European stereotypes on TV - reflection on being European

This has been on my mind somewhat for the past few days. I have been doing a lot of thinking about stereotypes and racism in media and how it intersects with racial issues and prejudice in general. I might be wrong but the conclusion I have arrived at is at that when people of racial minority (other races than white in American/European media) are mocked in media it is a case of racism, when minority groups such as women, LGBT, Muslim, Jewish, single parents, immigrants are mocked it is a case of prejudice. In both cases, stereotypes are generously involved. But in these two groups racial issues and minority issues intersect.

But it got me thinking, in cases of white people being mocked in media, what is then used? Because that does happen - there are times when I watch TV when I feel like grinding my teeth which the stereotypes that are being used. In such cases, the focus of the mockery often becomes perceived stereotypical notions of people based on their nationality and background.

Before I am going to have someone throw torches at me for writing about this, I'd like to point out this is something that does happen. As I focus on American media here, my specific annoyance arises from the way in which Europeans are often portrayed on TV. Yes, I am aware that Europeans are generally perceived to be the most economically advantaged people in the world and they do have certain racial privileges based on the fact that they are Caucasian and the culture is considered 'better' than culture in other parts of the world. But that has not stopped great poverty from arising, economical disasters from happening Europeans from hating each other and employing genocide as a vehicle to get rid of people that are in some way 'wrong' (concentrated within Europe) and attempting to take over the world with disastrous results. European history and communication is in short, a complete and utter mess. I am proud to be European but at the same time, it feels conflicting. I love where I come from but at the same time I get so angry when I realize how badly people have been treated here and the incredible extent of the damage Europeans have done throughout the world. The continent is a royal mess. But despite the complicated mess there are some incredible and delightful things in between and little secrets to discover and respect. Europe is a mess but there are jewels hidden in between. Not to mention one important thing - Europe is an entire continent with 48 countries and millions of people; that naturally leads to great diversity of culture and religions so there is no one European identity, instead there are many. My Nordic view is but one of millions.

Therefore, I so much dislike it when I see all the stereotypes that are being used of Europeans, especially in regards to sensitive cultural matters, behavior and history. There is no middle ground. Either, Western-Europeans are portrayed as being the cream of the crop and the world's coolest people that come from a superb culture and speak with  British aceent. Or the other way, all Europeans (no matter where they come from) are portrayed as being mad hooligans. In both cases in terms of stereotypes. Not all Europeans are mad hooligans and in no way are Western-Europeans the cream of the crop. I especially as people to take notice of the fact that I refer specifically to Western European countries, namely U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland. The rest of Europeans are represented by employing offensive stereotypes. Northern-Europeans are either superbly sexy Vikings or serious country bumpkins with no knowledge of the world, Southern-Europeans are all sexy and exotic and ride on scooters saying 'ciao' and Eastern-Europeans are just plain mad with thick and heavy accents and are all communists. Oh, and either all Europeans speak with a British accent, with an Eastern-European accent or speak no English at all. I find that hilarious.

So why am I covering this? I am looking at you NCIS:Los Angeles and your senseless use of the 'mad' Russian stereotype, along with some French and German thrown in just for the heck of it. NCIS and Castle have largely escaped employing those stereotypes but NCIS:LA seems to have the personal agenda of employing as many stereotypes as possible of Europeans (I have covered this in some detail). As I have stated in another blog-post, NCIS:LA has blessedly so far restrained itself from employing Northern/Southern European stereotypes and will hopefully continue to do so. But it sure keeps the material coming and keeps my teeth grinding with annoyance. But NCIS:LA is not the only show to blame, tons of shows employ stereotypes with glee.

I know many will argue that using stereotypes of white people is not bad as they are not a minority in any way and I am fretting over little things. And in a way I am. But as someone that dislikes stereotypes more than anything this is something I want to bring attention to.

And to end this - I have just complained of how American media uses stereotypes of Europeans. We have tons of stereotypes of Americans here in Europe which we employ with glee pretty much every day. So it goes both ways. 

Entering the dicey territory - exploring how parks and rec deals with native americans

So my exploration begins

One of the episodes which has interested me the most on parks and rec. is episode 3x07 'Harvest Festival' and why is that? It is because in that episode they attempt to deal with the issue of Native-Americans, backlash against them in history and they even take on prejudice. And how successful were they? I'd say they were moderately successful, it was not perfect but I think they did a good job.

