Seasons Premiers - TV Matters and Me Opinion Column 102

After seeing that my post about the NCIS:LA finale last season has become my most read post for some odd reason I decided I needed to cover the season premieres - so settle in!

NCIS:LA - Well.. I am happy to report that they managed to redeem themselves. The season premiere was certainly not without its faults but it was a definite improvement on the finale. It was amped up NCIS:LA but it was not on steroids thankfully. All in all I was impressed. What I enjoyed by far the most was how vulnerable everyone was and the way the feelings came across the scene. Rarely, if ever, have I seen the characters so jarred and pained. I have to hand it to the actors that they all did a frigging amazing job - especially portraying emotional vulnerability and difficult feelings. But what surprised me most was the depth by which Sam Hanna was portrayed and how he behaved throughout the episode. I did not expect it to be honest and getting such a good exposure of the character' vulnerable side was wonderful. Never has Sam been so human. For me, the star of that episode was LL Cool J hands down - he did an incredible job with Sam. If this continues, the series will be on a roll. 

I do have a special post coming up however covering how spectacularly badly they portrayed Deeks's oral trauma. As someone that has been through oral trauma after surgery I am well versed on the subject. 

NCIS - All in all the premiere was excellent. It wasn't particularly exciting but the story line had some crazy twists and turns I was all over trying to discover. Most of all it was pure NCIS and I loved that. I do admit it was strange not to see Ziva there though. All the characters returned in their glory but I most enjoyed seeing Palmer and Ducky interact. These two are such a wonderful pair and keep me laughing all the time. It seems this season will be taking some good twists and turns and I am looking forward to seeing the new agent Emily Bishop, I've got a feeling she will be lovely. And of course the actors were good - I mean it's NCIS!

Castle - The best premiere hands down. It was sooooo good. I was glued to the screen the second it started and stayed glued till the end. The plot was tight and controlled and superbly exciting. I mean it was the perfect Castle - wit, humor, nail-biting action, tension and incredible character interactions. And I absolutely enjoyed the twist of Beckett being a federal agent. It felt quite natural and it displayed a new side of the character. I honestly really liked that part in the episode. It will be good to see Beckett at the precinct again but they did this bit incredibly well. I instantly liked all the agent characters. And I have to mention Lisa Edelstein as Rachel McCord - she was amazing! I enjoyed the character so much. She was a nice mix of spunk and professionalism. She reminded me of Alex Blake on Criminal Minds who is a character I really enjoy and I enjoyed her and Beckett's interaction. So nice to see two professional women working together.

And yes, I grinned like an idiot when Beckett got engaged to Castle. I mean!!!!!

Parks and Recreation - To be honest - this was not a good episode. Considering the incredibly high standards Parks and Rec has set for itself, the premiere fell really short of it. I do not think I've ever before been bored before while watching or even offended. But I was both. I mean, the premiere had some good points but mostly it was just really thin - the only interactions I liked were Andy and the British gentleman and Leslie interacting with Ulee. Leslie somehow did not feel like Leslie in the episode. I personally found it incredulous she would stoop so low as to help a woman remove slugs from her lawn. Leslie has always been portrayed as being a woman of great self-respect and dignity and responding to people's petty demands did not feel like the character at all. Doing this just to stay in office just did not feel right. Leslie as a character is not a doormat in the slightest so I found this strange. 

Somehow all the characters felt off in one way or the other. Even Gerry and Donna.

But the worst example was Ron. It is common knowledge that Ron dislikes Europe and I have enjoyed that tidbit about him. When praise of Europe can often be so senseless it is a refreshing thing. But what I did not expect was Ron's behavior in the episode. I was honestly surprised at how disrespectful they portrayed him to be towards Britain and European culture. I mean, he refused to use pounds and insisted on using dollars as the finest money there was, talked about the 'stench of European socialism' and referred regularly to 'the godforsaken continent' and referring to everything before 1776 as rough draft instead of history - to me, this is not funny at all, instead it played really badly on a stereotype of the American traveler that can not handle anything European and insists on everything being like in America. Something which really frustrates Europeans. I get the point that Ron Swanson does not like Europe and I am fine with that - I enjoy how they poke fun at Europe regularly. But what irked me was how disrespectful Ron came across. He has been portrayed as someone that values education and is respectful towards people so this shift in his character was not something I enjoyed.

