Thirty Days of NCIS meme - Day Six Favorite Female Character

[dragonheart]

I have to be at freshman orientation with my son at 6:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and will be there all day, so I am posting this early so that I can stay on track.  Apologies for jumping the timeline.

icon courtesy of bia_rustiguel 

Day 01 – Favourite season
Day 02 – Least favourite season
Day 03 – Favourite episode
Day 04 – Least favourite episode
Day 05 – Favourite male character
Day 06 – Favourite female character
Day 07 – Least favourite character
Day 08 – Favourite villain
Day 09 - Best story arc
Day 10 – Favourite rule
Day 11 – Favourite DiNozzo movie reference
Day 12 – Favourite Ziva-ism
Day 13 – Your OTP (one true pairing)
Day 14 – Favourite quote
Day 15 – Favourite case
Day 16 – An episode you’ve seen more than 3 times
Day 17 – Best kiss
Day 18 – Saddest moment
Day 19 – Funniest moment
Day 20 – Two characters you wish had met properly
Day 21 – Something you wish you could go back and change
Day 22 – Saddest character death
Day 23 – An episode you wish you could have been in
Day 24 – Favourite friendship
Day 25 – An ‘OMFG did that just happen?’ moment
Day 26 – Most shocking/unexpected season finale
Day 27 – Episode you shed the most tears in
Day 28 – Favourite cast member
Day 29 – First scene that comes to mind
Day 30 – Anything NCIS related

Day Six - Favorite Female Character
This one will come as no surprise - favorite female character - Ziva!

I started watching NCIS in season 3 and Ziva is primarily the reason I kept tuning in -she was the most unique female character on tv at that time - she had it all - beauty, brains, wickedly funny and she could kick your butt and kill you 18 different ways with a paperclip.  I have to admit that I really didn't have an interest in Tony until Ziva started acting interested.
 
I think it is a crying shame what they have done to her character since S6 and that awful Rivkin arc (more on that on day 21).

But I am like an old loyal hound dog - I will be in Ziva's corner through the good, the bad and the ugly (keeping my fingers crossed that S9 doesn't put me in that position).



icon courtesy of bia_rustiguel 

Comments

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

Given that there are only really 4 female characters to choose from - Abby, Jenny, Kate, and Ziva - its no surprise that Ziva is my favorite even though the showrunners have utterly destroyed her character ... from season 6 on (I'm noticing a recurring element here.) Abby annoys me - I actually preferred her character the way she was written in the early part of season 1, and not the girl-child they write her with these days. Jenny was okay in season 3, but they started ruining her with the ridiculous Frog storyline and Kate ... seriously, Kate really began to irk me in season 2 when she turned into Hostage!Lass who couldn't hold onto her weapon and was positively cruel in her taunts aimed at Tony (which they have unfortunately done with Ziva in recent years.)

When Ziva came onto the scene, I really stood up and noticed. She was (back then) Tony's opposite number: a sexual creature who wasn't totally slutty (something that Hollywood seems incapable of really doing anymore) and even though she was a little too unrealistic (eidetic memory, super ninja skills, billions of contacts across the planet despite her youth), I really enjoyed her character. It didn't (doesn't) hurt that Cote de Pablo is just gorgeous.

But alas, like far too many of the characters, she's been steadily ruined by the showrunners ever since season 6. The Rivkin plot was a catastrophe, both in terms of "plot" (I use that term loosely 'cause they clearly didn't think it through) and characterization. From s7 on though, its become more and more clear to me that the people in charge don't have a clue what to do with her anymore, which is why she's become such a pale shadow of herself.

Sigh.

[alidiabin]

The writers can't write women properly. Even the female writer who wrote 'Freedom' and wrote Ziva quite well and emphasized how strong she was emotionally also wrote 'Cracked' and butchered Abby in it, so I don't trust her.

The things that made her so unrealistic wouldn't have been so bad if they'd given her a proper age.

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

The writers can't write women properly.

You'll get no disagreement from me there, although I'd argue they screw up the guys a lot too. Nowhere near as bad as the women, but still.

The things that made her so unrealistic wouldn't have been so bad if they'd given her a proper age.

Agreed. Just acknowledge that she's one of those lucky women who look younger than they are and roll with it. But 1982? Ugh. Just ... ugh.

[alidiabin]

They do screw up the guys, and I'm not denying that. Ducky is the only one they haven't character massecred yet.

I don't get it, I really don't. I mean they made Kate born in 1973/4 which was realistic enough considering her education and experiance. Why couldn't they make Ziva between 34-36 now. It's only 3-5 years older than CdP who looks beautiful whatever age you give her.

Until they revealed her age, I'd always figured she was 29 and about to be 30 when she killed Ari. And that she'd realised she only had a few more years tops in mossad and that coupled with the Ari fiasco led her to call Jenny.

I'm glad the orignal NCIS hasn't given us Abby's age though NCIS:LA tried to make her late 20's *shakes head in disgust* PP is 42 ffs (and damm fine for 42). I dread to think what they'd have given Jenny as an age ... 39 perhaps?

[alidiabin]

Same and my day 21 will be the same too. I always feel a little bit sad when I watch S3/4 Ziva because she was so awesome now the writers have written her as this token cop girl =[

[rigil-kent.livejournal.com]

For me, I think it'll be Day 18: Saddest Moment. The saddest moment in my NCIS career was during season 6 when I realized I was falling (rapidly) out of love with the show. The Rivkin nonsense was just another symptom of that... :-(