilarious to see how much “Mr. No-Pants” has an aversion to long pants. Even going back East, he thinks all he needs will be a scarf with his shorts. Good old Eric.


Hetty and Granger

Hetty was hilarious in this episode as she helped interrogate the founder of the company whose malware had been stolen. I loved how Hetty sat very close to him on the same side of the table, intimidating him without any words. It amused me how such a small woman he didn’t even know could be that intimidating. But that is Hetty. And then she threatened to drop him in a prison until people found out the mistake. Linda Hunt was great in this scene.

Later we even get to see Granger as he made his way back from the hospital. He and Hetty had a funny conversation about him being a Grinch (perfect description) after he wants to work over the holidays. I loved how when Hetty claimed he must have a heart, he said he wouldn’t tell her where it was for his own personal safety. Knowing their history, I don’t blame him. And Hetty didn’t, either. These two have some nice moments together. This was one of them.



Other thoughts

- Poor Callen would have received a dress shirt and tie for Christmas if he hadn’t been able to tell Joelle the truth. Can you imagine Callen having to pretend he wears a suit every day to work? That made me laugh.

- I was amused by how Deeks just had to get information out of Joelle beyond the facts of the criminal case. He was a little sleuth. And he had a great suggestion for a gift: a leather gym bag for Callen. How perfect!

- I was totally grossed out when one of the Santa suspects offered to give Kensi some “indecent exposure.” Yuck! She handled herself very well, though. Better than I would have!

- I liked the scene where Deeks asks Kensi to go on vacation with him. I thought it was funny that he accidentally insulted her by saying, “There’s a great hotel up there that takes dogs if you want to come,” and then it was cute that he claims he’d discussed it with Monty. But most of all I thought this scene was a perfect example of the partners being “safe” together. After accepting the invitation, they had an adorable awkward moment highlighting the fact that they were purposely trying not to act like a couple. They high-fived each other about making “holiday plans.” Then Kensi deflected to talking about the case. It was pretty amusing – and drove home the point of the strangeness of where they stood with each other.

- Did you notice that Callen has a key to Joelle’s place? And I thought it was pretty funny how she grabbed a vase as a weapon when he came in. How convenient since Callen had brought her flowers!

- It was entertaining and comical to see Callen simultaneously dance and watch Kensi attack the man outside Joelle’s home.

- I actually thought Callen had been shot in the chest when the man shot his gun away. Thank goodness it was only a gash on his hand.

- Watching Deeks hold Kensi’s hand as they skated was a little twitterpating (especially not knowing what else was coming yet). He was quite the skater, going backwards and pretending to be an expert ice skater, wanting to do triple Salchows. Deeks is a definite show-off!

- I look forward to seeing more of Densi going forward. I actually don’t think being a couple will change them too much at work since we’ve already seen them so flirty with each other for a while. But I imagine that snowboarding trip will be a little different now that they are officially together!


What was your favorite part of "Humbug?" Did the episode leave you in the holiday spirit? Do you think partner dynamics will change after the holidays? Let us know your thoughts on the episode in the comments below.

About the Author - Tonya Papanikolas

Tonya Papanikolas is a entertainment journalist who loves covering her favorite TV shows, including "NCIS: Los Angeles." (She's a big fan of Kensi and Deeks!) She spent more than 10 years as a broadcast news anchor/reporter and now does everything from hosting to writing. She writes reviews and feature articles for SpoilerTV on a ton of great shows.