Parks and Rec has never before relied on stereotypes and it is something I really enjoy about the show. So I hope this is just a hiccup and that Parks and Rec will return in all its glory this week. 

So all in all - I enjoyed the majority of the premieres. There were some bad moments but on the whole, they returned with a bang. 

So stay tuned!

NCIS:LA and PTSD - a rare chance to portray mental illness

Right now, NCIS:LA is heading in for an interesting season with Deeks. He suffered massive torture and trauma and now has to recover from it, he has PTSD - a mental illness common after excessive trauma, especially among military personnel returning from war. PTSD is a serious and complicated illness and not easy one to handle. But if treated right, people can recover from it.

There is a huge stigma towards mental illness in today's society and it is treated as a source of shame. It is debilitating and sickening that people that deal with mental illnesses face such prejudice and lack of understanding in today's society. Things are changing ever so slowly and mental illness is gaining more awareness. It are normal people that get mental illnesses, anyone can get them. Such a thing deserves understanding, awareness and support - not stigma.

As things are shifting, it is important to validate mental illnesses in media and approach the issue with sensitivity and care. Stephen Fry has been a major figure in that regard. And now, NCIS:LA now has a rare and important chance now to contribute to a changing view of mental illnesses. If they portray Deeks' mental illness with sensitivity and care and acknowledge the illness, its complications but also the potential for healing - they are doing something very important. They'll be validating mental illness and showing how it can affect people, portraying it in its many complicated forms while showing the potential of recovery, of hope. Deeks is a fictional character but it's been proven time and again that validating difficult issues on TV can be an important stepping stone in provoking discussions on them and contributing to more awareness and understanding.

Castle handled PTSD in season 4 in a wonderful episode. They treated the matter with sincere respect and understanding. This episode later won an award for truthful portrayal of a mental illness and it is one of their best episodes.

Now NCIS:LA has the chance to do the same and I hope they step up to the challenge. If they do, they will contributing to an important debate and increasing awareness of an issue that touches people everywhere. They have the capacity to change the opinions of millions towards PTSD and validating the experience of so many that have the illness. Who wouldn't want to use that chance?

It is my hope that they will step up and deliver. It is their duty to do so. 

What matters, what not - terror in one place, excess in another

Today's topic is on the heavy side. It has weighed on my mind in the past few days and I have organized my thoughts enough to write coherently about it.

Normally, I do not care a fig about award shows. They go above and beyond me and I have other better things to think about. The most I do is to keep up with the Oscars - only because I love films. The last time I watched an award show for just 5 seconds I felt repulsed. Somehow the showmanship, how excessive it was, the gaudiness, the falsehood of it, the display of riches, the pretentiousness, just the sheer notion of it made me feel sick.

Last Saturday morning, a terrifying terrorist attack was committed in Nairobi, Kenya. It has taken three days to overcome the terrorists and it is truly an international incident, both in regards to the perpetrators and the victims. There was also an explosion in a church in Pakistan which killed almost 80 people and an explosion in Iraq as well...
I have followed the news over the past few days. It is kind of hard to articulate my feelings on it - it ranges from fear to sincere sympathy and endless frustration with the world in which we live today.

Then I realize the Emmy's had just been hosted. And for some arbitrary reason I listened to the beginning monologue of the show - and quit after 2 minutes. I couldn't listen anymore after realizing that this show essentially revolved around people patting themselves on the back for producing TV shows (American) in an golden age of television. Where there were 6000 people in the room and 34 million people watching. It took me back to the Oscars this year when it was stated that the entire world was watching. Yes, quite apparently the entire world follows award ceremony which deals with American films pretty much exclusively and with American actors only.

It seems mind boggling that there are so many award shows hosted every year - Grammy's, Emmy's, Oscar's, Tony's, SAG, Golden Globe, MTV/MTV teen - I mean how often is it needed to celebrate achievements within the American entertainment industry? How often is the parade needed?

