| Marty Deeks | LAPD | NCIS |
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Martin "Marty" Deeks is a Los Angeles Police Department (commonly stylized as LAPD) Detective who is also the liaison between the Office of Special Projects (commonly stylized as OSP) at the Naval Criminal Investigation Services (commonly stylized NCIS) and the LAPD. As such, Deeks is responsible for facilitating communications between both agencies, and coordinating joint operations involving LAPD components.
He became partner to NCIS Special Agent Kensi Blye after her former partner, Agent Dominic Vail died in the line of duty.
Character Profile
Deeks had initially only served as a Guest Star in his appearances on the show in season 1. But he was soon added as a main character as well as to the opening credits when becoming the official liaison between the LAPD and NCIS. He becomes the replacement partner for Kensi Blye.
Unlike his co-workers, Deeks is rather laid back and not always serious when it comes to his work. Even in times of high stress situations, Deeks has served as a comic relief character.
Despite not appearing to be serious, Deeks has shown that while most of the times he resorts to humor, he can be serious in most needed situations. His serious side has been shown particularly in the episode "Plan B" when the life of his childhood buddy was on the line and he had to go undercover as an old alias to help him.
Background
Marty, full name Martin Deeks, was born on January 8th, 1979 and is a native of California. He was the son of a man named Gordon John Brandel, who is implied to have been an alcoholic. Likely as a result of his lifestyle, Brandel frequently abused Deeks as well as his mother. However, one day Brandell got so drunk, he began wielding a shot gun at Deeks and his mother. This taking place when Deeks was 11 years old. Deeks realized that he was only "one drink away" from killing him and his mother. Fearing for his life and that of his mother, Deeks shot him (non-fatally) in self defense. His father was then sent to prison.
It is later discovered in the season 2 episode "Personal" (when Hetty asks Nell to find Brandel when Deeks is shot and asked to list suspects who may want him dead) that Deeks' father had died in an auto accident in 1998 after being released from prison. (This, however, contradicts statements made in the earlier episode "Borderline," in which Deeks told Kensi that at Thanksgiving dinner six years earlier, his father had fired a shotgun at him after saying he hates him and hasn't seen him since.) It is currently unknown about his current status with his mother or any other information about her.
It is implied that he is not in current contact with any of his family members as in the episode "Personal" when Deeks had been shot, it is repeatedly asked about who his next of kin is. When finally personally asked by Kensi about who he can call for his next of kin, Deeks' response is, "Good question..." This eventually leads to Hetty putting herself down as Deeks' next of kin if ever needed.
Biography
The OSP team first encountered Deeks in the Season 1 episode, Episode:Hand-to-Hand while he was undercover posing as a mixed martial artist named "Jason Wyler". He infiltrated a local gymnasium that served as front for a drug smuggling operation. The same gym was targeted by OSP who sought to investigate the gym after a Marine on leave from Iraq with connections to the gym was found murdered in an alleyway outside a night club. When Agent Sam Hanna infiltrated the group for OSP under the alias, "DeMarco Williams", he fought Detective Deeks and knocked him out.
During a subsequent encounter, both of them were taken into custody to preserve their covers. It was only after being released from the holding cells that he was revealed to be a Detective with the LAPD. Detective Deeks saved Agent Hanna's life after his cover was blown.
Deeks was later seen in a bar, drinking away his sorrows with a cup of coffee while still smarting from the tongue-lashing he had received from his boss. Hetty later arrived at the same place and after revealing that she too had suffered the same treatment from her boss, told Deeks that she had decided to create a liaison position between the LAPD and NCIS. Deeks was in disbelief at first but upon Hetty offering him the position, having told Deeks that he was the suitable candidate for the job, Deeks accepted.
Deeks joined the team in Episode:Fame to help them solve a case before leaving NCIS to go take part in a deep undercover operation despite the fact that some of the team including Sam Hanna who were hostile to him given that Deeks's predecessor, Agent Dominic Vail who was still missing had not returned to the team.
During a mission to save Kensi, with Hassad Al-Jahiri weakened by a gunshot from Callen, Deeks took the opportunity to finish Hassad which he did by dropping to the ground and then firing a single shot which killed Hassad instantly. Deeks then left the team to go on a deep undercover mission and was only mentioned once in the Season 1 episode, Burned.
In the Season 2 premiere episode, Human Traffic after his undercover mission went south, Deeks contacted Hetty for help and begged for her to assist in his mission which involved underage young girls. He officially became Kensi's partner and deceased Agent Dominic Vail's replacement in the next episode, "Black Widow", resulting in him joining the team permanently albeit as a liaison officer.
At the end of the episode "Personal" Hetty gives Deeks her number, resulting in her becoming his next of kin when it is realized that he does not have any after he is shot twice in the chest and sent to the hopsital to recover.
In the Season 3 episode, The Debt, Deeks's position was terminated and he was fired from NCIS after unintentionally shooting an unarmed man. It was later revealed that the supposedly dead victim was actually an undercover NCIS Agent working out of Washington D.C. The incident gave the LAPD a reason to take Deeks back after so long while also cutting their ties with NCIS. The OSP team were eventually able to find out the identity of the mole and in the end, Deeks returned to the OSP, having been reappointed as the LAPD/NCIS Liaison Officer.
Deeks owns a dog named Monty who suffers from PTSD or as Sam Hanna refers to it, "Puppy Traumatic Distress Disorder".
