NCIS: Los Angeles - The Seventh Child - Review: "All About Children"

Children proved to be a prominent theme in “The Seventh Child.” From central plot devices to character discussions, the topic wove seamlessly through the episode. For Kensi and Deeks, a difficult discussion about having children ultimately led to an exciting talk about marriage. And Callen impacted the life of a young boy brainwashed by Al Qaeda.

The episode saw our NCIS team scrambling to figure out why two young twins were wearing suicide vests in Los Angeles. One of the boys was hit by a car, triggering an explosion. When the team looks into the remaining boy, Nadir, they uncover a mystery. The boy looks exactly like the son of an Israeli diplomat. But that child is in Israel with his father. It turns out the parents actually had three children but didn’t know it, since their corrupt fertility doctor in India impregnated surrogates with numerous embryos and sold some of the children on the black market. Many of those children were then trained to be human bombs in the United States. The team eventually finds more children wearing bomb vests. But Sam gets through to them and NCIS arrests the men behind the plan.

This episode, from both an emotional and gratification standpoint, was one of the best of the season. I thought the four main characters all had some wonderful moments on screen. The plot itself was intense. It was a scary thought to see children with bombs being used in jihad in the United States. But the shock of seeing the children kept you invested. And the tension and danger were balanced with a lot of raw, emotional moments. Callen’s bond with Nadir was incredibly touching. The boy’s reunion with (and discovery of) his parents was poignant. The conversations between Kensi and Deeks revealed their hearts and vulnerabilities. And the marriage talk at the end was a fantastic, exciting surprise. I loved this episode from beginning to end.

Sam and Callen

Sam and Callen were both clearly disturbed by this case. I loved that both partners wanted to be the one to go into the water tank to help Nadir. Sam tells Callen, “I should be in there.” (He does have bomb experience.) But Callen thinks he may be less intimidating than Sam. In this situation, he was right. Callen ended up being the perfect person to talk to the boy. As Callen works to convince him to take the bomb off, he begins to identify with Nadir. He lets the child know he understands what it’s like to be alone. He tells Nadir he never really knew his mom and didn’t know his first name until recently. But the kid doesn’t want to hear it. He is grieving his brother and doesn’t trust this new stranger. However, Callen slowly wins his trust. He is patient with the boy and understanding. He is gentle and firm. He lets Nadir know he is there to help him. And as they figure out what happened with his parents, Callen assures him he was wanted. Knowing Callen’s history, this was moving.

When the bomb squad can’t remove the bomb and the boy thinks he is going to die, Callen reassures him he’ll stay with him – even when everyone else is leaving. Bomb or no bomb, Nadir is a scared child, and he’s beginning to trust Callen. G also smartly figures out how to make the boy feel safe when the bomb squad needs to replicate his pulse. I loved that Callen opened up to Nadir. He admitted he spent a lot of time being scared when he was young. And then he offered his experience and wisdom, telling Nadir there would be people who came into his life who would make him feel safe when he was with them. All these scenes showed how much Callen cares. Yes, Callen wanted to keep the city safe from the bomb. But he also wanted to make sure Nadir was safe and secure – not only physically, but emotionally.

One of the best things about this connection was seeing Callen use his painful past for good. Everything he’d been through – all his experiences – came into play, and he was able to make a difference in a young boy’s life because he was willing to share the fear and loneliness he had once known himself. It was gratifying to watch the boy learn to trust Callen. I loved how he couldn’t stop hugging him when the bomb was finally removed. And the way Callen cradled and held Nadir brought tears to my eyes. Callen is going to make a great father someday.

Even after the threat was removed, Callen looked out for Nadir, asking him if he was okay and reassuring him that his parents would want him. When Nadir finally meets his parents, it was touching to see him break away from that important moment to acknowledge Callen, telling him that he was the one who made Nadir feel safe. I loved that Nadir then proved his friendship by wanting to know more about Callen, asking if G ever found out his first name. He’d heard what Callen said earlier after all, and with that bond of understanding between them, he now wants to know more about his special friend. Hearing Callen tell him his real name was extremely moving. He was sharing something intimate and special with this young boy, cementing their bond.