And then it hit me - there were people suffering in Kenya and a new threat has just arisen in terrorism, there were people dying in Middle-Eastern countries, civil wars, poverty, economic troubles - at the same time an award show was being hosted, a real glitz and glam and showmanship award show, celebrating achievements in TV shows in America. This paradox is just crazy. Absolutely crazy. In one place there is human suffering and terror - in another there is a display of wealth and superficiality. Both at the same time, in the same world, both involving real people.

I am not going to pretend that things like this are not happening all the time - I live a privileged life myself here in the North (I am not saying I ain't guilty in this paradox as well!). But that does not make this right in any way, just because things are this way does not mean they have to be. And it seems kind of mind boggling this paradox, mind boggling and sickening.

So as I observe this paradox - terror in one place - award show (otherwise known as display of wealth) in another - in the third everyday normal life of a university student.

 I choose the things I care about, I choose my own attitude, I choose what annoys me and what not - Today I choose caring about this paradox and being reminded of my own privileges while at the same time reaffirming my own thoughts toward certain things. 

Parks and Rec + Denmark/Nordic = Awesome!

One of the many reasons I like Parks and Rec is that the show is stock filled with Nordic references. As a proud and highly egotistical Nordic person I am more than happy just how often Nordic countries are featured. It is such a delight to watch the show and see how they manage to interject references in the most random places and in the most hilarious ways. They manage to make it funny every single time.

I am going to mention a few specific examples which I love

4x07 - 'The Treaty' - Leslie represented Denmark in a mock UN convention. This surprised me as I expected she would represent some more known country like Britain or Germany. But having Leslie represent Denmark was the best. This episode is one of my most favorite one's. They managed to represent the Nordic countries, both mentioning them and showing their flags. I admit a felt a bit of pride seeing the flag of my own country there.

One of the best scenes was one Leslie tried to get Andy to represent Iceland - which he did not want to do because they were the bad guys from 'Mighty Ducks 2' - that was an obscure but awesome reference! Then he got Finland and decided at the convention to swap the Finnish army for 50 lions from Kenya believing it was much better. At that point in the show I was howling with laughter. An honorary mention also goes to the scene where Leslie tries to gather all her Nordic friends (the countries) to declare a war - The Nordic countries have a really strong cooperation and a good bond and I was happy they included that in the show. It shows they did some research.

Click here to see the scene with Andy

And then, the best part was they had Leslie speak Danish. I am a fluent speaker of Danish and I have to say, Poehler had a remarkably good accent in that scene. Danish is not an easy language to speak and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the Danish sounded.

Another great bit that will be coming up is the fact that Leslie meets a Danish woman played by Heidi Klum, that will be from Silkeborg in Denmark. Another Danish reference! I saw the 'behind the scenes' segment and it is hilarious. They even managed to squueze goat cheese into the scene which Silkeborg is famous for. And it does seem awfully Danish/Nordic to make a sculpture out of goat cheese. We just gotta show off whenever possible! I am going to be a bit nit picky and say that one can hear quite clearly from Klum's accent that she's not Danish but it only adds to the fun. I am all in for all and any Nordic references. Particularly when they are so hilarious.

Click here to see scene with Heidi Klum

And one the best jokes has to be from season 5 when councilman Milton is wondering where Tom is from. And Leslie answers:"Iceland" in a dead pan way.
I was howling at that scene. It was not the answer I was expecting, it caught me off guard and it was genius in so many ways.

Parks and Rec keeps me laughing all the time and I more than appreciate their subtle and wonderful humour. And the way in which they manage to insert so many Nordic references all over the place is just wonderful. It is also an indication of a well thought and clever humour.

So Parks and Rec gets two thumbs up for Nordic references. 

What is it that makes Deeks stand out as a character? The human factor

Recently I was reading through this interview with Mr. Olsen that plays Deeks on NCIS:LA and one thing caught my attention. The reference to the fact that for some reason, Deeks as a character has made a lot of emotional attachment with fans.

Now, I am personally iffy of using the phrase 'emotional attachment' in reference to TV characters. I'd rather say he's the character that has elicited some of the strongest responses. But I would certainly agree that Deeks is a character that a lot of fans, me included, have responded strongly to and enjoy watching so much. He is without a doubt the character I enjoy the most on the show; as a character he makes me grin and laugh heartily and I respond to his stories. 

And this all got me thinking, what is it precisely about Deeks that makes him so popular?

