What did you think of “Provenance” (S11E05)?
Sorry, no time this week for a review. But that’s OK- you can handle this without us… Tell us what you thought of this week’s episode! Share your thoughts in the comment section and let’s discuss!
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wikiDeeks | Marty Deeks | NCISLA 
What a strange episode but I liked it. It allowed Sam to be flirty, Callen to be snarky, Kensi to get dressed up, and Deeks to be in a strong supportive role.
My favorite scenes were the ones in the art gallery with “Kim”. OMG. So well cast; what fun it must have been to film it. That’s how you do funny — organic to the story. I’ve re-watched it a couple times now.
The art insurance woman — I’m sure she was named Catherine after the same type of character with that name in the film(s) The Thomas Crown Affair. (the Rene Russo version is my favorite). She’ll be showing up again, I’m sure.
The weakest part of the episode was the casting of the couple being interrogated. Just not up to par with the rest.
With no Hetty in the episode though she is mentioned, I’m surmising that Linda Hunt really isn’t back and probably isn’t intending to be back full time again if ever. This would have been up her alley so it’s a shame.
And my final quibble: forcing Nell into the Beale role — stupid attempts of humor don’t work. She’s much too smart for such silliness.
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Strange episode, certainly atypical. As a person involved in the arts, some of it was rather insulting, and the bit with Kensi and Kim the gallery person was over the top, but it did make me laugh. The writer took modern art all the way to the edge of believability, but that’s what made it so hilarious. The blank canvases also saved them from having to create works of art that would make the same point. For me, Kensi was the work of art here. As Deeks said…she looked stunning, and with blank canvases surrounding her she certainly became the centerpiece. Chiaroscuro at its finest.
I am not as supportive of the way Deeks was written. We have been watching his expertise in the field for over ten years…so…what?…all of a sudden he forgot how to fight? Not sure why they felt it necessary to make him literally the fall guy, but it wasn’t believable and did a real disservice to the character as we have come to know him. Deeks has fought armed Gurkhas for heaven’s sake, so how is it he is knocked silly by this one woman without getting in one blow of his own. I can see her getting in a couple of good shots, but him needing Kensi to save him in the end was irritating. If they were going for funny…I was not laughing.
One last thing…do we think Sam and the insurance lady are going to become an item? They were sure as hell flirting, and I am happy for Sam. I’ve always loved that actress, so having her date Sam might be a fun diversion for the season.
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The scene between Deeks and Kensi was the best part of the ep. Kensi and art dealer didn’t find funny at all. If that insurance lady is Sam’s new love then one word meh,No chemistry at all.Miss Beale with Nell,she not funny by herself. What I hated was Deeks getting beating by a nobody n needing Kensi to help him, really. Apparently the writer if they can’t insult Deeks with words then they make him looking like a idiot fighting.Not funny at all.Need new writers or better yet bring back some old ones who knew how to writer for Deeks and Kensi.The writers don’t need to put Deeks down to make Kensi fighting skills look better,Both deeks and kensi know how to fight,show that they are equals .Wonder if theythe writer have a problem with ECO.i
give it a 3 out of 10.
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I thought it was a good episode.I do agree about the fight scene, I don’t understand why they have gone back to dissing Deeks so much especially the LAPD scene was very disappointing.,
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I enjoyed the episode. I have the same complaint as everyone else about the fight scene. It just didn’t fit with Deeks character. Why was the LAPD even in the scene.
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I’m genuinely happy for those of you who enjoyed this episode. I loved the dressing room scene but that was the only thing that worked for me in the whole episode.
With the single exception of “Pro Se,” I’ve never ever felt that Jordana Lewis Jaffe understood Deeks as a character. She seems determined to use him for comic relief in a bad way, at the expense of his character. I felt like I was watching one of my least favorite episodes ever, “Big Brother,” with a similarly annoying young Asian woman in the boatshed giving them attitude. I said to myself at the time, “Well at least she’s not kicking Deeks in the nom de plumes the way that Big Brother character did.” But wouldn’t you know it, it sure looked like Deeks got punched there at the end. He’s a way better fighter than that and while I enjoyed the stylish way Kensi came to his rescue, I was annoyed by the lack of competence he showed there, and also for the oh isn’t Deeks annoying attitude of the LAPD Art Theft detective.
