The Top 3 Episodes for a New Densi Fan

Just like we did with last week’s Top 3 Episodes for a New Deeks Fan, this week we’re assembling a package of three episodes we’d show a new viewer, a trilogy to make them fall in love with Densi.

The Premise

These may not be the best overall episodes or the most important, but combined together, they give our new viewer a good overview of what Densi is all about, and help our newbie understand why we’re all so obsessed with this couple.

The Top 3

This was a tough one for me. I wanted to represent the different stages of Deeks and Kensi’s partnership/relationship, but it felt like all the strongest Densi episodes occurred before they went all in. This list changed multiple times as I tried to determine the combination that felt right. In the end, not necessarily in reverse order of importance but rather in actual (chronological) order our new fan should watch, my Top 3 is…

#3. “Borderline”

This is not the first episode where Kensi and Deeks meet. It’s not the first where they work together as partners (it’s the third). But for me it’s the first episode where we really see the beginnings of the spectacular banter and chemistry they’d eventually be known for. Written by R. Scott Gemmill, it also shows some of the early tension that characterized their relationship. I think it’s important for our new viewer to understand where they started, and that they weren’t always secretly (or not so secretly) in love. We see Kensi’s genuine annoyance at Deeks’ continuing need to take potty breaks as they fly around the desert on their motorbikes. We see Deeks’ genuine frustration at being removed from his comfort zone as a “city mouse”.

But we also see Deeks’ expressing utmost confidence in his partner’s abilities. He’d “bet his life” on her reading of the tracks heading away from the crime scene. They each share some personal details as they begin the slow process of getting to know one another. Deeks seems to come away from this episode with a greater understanding of Kensi’s abilities. But all the sharing doesn’t keep him from letting the wisecracks fly, particularly when they come under fire together in the final sequence. It’s one of my all-time favorite episodes, and I can’t imagine a new viewer would watch this and not want to see where these initial sparks between them lead.

#2. “Neighborhood Watch”

I also can’t imagine making a list like this without including “Neighborhood Watch,” written by Christina M. Kim. It stands out for how it has Densi taking center stage in the storyline, using nearly every scene to up the sexual tension between them. From the flirting as they discuss their respective sleeping habits, to Hetty’s lecture about “unfamiliar feelings and emotions”, to the bickering about pretend vacuuming and teasing about baking packaged cookies, to more genuine sharing of feelings about making “little mutant ninja assassins,” to discussions of bro-sacks, bra holsters, furry handcuffs, and college “Kensi private time”, this episode couldn’t be more packed with Densiness.

Oh, and then there’s the cover kiss, the first kiss they share! The expression on Deeks’ face reveals so much about his true feelings. My absolute favorite scene is when they each reveal that they both remember what the other was wearing when they met, where again the expressions on their faces do all the talking. This episode earned the #3 Deeks Ramble, the #2 Funniest Scene, and both the #1 Densi Undercover and the #1 Most Romantic Scene. Eric Christian Olsen and Daniela Ruah are both so fantastic together throughout that if our new viewer isn’t completely in love with them by the end, then they must not have a romantic bone in their body.

#1. “The Seventh Child”

I should stress that I don’t see “The Seventh Child” as the #1 best Densi episode, it’s merely that I’d like my new Densi fan to watch my three episodes in chronological order. In the end, I decided that it was more important for my new fan to see an episode where Deeks and Kensi are together as a couple than it was to show them more amazing Densi will-they-won’t-they chemistry. I chose this episode over “Command & Control” because the latter didn’t have a lot of Densi fabulousness beyond the one breakfast scene, and I chose it over “Internal Affairs” because I see that as more of a Deeks episode, plus the duo aren’t really together for most of it.

“The Seventh Child,” written by Frank Military, shows us a Densi who are together as a couple and very much in love. They have grown so much from their “Borderline” teasing and their “Neighborhood Watch” inability to talk about their feelings. Here we see two adults communicating about their relationship and their future. It’s beautifully written as they discuss whether or not they really do see any mutant ninja assassins in their future. Military manages to seamlessly work this running discussion into their investigation. Plus, he gives us an incredibly romantic and hopeful final Densi scene to balance out all the previous angst. When Deeks sort of proposes to Kensi, it was a delightful surprise to viewers- and to Kensi. I think our new fan will enjoy seeing the progress Densi makes from the start of their relationship, and I know they’ll enjoy the surprise proposal too.

Also in the Running

• Wanted (R. Scott Gemmill)
• Hand-to-Hand (Matt Pyken)
• The Job (Frank Military, Christina M. Kim)
• Blye K, Pt. 2 (Dave Kalstein)
• The Debt (Dave Kalstein)
• Disorder (Gil Grant, Dave Kalstein)
• Anonymous (Christina M. Kim)
• Bounty (Dave Kalstein)
• Payback (Jordana Lewis Jaffe)
• Command & Control (Kyle Harimoto)

Next Week

Next week we’ll change things up with a discussion of the Top 3 NCIS:LA seasons. In the meantime, what three episodes would you package together for a new Densi fan?