What hit me personally about the character was the fact that from the beginning he was so human, so relateable. From the moment he entered the screen he was an impressive, complicated character with an intensive back-story. He felt like someone that could exist in real life. From the beginning, Deeks was presented as someone that had deep personal integrity and loyalty and was dedicated to his job. But he was not immune to it. The thing that impressed me from the start was how strongly Deeks would react to things and how his job was seen to affect him. While the other character felt like cardboards at times (Sam, Callen, Hetty) when it came to displaying their feelings, Deeks was from the start open emotionally and was shown to respond strongly to things, both good and bad. 

He as been presented as a character that is not perfect. While the rest of them sometimes seem to inhabit a bubble of perfection, never doing anything wrong (Sam especially), Deeks is different. He blunders, has a strange humor (Germany f.ex.), is sometimes very awkward, has a tendency to talk far too much, listens to musicals and Donny and Marie (I do not know who these are!), does not always have social communication down to a tee, has a horrendous British accent, is Norwegian (whoop!), does some pretty strange things when he's undercover, can be very sensitive, hates forests and the desert, plays violin and knows classical music, in no way in tune with nature and many other things. He does not like shooting people and defends those he feels have been wronged. He is in love with Kensi but has trouble acting on it, he has some unresolved issues with his father and his past does not feel impressive or grand. It feels realistic.

In other words he feels delightfully human, has a lot of strange quirks and vices and habits just like anyone else. From the start, Deeks as a character did not live in the bubble of perfection the other characters still sometimes do. From the start, he has felt human. 

And I have to mention his humour. Deeks is without a doubt the character that makes me laugh the most and grin like an idiot. I have said it times and again that one of the things I look for in my favorite TV shows is that they make me laugh, that they make me feel happy. NCIS:LA does that well and that is in large part thanks to Deeks. 

NCIS:LA has radically improved in terms of their character development, especially in regards to Kensi. But Deeks will always be their best created character in my opinion. The human factor is pivotal when it comes to creating a good character and concerning Deeks, NCIS:LA did extremely well from the start. 

Football and soccer - negotiating American and British English vocabulary

As someone that learned English as foreign language one problem I have ran into in my vocabulary building is the difference in words between British and American English. Since I am European, I learned British spelling, vocabulary and even accent. We do love our British English here in the North. Generally speaking, I would say I am more comfortable personally with British English but I've concentrated more on American English lately, as I have been exposed much muh more to British. But the fact is that any way we slice it, it is not enough for someone to know English vocabulary specific to one country only. So I am in the unique position of having to learn and develop my vocabulary in many different types of English, with emphasis on British and American. One can throw into that mix as well Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Indian and so much else. So I got my hands full. Generally I enjoy this challenge and it fascinates me. But sometimes it can throw me for a loop.

One such instance is the word 'football'. In Nordic language the sport is called 'fodbold'. And in British English and every other European language I have studied and am familiar with the sport is referred to by the two words that directly reflect it, 'foot' and 'ball'. 

This is the sport which is known as football here in Europe

And then there enters American English in all its glory. In American English the word 'football' refers to something completely else, a totally different sport that has nothing to do with feet or a ball. 

It refers to this sport here

And the sport that is referred to everywhere else as 'football'/fodbold/fútbol in every other language is called 'soccer'. I mean where does that word even come from?! How on earth did someone figure out that a sport that involves both feet and balls should be called soccer but a sport that involves clutching the ball and using excessive force when competing should be called 'football'. It makes no logical sense whatsoever!

This used to drive me nuts. I have a distinct memory of arguing about the meaning of the word soccer with my brother when I was little as I refused to believe it existed and that the word football referred to a completely different word in American English. One of the many benefits of having grown up learning English is that it opened my way into the fascinating world of languages and discovering English. I wouldn't trade that for the world. 

Since that time, my vocabulary has grown. This annoyance does still mildly exist but I have learned to see the humour in it.

And there enters a show like NCIS:LA which thrives in a way on language jokes and they have poked fun at this.

In episode 2x20 'The Job' Deeks pretends to be injured when he meets a British woman and he pretends to be a footballer. And the following conversation ensues (paraphrased):

British woman: "Oh my God, are you a footballer?"

Deeks: "This is America, so we call it soccer, but yeah".

