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Season 4 ending action begins from 4x23 Parley. Granger's grand assignments begin with co-ops with CIA and his covert use of NCIS LA OSP Agents. He starts with using Deeks, sending him undercover to find out about South African Arms Dealer. Season 4 finale episode we have CIA Agent Michelle Hanna joining NCIS LA team to recover the Stolen Nukes by Siderov through brokering an arrangement of Arms Dealing between Siderov and Iranian guy by bringing in Janvier (3x23 and 3x24-Sans Voir).
Episodes beginning from 4x23, 4x24, 5x01 are all action packed. But there is that psychological emotional undercurrent running throughout these 3 episodes culminating in Episode 5x02. What is that undercurrent? That is Deeks and him drifting away to start feeling homeless. His Managers trusted him for undercover abilities and sent him on a mission alone. It caused emotional friction with his working partner Kensi who did not like his under-the-cover Act in undercover Mission. Though helped to feel better by his Ops Manager to "hang in there", it did not serve to any purpose when his manager assigned him to partner with Sam as his overwatch. Sam vehemently protested because he did not trust Deeks and especially when his wife's life was on the line. He wanted Callen to back him. But for Hetty and Granger, mission was more important than an agent's feelings. And yet through 4x24 and 5x01, it is actually Deeks in overwatch mode, saves Sam in Episode 4x24 Descent and then later saves Michelle in Episode 5x01 Ascension. The mission is taken care by all of the other Agents on field. Granger, Callen, Kensi and Sam to some extent. Deeks is just on overwatch mode for Sam with nothing assigned specific about the mission. And yet the rejected LAPD's overwatch mission is successful by the end of the mission as he saves those whom he was supposed to be the handler as assigned by his Mission managers.
That is the understated action of Season 4 Ending through 4x23-Parley and Season 5 Cold Opening through 5x02 Impact which has a Cumulative Impact of meltdown of emotional trauma added to the physical torture for Deeks. When one watches all these episodes in continuity, one cannot help how deeply understated is Deeks role in the mission and yet he ends up bearing the emotional impact of his understated but success generating action for the overall mission's success.
For Deeks, it is the cumulative impact of psychological conflict between the Third Wheel Status made official by Sam when he does need to act in the capacity of the Paired Wheel for the mission of the project per his Mission's Managers. It is also something that Deeks gets to feel everyday, if it were not for Hetty and Kensi's need of him at the OSP. Yes, it is the Cumulative impact of being criticized, ridiculed, being made to look like the third wheel and finally being tortured for backing up the same condemning partner about his suspect character and abilities. This what comes out from Impact, summing up all the torture he underwent when he had already been marked down as having no character or style or communication skills per Sam or Kensi since 4x23 assignment and until he steps into save Sam. There is no word of kindness or Thank you for completing the mission or being there for someone. He is a loner by consequences and not by choice.
Deeks makes his personal assessment of his situation quite comprehensively in Episode 5x01 and 5x02 where he starts feeling that he is done being a Cop when people cannot trust him, when he is not wanted by anyone of them to act for them. He got abducted because he was trying to save his partner Sam. He had to back him. He told so his Ops manager in 4x24-Descent. He got tortured because his partner Sam's undercover was blown up and was being tortured to give up on his wife's undercover status. He had to keep the cover intact even if Sam did not trust him or felt his character had no honour. Again to back his partner. So much for trying to be a partner when he was merely a Third Wheel all along to Sam. This is the unresolved angst for Deeks. The theme of being "Not Wanted" by anyone. Hence his easy acceptance of himself feeling that he is "halfway to being homeless" and his inability to resolve what happened to him.
Cheo Hodari Coker started the angst for Deeks through Kensi in 4x23 Parley and Frank Military continued it for him through Sam in 4x24-Descent and 5x01-Ascension. Gemmill resolved it for him in 5x02 Impact. Throughout, his only emotional support had been Hetty. But, Hetty, Deeks and we all know that Deeks never felt that he was an Agent from his heart. His true calling was him being a Cop, the quintessential Good Cop. His kind of image for being the super hero trying to make a difference in other's lives. But he has an alter-ego Max Gentry who greatly helps being a cover of his super hero calling. He can slip in and slip out with that persona. However, his partner Kensi misunderstands his alter ego as being schizophrenic split personality as Deeks is a contrast to Max with his tendency to talk. And the only reason Deeks is at OSP as LAPD Liaison Officer is Kensi. Without Kensi, its not a home at all for him in OSP. This what breaks down his security and he starts drifting away from everybody.