As for Sam, I enjoyed how decisive he was in the episode. He knew exactly where he needed to be and made smart, quick decisions. From telling Agent Rand he only wanted one FBI agent up on the roof, to determining if the bomb was still viable underwater, to insisting they get the boy’s parents on a video call, Sam was in top form. But the best Sam scenes were getting through to the boys wearing bomb vests. Just like Callen, Sam was the perfect person to talk to these children. He knew exactly what to say to give them second thoughts about what they’d been told to do. He talked about the prophet Muhammad never wanting people to commit suicide and never sending children to war. He told him they had parents and families. And he encouraged them to think about Allah and if God would want them to destroy each other or take care of one another. And when Sam needed to, he jumped in and grabbed the oldest boy before he could pull his trigger. Finally, he got through to them. It was a relief to see the children show they were scared, not wanting to die. Suddenly they were just regular children with regular child feelings. It was a tense and touching moment. Like Callen, Sam proved how much he cared about these kids. He would have given his life if anyone had pulled their trigger. But fortunately he was able to talk them down.

Kensi and Deeks

Oh, what an episode for Kensi and Deeks. I was initially surprised at how the topic of children came up. It seemed a little odd to me that Kensi just saw a “Mommy and Me” magazine in the store and decided to randomly buy it. But everything after that felt appropriate. These two have brought up the topic of children before, but suddenly things became very real for Deeks. He was terrified to think Kensi could be wanting children right now. The thought caught him by surprise and made him nervous. Kensi implied she wasn’t thinking about babies but perhaps becoming a big sister to a child. (I couldn’t tell if that was true.) But what followed upset them both. Deeks told her it would be a good idea – and not as big of a commitment as having children. His comment hits Kensi the wrong way. Suddenly they both realize they may not be on the same page when it comes to kids. Does Deeks not want children? Is Kensi hoping for them soon? They are rattled and each needs to find out what the other is thinking.

This is a difficult topic, but it was nice to see them having this conversation. In the beginning, I was a little surprised they were talking about children. It almost felt soon to have the discussion. They only recently moved in together. But then I realized it’s not too soon to be talking about it. Couples who want to spend their lives together have to make sure their individual desires line up. If they want to have a family, these are the things they need to discuss.

After being briefed on the case, they revisit the issue again. This time Deeks broaches the subject by telling Kensi having kids means the end of a lot of amazing things. When she asks if it would affect their partnership, Deeks is honest and says he doesn’t know. He says he doesn’t think he’d make a very good stay-at-home dad. Deeks points out Sam’s wife had to leave the CIA to take care of their children. The reality is if they want children, they likely won’t both be able to work at NCIS in dangerous jobs. As Kensi listens to Deeks, she has to clarify. Is he saying having children is never going to happen? Deeks’ answer surprises her. “I didn’t say that,” he responds. “Having kids is also the beginning of some amazing things.” I loved this shift, with Deeks going from being scared and nervous to revealing he also understands what a wonderful thing it would be. He is just considering what it all means for them. As they discuss the topic, they realize they got to this point quickly. But now they’re here – and there’s no turning back.

One of the highlights of this conversation for me was their silent emotions. The way they looked at each other – eyes full – showed their hearts and desires, and their recognition of the weight and importance of what they were discussing. In reality, if they don’t see eye-to-eye on this topic, it could break them apart. Their vulnerabilities and fears were laid bare. But you could also see how much they cared about one another. They want things to work. As they switched back to talking about the boy in their case, I loved how Deeks affirmed that he understood Kensi’s feelings. He agreed that the parents wouldn’t give up two children because they’d be the most important things in the world to those parents. His comment proved he valued the idea of having children. For a moment, Kensi looked pleasantly surprised.

