Love of English and Literature and providing an EFL view on English - NCIS style

I have said it so many times but it is worth repeating: One of the things I like the most about the NCIS franchise is it's commitment to language jokes and making use of the intricacies and beauty of English and foreign languages and literature. As an English major and language enthusiast it makes me so happy. It is one of the things that keeps me watching.

I have been re-watching NCIS season 8 as of late and is has been a lot of fun. Season 8 is my favorite season of NCIS and I love all the episodes. But recently I watched an episode that was an absolute gem. It was on fire linguistically and I grinned like an idiot while watching it.

It began with the following conversation (source from IMDB)

Special Agent Timothy McGee: Time to hit the showers.

Ziva David: Is your shower not working?

Special Agent Timothy McGee: Why? Do I smell?

Ziva David: I cannot smell you from there.

Special Agent Timothy McGee: And you're part bloodhound.

I was howling with laughter at that point. I know what the idiom 'hit the showers' means for but what Ziva got out of it was hilarious and it made perfect sense. You hit something when it's broken and in this case it was the shower. And then McGee completely misunderstood her back. It was such a lovely and funny scene and I loved the way they played around with language and what words can mean.

And then there is one scene which is now officially my most favorite scene of NCIS ever. Ziva finds a desk that once belonged to William Faulkner and she completely freaks out and fangirls. She starts talking about his writing and references his book 'As I lay dying' when the main character says the sentence 'My mother is a fish'. And then she says the best line of all: "It was worth learning English just to be able to read those words" (paraphrased).

As someone that loves English dearly and English literature I cannot express how true that sentence feels to me. Learning English has given me a great advantage in many areas but the best gift it has given me is the ability to understand, appreciate and access amazing, incredible literature. English has been worth all the hassle and more, to be able to experience and fall in love with novels like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Kate Chopin's short stories, William Blake's poems and so many other books, novels, plays and poetry that have transformed my life. Truly transformed it and given me something incredible.

I was nodding along with Ziva the entire time.

I have sometimes discussed how much I enjoy the language play they have with Ziva and how much it has taught me. The aspect I have enjoyed the most is the fact that they emphasize that Ziva is approaching English as an outsider. She is fluent in the language but because of her roots and the fact the she is a native speaker of another language, her view of English will always be different. She will always be an outsider to the language and approach it from a different perspective. I am so happy with how NCIS has dealt with this and how they have used it as a vehicle of humor and English teaching. As an EFL learner I an say this is not an aspect you see explored on TV so often so I love it. Now Ziva has quit and I admit I'll miss the extra English lessons and humour she brought that made the series so good.

But NCIS has never seized to amaze me and I have no other reason but to expect them to continue delivering language jokes and keeping language enthusiasts like me on our toes, and keeping me laughing and learning more.