I was idly thinking the female leads on my favourite shows while cleaning the kitchen (tis´true) and I realized with a jolt just how much they have in common as characters. It´s honestly quite amazing how much alike they are. And I provide examples of how Kensi Blye, Ziva David and Kate Beckett are strikingly similar characters.
1 - They all speak multiple languages and use their language talents frequently.
Ziva has been showing a fluent command of at least 5 languages and uses her knowledge frequently. She has used Arabic (I expect Persian), English, Hebrew, French and Spanish.
Kensi Blye has fluent command of 4 languages as well as lip readinng. She has been shown speaking French, Spanish and Portuguese as well as understanding lip reading.
Kate Beckett is fluent in Russian and has displayed her knack of knowing Russian in several episodes.
And the interesting thing is that there is a reason for this, the actresses all speak multiple languages so they are simply using their linguistic ability.
2 - They all have serious martial arts skills/fighting skills/extensive battle training so it´s not unusual to see them pulling off some kick ass moves.
It´s a well known fact that Ziva was trained by Mossad and was in the Israeli army (it´compulsory for all Israeli people to enroll in the army) so she has some highly developed skills which are frequently shown.
Kensi Blye is a trained agent and is regularly shown pulling some crazy battle moves and she seems to attack people on a regular basis, more often than Ziva at least.
Kate has been shown doing some pretty heavy fighting herself, although not as much as the others.
It´s obvious that these are women that can take care of themselves and fight. There is no 'damsel in distress' syndrome going on which is a refreshing twist.
3 - They are all the only female on a team of 4 people. It´s always 3 males and 1 female in every team.
NCIS - DiNozzo, McGee, Gibbs, Ziva
NCIS:Los Angeles - Hanna,Callen, Deeks, Kensi
Castle - Esposito, Castle, Ryan, Kate
It´s interesting that the gender makeup remains so consistent on these shows. And on these shows females are always in minority, except Castle.
4 - They all have a strong, romantic/borderline romantic, trustful and teasing relationship with one male on their team that they partner with
On Castle it was obvious from the start that Beckett and Castle would end up together and from the start their relationship was strong and developing. I love that they are dating and having a relationship and it´s been a treat to watch their relationship develope over their series
On NCIS it´s been Ziva and Tony from the start. They have a great relationship filled with humour and love. They have been through some extreme highs and lowes but it´s wonderful how the writers have developed and complicated their relationship throughout the series. They are one of the better pairs on TV today. And their humour together is wonderful although I mostly appreciate the trust which they display towards each other.
ON NCIS:Los Angels it´s Kensi and Deeks. These two have possibly the funniest relationship on TV and their humour and constant bantering always has me laughing. They manage to make anything funny and their undercover work is always a treat to watch. Not to mention that the developement in their relationship has been consistent and realistic. And of course, there is a romantic connection going on....
5 - They all have parental trouble and a difficult past
Kate lost her mother, whom was murdered when she was in college and that took over her life and has been driving force in her world since then. Her father drank for a time but it´s evident that currently she has a good relationship with him. But her mother´s murder is a big part of her and affects everything in her life.
Kensi´s father died when she was 15 and before that she stopped talking to her mother. When her father died she lived on the streets for a year (a part of her history I hope they will explore in more detail) and she spent much of her life trying to find out what happened to her father. And just like with Kate, the death of a parent had a monumental effect on her life and changed who she was. And to add she didn´t talk to her mother for years. It´s not been established what happened to her after she got off the street but I expect that it´ll be some day. My guess is that she moved in with relatives that helped her.
Ziva has the biggest father trouble of all. She lost her mother at a young age and no doubts misses her. But her relationship with her father is complicated and filled with frustration. As the director of Mossad he was never there for her when she was young, turned into a dangerous Mossad agent and then left her in Somalia to die. Ziva´s father troubles are monumental and he has just been murdered. So her parental trouble are a big factor of her life.
6 - They are all smart and well read
Kate has been shown having a keen and smart mind and being extremely well read.
Ziva is obviously a language master and has likewise displayed he knowledge frequently.
Kensi has also been seen spouting off random interesting facts and teching people things and referencing literature.
7 - They all live alone (or lived) and are shown not being the best at relationships
Ziva has dated several times but her relationships always end badly and she always seems to end up with crooked agents. Michael Rivkin was a traitor and was killed. Cruz was also a dirty agent and used Ziva for his own agenda. And since then she´s been solo and does not seem too keen on meeting a man.
Kate has had a string of bad relationships ever since Castle began. Not with bad men but it does complicate things to have Castle around and her relationships never seemed happy. But finally she is with Castle and enjyoing things.
Kensi has been single since the series began, although she has spoken of having been engaged to a Marine with PTSD that left her. And since all men she gets close with (except her work colleagues) end up leaving her, she´s not the best at relationships. And she herself has admitted that.
And here ends my analysis. It´s pretty striking just how similar these characters are but they are at the same time unique. They are all a twist of the same material. Some would call this stereotype, the solo/beautiful/difficult past/kickass fighting skills/good brains mix in a female on a crime TV show but I disgress. There are obvious similarities and downsides to this, such as the fact that none of these characters is displayed as being in the role of wife and a mother as well as being a good agent. As if it´s not possible for a woman to have both an unusual and strong role as well as a traditional one. But thank goodness we have JJ on Criminal Minds to balance the image. It´s refreshing and positive to see women being portrayed as being strong and capable of holding their own.
And of course - the actressed playing all those characters are all absolutely excellent and give each character a uniqueness that is good.
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