NCIS: LA: Densi, or How to Write an OTP
When you think OTPs (One True Pairings), NCIS: LA is not the first show that comes to mind.
This is a crime procedural, after all — one that stars Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J, not Eric Christian Olsen (who?) and Daniela Ruah (doesn’t ring a bell). Sam (LL Cool J) and Callen (Chris O’Donnell) are the stars — the “draw.” If you had to guess based just on the DVD covers, you’d think this was all about their bromance.
You couldn’t be more wrong.
Sure, it took a while. And yes, there was nonsensical drama; the type that you know is fabricated just for the sake of keeping a couple apart. On that regard NCIS: LA is no better than, let’s say Arrow or The Flash. But although this show does feature a bromance, and several supporting players, it also features, bar none, the healthiest relationship on television.
Big words, I know. I have the facts to back them up, I promise.
Marty Deeks and Kensi Blye were partners before they were even friends. And then they were friends long before they were a couple. In fact, like most procedural shows, the will-they/won’t-they relationship was taken to extremes and then pulled back to the friendship stage a few times before they finally decided to go through with it.
So what, you’ll say? You’ve described plenty of other relationships on TV. They are not the first partners-turned friends-turned couple we’ve ever seen, and they surely won’t be the last.
But it’s not about how these two got together, no. It’s about the fact that they’ve stayed together. It’s about how they’ve grown as a couple. It’s about communication, and not lying to the person you love. It’s about a show treating two adults in a consenting relationship like just that …two adults in a consenting relationship.
There was drama before, yes, but now that they’re a thing, Kensi and Deeks are done with all of that.
No sneaking around — everyone knows they’re together. There’s the occasional ribbing from the co-workers, but this is a non-entity for everyone, including their boss, and you know why that is? Because people in high pressure jobs can, occasionally, manage to do their jobs and have a love life.
Imagine that! It’s not as hard as TV makes it look. Sure, there are missteps, and sometimes it takes a while to find a new status quo, but when you care about the other person, you do it.
No lying to each other – not to protect each other, not for the greater good, not for any reason. Because when the going gets though, instead of turning elsewhere, these two turn to each other. They’re each other’s port in a storm. And isn’t that the ideal? Having the person you trust the most in this world be the one by your side?
No hiding things from each other – not even their fears and hopes. Because you can grow alone or you can grow as a unit, but the only way to do the latter is to communicate.
No stereotypical gender roles. They both work high-intensity, high pressure jobs. They depend on each other. And they have to trust that the other person doesn’t need protecting all the time, and that if they do, they’ll ask for it.
No over-the-top-drama when someone makes a mistake. Such is the way of life. People hurt the people they love sometimes. All you can do is face it head on, apologize and work on being better.
No making decisions alone – they’re a team, and that’s how they face life. Together.
Does any of what I’m saying sound familiar? No. It doesn’t. Because even though that’s how relationships are supposed to work in real life, that’s hardly how they work in TV land.
In TV land, you lie to your partner to protect them, you make decisions that affect both of you without consulting, you never, ever discuss the things that are worrying you or put what you want on the table for fear of getting hurt and the guys constantly have to save the girls from trouble.
And that’s what I expected out of Densi. Well, maybe not the last one, since the opposite was already well established, but as for the rest … I had no reason to anticipate otherwise. These were, after all, the same people responsible for the Tiva mess back on NCIS. How was I to know this time they were going to do it right?
But they are. Doing it right. So right that I’ve had people tell me they hate procedurals and still watch NCIS: LA. So right that as much as I appreciate Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J, the highlight of every episode is almost always a Densi scene. So right that CBS has moved them from Tuesday nights to Monday nights and now to Sunday nights and trusts to show to keep doing well.
So right that we’re now thinking weddings and babies are a possibility.
A wedding and a baby. On a procedural. Can you imagine that? I can’t, and I’ve watched these two characters actually discuss both these things, like mature adults in committed relationships do.
I’ve watched them do a lot of things just like mature adults in a committed relationship do.
