I watch NCIS. Yeah, I admit it.
I started watching after several Facebook friends posted they watch the show and talked with each other about the episode while watching. I wanted to join in the conversation, so I started watching too.
But Facebook has long since deleted Rumpy’s account, and I got tired of the bullshit that fills my news feed, so I just quit going on there.
Anyway, I’ve been wondering lately why I keep watching this show.
I mean, they’ve killed off three great female roles. And Abby Sciuto, who started out as a smart, savvy goth woman, has gradually dumbed down to a baby doll whose claim to fame is saying, “Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!” while sucking down soda by the gallon.
Did you ever notice how NCIS investigators put in long hours, yet never seem tired? They pull all-nighters, work days off, give up holidays and vacations. But they’re always full of pep.
And how is it that they’re always having to give up approved leave and work on holidays, but whenever one has a personal issue, they’re told to deal with it on their own time? Yet they never complain. It’s all about giving justice to families of the dead, while fucking the lives of the living.
Why do these folks repeatedly violate rules, such as in a recent episode where Agent Bishop entered a home without a warrant and without back-up and ended up killing someone as a result? Yet they’re never disciplined for their actions. And ya wonder why we don’t trust the popo?
But the thing that leaves me the most confused is how these characters have killed numerous people, are forever in danger, and have witnessed murders, including those of their co-workers, yet they never seem to suffer from trauma. If that happened to a real person, they’d be sucking Prozac through a straw just to get through the day. But we’re to believe we can trust these folks to walk around with loaded weapons.
In many ways, things aren’t so different here in the real world. Men run the show and women are valued for their looks and not for their work ethic. Any display of emotional wear and tear leads to the killing off of a female lead. And it’s all about the job; personal lives get whatever’s left.
So am I the only person who thinks this way of life is totally fucked up?
Dogpaddling Through Life 
well i am watching ncis as well – living in germany with crap german tv it presents itself as a nice alternative. however i never question the actions as they are far from real life. show me any unit that solves all murders etc… so i just see it as entertainment, however i do understand where you’re coming from. as to facebook i agree with you as i am not going there myself at all these days…
I think it’s called “entertainment” and “show business”. Not many thinking people expect it to be a reflection of the real world. If it bothers you so much, and is causing an undue amount of stress in your life, STOP WATCHING IT. You do have some control in that arena. Exercise it.
Thank you for being such a smartass
No problem at all, Rumpy! You did miss the most glaring issue I have with these shows (any and all crime, law, drama, etc). Why is every office so DARK?? Can they not pay the light bills? Is it so top-secret that they have to work in an environment where no on can see them, or are they figuratively and, now, literally in the dark??
Honestly I used to think it was my TV going bad. Then I thought it was my eyes going bad. Then I saw the light and realized THEY were going bad.
I stopped to watch NCIS after they replaced Cote de Pablo with Idontrememberhername… maybe I’m too old for the new episodes :o)
Sorry about Rumpy’s FF account. They did the same thing to Jack, so I gave him a fan-page and labeled him a Public Figure. I would be honored to help with that for Rumpy, if he needs it. I know their claws tend to scratch the keys, and that’s why I limit Jack’s online-time.
Your complaints are all valid, but should be applied to all the Police Procedural teevee shows. Bones, NYPD Blue, Law and Order and CSI, to name just a few. It’s just teevee writing. Accept it for what it is, or turn off the gizmo and grab a book.
We have seasons 1-10 on DVD and are waiting for season 11 to be available here in the UK. The fact that we’ve already watched it (and season 12) on Youtube is beside the point. As fictional programmes go, Gibbs gets my vote every time.
I’m completely in synch with you on this one, Jen. My parents love “NCIS”, and I’d occasionally watch it with them. I’ve noticed each episode almost begins the same way: the agents are discussing some personal matter, and then, Gibbs rolls into the office and – having heard just a snippet of the conversation – does a play on words that connects with a crime scene that he just suddenly found out about. I don’t know where Gibbs is every time he learns that somebody has been murdered, but he’s never at his desk. It’s as if he has a secret office somewhere in the building.
Then everything jumps to the murder scene where the coroner and his nerdy assistant already are and where they immediately determine the cause of death; the autopsy just supports what they magically discovered while still on scene. It’s also amazing how Abby gleans so much information in a very short amount of time from just the smallest piece of evidence.
I’ve noticed, too, that even the most vile of female characters rarely get killed, while many otherwise innocent male characters are beaten and murdered. And feminists are complaining about violence against women on TV?
I guess the new season is already underway. I don’t know (and don’t care) because I just got tired of watching all that shenanigans. I’d rather work on my stories and / or read one of the hundreds of books I have.
