NCIS: Los Angeles Review: The Silo (Season 9 Episode 7)
If you’re not a Densi fan, or you’re not here for Densi gushing, I warn you, this might be the time to turn away. There will be other, more balanced reviews where I get the chance to talk about how much I genuinely love everyone on this show (except Mosley).
This is not one of them. This is a Densi love-fest. And I’m not even apologizing for it.
NCIS: Los Angeles Season 9 Episode 7, “The Silo,” goes into what it means to love someone, to be loved, and what the fear of losing that connection will do to a person. It also puts the main couple in this show in a position of conflict without going the cliché way of breaking them up without having them talk about it.
Love is not easy. If you add a high stress job to the bargain, it all becomes that much harder, especially when it seems like you might not be in the same place as your partner.
Because let’s be clear, Deeks loves his job, but he’d give it all up for Kensi in a heartbreak. Kensi, however, is still too tied up to what she is, what she can do as a NCIS agent.
And – the best thing is, the show doesn’t just flip male/female stereotypes, it takes no sides. Deeks’s POV is presented and respected, as is Kensi’s. More importantly, they’re allowed to talk about it and yes, they’re allowed to not reach a conclusion.
That’s life, after all. Decisions are rarely simple, and they’re rarely reached in the requisite forty minutes.
Add to that the fact that the show doesn’t shy away from the fact that these two are coming at the issue from very different perspectives. Deeks has been the one left behind too many times. He knows how it feels. Kensi doesn’t, not really.
One gunshot wound before they were even friends doesn’t compare.
Would knowing change her? Maybe. But right now, she can’t see it from Deeks perspective, not really. All she can do is try.
All they can both do is try. Try to find a middle ground. Try.
Is this the end of Kensi and Deeks, or, at least, the beginning of the end? No. And I can give a categorical answer because this show has proven, again and again, that they’re not here to play games or add unnecessary drama.
They’re here to show us a real relationship, with its ups and downs, and they’re here to take these two characters on a journey that allows them to grow, to change, and one that, presumably, keeps them on the team after they do.
Because this show doesn’t work without Kensi and Deeks. And I’m pretty sure the people in charge know that.
If they didn’t, this episode proved why – and the performances of Eric Christian Olsen and Daniela Ruah are a big part of the reason why.
Did you cry? If the answer is no, then I’m gonna need you to give me some tips, because I cried all the way through from the call to the end of the episode, and then I cried about five more minutes as I stared at the TV, unseeingly.
That moment when Deeks can’t even look at Kensi, he’s feeling so much. How her eyes reflect everything, from her hesitance to her total and complete devotion.
Give these two an award, a standing ovation, something. They deserve it.
“I can’t go through what Sam went through,” Deeks tells Kensi, and that’s the setup for that comes next, and this is not just a real problem, it’s not one with an easy solution.
But, knowing this show, it’s one that they’re gonna let develop, and one that, when they “solve,” they’re gonna do it in a way that makes sense, and one that brings the character even closer together.
All aboard the S.S Densi. There’s no better ship on TV.
Other things to note:
- I call BS on no one checking the briefcases before they went down.
- Though I appreciate them trying to show that Kensi and Deeks squabble, something which surprises no one who’s been watching this show for long, this didn’t seem like the episode to start with the whole stupid grilled cheese argument.
- Especially cause we haven’t seen them fight over stupid domestic shit before.
- But, I guess that’s how life is. One second you’re fighting about grilled cheese, the next you’d give anything to be back in that silly fight.
- I know Kensi is like, Kensi, but …she dated this guy 10 years ago. I don’t know that I’d much care about the opinion of someone I haven’t seen in that much time.
- Mosley doesn’t really strike me as the boss who’ll fight for her team, tooth and nail.
- She also comes off as anything BUT useful. Was keeping the secret really necessary? If she tells the team they don’t waste time trying to figure it out.
- Bring back Hetty, please. The experiment has lasted enough for me.
- Harley, however, I like. Especially when she’s doing the taking down suspects thing and the guys are doing the talking.