And before I begin I'd like to point out some things: I will be exploring the subject as carefully and respectfully as I can. I have studied Native-American history as a part of my American culture class at Uni and it was the subject I chose to concentrate on for my final exam.

In the episode Leslie ran into trouble because the ground that had been chosen to use for the Harvest Festival had been the place of a battle for the Wamapoke tribe in the 19th century and they wanted to commemorate that.  It was the battle of Indian Hill and his ancestors were buried there - it was therefore a sacred ground to them. But the Harvest festival was in full planning and that was the only place that could accommodate the festival so Leslie ran into trouble.

And that is how they tale begins:

The leader of the tribe was Ken Hotate - for that part they cast a native-american actor. Considering Hollywood's love for casting people that are clearly not native-american in such roles this was a good thing. Plus, I really liked Ken's character. He was funny and sarcastic.

The thing that made me saddest in the episode was the map of Pawnee which Leslie showed when she was explaining the atrocities the settlers had committed against the Wamapoke. The entire map was blue with only small white dots, widely dispersed. The white dots signified places where there had not been committed atrocities against the natives.
I appreciate the fact that this was put into the show and that it was acknowledged. It seems native-American history is often brushed under the carpet, especially the involvement of white settlers in it. So I think it is good there was a scene where this was acknowledged and treated with seriousness.

Ken Hotate commented he knew two things about white people: they loved matchbox 20 and were afraid of curses. And he used the curse part to his advantage when he pretended to cast a curse on the area because Leslie wouldn't budge on moving the Harvest Festival. The media picked up on it and everything went haywire with Leslie trying to calm everyone down. And then when Ken was happy with Leslie's offer of having a Wamapoke historical exhibition on site he pretended to lift the curse in front of cameras, while shouting nonsense.

I know the curse part was seen as very controversial. And it is. Having Ken us a mock curse  and having him shout nonsense during what was meant to be a religious rite can be seen as being offensive towards Native-American culture and mocking it and its very important rites.

Except I believe the producers were aiming for something different. They made it clear that Leslie and Ben did not believe those things but that the gullible media picked it up and blew it out of proportions, Ken knew this and used it to his advantage - they satirized media's way of exaggerating everything and people's complete lack of knowledge and respect towards Native culture. I believe they were trying to make a point through satire.

Then when Ken agreed to lift off the curse he did so in front of the media. I laughed so hard during that scene when he was pretending to perform and the subtitles read - 'I am speaking nonsense' and such things. It was another satirical point in my opinion about the way in which people tend to regard native cultures and how naive they are about them. Ken knew it and capitalized on it. Yet again, I believe they were trying to make a point through satire.

I do not believe personally that Parks and Rec was trying to mock or make fun of Native-American history and culture. I believe they were trying to make a point of how it is regarded and how stupid it is. They embellished in order to make a point. Whether that was the right way or not can be debated and certainly they could have done better. It still irks me they had the Harvest Festival at a sacred ground, even if they came to a conclusion with Ken.

And here is an interview with the actor Jonathan Joss which sheds some light on his participation in Parks and Rec - it includes some excellent points about his role Click here - Indian country today interview

Exploring racism on TV - the challenges of approaching the subject as a Caucasian European

As I have made abundantly clear here I am a Scandinavian through and through. And what does that mean? It means I am of Nordic descent, am lucky enough to live in this beautiful and eccentric place, am a proud and conflicted European, live and breathe Nordic culture on a daily basis and am an ardent Nordic girl; and I am white. I have a very fair skin-tone, blue eyes and light brown hair. I am pretty much the epitome of a Scandinavian woman - except for the sexy factor (I fail miserably in that degree). As far as I know, my family hails from some of the most isolated places in Scandinavia so the possibility of me having any other race than white in my family is pretty much non-existent. I am about as white as they come. Ethnically and culturally speaking.