Let’s start a petition, Jen, to convince CBS to end the show by having a Muslim extremist detonate a bomb outside the building; thus killing everyone inside. Oh gosh! That would be awful, wouldn’t it? Well…just a thought.
I’m voting for Abbie going off after she’s OD’d on caffeine.
NCIS is no different from an other TV show. It you dissecting any show the way you did NCIS, they would all be off the air. How are the cops or good-guys able to kill the bad-guys every time. How in one hour can every case be resolved in favor of the good-guys. How absurd. Than I remember – it’s TV, not even close to real. It’s supposed to be entertainment give us enjoyment and relaxation not make use depressed and angry. If you want that watch the news – it’s on 24/7.
A word about NCIS – what I find incredulous is that after 11 years, Abby has not grown as a character. She’s still the silly little girl she was originally. I find the same it true of Tony.
Oh, well, it’s better than the news of the contrived “reality” shows. Sit back, have a glass of wine and enjoy, or read a book.
In real life – Mom does something like that for a living so she has some fun would that, though she makes fun of the CSI New York show a LOT more.
Opening Scene -Young party girl in the New York subway has her face suddenly start to melt while vomiting blood.
In the distant city, Mac the steely eyed investigator, to his date: “sorry” (damn, my beeper went off at the opera. . . AGAIN).
Here comes the CSI Team, back from their night on the town, arriving in terribly expensive fashion wear, from their homes or dates, with all the traffic, in minutes.
Mac (entering the scene with no gloves, no mask, no eye protection, as he bends closely over someone that looks like a sleeping supermodel, except with lots of blood splashed on her): “Detective Angel, What have we got ?”
Detective Angel, Victoria’s Secret Model in tight pants and a skin tight low cut sparkly t-shirt under her suit jacket: “Looks like a Chemical or a Biological ! ! ”
Female CSI assigned to the scene: “Oh Happy Birthday Mac!” (giggle, giggle, blush stare at ground, forget to work the scene)
Mac smiles and pokes closely at the body again, steely eyes glinting since he’s not wearing any eye protection.
Mac: looking closely:” hmmm. . . doesn’t look like small pox or anthrax”
(Time to look a little closer and poke in the blood spatter to make sure it’s not the incurable ebola, which you can get by exposure to (ahem)the blood of the infected person.)
Dr. H.: “No pruritic macular or papular rash” (Good thing, as that might be Ebola or Cutaneous Anthrax, which means you’re standing in the minefield.)
Mac: “So no hemorrhagic fever!” ( Wow Mac, you diagnosed with just that steely glance. You didn’t even have to isolate the virus from the patients blood and have acute serum samples inoculated into tissue cultures of mosquito cells or directly into live Toxorhynchites or Aedes mosquitoes or try a Immunodiagnostic method such as detection of anti-dengue IgM and IgG by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and detection of hemagglutination inhibition antibody. Good job Mac, you’ll have this solved before the hour is up!)
Pretty girl in a $700 outfit playing with something that I swear is an Etch a Sketch: “It’s OK now! This subway tested negative for all hazmat and biologicals!”.
Mac: ” great!”
Watching any more would have made her laugh so hard she’d spill her beer. Besides they’ll have their DNA evidence in oh, like 10 minutes.
Abby the Labrador
Yep, it sounds ridiculous. But life mimics art, and there are plenty of folks out there now wanting CSI teams to show up when their lawnmower is stolen. Ain’t gonna happen.
OurPeople had to stop watching NCIS a few seasons ago because they couldn’t stand any more shenanigans by DiNozzo and Abby. Tony is just a supreme egotistical ass. Abby is such a hopped-up airhead, there’s no way she could perform even 1% of the miracles she does with all those complicated machines. But MOST OF ALL she needs to stop allowing Gibbs to hug and kiss her and perhaps be feeling her up off-camera. Any amount of that kind of behavior is so inappropriate in a work setting…especially between a boss and a person who works for them! Of course, slapping the men upside the head is inappropriate, too. All of this physical contact is supposed to be taken as signs of affection and camaraderie, but it made OurGirl cringe and shout at the TV. NCIS comes on at 7 p.m. here, so OurPeople watch Jeopardy instead. Or even Family Feud, which is kind of a stupid show, too. Who are these people they survey and where do they find them!?
I’m a Gibbs fan and have series 1 thru 11. I missed out on 12 as we were on the boat with an iffy DVD player (now toast) and 13 is due to be released here this year so I’m hoping to catch up with our collection.
Have just caught the final episode of whatever was showing on TV (I think 13 as 14 is about to start) and Tony has left (no spoiler if you haven’t seen iit but he didn’t die).