And I sat there grinning like an idiot while listening to the conversation. I love the fact that this discrepancy between British and American English was taken a light jab at and acknowledged. And typical Deeks to correct the British woman. And kudos to NCIS:LA for pulling off such an awesome language joke!

I love language jokes and playing around with language so it are scenes like this that make me grin and laugh. I am happy and grateful to be an English major and to be an EFL speaker. It puts me in such a great position of learning English, experiencing it and being fascinated by it. 

Conspiracy theory 103 - What will next season bring?

I am in a conspiracy mood so here I go. The TV world has been delivering some excellent bites of conspiracy meat and I cannot wait to begin. So like Joan Callamezzo so wisely said: 'Let's pull out the world map and speculate wildly'.

NCIS:LA - Things have been heavy on the conspiracy front here. Due to some delightful changes in real life for some of the actors, things will be changing around NCIS:LA. It seems obvious now that Kensi will be the team member to leave the team, for some time at least, which opens up the door for Nell to start training as an agent. It has been hinted that Hetty will be making some changes around the place so it seems quite logical that Nell will step in for Kensi with her being away. And if that comes true, I cannot wait to see it. Nell is a great character and nicely different from Kensi and plus I cannot wait to see what kind of dynamic she and Deeks will have. They are two such lovely goofballs. And I am curious to see what will happen with Michelle Hanna. I do hope they continue having her on as a character. Aunjanue Ellis is such a good actress and I enjoy the dynamic between Sam and Michelle. And I am getting excited to see what Callen's name is and learn more about his family. I have tried coming up with G names for Callen and honestly he looks like a George to me. Names like Graham, Gunnar, Gideon, Gregor are just so not Callen. So he'll always be a George in my opinion.

And I am still holding on to the hope that Jack Larsen will turn up ;)

NCIS - What will happen to Ziva?? I am very excited to see that and I expect things to be delivered on the Tiva front, like an actual resolution. It seems that NCIS will be heading down a fun road. I am already breaking my mind over how the complications with Palmer adopting will affect his relationship with Ducky and what will happen to this awesome duo. There will be a 'love triangle' with Abby, McGee and his new girlfriend Delilah. I cannot wait for that - just the thought of the humor that it'll bring makes me smile. And how will life continue for Tony and Gibbs - who is still technologically challenged I might add (they are teasing a hashtag scene with him, I can't wait!).

Castle - I am so very much excited about Castle. It's obvious that Beckett will take the job and that Castle will tag along with her but knowing Castle, they will deliver 150% on the story line front. I have seen great reviews for this episode and I am psyched to see it. I am also excited to see how Lisa Edelsteins's role will play a part in the show. And I cannot forget my favorite bro duo, Ryan and Esposito. I am looking forward to the pregnancy story line and seeing how things will develop with Lanie and Espo - two characters I really like. So I am psyched about next season of Castle, totally psyched.

Parks and Rec - So much going on! I am very much looking forward to the pregnancy story line with Ron and how he will handle it. It's already been indicated that he will be really happy with the news so I cannot wait to see what it'll bring and how it will change this epic character. I am a teensy bit annoyed that Chris Traeger and Ann Perkins will exit the show midseason - they are such epic characters and my favorite one's on the show (aside from Leslie) but knowing how wonderfully parks and rec deals with the characters I cannot wait to see Ann adjust to pregnancy and Chris take on fatherhood. And what will happen with Leslie and Ben? So many good things coming up!
And I am looking forward to the dose of Donna awesomeness, Tom annoyance/laughter and the lovely pair of Andy and April.

All in all, I am looking very much forward to next TV season and what it will bring. And I will continue blogging and documenting and most of all, conspiracy theorizing.

Parks and Recreation is going to London!!! And how I learned the word 'reciprocate'

Parks and Rec 6x01 is going to happen in London! A one hour premiere which happens largely in Europe, in London, with some of the best characters on TV! I cannot wait to see Leslie, Ron, Andy, April and Ben take on London and British culture. I am anticipating nothing but laughs and enjoyment and I cannot wait to see their take on British culture - the accent, the tea, famous monuments, the Queen, the traffic, the metric system and everything else. This is the show premiere I am looking most forward too of all.