This places me in a very privileged group of people in terms of many things. While my own experience, as well as the experience of other people in my country, the history of my country and my ancestors does not necessarily always reflect that advantage, white privilege is a fact and it exists. As someone that has grown up in a predominantly white society and comes from a country which was steeped in poverty until into the 20th century - it took me some time to discover white privilege and recognize it within my own scope of experience. I could see it within the scope of experience of other people - particularly in America and Britain but it did not apply to my own experience. I have spent much time studying and reading about racial relations, racial stereotypes, racism, racial history - you name it, I have looked into it. I consider myself to be fairly enlightened on the subject but that does not mean I know it all or that I am perfect - my views and opinions are challenged every day and I am continually discovering how limited my own view of the subject still is. I study racism from outside. I study as someone that comes from a privileged race but because of historical background and culture, white privilege and racism are concepts I approach differently. In my country, there is racism but its roots do not lie so deep or are of such historical significance as they are in America. When studying my own history, I study the history of white people that lived and made their lives in dire poverty.

So as I approach the subject of racism in TV and view it through my lens - I find it challenges me. I need to be on my toes and learn more and more in order to approach the subject with respect and sensitivity. I will be looking into racism in TV over the course of September. This explanation here is to show the approach I naturally bring to the subject and how it influences me.

Parks and recreation - What an incredible show

In July I decided on a whim to start watching Parks and Rec. I had heard good things about it, I have been following SmartGirls for a few months, I have seen the Golden Globe opening monologue with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey around a hundred times and it seemed intriguing. So I dove into the abyss and it was 'love' at first sight! I have seen pretty much every episode now and have howled with laughter, snickered, grinned and gotten slightly teary-eyed while watching it. This series is pure gold and I'm going to explain in bullet points why:

-Leslie Knope - that character is absolute gold. She is funny, realistic, ambitious, hard working, has strong convictions, silly, makes mistakes and blunders, a nerd, a good friend, a feminist and what not. She is realistic and very well developed and I believe a lot of people can identify with her. You see Leslie doing some amazing things but she is not perfect - she embarrasses herself and blunders in her behavior and has some things to learn. I am so happy to see a character that is so well grounded.

-The feminist theme - Parks and Rec is a strongly feminist show and is vocal and supportive of such issues. Leslie is the front and center of the show and she is a strong woman that is inspired and empowered by other strong women. She has an entire wall with pictures of women that have done some amazing things! And Leslie herself is displayed as being empowered and strong woman. And the feminist message is a big part of the show. I am more than thrilled with the great message the show sends about female empowerment. It is wonderfully refreshing.

-The constant nerdy references - There are some many sweet and funny little references in the show and they are all to nerdy little things. I am personally so happy that they portray Leslie and Ben as being fantasy nerds. Ben loves Star Trek and Game of Thrones and Leslie loves Harry Potter and they both love LoTR. I am happy how easily such fun references are put into the show and have become a part of it. I also loved the show where Tom and Donna fell in love with Twilight. I am happy to see nerdy and fun references that are not being mocked but which are seemly portrayed as being a part of what people like, of who they are. The series shows 'nerds' in a positive light.

-Ron Swanson - this character is more than epic. I did not think I'd enjoy him so much when I first saw him but he has become my favorite. His hatred of government, love of bacon and meat, overly simplistic lifestyle, his peculiarities, his opinions, his strange humor - all of it combined makes him one of the funniest characters on TV. I regularly watch clips on youtube just with Ron Swanson as it gets me laughing. He also has some sweet moments of realism which I like.

-The characters - Ron and Leslie are my favorite but the rest are all awesome. Ann is such a sweet character but also hilarious in some gentle ways and a great contrast to Leslie. April is the most cynical character on TV but such fun. I laugh just thinking about Chris's 'literally'. Andy is a duffs but a loveable and hilarious one. I love his undercover character of Burt Maclin - it feels like an excellent parody of Sam Hanna. Ben and Tom are just so good. Donna and Jerry are excellent and I love how they make a funny scene even more funnier with their behavior. In short, I absolutely enjoy all the characters to bits.

-The political satire and commentary. Parks and Rec is about politics. It both satirizes them and deals with some very difficult truths regarding the way they work and how it affects people. It makes politics seem more accessible. I loved the way they handled gay marriage but I have also felt angry when watching the show. When Leslie had to give up her office for Jamm I felt annoyed. I can't imagine how many women have had to deal with an attitude like that in government and I think the show dealt with it very deftly.

-The humor. Parks and Rec makes me laugh so much and it makes me happy to watch it. It's an absolute treat and I love the subtle and sweet humor in it. It doesn't try so hard to be funny. Instead it just is. The acting is top-notch and I love the humorous deliveries. Parks and Rec is 20 minutes of non-stop humor and is the expert show on deadpan delivery.

