NCIS: Los Angeles Review: Welcome Back

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Deeks is back at work! His return wasn't without doubts about his readiness, but that would have been the case whether it had been hours, day, weeks or months. After the time away, he was bound to be rusty regardless of his mental state.

While Deeks struggled at times, one area that wasn't a problem was his partnership with Kensi. All it took was a few torture jokes and they were back to their crazy, yet effective partnership.

Deeks Looks Happy

The case of the week started out literally with a bang when the CEO of a biotech company, Tom Norris, was killed when his beautiful Ferrari blew up. NCIS: Los Angeles has had plenty of chase scenes -- they always run, right? In "Omni," we had awesome car chases! The Ferrari, the Cobra, and then even Sam's "American muscle" were all worthy car chase machines. Norris' membership in an exclusive car racing club provided a unique backdrop for the episode.

Hetty's Cobra tied together the jokes about Sam's "husky" size, the case, and showcased Kensi's kick-ass driving abilities. After both Sam and Callen were denied the chance to drive her car, it was fitting that Kensi not only took a chance by driving it, but did an amazing job showcasing the Cobra on the race track. It was only topped by Hetty's admiration of Kensi's driving abilities.

NCIS was brought in to investigation the explosion and Norris' death due to his company's work on a ricin vaccine at Norris Biotech. When it was determined that the bomb was made with white phosphorus, the case led the team to a group called, Omni. They were linked to the heist of a white phosphorus shipment. And, it turned out they were a major investor in Norris BioTech.

Coincidence? Absolutely not. Omni was kicked out of BioTech with the US government taking over the Ricin vaccine research and the bomber was caught and arrested. A job well done. Even though Deeks assisted with the case, Callen wasn't convinced the cop wasn't a liability to the team. After a serious conversation, Deeks was deemed ready for duty.

While Deeks had his issues on his first day back, throughout the day he overcame his hesitancy and got his groove back. His shooting at the range wasn't accurate, he didn't take the shot when his teammates did, but he did end up taking a tumble over a ledge.

I hope that his difficulties aren't miraculously cured going forward. He did suffer from a trauma and seems to have recovered enough to return to work. That doesn't mean that he shouldn't have some healing or residual damage to continue to work through. And, the only way to completely heal is to get back to what he does best and that's be a cop.

The emotional connection between Deeks and Kensi wasn't addressed directly, but there was a nod and a wink between the two of them. It's as if they put Deeks' declaration and the kiss in a box and have moved on professionally as partners and as friends. For now, that works, though going forward the feelings will likely leak out. 

My favorite mention on the episode was about Sam's shirts. Throughout the seasons, I've occasionally mentioned my frustration over Sam's long-sleeve henley shirts. He doesn't even shake up the colors of his shirts. They are so boring. Finally, both Sam and Callen discussed the former Navy SEAL's lack of fashion sense.

Please branch out to other shirts! Put on a collared shirt once in a while. Or, even a long-sleeved t-shirt. Something. Anything. Different. Though, please stay away from the skinny jeans. You do need some place to put your ... gun.

Are you happy with Deeks' return? Disappointed that there wasn't a romantic encounter? Or, okay with them being partners and friendly? And, most importantly, should Sam expand his wardrobe?

Omni Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 3.0 / 5.0 (337 Votes)

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

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NCIS: Los Angeles Season 5 Episode 3 Quotes

I'm good. You know what -- I'm better than good. I haven't wet the bed in over a week and the voices in my head are all but gone away. "Shut up" "No, you shut up."

Deeks

He's not a giant. He's just husky.

Callen