First up is last night’s holiday themed episode entitled Higher Power written by Joe Sachs. The NCIS team has to locate a classified device called a Flux Generator stolen from a college research facility with the power to destroy Los Angeles if placed in the wrong hands. Of course, the best part of this series is when the back story features the wonderfully created characters by Shane Brennan. We get to find out more about Sam, the father, as he tries to track down a highly sought-after pony for his daughter’s Christmas present. And lo and behold the Eric/Nell partnership is moved along a little bit as Eric meets Nell’s parents…inadvertently! Will he ever find out what Nell told her family about him? Perhaps that he is an avid collector of action figurines? I was also surprised that Eric and Nell’s family are not aware of what they do for a living and that they maintain undercover personas as tv news editors and professional gamblers. Interesting! Back with the Densi partnership, Deeks is hoping to join Kensi this year in her holiday travels but it looks like she is taking a solo trip back to Hawaii. Hmm, a meet up with Danno, perhaps? Will Deeks eventually find out? Looks like this could be the back drop for what is coming up next between the two.

The story focuses on DOD researcher, Professor Gareth Carlyle who is an expert of electromagnetic pulses or EMP. EMP can give off invisible blasts of microwavable energy that can destroy any piece of electronic equipment. Actually I have a four legged pug that can do the same without the microwavable energy…but that’s another story. After they find out that the professor made off with his own prototype, he confesses he stole it so he can blow up the engineering department in order to warn the world of the legitimacy of an EMP threat. But before the team is able to contain the generator, they find it isstolen again. Once they establish that there are a handful of students who know about his work, Kensi (with a new hairdo) and Deeks (with a god-awful knit hat) go undercover to find the possible thief among the group of graduate students.

When they steal another instrument which will act like an amplifier when used together with the generator, the stakes are raised (Deeks is pretty sure his surge protector won’t help! Actually LOL!). So now the whole of Los Angeles is threatened and it isn’t good. The updated design would disrupt all power sources causing, rioting, disease, trauma, dehydration, and starvation. Definitely enough going on here to cancel Christmas for sure!

After season two’s Christmas episode, Disorder, I was looking forward to how the team would be spending the holidays again this season. Although not as satisfying as the re-gifting caper by Hetty, the team’s mandatory holiday party, the hunt for the illusive pony, and Deeks search for Kensi’s holiday destination made it fun to watch.

Despite all the Christmas cheer going around, this was a dark episode at times and the last 20 minutes were pretty tense. Although I’m not sure I buy the premise of destroying all of LA just to pay off college loans, I did enjoy watching the final 15 minutes of the show. Sam finds a Plan B just in time to avoid mass destruction of the city! The final action sequence was spectacular, with Sam and Callen catapulting over the building just in time to avoid a spectacular display of fireworks when the generator blows up!

Here’s some highlights of the episode:

Best line of the show:
Eric: Have you considered leggos?
Sam: How about I break your leggos

Deeks’ Moments:
Sam is describing the Parker Pony that he needs to find for his daughter:
Sam: She talks. She flaps her wings and she responds to 30 commands.
Kensi: Oh! Five more than Deeks!

Looks like ECO had fun going undercover as the janitor:
Be careful with your crumbs I just swept that whole area yesterday!
Whatever happen to keggers and toga parties?

Kensi: Did you not take high school physics?
Deeks: No I was pretty much just focused on Marsha DeLuca’s skirt.

Kensi demanding that Deek’s take off his shirt to short out the exploding coil. But it will need to be wet when they throw it at the coil. Kensi suggests he urinates on the shirt.
Deeks: You know this isn’t going to work, I have a shy bladder!
Kensi: Deeks! Pee or perish!

Student: You’re hanging out with the janitor?
Deeks: Ooh that hurts.

Student: Do I get a lawyer?
Kensi: I don’t know…have you been naughty or nice?
Deeks: Ten bucks on naughty.

Densi Watch:
Of course every review will need a Densi watch to cover how the relationship is going between our two favorite partners. It was fun and heartbreaking to see Deeks searching for clues as to where Kensi is spending her Christmas holiday. When he finally takes a wild guess that Kensi is off to Hawaii, he tries to tag along, but Kensi has ‘secret lady business’? Doesn’t sound too good for Deeks does it.? Although he was a good sport in giving Kensi a gift to use in Hawaii, what’s all the secrecy about? Obviously Kensi is doing something she knows Deeks won’t be happy about. Is she still pouting about being left in the dark after Deeks was fired in the last episode? Is Kensi doing what Kensi does best and taking 3 steps back after taking two steps forward in her ever complicated relationship with Deeks? There’s certainly a storm brewing and we’ll find out more in the second half of the season as hinted by one the writers of the show. But will it be enough to make Densi fans happy? We will have to wait to find out the next step in this dance….but I know I’m definitely looking forward to the second half of the season!

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