-The sweet real moments - I love the way they dealt with the love between Ben and Leslie. It was well handled and felt sweet. I was ready to cry in the episode 'The trial of Leslie Knope', it was so sweet. The show manages to deliver some sweet and lovely moments between the characters which I adore. It gets woven into the show in a very good way.

-The way it challenges me - I am happy to announce that not once have I ran into trouble with understanding or getting what the characters say. I get the English 100% which I am happy with. But the way the show deals with politics and feminism has challenged me and made me think things through which I love. I will delve more into that later but I love watching a show that challenges me.

All in all, I have come to highly enjoy the show and will watch it next year. It is a good balance to my love of detective shows. I will 

Lacking middle ground - the highs and lows of NCIS:LA

One of things I have been written to some extent here when it comes to NCIS:LA is its extremes in highs and lows. Both how incredibly good the series is and also, how bad it can sometimes. One of the reasons I write more NCIS:LA than other series is because these extreme fascinate me. Unlike the other series I cover here, NCIS:LA completely lacks a middle ground. It is either absolutely wonderful or terrible (at least considering the high standards it sets with its good episodes). NCIS:LA is in many ways much better than most shows on TV and it has a lot of great things about it, that's why is disappointing when it does not deliver.

When NCIS:LA is bad, it gets pretty terrible. It seems to me that this generally happens when the show becomes too ambitious and there is too much going on. When NCIS:LA amps up on steroids , is generally when thins go awry. The humor turns way off, the characters become stiff in their interactions and general demeanor, the level of violence is increased to a ridiculous level and the story lines become far too unrealistic. There is also ridiculous reliance on stereotypes and the writing is not good. When such episodes come, I don't like watching them and therefore I make a point of avoiding them. There are some episodes of NCIS:LA that I have only seen once because I disliked them so much.

Those episodes include:
Pretty much all of season 1
2x14 'Lockup' - that episode has never sat right with me - the level of violence is far too much
2x19 'Enemy within' - The foreign policy in that episode is quite simply way off and I find it disrespectful towards Latin countries and enforcing the stereotypical attitude that everyone is America's enemy - and it has the typical scene of Kensi going badass when dressed in fine clothes and high heels - how anyone thinks that is a good idea is beyond me
3x19 'Vengeance' - It did not sit right with me the whole time - the idea of someone being redeemed of killing someone just because said person is a navy s.e.a.l. is not something I like
4x02 'Recruit' - It was described as being the funniest episode ever but I ended up disliking it a whole lot. The humor felt entirely too forced, the level of violence is far too much and it relied on bad stereotypes about Muslims in order to further the story. It is my least favorite episode of the entire series.
4x11 'Drive' - Kensi went undercover as a stereotypical Latina - the entire setup felt ridiculous and unrealistic and was a low for such a great character.

But there is always an plus side. When NCIS:LA does something well, they blow me out of the water! When NCIS:LA feels more laid back but retains the drive and ambition it has, it produces some high quality shows which I can re-watch over and over again. It has the wonderful humor I adore so much, the character reactions are gold, the characters are alive and the story lines are ambitious and delivers some excellent points. When it does something so well it is one of the best TV shows I have ever seen and I mean that. The episodes I can re-watch over and over again are a few