Deeks shares a trait with Ziva David, the trait being that both are/were Liaison Officers for their respective agencies, Ziva's being Mossad and Deeks's being the Los Angeles Police Department.
However since NCIS Season 7, Ziva has officially resigned from Mossad and gone to become an NCIS Special Agent, abandoning her original position.
This in turn might have led to Vance and Hetty to create an Liaison position between the LAPD and NCIS which is similar to the one between Mossad and NCIS. But it is not yet known if Deeks will stay in that position permanently or like Ziva, if he will resign altogether and choose to become an NCIS Agent instead.
An irony is despite his position as a Liaison Officer Deeks is generally disliked by other members of the LAPD as he mentioned in "Fame". "You know how it is with undercover cops, I've pissed off more than my fair share of shields." This leads to most LAPD officers acting hostile towards or being dismissive of him.
Relationship with Colleagues
G. Callen
Callen and Deeks share a friendly relationship at work. However, Callen often joins Sam in teasing Deeks; mostly about his hair, his partnership with Kensi and his dog, Monty.
Callen does show genuine concern for his co-worker when Deeks gets shot in the second season episode "Personal".
Sam Hanna
At first, Sam was somewhat hostile towards Deeks, calling him 'temp' and being unhappy when Hetty placed him in Dom's seat. However, he soon warmed up to Deeks and spends most of his time teasing him with Callen. When Deeks gets shot, Sam assists him in altering his daily routine. There is still friction between Deeks and Sam throughout season 3 and 4, usually it is kept at bay since they are not partners.
However, in the final episode of season 4, Deeks and Sam work together. Deeks confronts Sam and Sam admits that he feels Deeks has some flaws in his character. Later in the episode, Deeks saves Sams life and both he and Sam are captured and tortured at the end of the season 4. He can be seen visibly pained and distressed while being forced to watch Deeks being tortured. In the season 5 premiere, after Granger and Kensi find the two, Sam asks Deeks if he gave up Michelle, to which he replies that he didn't. Sam goes to Deeks' hospital room later on and states that he owes Deeks for the rest of his life. Deeks confides in Sam that he was thinking about quitting as a cop, to which Sam says would be a bad idea, admitting that Deeks is an excellent cop.
Kensi Blye
Deeks and Kensi share a complicated partnership due to the fact that Kensi is the more experienced of the two and also because Deeks permanently replaced Kensi's deceased partner. But despite this they do care for each other although they get on each other's nerves at times. There have even been hints that Deeks and Kensi are romantically interested in one another, and there has been constant continuous moments they have flirted with eachother and have come close to have romantic contact, although they both strongly deny it. Despite this, they share a kiss in the season 4 finale. In season 5, Deeks admits to Kensi that she was the one person he thought of through his torture after being captured, thus saving his life by keeping him going. This detail leaves her clearly emotional.
The two resume their usual friendship after a bit, until Deeks takes her out on a date without actually telling her it was a date. Kensi says he needs is back to his originaly problem with poor communication skills and tels him to say something that he actually means because if they can't communicate then things won't work between them. Deeks finally tells her that he didn't want to be there with her. Kensi appears confused before he says that he wants to be with her at his place right now. Kensi stares at him for a moment, clearly thinking about what to do, before she gets up and walks away from the table as Deeks takes a breath before following after her. In the next episode, Frozen Lake, it is implied that Deeks and Kensi spent the night together when Deeks is at work early on and won't make eye contact with anyone and Sam notices as Kensi walks in that she is wearing the same outfit she had on the day before, leaving her flustered. When they get called for a mission, Sam and Callen watch as Deeks and Kensi awkwardly walk out of the room, unable to look each in the eye.
Trivia
- Deeks enjoys surfing, a hobby his actor, Eric Christian Olsen, has a strong interest in.
- In his appearances in Season 1, Deeks appeared as a Guest Star but was added to the opening credits starting in Season 2 at the expense of Peter Cambor (Nate Getz).
- He claims that the TV shows CHiPs and TJ Hooker are what inspired him to become a cop.
- In his debut appearance, Deeks was seen using a Glock 17 before switching to Beretta 92FS during Season 2, claiming that the Beretta 92FS's "manual safety saved [his] ass one time during a gun snatch attempt by a junkie". In Season 3, Deeks switches to a Smith & Wesson 5944 instead which he has continued to use to this day.
- Deeks admitted in 4x16 to paying for room and board once in college and an half dozen times in law school by being an exotic dancer or, as Kensi put it, a stripper.
- As a lawyer (and before joining the LAPD), Deeks worked as a public defender.
- Much like his counterpart, Anthony DiNozzo in the original "NCIS" series, Deeks tends to be the comic relief of the group, but can be serious when needed and also just like Ziva David, Deeks is also the third partner that Kensi has had much like Tony who had two partners: Agents Vivian Blackadder and Caitlin Todd before Ziva joined him.
- Despite the stress of his job, Deeks is shown to be deathly afraid of needles as revealed in Episode:Touch of Death. He can be heard screaming before passing out when being forced to take a vaccine although he insists that he tripped.
- In season 5, episode 7, it is revealed that Deeks was a model train enthusiast when he was younger. He even is dispatched to watch the layout of one of the criminals while the criminal is spending a few months in jail for commandeering a train with a consist of chlorine tankers. Deeks also tells Kensi that he hates Thomas the Tank Engine, as trains should not have faces and talk. He has vast knowledge on model railroading and instantly recognizes a rare HO scale engine that he desired as a child.