The NCIS: Los Angeles season 5 premiere didn't waste a moment. The action picked up right where it left off in season 4 finale with Michelle hanging off the side of a building and Isaac Sidorov holding Deeks and Sam.

"Ascension" was action-packed, filled with tension and the perfect conclusion to the epic season finale. As great as it was, I would have preferred to see the two parts back-to-back weeks with the time jump as the cliffhanger. The long summer wait was well worth it though.

The Barbies were no match for Michelle and Kensi. It was awesome to see the women being so bad ass. I'm not sure how Michelle had the energy to continue fighting after pulling herself up from outside the building. And, Kensi rocked it even more when she pulled the scam in the ambulance to get the location of the auto parts store.

With nuclear weapons in the hands of criminals, there's not much that the team wouldn't do in order to get them back. In this case, it meant that instead of taking the tortured Deeks and Sam to the hospital, they had to remain behind to re-establish Quinn's cover and protect her life.

This mission required quick thinking and actions by all involved. I never would have guessed that NCIS had prepared kits to fake someone's death. They definitely came in handy for covering Michelle and saving both Deeks and Sam's lives.

I did appreciate that it was clear from the beginning that Quinn, Sam and Deeks were all in on the plan. It would have been devastating to watch her shoot her husband and Deeks with the belief that it was real, especially after Deeks never gave up her name.

In addition to the action, there were several touching moments. When Deeks told Sam, "I didn't give her up." their relationship was forever changed. Sam had been disrespectful to Deeks just before they were taken, now he knows that Deeks is much more than his long hair and witty comments.

In the aftermath of the Deeks and Kensi kiss, their relationship had also changed. It pained her as a partner to see Deeks in pain and tortured. While he didn't want her to see him that way. What happened next between them will forever change their friendship and partnership.

Deeks' admission that Kensi was what got him through the torture was powerful. It wasn't just the words that he said, but that he was able to verbalize his feelings at all. He had never been able to tell her how he felt even in the slightest way.

Deeks: Kens, I just want you know that the place that I went to in my head to stop the pain was you. I just kept thinking about your smile and your laugh. Everything. It's the only thing that got me through. For whatever it's worth. | permalink

The kiss was his first expression of love towards her. With his proclamation, he put it all out in the open. There's no more dancing around it or ignoring it while continuing their partnership as it was. Deeks clearly was traumatized by the torture, so it's probably not the best time for him or her to make life-altering decisions either. 

For someone who is usually so serious and faulted Deeks for his fun nature, it was a surprise to see Sam show up with toy teeth. And, then for Callen to join in. They realized that to start the healing would take laughs and they accomplished that. The team was damaged, but they survived.

As far as the missing nukes are concerned, they were found and with that the case was over. Well, except for Marcel Janvier. Callen visited him in prison four months later and the Janvier taunted him, "The game is not over." Will he break out of prison? If anyone can, Marcel Janvier can.

With the four month time jump, it will be intriguing to see what has happened to Deeks after being tortured and declaring his feelings. And, which has a greater impact on his life. Will Deeks and Kensi still be partners? Will he still be a cop? A full-fledged NCIS agent? It's a good thing we only have to wait one week to find out.

What should happen between Deeks and Kensi now? Partners? Lovers? Both? Will Deeks be able to recover from the torture?

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.