The Top 3 Scenes That Sum Up Densi

Last week we attempted to name a set of three scenes that summed up Deeks. This week, let’s see what we can do to sum up Densi the same way. What three scenes together tell someone all they need to know about our favorite couple?

The Premise

I wanted to choose the “Densiest” scenes I could that, when combined, would explain Densi to a new viewer. There’s no actual #1, since they function as a trio.

The Top 3

Just as with the Deeks Top 3, I started with a list of essential words I’d use to describe Densi: bad communicators (until recently), good work partners, witty banter, playful and sexy chemistry, faith in one another, loyalty, an epic will-they-won’t-they trajectory, and a love story. Then I tried to find three scenes that could encompass all these items. This seemed easier than summing up Deeks, but you’ll have to let me know what I’ve missed. My Top 3 is…

#3. The Touché scene from “Recruit”

Written by R. Scott Gemmill, this scene made the Top 3 Examples of Densi Banter because it’s chock full of witty innuendo. It makes this Top 3 because its playful banter is one of Densi’s defining traits. This classic Densi scene also shows off their wonderful chemistry. I was tempted to place the wrestling scene from “Raven & The Swans” here for the way it illustrates the humor and the will-they-won’t-they aspect of their relationship, but decided that this “touché” scene did so just as well while also covering the banter that’s so important to these two characters’ interactions.

Deeks: Alright, you know what? Let me just drop some knowledge on you for a second, alright? It’s French. It comes from fencing. It means “to touch.” So, if I were to touch you with my sword, then you would say “touché.”
Kensi: Then I wouldn’t say it because you ain’t never touching me with your sword, Zorro.

Um, never say never, Kensi!

#2. The garage scene in “Blye K., Part 2”

It was tough to leave out a scene from after Deeks and Kensi go All In and become more than partners, yet at their foundation, these two still are and always will be just that- partners. This scene, written by Dave Kalstein, is a beautiful example of the strength of their partnership. Sure, they still have trouble communicating… witness Kensi’s reluctance to even tell Deeks that the woman in the house is her mother. Yet they are loyal to each other and have unquestioning faith in one another.

Kensi tells Deeks that he’s the only person she trusts to protect her mother. That’s no doubt true and speaks to their close relationship even at this point in Season 3. Deeks in turn agrees to do as Kensi asks and take her mom into protective custody while at the same time letting Kensi go back out in the field alone. That he is able to refrain from over-protectiveness here, giving Kensi the respect she deserves as an incredibly capable agent, is another defining characteristic of their partnership, and it’s long been one of my favorite things that Deeks brings to it.

Kensi: I know they want you to bring me in but-
Deeks: I’m not talking about what they want, alright? Forget what they want. I’m talking about us. Alright? I’m your partner. What makes you think that I’m gonna let you do this by yourself?
Kensi: Because you’re my partner. And this is my mother. And you’re the only person I trust.
Deeks: OK. I’ll keep her safe.

By the way, if you haven’t watched this episode in awhile, put it on your Summer To Do list. It’s a real gem.

#1. The end of “Impact”

What I love about this scene, written by R. Scott Gemmill, is that it gives us the full range of Densi. There’s the complete inability to talk directly about Deeks’ PTSD even as he’s so obviously suffering. Instead, there’s Kensi showing up at the door to provide comfort in the apparent form of beer and takeout, when we really know that the comfort is in the form of friendship and caring. There’s the banter – maybe their defining characteristic – that here lets them both see that their relationship hasn’t been destroyed by Sidorov, that they’re still them, able to joke and laugh together. There’s the humor in the form of an improvised line about cronuts. There’s gentle teasing about cat pillows, and finally, there’s beautiful vulnerability and comfort as Deeks finally feels safe enough that his mind can stop running. Only before it does, he shares what makes their partnership unique- it is, indeed, a love story.

Kensi: Watch it with me. Watch it with me. Watch it with me!
Deeks: You won me over with the pastry baby…
Kensi: Awesome. OK.
Deeks: Wanna use my cat pillow?
Kensi: [Laughs] Pink. Very masculine… So, Oliver Reed and Karen Black move into this mansion with their son and their elderly aunt, played by Bette Davis, who I absolutely love. And then Burgess Meredith, who played Mickey in the Rocky films – it was so sad when he dies, oh my god it’s the best scene ever – um, and his sister play the caretakers of this mansion, and then their mother, she’s like an elderly recluse in the attic and then… flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz show up with guns and there’s a big shoot-out.
Deeks: [Mumbling as he falls asleep] Hmm, those monkeys are scary…
Kensi: …What happens next?
Deeks: It’s a love story.
Kensi: What?

Yes, Kensi it is very definitely a love story.

Also in the Running

Here’s hoping there’s a proposal #4 scene coming soon that could be added to this list. In the meantime, here are a few other great Densi scenes I considered including:

• The bedroom scene in “767” (Kyle Harimoto)
• The forgiveness scene in “Cancel Christmas” (Joseph C. Wilson)
• The spa scene in “Anonymous” (Christina M. Kim)
• The farewell scene in “The Debt” (Dave Kalstein)
• The “not for a second” scene in “Blye, K.” (Joseph C. Wilson)
• The “sunshine and gunpowder” end of “Wanted” (R. Scott Gemmill)
• The wrestling scene in “Raven & The Swans” (R. Scott Gemmill)
• The “you’re never alone” scene from “Golden Days” (Joseph C. Wilson & Lee A. Carlisle)
• The inability to say what they mean scene at the end of “Parley” (Cheo Hodari Coker)
• The “for what it’s worth” scene at the end of “Ascension” (Frank Military)
• The ambulance scene in “The Frozen Lake” (Dave Kalstein)
• The hug scene at the end of “Spoils of War” (Frank Military)
• Physical therapy for Kensi’s hand in “Glasnost“
• The “I’ve got more moments” scene from “Praesidium” (Erin Broadhurst and R. Scott Gemmill)
• Domestic Densi in “Command & Control” (Kyle Harimoto)
• The non-proposal proposal in “The Seventh Child” (Frank Military)

Next Week

Only two more Top 3’s remain! Next week we’ll name the Top 3 most essential episodes, the ones we can’t live without: the Top 3 Episodes to Take to a Desert Island. Can’t wait to hear yours! In the meantime, what three scene combination would you assemble to show off all that is Densi?

Or, go back to last week’s Top 3, the Top 3 Scenes that Sum Up Deeks.