So now I'm working my way through NCIS, from the pilot to the present. I'm on season 2, episode 13. What strikes me in this, as it did when I was working my way similarly through Bones, is the portrayal of women, or the use of women as a foil.

In Bones, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan is often taught some sort of lesson about her faults--she's attracted to Booth's deadbeat brother, she has to humble herself to her fugitive brother because she has trouble seeing beyond black and white issues, she often leans on Booth for paternal hugs, and so on and so forth. She constantly needs a man--a paternal figure, whether it be her brother, her father, her partner--to tell her what she's doing wrong, and act as a sort of guardian or mentor. Booth doesn't get this kind of treatment--he only answers to God. None of the other characters get the sort of pep talks that she gets--like when her protege was found to be the apprentice of a cannibalistic serial killer and Booth sat down next to her on some steps, gave her a talk, and was a strong shoulder for her to lean on. Even though she's supposed to be a brilliant forensic anthropologist, she's somehow lacking something--flawed. And the men in her life have to make her into a better person.

On NCIS, Kate Todd is given similar treatment. She is part of the ensemble, and not the focus of the series as Bones is in Bones, but there are certain similarities in their treatment as characters. A former Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President, Todd is designed to be the best of the best. She's not afraid of being one of the guys, as she grew up with brothers, is a pretty good marksman, and is capable in hand-to-hand combat situations. However, it is she who ends up making significant mistakes that blow cases and get people hurt, kidnapped, or killed...not her playboy male coworker DiNozzo, the inexperienced probationary field officer McGee, or her loose cannon ex-marine boss Gibbs. Somehow, DiNozzo manages to save the day in the end, or McGee, or Gibbs. But it is the somewhat elite Todd who accidentally shoots an innocent civilian (he was trying to commit suicide, anyway), allow a jilted woman to blow her ex-lover and herself up, allow the coworker she's protecting to be kidnapped (and she once protected the President?!), allow herself to be overpowered when protecting a family, hesitate when she could have incapacitated a terrorist which would have prevented her coworker from being shot in the shoulder joint, etc. etc. etc.. It is Todd who makes these glaring mistakes which cost the lives and safety of herself and others. None of the other characters have had accountability for similar mistakes. The onus is all on Todd.

In her persona as a superwoman--an elite Secret Service agent, a fervent Catholic, relationship-oriented heterosexual--Todd fulfills a role as scapegoat. Her background is perfect, whereas the others of the team are not (Sciuto can be disregarded, as she isn't a field agent; same for Ducky and Jimmy) have skeletons. Yet, it's almost like the writers feel she has to be taken down a notch from her pedestal of the ideal service woman. She's not a perfect shot--she destroys her pda when it's placed to the side of her target--and even green McGee easily bests her in sparring (he had been holding back, letting her win, because she was a woman). While DiNozzo is able to shot his kidnapper before his throat is slit, Todd is kidnapped not once, but twice, and has to be rescued in some shape or form by men. Thus far, only Todd and Ducky (and Gerald, but he's since passed as a recurring character, I think) have been taken captive, and Ducky as a medical examiner and older man is definitely not in the same physical league as the former bodyguard position that Todd had had before joining NCIS.

Todd's situation as the flawed woman (if she had had a penis, perhaps she wouldn't be so hesitant to act, as seen in Gibb's comments on her firing practice and in her hesitance to take out her terrorist kidnapper) is even more pronounced because of the very paternal, familial motives of the show. Gibbs is obviously the mysterious father figure, and his subordinates vy with each other for his attention and approval, often squabbling or carousing like child siblings than like serious professionals. Perhaps the most infantilized figure in this mix is Sciuto, with her youthful Cindy Brady-like pigtails and little-sis position in the group. Gibbs is noticeably softer and most paternal in his treatment of her--perhaps also because she is not a field agent and poses no physical threat. Next are DiNozzo and McGee, who are like older and younger brothers, challenging each other's boundaries and vying for approval from Gibbs--with the potential to succeed as Alpha male (in later episodes, I believe DiNozzo is occasionally alluded to as a younger version of Gibbs, and like a son figure). Then comes Todd.