Parks and Rec continues to bring me constant laughter and gives me a great to think about. So much in fact that I will be writing a term paper about Parks and Recreation looking at it from the viewpoint of feminist literary theory and how feminism is portrayed in the show.

And I am totally loving the fact of being able to use a show I like so much for a uni paper :)

And today I learned the lesson of not eating while watching my favorite TV shows. I was eating an orange and I laughed so hard when I saw Chris Traeger's excellent dancing skills in episode 3x10 (he's got dancing skills like a Nordic person (no Nordic person can dance)), I almost spit the orange out. This is a lesson I am relearning all the time with all my favorite shows.

But on the other hand, I am happy I have discovered shows that make me laugh so hard and grin so much. Humor, laughter and smiles are very important to me and it is nice to get such sheer enjoyment from TV.

And to add to this: My journey into the English language continues. One word which I have struggled with learning is the word 'reciprocate'. I am familiar with the word but my vocabulary understanding of it is still getting up to speed. I am still having a bit of trouble associating it with its meaning 'to respond'.

But thanks to Parks and Rec, I now fully get the meaning of it. In episode 3x07 'Harvest Festival' April says angrily that (paraphrased): "perhaps he (Lil' Sebastian) ran away because he tried to tell someone his true feelings and the person did not reciprocate".
A light bulb went on in my head. I finally gathered what the word meant. So now, thanks to Parks and Rec - I understand perfectly the word 'reciprocate'.

Ah, I do love it when TV teaches English :)

'Slam dunk' and 'hashtag' - when TV teaches idioms

One of the reasons I maintain this blog is to chronicle how TV shows challenge my English skills and how it helps me improve my English. I have stated here a million times that I am fluent in English and it feels natural to me to use the language. However, English is my lingua franca - meaning I learned English in a country in which English is not the official language and I am a native speaker of a language that is completely different from English. So while I am comfortable with English, it still challenges me. But I am determined to learn as much about the language as possible. Therefore, English major

And on my quest in discovering all the secrets of the English language, TV has proved to be a resource of the best kind. It challenges my auditory skills, my writing skills (maintaining this blog f.ex.) and my knowledge of colloquial English which is a a weaker area for me but I am very strong in literature and written English. So I use it to my advantage as much as my can to learn more and more.

And the past days TV has taught me a lesson twice.

In Parks and Rec episode 4x11 'The comeback kid' Lesle tries to get a former basketball star to endorse her and designs the slogan for him 'Voting for Leslie is a slam dunk'. Now I know what slam means and I know what dunk means but I had never heard this idiom 'slam dunk' before and did not even know it was an idiom. Putting in contest I gathered it was some kind of weird basketball euphemism and that it meant that something was 'cool'/'great'/'a really good shot'.
So imagine my surprise when I was reading a book about humor in American English and I came across this idiom. I had learned an idiom from TV! I was quite happy to discover that.

In episode 3x10 'The Debt' of NCIS:LA, Deeks and Kensi have a conversation involving the word hashtag.

Deeks: Hashtag, I'm in love, l-o-v-e
Kensi: Hashtag, my partner is a loser

Now enter the clueless Nordic also known as yours truly. I had less than zero idea what the word hashtag meant when I first saw this scene. It bothered me for some time that I did not understand the joke properly (I have a mental list of jokes on NCIS:LA I still have not figured out). But I did not bother looking up the word hashtag. I was too lazy to do it and not to mention, I have zero experience in Twitter speak. And lo and behold, late last year I finally learned what the word means and what it signifies on Twitter. So a year after seeing the episode for the first time I finally figured out the joke.

So TV continues to teach lessons and I continue to be challenged and loving every second of it.

(The best thing was when they had Kensi rattle on about the difference between alligators and crocodiles. I had no idea there was a difference first of all and found it extremely interesting).

Is the Densi ship ever going to leave port? Because Caskett/Beslie are having a smooth sailing - Shallow Rant 101

A whiny shipper post as Uni has began and I do need my shallowness every once in a while :) And it's my 100th post!!!!!!! Yay osom me!

Soon Tiva will be ending. The NCIS producers have promised to deliver on the Tiva front in the first two episodes and I expect them to keep that promise. Tiva has had a good, long-winded and frustrated run but now the journey comes to an end. And I want a resolution that will satisfy the ending of the fabulous Tiva.