- Deeks/Sam/Callen team-ups are some of my favorite things. The dynamic shouldn’t work as well as it does, but here we are.
- Probably because the actors genuinely like each other.
- I love that Deeks is the one interrogating the suspect. It shows not just trust, but respect for his abilities, and that’s been a long, arduous road.
- I don’t love the suspect giving them a way to identify the other operatives.
- The level of anxiety I felt watching this episode was about as high as it’s ever been for an episode of this show – of TV in general. And I didn’t even think Kensi was going to die!
- Eric Christian Olsen’s Instagram post promoting the episode, and the care and respect he has not just for his character, but for Daniela Ruah, make him hotter than I can explain in words.
- Respect is sexy.
What did you think of this episode of NCIS: LA? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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NCIS: LA airs Sundays at 9/8c on CBS.
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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
5 comments
I loved your review and please keep gushing about Densi. This was a great episode . It was well written, action packed, and superbly acted by the cast.
The highpoint was the Deeks and Kensi storyline and the incredible acting by Daniela Ruah and Eric Christian Olsen, they really deserve some acting award. My eyes misted when Kensi called Deeks, but the final scene between Daniela Ruah and Eric Christian Olsen brought many tears to my eyes and reminded me how much chemistry this Densi ship has, and how TPTB have allowed them to develop as characters. The characters are moving forward in their relationship and it is being depicted realistically as you so aptly described.
I thought they tried in this episode to temper Mosley, she was okay , however, Mosley was of no use to anyone on the team. She is the opposite of Hetty, all talk about her and her position , but cannot pull in any favors. They need to move on from her, she is dragging the show down.
Well, I’m not a big Densi fan, but I really liked this episode (although that had more to do with the writing than anything else). I thought everyone was excellent, especially Dani, and I actually could see this as the end of (or break from) Densi–at least, temporarily–and that might be a good move dramatically. I mean, this is the only dramatic show I can think of where the resident couple’s major problems in their relationship have been external, and that is boring and unrealistic, especially given the characters’ high-stress jobs. I disagree about checking the briefcases; they must have the highest clearance (that’d be like checking the briefcases of the NCIS agents every time they came to work). I also liked Mosley in this episode and don’t understand your comments: she was restricted by Sec Nav in what she could tell the team and she encouraged Deeks to continue to try and reach Kensi (we all saw how effective Hetty was going through official channels when Michelle was kidnapped–NOT). I liked Callen telling Deeks to stay behind to keep trying to reach Kensi (looking out for his team again). Haley is becoming more of a team player, but she’s in the field and it’d be hard not to be impressed with the team’s skills. I liked the suspect giving them info about others; it shows his arrogance. For me, the show could certainly work without Densi (heresy, for some, I know), but Kensi is one of my favorite characters, and I was glad she wasn’t rescued by the guys yet again but did the rescuing. I hope the writers keep up this tension within the relationship. As Callen said, this is so much more than grilled cheese (one of my favorite lines).
Thanks for the review (even though, I’ll confess, I’m not a gushing Densi fan). I like Military’s writing (he’s really improved from earlier seasons); he, Harimoto, and Gemmill are probably my favorites now (Kalstein was before leaving). I really like the direction this season; there’s much less “cutesy” stuff which seems more in line with being NCIS agents. I thought this episode was tightly constructed and everyone did a terrific job (I do wish Deeks would stop throwing things when he gets mad, especially in the armory). I also think the main reason Deeks was interrogating the suspect was more a matter of logistics than respect for any special skills; Callen was at OSP talking to Mosley. I do like the questions this raises for Kensi and Deeks and the possible conversations we might see later this season. Overall, a very satisfying episode.
NCIS LA is getting worse since they have Deeks join them and make him with Kensi engaged and they are not a match. They have kid (Eric) working at the ops and try to make him special agent. The story line is getting worsened. How many times Hetty had to resigned or retired, almost the same stories line seasons after seasons.
Where was this episode shot (the “silo” itself up on that mountain)? Was it Mt. Diablo in Northern California?
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