Kensi and Deeks are not the rule when it comes to TV relationships, no, they’re the exception. And though drama is to be expected, we sort of hope more TV shows could take a page out of NCIS: LAs book. Drama is all fine and good, but it doesn’t all have to be internal. You can write a good story, an interesting story, and frame it around a couple that just gets through it together.
It is possible. It’s happening on TV right now. NCIS: LA is doing it. It’s just that some people might not have noticed.
NCIS: LA aired Mondays at 10/9c this past season. It will now air Sundays at 8/7c on CBS.
Lissete Lanuza Sáenz
Lawyer. Writer. Columnist. Geek. Falls in madly in love with fictional characters. Hates the color yellow, misogyny, and people who are late. Can always be found with a book. Watches an absurd amount of TV every week, often, while eating coffee ice cream. She has no regrets. You can check out her blog here: Absurday. Lissete is a senior writer for Tell-Tale TV. Follow @lizziethat
8 comments
And yet Kensi has never apologized for punching her partner in the face. That single action on her part undermines any pretense of a healthy relationship. Sure, the writer who was behind that debacle has since left the show (good riddance) but the damage done by that scene cannot be ignored and needs to be addressed with a proper apology and admission of wrongdoing on her part.
Except the fact that she did nothing wrong. Deeks f****ed up and she could have DIED, PLAIN & SIMPLE!!!!! there is no excuse because I’ve seen other cops/agents on other shows take the same, if not harder, shots and the hostage came out just fine. For arguments sake, let’s say she did feel the need to apologize for the punch. How do we know weather she did or not? Just because we have never seen an apology onscreen doesn’t mean it never happened.
Also, what happened in Afghanistan kind of put the relationship on hold for a year until Kensi actually asked him to be in a relationship. Deeks backed off after Afghanistan because he tortured a man for her and became afraid of turning into his dad. He hated his father and hates anyone who is anything like him, including Deeks himself. If he felt Kensi was anything like his father (she’s not) he would have left the team a long time ago and never would have agreed to go “All In” with her.
It’s not Deeks’ fault that Kensi pulled an ‘oh look at the baby’ (channeling Dr Kelso on Scrubs), put aside her weapon, lost her focus and got caught. A real military professional would have remained alert to her surroundings while instructing the kid to go inside. Kensi is supposed to be a big enough girl that she should be able to take responsibility when she’s the one who messed up.
OK I’ll give you its on her for becoming a hostage but I still stand by my opinion that Deeks has no excuse for not taking the shot. So therefore they both messed up.
Totally agree with you Jan. I love Densi and I adore Deeks but I have never forgiven Kensi for punching Deeks. He had just not long had surgery after his torture and she hits him! However, I have liked the way the writers have written them in Season 7. I hope the storyline they have come up with because of Daneila Ruah’s pregnancy is a good one and they don’t split them up again like they did last time because I wont forgive the writers if they do!!
I think they’ve been guilty, at times, of bringing up stuff and not dealing with. And the show isn’t perfect, of course not. But S7 was an example of how to write a mature relationship on TV, and I hope they keep writing them like that instead of regressing to punching/frozen lake/raccoon times.
I respectively disagree. Firstly “Decent”/Asension took place in May and “Frozen Lake” took place in November. So he was hit approximately 6 months post op. Second, he was drilled on the other side. I can tell by episode stills. I’m sorry but the fact he was tortured, tragic no less, does not excuse him from failure to take a shot he should & could have taken. He even admitted that later. Granted, like Jan pointed out, Kensi maybe could have prevented the situation entirely so I could concede she owes an apology for that. On the other hand I feel that its in the past where it belongs. I mean its been three years; I never have considered it domestic violence because on the job they have to be partners & only partners and it because of his failure to be that in that moment not over some couples’ dispute (no different than Danny punching McGarrett in the pilot of Hawaii Five-0 and McGarret actually took the type of shot Deeks should have taken); and Deeks has never acted afraid of Kensi even in a private setting. I do agree that they have been written as a couple in S7 fabulously.
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