This on the the other hand leaves the Tiva shippers needing another couple to ship. But there is hope. Those that watch NCIS:LA have got not only Neric but also Densi! I mean, two potential couples in one show, it's a pure gold mine!

But NCIS:LA producers have been threatening a watershed season for Deeks and that he and Kensi will have bucket loads of issues to go through, their partnership will not be the same, there will be a major complication in their relationship, they will split up as partners mid-season and what not. Basically - the Densi ship won't be sailing off for quite some time. Instead the incessant jig around the issue of them loving each other will continue. So it seems we'll be having another Tiva on our hands, only it's called Densi. Otherwise its the same package - two awesome characters that work together, love each other fiercely and yet cannot get together. We are not exactly working the creative front here are we NCIS:LA producers?

As someone that has enjoyed watching Castle and Parks and Rec and seeing the relationship between the main characters change and develop and being consistently sweet, I love those kinds of things. I  am fond of good romance stories and I love seeing seeing sweet romance stories unfold, be it in books or TV. Sweet, realistic and loving stories are pure joy to see and it brings me warmth. Castle and Parks and Rec has more than delivered on that front and I find those relationship to be such a sweet and integral parts of the show. I gladly admit I am a complete sucker for Caskett and Beslie.

Seeing those series pull off portraying a relationship between the main characters so sweetly and realistically makes me wonder why the NCIS:LA team seems determined to drag that Densi thing out as long as possible. It is perfectly possible to portray a relationship without the show losing its spark. Castle and Parks and Rec are a prime example of that. If anything, the series got more popular and better after the main leads got together.

But it seems that NCIS:LA is going to drag out the Densi thing as long as possible, and probably Neric as well. So I am expecting it either to be either resolved never or to be resolved in the absolutely last episode. As much as I enjoy the Nerid/Densi dynamic now, it will get tired one day. The fun and challenging dynamic between the characters is one of the reasons I watch the show but if this thing will drag on forever... oh dear.

The Caskett and Beslie ships have sailed off into a calm sea while the Densi and Neric ships will most likely remain in port until eternity. Unless the producers see how excellently the Caskett and Beslie ships have done. Then who knows what might happen! I am hopeful in any way.

PS - If it turns out that Kensi's former boyfriend's name is Jack Larsen I will dance around.

Political commentary on parks and rec

It is no secret on this blog that I am a lover of good politic commentary on TV shows. I personally believe that when used right, TV shows end up revealing a lot about our society and the world around us. Parks and Recreation has proven to be an absolute delight in this regard. Within the space of 21 minutes, they manage to touch upon and portray all kinds of issues; feminism, sexism in the workplace, racism, the perils and pitfalls of government, dealing with history, gay marriage, love in the workplace, dating issues and depression. I relish watching a show that provides me with so much food for thought and manages to point out and explore so many issues with respect and sensitivity, using humor and sarcasm as the vehicles but also approaching them with seriousness.

I will delve better into the feminist aspect later but I want to point out two specific examples in which Parks and Rec has made political commentary

Season 2 had an entire episode dedicated to the issue of gay marriage. Leslie accidentally married two gay penguins and was harassed for it. She defended her choice. I was cheering pretty much the entire time I watched the episode and it is one of my favorites. 21 minutes dedicated to nothing but pushing this important issue. It was great

Click here to watch

The issue concerning Tom's name. Tom's original name was Indian Muslim but he changed it because dark-skinned people with funny sounding Muslim names aren't going to make it far in politics. Watching that scene made me sad. It speaks volumes about racial issues and prejudices regarding skin color and religion. I know it's a TV show but I think a lot of people have found themselves in this place. Obama did become president but many still believe he is a Muslim. I have traveled to India and I know Indian Muslims face greta prejudice in their own country as well as abroad in every aspect of life - so yeah, they got a point across

Click here to watch - what's in a name

I have already covered the episode where they dealt with the issue of Native-Americans. This scene stands out to me specifically. No humor involved or anything, only seriousness to get the point across. And that they did.

Click here to watch - map of pawnee

Parks and rec does really well with political commentary and it is one of the reasons I like the show so much. It brings depth and seriousness to TV which is important.