The Top 3 Deeks Mysteries

Welcome to a new wikiDeeks feature called The Top 3. We hope it will be a fun way to celebrate all the wonderful aspects of the character and show we love. Each week I’ll list my top three choices on a topic, and then you can weigh in with your own list. We’ll cover everything from The Top 3 Cheekiest Moments to The Top 3 Most Overrated Episodes. And of course there will be plenty of Densi, with posts such as The Top 3 Sexiest Scenes. We’ll cover the silly (The Top 3 Deeks Rambles) and the serious (The Top 3 Most Heartbreaking Scenes). We’ll build up to end of season discussions about The Top 3 Scenes that Sum Up Deeks and The Top 3 Best Written Episodes, among others. To get things started as we prepare for the beginning of Season 8, it seemed appropriate to discuss the Top 3 Deeks Mysteries we’d like solved.

The Premise

The topic this week is straightforward. What nagging mysteries about our favorite detective do you most want resolved? They can be unanswered questions about Deeks’ backstory before he came to NCIS, or something that went unresolved during his time as a liaison. The only rule I held myself to was that they’d be Deeks- or Densi-centric.

If you could only have three such questions answered, what would they be?

The Top 3

I based my picks primarily on what would most help me to understand Deeks. He is such a complex character, and thinking about his words and actions in light of his history, from his childhood to more recent events like being tortured (and torturing), fascinates me. Unfortunately this intriguing backstory has a number of holes that prevent a full and complete understanding of what makes him tick. So in reverse order of importance, my Top Three Mysteries are…

#3. Why did Deeks go from being a public defender to a police officer?

The question of career choice with our Mr. Deeks is a multi-faceted one. I’m also curious about why he thought he’d enjoy work as a public defender. After all, innocent clients like Jenny in “Drive” must be few and far between, and I bet quite a lot bear at least some resemblance to his father. (I think the leading theory is that a public defender helped him after he shot his dad- see #2.) But I believe the story of how and why he gave up his law career to join the LAPD must be a great one. Does it include a disastrous legal case? Or perhaps, as many fan fics have surmised, he came to do some early undercover or informant work for the cops. We know Deeks has always wanted to help people, “something that really made difference in people’s lives,” but abandoning a career you’ve worked so hard to pursue can’t have happened on a whim.

#2. What happened after Deeks shot his father?

We know that he shot his dad when he was 11 years old defending himself and his mom. We know that in the long run, they were better off and he wishes he’d done it sooner. I’d pay money to see a flashback to that fateful night, and I also want to know what eventually happened with his mother that kept her from being mentioned for years. But what I’m most curious to learn is what happened in the shooting’s immediate aftermath. In “Internal Affairs” Deeks mentions his sealed juvenile records about the shooting. Did he spend any time in custody? Was he accused of a crime? Was he separated from his mother? Did he have to testify against his father? And yes, did a public defender help him out? In short, I want to understand exactly how traumatic this event was for him.

#1. What were the exact circumstances behind the shooting of Frances Boyle?

This one easily comes in as my #1 mystery. Marty Deeks has a dark side to him, “a lot of rage,” as Makar described in “Spoils of War.” I want to know exactly how dark that side goes, and no single question will answer that better than knowing whether Deeks shot Boyle in the actual act of defending Tiffany or himself, or in a more calculated way. We know his childhood trauma created an almost obsessive need to protect vulnerable women, but would that need drive him to kill in cold blood? I think it’s possible. And the fact that it’s possible is a tribute to the complexity of the characterization we’ve been given by the writers and Eric Christian Olsen. I myself have an almost obsessive need, a need to know how to interpret the things Deeks says (and has said), and knowing more about Boyle’s death is the single most important bit of missing information to help me do that.

For all three mysteries, we do know some of the basic facts, the basic timeline. It’s those little missing details that would flesh out the how’s and why’s that I most crave.

Also in the Running

I considered a few other mysteries, but they didn’t make my Top 3:

• Is Deeks’ father really dead?
• Where’s his mom been? Is Deeks her maiden name or does/did Deeks have a step-father? (Kensi calls her Mrs. Deeks not Ms. Deeks.)
• Why did he pursue law as a career? Why did he think working as a public defender would be fulfilling?
• What college and law school did he attend? (Fingers crossed for UCLA!)
• What did Monica whisper to him in “Parley”?
• Is Monty, the acting dog, still alive? (Yes, the doggie actor is also named Monty!)

Next Week

Next week’s topic should also help build our anticipation for Season 8, as we ponder the Top 3 Most Wanted Scenes.

In the meantime, tell us your Top 3 Deeks Mysteries. Remember, differing opinions are what makes the discussion interesting- there are absolutely no right or wrong answers! You can provide a full explanation for your picks (long posts are fine with us!), or just give us your short list. Just what questions do you most want answered?