NCIS: Los Angeles - Black Market - Review: "Dramatic Progress"

The NCIS: Los Angeles team helps track down two Chinese Triad assassins who killed a Homeland Security agent in “Black Market.” In the process they uncover a warehouse of counterfeit purses that leads them to another Homeland Security agent who is stealing government money. Nell joins Deeks in the field again as they work the case. Kensi is still in a coma but a visit from Hetty reveals that Kensi can apparently hear and understand what’s going on. When Hetty tells Kensi to squeeze her hand, Kensi does – more than once! That’s a great sign she will be headed back to consciousness and our team – hopefully soon.

With the absence of Kensi in the field, the writers are doing a nice job utilizing the rest of the team. The character shuffle is working. Having Nell express her hesitancy to Granger about filling in for Kensi was a nice added touch. It was almost a nod to the fans that the show isn’t trying to replace Kensi. Losing an essential character, even for a short time, is always tough but the show is making the most of Daniela Ruah’s pregnancy and Kensi’s medical issues. They are purposely highlighting the rest of the team and their strengths, while also creating drama with Deeks as he anxiously waits for Kensi to wake up.

Sam and Callen

I was happy to see more of Sam and Callen this week, beginning from the moment Callen walks slowly into the office. He is so sore he can’t even sit down. When Sam questions him, Callen reveals he decided spur-of-the-moment to compete in a triathlon. “So you just momentarily lost your mind and thought you were 20 again?” Sam asks. They tease each other back and forth but Callen is clearly hurting since he didn’t train at all before competing.

After fighting one of the two Chinese assassins, Callen makes viewers easily forget he is sore – he steps in to defend Sam from being knifed. Just as Sam requested, Callen doesn’t let his soreness affect his work. But as they track down the Homeland Security leak, Callen’s stiff muscles become obvious again when he can barely get out of the car at the suspect’s house. Callen points out, though, that he got the job done when it mattered.

Deeks and Kensi (and Hetty)

It’s wonderful to see that while Kensi is in a coma, we’re still seeing her in the show. It wouldn’t have had the same impact to just hear mentions of her in the hospital. Instead, the medical drama is played out on screen in front of viewers. It’s great to see Deeks visiting Kensi at the hospital. It feels realistic. Deeks’ focus is on Kensi, as it should be. He still has to work but he clearly wants to be at the hospital all the time, which is sweet.

Their first scene together was poignantly sweet. We see Deeks talking to Kensi, bringing her coffee, telling her to wake up. Then he freaks out when he notices her engagement ring is missing from her finger. Turns out the hospital staff took it off, and a nurse tells him it would be best if he held onto it a little longer until Kensi wakes up. I, for one, don’t want Kensi waking up to see a ring on her finger and wondering where it came from. So I was happy with this choice. I want the whole proposal to happen again when she is awake. This way we get to see it with Kensi alert and aware.

When the case is over Deeks goes back to the hospital, where we see him asleep in a chair next to Kensi’s bed. Woken by Hetty in a hilarious scene where he thinks his mother is yelling at him because he missed the bus (and Hetty says “hell no” she is not his mother), Deeks then shows how much he cares about Kensi. Without thinking twice about who is watching him, he kisses Kensi’s forehead and tells her he loves her – all in front of Hetty. His first instinct is to take care of Kensi and express his love, no matter who is there. He sees Hetty watching him and it doesn’t faze him. His compassion is real, and Hetty sees it.

After telling Deeks to go home and get some sleep, Hetty then approaches Kensi. She knows her agent has been through a lot, but Hetty tells Kensi she is needed and it’s time to wake up. Then Hetty orders Kensi to squeeze her hand. “I won’t say it again,” she insists. And suddenly, slowly, Kensi wraps her fingers around Hetty’s hand – three times in a row, even after Hetty tells her to rest. What an exciting moment. Kensi is in there. She is working her way back. But the moment also raises questions. At what point did Kensi become aware of people talking? Did she hear other things going on around her – mainly Deeks’ proposal? The answers will come in time. But for now, this is great news for Kensi’s recovery. And although it would have been nice to see Kensi respond to Deeks, it felt appropriate that Hetty was the one to get through to her. No one denies Hetty. When Hetty gives an order, Kensi listens.