Todd's Catholicism and her strong moral compass transform her into an almost Madonna figure within the group. She is the Alpha female--though she does not mate with the Alpha male, she has higher status in the pack than the newbie McGee, and again Sciuto plays the role of the little sister and is not a threat. Actually, Sciuto's alternative lifestyle as a kinky Goth acts as a foil to Todd's rigid sexual mores--we even hear her asking a date if he's Catholic. As stated above, however, Todd's personal morality, while unbendable, is depicted like a gendered flaw rather than a laudable viewpoint. This realization surprised me because, as a politically conservative show dedicated to showing the military (president, and post 9/11 wars) in positive lights, I'd have thought that a religiously conservative figure would be more positively executed. However, as she is the only main character to consistently bring up her religious beliefs, and she is only one of two women on the main cast, her spirituality then becomes conspicuously linked to her gendered position, as well. This idea is backed up by her successor's identity as a Jewish Mossad agent--yet another religious woman, and member of the upper echelons of the service.

(geek alert)

I haven't posted here in a while because I'm trying to start a food blog. I'm also not posting there that often, either--I am not a compulsive blogger.

My latest video craze has been the latest Doctor Who incarnation from BBC. I've worked my way up to the fourth season via Netflix.com, but they don't have the fourth season available online, so I'm a season behind, now. Before reacquainting myself with the Doctor, I was catching up on House. I suppose I'm not very good at keeping up with television, either--mostly because we don't actually have one hooked up to even basic cable. Oh well--it's rather nice not having to wait for the next episode in a week's time; I can race right through whole story arcs, sans commercials, as if I'm watching a movie.

I'm interested in the Tenth Doctor's propensity to hold his companion's hands and hug them (don't worry--they hug back)--and, on several occasions, kiss them. He seems to be quite a touchy-feely Doctor! The hand-holding rather makes a logistical sense, as it serves a way of helping the companions keep up with him as he mostly seem to drag his companions up off the ground and haul them with him as he races about in his three-peice suit and overcoat. Still, after many harrowing adventures, he would frequently embrace Rose or Martha--out of relief or platonic love, perhaps, but it seemed like virtually every episode ended with a tight bear hug. Another common gesture is his offering his hand to his companion, or holding their hands as a show of support. The Tenth Doctor definitely has a more physical relationship with his companions, and a more suggestive romantic/sexual relationship as well, as he kisses Rose (albeit to transfer the Vortex from her body back into the TARDIS), he kisses Martha ("genetic transfer" he called it), and Astrid kisses him (and "old tradition" where she comes from). And his human alterego John Smith, he falls in love with and kisses Joan Redfern several times. These "snogs" are hardly pecks on the cheek.

In earlier incarnations, nubile companions with low-cut tops served to pump up the ratings for an otherwise low-budget, "talky" series. It would seem that in this day and age, so jaded with other scifi shows with exotically scantily clad young females, the possibility of sex has to be blatantly broadcast in order to register, despite the Doctor's insistence that he's not romantically or sexually interested in humans.

All evidence to the contrary, dear Doctor.

I love long weekends. I hate long weekends. When I anticipate a long weekend, I find it difficult to focus on my work, because I look forward to the mini-break so much. I also have difficulty enjoying the long weekend because I know I'll have a ton of email to wade through and unfinished projects that I'll need to wrap up. Plus? Almost everyone is taking a long weekend, too, so there's not as much stuff to get through as there would have been had I taken time off at a different time.

One thing that getting me through this long weekend is the prospect of an addition to the family. I have decided that I will go for a hamster after all. There's a person on Craigs List who has advertised free hamsters, and I'm hoping that it's genuine and not just a scam. Pet ads are especially tough. You need to extract info (appearance, history, personality, etc.) from the person advertising without sounding pushy or shady. You also need to monitor the advertiser to make sure that they aren't either of the above, either. When it's all settled, you have to arrange for pick-up in a suitably public place, and hope it all goes well. I might lose patience and use Petsmart, but two out of three hamsters I've gotten from there have turned into complete psychos.

I think that this is a good time to buy stocks. Gotta hurry, or they'll double in price.

Onto other things, I'm currently hammie-less. I've been considering Robo hamsters. I have visions of a small herd of Robo hamsters, their mustachioed little faces twitching as they topple about each other in the hamster tank.

The other option was to get another cat, but since Ethel's been getting much more affectionate these past couple of months, I may only have room for one kitty. She's a veritable lap cat, flopping on me when I'm studying on the couch, leaping onto my lap when I'm typing at the computer, and adding kitty warmth to bed.