2x20 'The Job' - This is probably my most favorite episode on NCIS:LA. It has the good humor but has a seriously good character focus on Kensi and the story line keeps me on the edge of my seat every single time. I watched the episode on my last birthday as a treat, it's that good.
2x01 'Human Traffic' - Holy smokes. That episode is more than awesome! It has Deeks character focus, the story line is intense and exciting and you really feel for the characters. It is one of those classical re-watch episodes I can see over and over again
2x05 'Little Angels' - It is just such a good and intense episode and Sam is excellent in i. It is also highly creepy which I enjoy
2x07 'Anonymous' - This episode has the best Kensi and Deeks undercover action - it is so funny, light and delightful I grin just thinking about it. I laugh so much every time I see it. There is something so earnest and clusmy about it which I love.
2x10 'Deliverance' - It has nail biting exciting action and twists and turns
2x17 'Personal' - A Deeks heavy episode, need I say more? One instant favorite
2x22 'Plan B - A Deeks heavy favorite which is one of the best character episodes yet - It is interesting and intriguing and I really feel for the characters in it
3x07 - This episode is their funniest one ever. Ranging from Nell and Eric playing airport staff to Sam speaking Japanese and Kensi and Deeks pretending to be waiters - it is comedy gold for 40 minutes which I love.
3x10 'The Debt' - Deeks/Kensi heavy and it has some awesome twists and turns and some seriously good character interactions. It gets to me every time I watch it
3x16-17 'Blye, K.' - seriously good character focus on Kensi, nail biting action and tension and as some really sweet Densi scenes
3x18 'The Dragon and the fairy' - This episode is too good. It deals with the difficult issue of human trafficking and the Vietnam War with seriousness and respect and one can tell they wanted to do it right. It is absolute gold to watch.
3x22 'Neighbor Watch' - Kensi and Deeks go undercover as a married couple and it is nonstop humor for 40 minutes - ranging from the epic dinner scene to the scene where Deeks discovers Kensi cut her foot - it is nothing but highly good humor. I laugh every time I watch it and it makes me happy.
4x01 'Endgame' - This episode has non-stop epic action, twists and turns in the story line and some comedy gold in between - it is so good!
4x06-07 - A wonderful Sam two-parter which had some wonderful twists and turns and the action was very good.
4x13 'The Chosen One' - It attempts to deal with the subject of bombinh in the name of Islam and to a certain extent it does a great job
4x14 'Kill House' - This episode was epic! The action had me at the edge of my seat the whole time (also closing my eyes regularly), the tension was palpable and it so so exciting. Not to mention, Nell kicking ass is great.
4x23 'Parley' - A great Deeks heavy  episode with some good tension between him and Kensi

So as people can tell - I enjoy more episode than I dislike. And to add, the acting in NCIS:LA is always consistently good. Whatever the standard of other things, the acting is always top-notch and that is something I appreciate.

Undercover mishaps and awesomeness - NCIS:LA style

One of the things I love about NCIS:LA is all the undercover characters they have. I am a big fan of acting, theatre and storytelling and I love all the little stories they spin with the undercover characters and how easily they have the main characters flow between being undercover and being themselves. They are like chameleons and it it such fun to watch. But a la NCIS:LA style they sometimes proper middle ground. They have both had terrific undercover characters and characters that were so bad I could barely watch. So today's topic is delving into those undercover characters goodies and define my favorite and least favorite.

Sam: His worst undercover character was hands down in episode 3x10 'The Debt' when he impersonated a rapper. Sam wore his regular work outfit of jeans and a well fitting black shirt. The only thing he did was to put on a gold chain. His entire undercover outfit consisted of a gold chain!!! To me, that shows low standard. 

I was also not a fan of when he pretended to be a wine taster/cork collector. I never got that scene entirely because the accent that he used was very difficult for me to understand which frustrated me. 

To explain a little further: I have trouble with deciphering/hearing properly what people say sometimes and that frustrates me on a general level, both in my native language as well as English. I am well aware of differing accents (English major here!) and I am used to listening to and interpreting all sorts of accents, both from native speakers as well as foreign speakers of English. But I am not perfect it it. When I can't grasp properly what people say I don't like it. It frustrates me quite a lot actually. I have to rely 100% on my auditory English skills when watching TV when I generally rely on a mix of subtitles and auditory and as I am not a native speaker of English it has challenges. When I have to pause and replay over and over again scenes from my favorite show just to understand what's going on I get annoyed. It detracts from my enjoyment from the show. Generally this is not a problem for me when watching TV but it does occur most often with NCIS:LA for some reason. 

I am pointing out the challenges I face when I watch American TV shows and how English continues to challenges me. It's a part of consuming media in a language I am still learning and dealing with. I don't think this is something that people generally realize can pose a challenge so I am pointing it out as one of the many facets and challenges of consuming American media as a European. 

Frankly, I prefer Sam when it's just him and his lovely humor. He is at his best then, not when he's undercover.

Callen: His worst undercover character was also in the episode 3x10 'The Debt' when he pretended to be Sam's lawyer when he impersonated  a rapper. Not only did Callen adapt an extremely obnoxious accent in that scene but his behavior was also completely off. He became very obnoxious, annoying and cocky. Another undercover low for Callen was when he pretended to be a hotshot in order to get into a 'clandestino' in season 2. He had the same arrogant attitude

It seems to be a constant for Callen to adopt a very disrespectful and cocky attitude and  generally behave like dusch which I do not like. I understand it's all about playing roles and molding personalities but still....

