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 :)