I also felt the dialog was quite awkward at times, particularly with the married couple/drug dealers who never felt even close to real people, and even at the gallery where Kensi’s whole conversation just felt dragged out and not as funny as they wanted it to be. And Renee seemed to really be struggling to pull off the silliness she was given without Beale to play off of. She had so many moments where she ended up just talking to herself.
The scene in the dressing area did give us a wonderfully playful married Densi that we don’t often get to see. However, I have to wonder how much of that was improvised, particularly on Daniela Ruah’s part. It felt at least as much Daniela as it did Kensi. Oh, and so sad that there’s still no sign of Hetty. Sigh, an episode that was immediately deleted from my DVR. Hopefully next week will be better.
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I really loved the Densi dressing room scene, but that was more or less the only thing I enjoyed in the episode (once again thanks to the great chemistry between Daniela and Eric). I wondered how much was scripted and how much improvised but what mattered was that it really worked.
The rest was forgettable and most behaviors and scenes weird. And I was annoyed by how incompetent Deeks seemed. I agree with you, Karen, he’s a way better fighter than that.
I hope next week’s episode will be better.
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I agree completely with everyone else and this is my least enjoyable episode ever, mainly due to the way Deeks was dissed by that ridiculous LAPD woman and then made to look like he had never fought a battle in his life! The dressing room Densi scene is the only reason I may watch it again. Please writers, give ECO the opportunity to show us all what a great actor he is and let him and Daniela continue to make us smile in a way that only they know how.
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Certainly agree with everybody about that fun dressing room scene…it sure did feel that a lot of it was delightfully improvised. I was a little surprised that I liked the episode a little more than I thought I would. I used to take those bullpen sessions at the beginning of each episode for granted, but after last season I’m happy whenever they show up, even if the whole team isn’t there…Nell’s turn at a humorous situation definitely fell flat; I wish she had more angst here instead, worrying out loud on not being in contact very much with Eric. Might have been a little more interesting. (Armchair writer here.)
I remember early in season 2 “Black Widow” that Kensi was acting as an art expert to impress a friend and that it was an offscreen disaster for her (couldn’t distinguish between a Monet and a Rembrandt). but at least here she didn’t have that problem, and like Lindy mentioned, she certainly became the centerpiece with all those blank canvases. I never could understand modern or abstract art, so I wasn’t sure how over the top the gallery lady was here; thanks Lindy for setting me straight in that regard.
Gemmill said in an article earlier that they were going to have love interests for both Callen and Sam, and it certainly looks like the insurance lady Castillas will be the one for Sam. She is supposed to be in the Concours d’ Elegance episode two Sundays from now, so we’ll definitely see more of her.
For me it was rather interesting that Deeks was called into LAPD in “Decoy” and then was getting flak from LAPD officers in this episode….maybe getting a possible storyline with Deeks and his position with LAPD for later in the season, perhaps?
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I have mixed feelings about this episode, I did enjoy that the case was a bit different, but there was potential in this episode to be much better (script could had been better). I wish there had been more memorable moments like those Densi-scenes in previous episode that would make me excited to go back and watch the episode again.
I miss Hetty and hope to have her back soon.
Happy Halloween everyone!
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I agree with the fight scene! What was that all about. Deeks looked ridiculous! I agree our courageous detective would never look so inept.
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I liked the episode overall, but it felt very different. I enjoyed Moon Bloodgood and her bantering with Sam. At first she was a bit much, but later when she and Sam were one on one, we got to see more of what she was about. Loved the Densi scene and agree that it looked improvised (but awesome and appropriate). I thought Deeks was getting his butt kicked because he didn’t want to fight a woman. I’m trying to think if we’ve ever seen him fight one? The couple was pretty ridiculous.
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Thanks for all the great comments, everyone. Amy your observation that Deeks held back because he was fighting a woman intrigues me. I’m struggling to come up with a prior time where he had a knock-down fight with a woman, and I think you’re right, he would hate to have to do it. Exploring this concept would make for a great fix-it fic!
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Perhaps the non fighting women had to do with him not wanting to become his father. His father was an abuser and Marty is not and its constant internal battle not to be one. He might subconsciously think if he did then he might fall into the abyss and not even Kensi could pull him outm
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