And now for something a little different ...

[marzipan77]

Stretch yourself is the theme of Day 7. I don't usually post pictures, so here are some pics that, I hope, give rise to questions about Hollywood's horrible use of female characters.



Let's begin here, with one of my favorite themes:




However, female characters, especially female characters in NCIS, do not return. Instead, they are largely designed TO die and thereby create the REASON for men's actions. They have no voice besides what their men to do avenge them.

Shannon and Kelly: Gibbs' REASON:

Anne Gibbs: Another of Gibbs' REASONS:

Kate Todd: Yet another of Gibbs' REASONS:

Jenny: Catalyst for change:

Jackie Vance: Vance's REASON:

Paula Cassidy: Tony's REASON:

Diane Gibbs: Gibbs' and Fornell's REASON:

Ziva: Tony's REASON:

When female characters have no reason to exist besides their deaths inspiring vengeance in the menfolk, that's not good.

Comments

Hi, here from Snowflake.

[pronker]

The mood is annoyed and I don't blame you. After smiling at the first two pics, I tackled learning the unfamiliar and long-lived NCIS program -- what a lengthy list of characters (I'm assuming) introduced, given months or years of development and then blammo, whacked.

Eons ago, the Death Wish series of films provided Charles Bronson with wife, daughter, or girlfriend killed off in movie after movie and him rampaging to kill the killers. He always succeeded, and we were vicariously happy for him each time because the movies ended with him warming up a new female companion in the wings every time! She provided plot fodder for the next movie, naturally. Nowadays I think the Taken series does the same thing ...

Anyway, thanks for providing food for thought on a rainy Monday morning and happy snowflaking.

[respoftw]

Sigh. Popular media really does use that crutch way too much. :(

[sg_wonderland]

I adore NCIS, I will always be a Mark Harmon fan but that certainly doesn't blind me to its faults. Women are given little thought except now they can be useful to further the men's storylines. I'm convinced Abby wasn't killed off because 1) TPTB didn't want to give her an emotional death scene or 2) they knew the fans would revolt.

CBS, as a network, has proven itself to be the good-old-boy club, led no doubt by Moonves.

You don't want to get me started on how they screwed the women of Criminal Minds.

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[marzipan77]

Yep, blammo. Whenever NCIS wants to switch gears, they kill off a woman. I remember the Death Wish movies. It saddens me to think that things have not changed much in Hollywood when writing female characters.

[marzipan77]

I agree, killing Abby was probably their first thought.

As for Criminal Minds, do not even get me started on how poorly they've treated the female stars.

[sg_wonderland]

I hear ya, sistah!

[kiki_eng]

Word. There is a fanvid that exists in my head that is basically a translation of angry mental yelling from watching 6 seasons of NCIS and some Criminal Minds.

[coyoteclaw11]

hear hear!!

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[meridian_rose]

I'm still bitter about Ziva's exit and off-screen death; Abby got to leave, hopefully she'll stay alive offscreen, and Quinn is the only other female regular who left without drama after one season. NCIS has a real problem keeping more than 2 female cast members at a time!

Re: Hi, here from Snowflake.

[marzipan77]

I haven't watched in years, but I don't figure anything will change with the same men in charge.

[spikedluv]

This is a trope that needs to die.