Nell and Deeks (and Granger)

Nell once again filled in for Kensi in the field – but this time she was more nervous. Nell first makes an offhand comment to Deeks that soon Kensi and her perfect driving skills will be back and Kensi and Deeks can live happily ever after. The comment wasn’t meant to hurt but it was callous and Nell immediately apologizes for her insensitivity. But it revealed her insecurity about living up to Kensi and her skills.

The good thing is, nobody expects her to be Kensi. The show is emphasizing that. Nell is never going to be the same as Kensi – they’re different people with different strengths. They are both unique and qualified at their jobs but they are different. And that is not a bad thing. Nell is not expected to be Kensi – and she shouldn’t be. She has her own skill set.

Nell is the one to notice all the purses are fake – she is a detail-oriented person who can spot a knock-off easily. She also proved she had some good chatty skills as she talked with the man in the coffee shop to see if he could be their DHS leak. And Nell proves her mettle in a shootout with the Chinese assassins. After Deeks impressively jumps up the stairs to drop on top of a guy, Nell puts another Chinese man in a choke hold, which she claims she learned from a textbook. Deeks is once again impressed as he tells her, “Wow, Nell-asaurus!”

Deeks and Nell have a natural rapport between them. He teases her about her driving. She ignores him when he asks for coffee. He acts like a know-it-all as they watch Sam and Callen in their interrogation. And they talk about Kensi. Deeks was hilarious as he told Nell that Kensi can be a good cop/bad cop all by herself – she just uses her “good eye and her weird eye.” I like how Nell joined in the banter and played off Deeks. But the best moment comes when Nell claims Kensi is “one tough mother” and they both fall silent and contemplative as they think about Kensi. It was nice to see this genuine moment beyond the teasing. Nell is compassionate and wants to be there for Deeks.

But Nell’s confidence in her abilities is shaky. Fortunately Granger calls her out in a supportive way. When he asks her how things went, Nell is honest. “I have pretty big shoes to fill,” she tells him. Though she wants to step up, she says she can’t stop thinking about Kensi and the reason she’s getting this opportunity. Nell makes it clear she is uncomfortable with being Kensi’s replacement. This is a credit to her character. She doesn’t just want to inherit the job from someone she respects without any thought for them. Granger, who has been looking through applications just in case, emphasizes to Nell that she wasn’t in the field to replace Kensi but to honor her. Granger’s words mean a lot to Nell. She is grateful for the encouragement. You see a bond between the two growing as he orders her to call him by his first name.

Eric (and Granger)

Eric was adorable this week. It was cute how excited he was for Nell to be in the field. I love how much they support each other. But my favorite Eric moments were his scenes in Ops where he’s busy talking to himself – and talking to an imaginary Nell, going over all the things he wants to tell her and writing them down so he’ll remember. When Granger comes in, all he sees are the words “spanking,” “whipped cream” and “domination” on Eric’s pad of paper. Saying he has a “personal and professional obligation” to not let him tell Nell any of those things, Granger rips up the paper, telling Eric he will thank him later. Oh, Eric!

Eric is a character of loyalty, and that trait shined through when he approached Granger and saw the assistant director looking through applications. Asking if Granger was replacing Kensi, Eric builds up the nerve to say, “I know for a fact Kensi is gonna be back. Besides, she’s irreplaceable!” Eric is a good friend! Unfortunately Granger shoots him down, saying he wished that were true. He knows all of them are replaceable.

But you see Granger’s softer side when he visits Kensi at the hospital and talks to Kensi’s mother. These two both understand what it’s like to have a child they’re not around. Kensi’s mom expresses how hard it would be to lose her daughter again. And then Granger asks her to coffee. I got the impression he didn’t want to have to replace Kensi and was hopeful he may not have to. He cares about what happens to his team.

Other Thoughts

- I love that Nell had the gumption to ask Granger if the female Chinese assassin was another of his former love interests.

- I was glad Callen asked about Kensi – another example of how this team cares.

- I enjoyed the team banter about exotic animals, with Sam acting like Deeks was a monkey and Deeks saying he was more of a jungle cat.

- Wasn’t that a cool move how the Chinese woman walked up the wall and did a backflip over Deeks? Awesome stunt!

- Nell drives a MINI? That makes total sense! And how funny that she had to sit on a first aid kit to reach the steering wheel in the company car.

- I couldn’t help but think how strange it would be if Granger and Kensi’s mom hit it off. That would be the weirdest in-law pairing on TV!


What did you think of "Black Market?" Do you believe Kensi heard Deeks' proposal? Were you shocked to see her move? What did you think of Nell in the field this week? Let us know 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.