I loved how many times this topic came up throughout the episode. It was already on their minds. And it wove in seamlessly with the case. So it felt natural when it came up again as they discussed Navid’s surrogate mother possibly having had a home birth. Kensi responds that’s what she’d do – and Deeks is shocked. He believes a new mother should give birth in a hospital with trained professionals who can help if something goes wrong. But Kensi protests that women have given birth for millions of years and she thinks she can handle it. That makes Deeks upset. He continues to opine that hospitals are safer places to have children. I loved Kensi’s response to him: “That’s funny. I thought we weren’t having a kid.” She is essentially asking Deeks why he cares so much about the hows of having children if he doesn’t want them, anyway. But Deeks claims he never said that.

At this point, the conversation becomes humorous. It’s almost a competition to see whose ideas should win. Deeks tries to play it cool with Granger there, but Kensi seems to have the upper hand. The funniest part was seeing Granger in the middle. I loved how Granger just watched them as if he couldn’t believe this was happening but was slightly intrigued. When Deeks asked Kensi, “Are we really having this conversation?” I loved how Granger jumped in with, “Seems like you are.” And Deeks kept looking at Granger as he made his points, as if he wanted back-up. When Deeks takes the topic to circumcision, though, Granger has had enough. He tells Deeks if he continues the discussion, he’ll be fired. What a great moment! Kensi and Deeks always say they don’t want to discuss their personal lives at work. But they are not very good at following through. Their coworkers always get in the middle of their personal discussions – and seeing Granger entwined was the funniest of all.

After all this, it seems like there’s no way their difficult conversation is going to get resolved. But suddenly the topic of children turns into something completely different – a talk about marriage! I didn’t see this coming at all. That made it even better. It was unexpected, fun and filled with emotion. I loved how nervous and tentative they both were as they broached the idea with one another.

The scene begins when Kensi asks Deeks if the day was too crazy for two people to have a baby. It was her way of feeling him out and seeing what his ultimate thoughts were on the subject. The question stops Deeks in his tracks, his face full of concern and frustration. He doesn’t have the answer and tells Kensi he doesn’t know. But that frustrates her in return, so she starts walking away. Just when you think their conversation is over, suddenly Deeks poses a new question: Was this kind of day too crazy for two people to get married?

That question stops Kensi cold. She turns around, stunned. She needs time to process the words so Deeks repeats the question. Kensi’s flustered answer was fantastic. She stammers around as she says, “No, I don’t think it’s too crazy for that, no.” Her eyes are emotional and you can tell she’s nervous. The two are reading each other, and you begin to see how excited they are at the thought of getting married – and knowing the other person is also interested. When Deeks realizes Kensi would want to marry him, he begins questioning if she is saying yes. (It’s just like Deeks to turn a hypothetical question into a proposal.) And then they both fall back into their fun, teasing rapport as Kensi tells him she isn’t going to say yes in the hall at work without a ring on her finger. To that, Deeks playfully asks if she wants him to get down on one knee. If he really wants to propose, Kensi lets him know he has to do it in a romantic setting at the right time – maybe then he’d have a chance. I loved their fun banter here. This was not a true proposal – that would be way too easy for Deeks – but it was a wonderfully reassuring moment. At the heart of their teasing lay all their excitement.

You could see this excitement when Kensi turned around to walk away. As soon as she’s out of Deeks’ view, Kensi crinkles her face, silently screaming with exhilaration, unable to believe what just happened. She hadn’t been expecting anything like this. But it was a glorious and welcome surprise. Deeks showed his excitement as he followed her down the hall, smugly exclaiming she had basically told him yes. It may have been too early to think about kids, but this felt like the right time to talk about marriage. That is more of a practical next step for them, one that doesn’t require them to give up their jobs right now. I couldn’t be more thrilled for this couple. In the end they showed they are not afraid to make a true commitment.

What did you think of "The Seventh Child?" Did it tug at your emotions? Were you shocked at Deeks and Kensi's marriage talk? What was your favorite moment with Callen and Nadir? Share your thoughts 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.