That pain for Deeks starts getting addressed when Hetty makes it a mission to have Deeks called back to OSP. I noted that Gemmill in this story starts healing that pain for Deeks by seeming to accept that he has made too much fun of Deeks by calling him Shaggy and he begins by apologizing to character Deeks when he makes Deeks share his thoughts about what he feels when people make jokes on him being “shaggy-like” or treated as “schizophrenic” because of his tendency to talk and ramble on and that he feels "he is halfway being to homeless". Gemmill had started calling Deeks a Shaggy boy and other writers taking a cue from him. That hair-style was very much part of the writers script and very much part of Deeks character for his undercover success, but it was also a pain-point for the Deeks the person he was and he had to gulp down being made butt of the joke. It was impregnated so deep into all the writers on board that it was becoming a pain-point to even the viewers and upset as to why people wouldn't stop or why Deeks wouldn't react.
Gemmill makes it his mission that Deeks actually talk about how he feels deeply all along inspite of him taking the sarcasm for his physical appearance and his characteristic traits in a sportive manner. "No one could bully him, but people could make fun of him and that hurt him." Its a flat statement by Deeks given out to Nate who understands where he comes from. Personally I had never liked the jokes and hence felt sad that Deeks has always taken those jokes about himself; from Sam and Kensi especially; rather stoically. But when he is at the weakest moment of his life with his traumatic state, those characteristic traits that he is made fun of has actually made him lose confidence on himself. The physical trauma that he underwent actually took away his mental resilience against the hurt inflicted by Kensi’s stabbing remarks on his character because of his undercover case with Monica in Episode 4x23 Parley and by Sam’s condemning remarks on his appearance and his style of doing things and having no trust on his abilities as Cop or part-Agent in Episode 4x24 Descent. Seems the prior emotional state of being negated as a man who doesn't mean anything when he talks and then made the Third Wheel for the Partnership, had hurt him more than anything, even his torture was bearable with him thinking about what he loved most, but not being actually cared by anyone, his partner or colleagues.
Infact it was Gemmill indeed from Episode 4x17 Wanted, where he started securing Deeks with Kensi, who wanted him to be alive for her sake in all situations. The NCIS OSP was his home because of Hetty's trust on him and his abilities. It was also a place of his emotional liking because of his close relationship with Kensi. But a drift between partners removed the security for Deeks in his mind. Though he did keep himself alive thinking about Kensi, and doing the right thing by his principles, sustaining Siderov's torture, emotional distance with Kensi is now what ails Deeks mentally. So much that he is unable to come out of his trauma mode because Kensi never spoke to him after he kissed her in 4x24 Descent and even after he bared his emotional state to her in 5x01-Ascension.
Its only through Hetty's push about him to see that he is "Wanted" at OSP, if not for anything, atleast for Kensi and when Kensi shows up at his door, his trauma takes backseat and he falls asleep. Because that is what Nate asked him to work on as he worked on his other aspects of making a sense of overall impact and what he needs most. Its "home" again sitting besides Kensi and "bantering about anything" with Kensi, is no more rambling or feeling schizophrenic. Its the cozy feeling of being "wanted" even if it is to watch a bore movie by Kensi's request and naturally he ruffles his hair on his head giving himself the shaggy look again. Kensi wants him just as he is. "Its a Love Story" for him when he asks himself what does he have with Kensi. Its a beautiful ending to the cumulative Impact what started in Parley.
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Here check out the visuals through collected gifs from other NCIS LA Fan blogs. They have a story to speak by themselves.
The Shaggy name calling prior to Impact Episode
Parley -Calling Deeks a Schizophrenic
Descent - rescuing Sam
Acension
Impact
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