Callen is such a nice character and has some great moments. I prefer him on his own, NOT when he's undercover.

Kensi: Her worst undercover was in in season 4 she played a Latina girl in the episode 'Drive' when they were bursting an illegal car selling ring. There was just something about the character that bit me. It was so incredible stereotypical from the tatto 'Krafty' to the braids, the gum, the hoodie, the clothes and the accent. It was a hyped up stereotype in my opinion and the character just felt flat and unreal. It was a low for a character as great as Kensi. That's why I was so happy when they had Kensi roll back into being herself and correcting Deeks' bad Spanish Grammar. 

The best one in episode 4x01 when she played the mean, rich house wife in the bank. Her rant about her idiot husband who was a sheep and how much she hated being married to him was an absolute hoot. I laugh so hard every time I see that scene. It is one of the funniest scenes of the entire NCIS:LA franchise and it's absolute comic gold. Scenes like that are the reason I watch NCIS:LA.

Deeks: He is my most favorite character when going undercover. You can never figure out what stunts he will pull next and watching him spin something out of thin air is always as much fun. He also as the best array of undercover characters.
His worst one's are when he plays the hobo. It just never feels right in some way, not the way he plays it or how the character is. I cannot pinpoint it exactly but I don't particularly like it when he plays the hobo.

His best undercover character is Max Gentry. Gentry is the only undercover character on NCIS:LA which has genuinely freaked me out. In episode 2x22, I felt repulsed every time he came on screen and he was the very definition of someone creepy and sadistic. The scene where he shouts and threatens actually made me scared and I felt really uncomfortable when he kept touching the hair of a girl in the bar scene. Gentry as a character had me terrified. He is so completely different from Deeks so it's a fascinating change to observe, how much Deeks changes when he becomes Gentry and how reconciles playing such a repulsive man to do something good. It is fascinating to watch, makes for great TV and is an example of NCIS:LA goodiness. 

So all in all, the undercover part is both good and bad but it's an integral part of the show and an aspect I love. NCIS:LA continues to challenge my English skills as well and while it's annoying sometimes, it helps as well. 

The TV Matters and Me Opinion Column 102 - NCIS/NCIS:LA galore

I was catching up on some much needed spoilers to satisfy my NCIS/NCIS:LA obsession and boy, was I ever lucky!

I, as a rule of the thumb, generally never read gossip magazines or websites I did read 'Hello' today to get news pf the sweet little British prince (but that's beside the point).

But today's satisfaction in terms of TV spoilers is provided by Entertainment Weekly

Click here!

NCIS: I have already covered my own reaction to Ms. De Pablo leaving the show earlier and I am clear in my position that I respect her choice of doing so. I will miss the character of Ziva but things will move on. I am looking very much forward to seeing how they will play things out in the first two episodes of season 11 and how Ziva's story will come to an end. And Glasberg has promised to conclusion to TIVA and that the fans will be happy with the result! Now that is intriguing.... But other than that, NCIS seems to be shaping up to have a wonderful season 11 and I am looking forward to it returning to screen. They'll be doing a Bones style rotation of agents in Ziva's place and that'll be interesting to see. And I am happy that the producers are aware of and committed to honoring the fans of NCIS. As always, NCIS delivers.

NCIS:LA: There will be an honest scene between Kensi and Deeks. Finally, finally, finally! These two will hopefully start moving forward after that and unto a blooming relationship. I am curious to see how it'll play with the lovable but highly dysfunctional duo. And I politely point to my own comparison between Caskett and Densi should there be any doubt whether a relationship between Kensi and Deeks would work or not. And the trauma and torture which Deeks will experience will have long-lasting effects on him. NCIS:LA has always done well with continuing story lines and this will be interesting to watch. I have covered my clear disgust with the season 4 finale and it's use of torture and trauma. While I am interested to see how the aftershock will play out, I hope there will never be a repeat of torture scenes. Once was terrible enough.

So all in all, it seems the NCIS franchise is shaping up to have a positively delightful TV season ahead and I am looking forward to it. And as always, I will watch it with eagle eyes and continue reporting.