(no subject)
T.S. Eliot wrote those lines, which are probably the most-quoted lines of any 20th-century poet writing in English, 90 years ago. Especially today - exactly two years after Cote de Pablo's exit from NCIS was officially announced - many of you might feel a very similar kind of bleak outlook. It has gotten so quiet on the Bring Back Cote front, after all, and all the outraged activism of the early days seems to have trickled out of people.
Yes, we confess - it's hard for us to keep going, too. It takes a lot of stamina, manpower, and willpower, and sometimes it also takes money we can't bring up on our own. So yes, we have gotten quiet. And, much like all of you, we have run out of ideas a little, on what to do and whom to target. We yelled at CBS and the executives. We yelled at Gary Glasberg. We yelled even louder at Mark Harmon. We yelled and screamed until we were hoarse, but did they hear us?
You're right when you replied no: it didn't seem like they listened to anything we said. Instead, every official post sounded (and continues to sound) like it was tailored specifically to make Cote's fans feel bad and insignificant and like ungrateful children who don't value the great thing they've been given "instead". And yes, we understand your frustration. We share it. We feel the same. Much like you guys out there, we found it harder and harder to keep fighting while everyone pretends we don't exist, and so we gradually turned to mostly loving and supporting Cote instead. That part, at least, always came naturally.
But you know what? That's exactly what the ones responsible for the situation want: they have been holding on and sitting tight in the hopes that we, the nuisance, would eventually lose hope and just go away and shut up and leave them alone to do what they want.
Let's not. Let's go out with a bang instead.
And here's the one last message we need to drive home: Cote WANTS to come back.
People still involved with producing the show like to repeat over and over how she "walked away", "left", "walked out on them", "dropped everything" and whatever phrasing fits their claim that our girl is done with the show. Cote, on the other hand, has by now stated several times that "under the right circumstances", a return of Ziva David could definitely be explored. Twice she even went as far as saying, "the ball's in their [CBS's] court". Which translates directly to, "make me an offer!" Add to that the latest rumors that CBS is getting frustrated with Mark Harmon's way of handling the show and the loss in ratings... we'd say this is the right time to roar at the mighty empire once more.
So what do we want you to do?
It's easy. We want you to run away with Cote's own words... and since "the ball is in their court"... let's actually put it there: send them balls, with your messages written on them. Ping pong balls. Tennis balls. Golf balls. Heck, send them old basketballs you no longer need, we don't care. Just do anything you can think of to get the point across that we and the show still need Cote to come back - and that she's willing to do just that.
Now, the balls are just an easy idea for you. You can write lengthy letters to get the point across, too. Or, if you don't feel eloquent, put a brief note on a postcard. (We'll try to supply some ball-themed ones over the next few days for you to print out, but of course you can also look at your local stores for cards that fit the theme in the meantime!) Just do something. Get off your butts one more time. Roar at them.
For this round, we feel that our best chance lies with making Nina Tassler aware of what's going on, for two reasons: not only is she very aware of how passionate and involved the NCIS fan base is with the show (which she clearly stated during the 200th episode party), she is also actively working on making the world of television a little less male-dominated:
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cbs-chief-loudmouthed-feminist-nina-804571
So point out to Ms. Tassler that the fan base no longer considers NCIS a "beloved show". Tell her that Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and the comments section of literally every online article published about the show over the past year consist mostly of complaints about the show's quality and the overwhelming demand to have Ziva back. Explain how much Ziva means to you as a role model and how dearly you need her back. Make it clear that you feel like the die-hard course to ignore everything Cote and Ziva ever did for the show is destroying their franchise. Mention the dropping ratings and the demo, if you want.
But whatever you do - please join us in this fight, one more time. We need your voices, and we need them to be heard. We need you to roar and not whimper.
This is the address you will need:
Ms. Nina Tassler
President, CBS Entertainment
7800 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036-2112
Above all, though, please think carefully about your words. Don't insult and don't use harsh language, please. We want them to listen, after all.