While I don't watch NCIS, I was curious as to your view on Gwen. I have to say that your point (b) is a big reason I have a problem with her. Even in season 2, it bothered me that she married Rhys without telling him about her affair with Owen (without retconning him after the fact as she did in season 1). I also have to say I do not like any character that steps out on their partner whilst in a committed relationship. I think fidelity in a relationship is extremely important. I'm not a huge fan of Owen in part b/c I found his use of the pheromone spray to be morally dubious. I do like him better in season 2, but then I like most of the characters better in season 2.
I like Gwen, as one of many flawed characters in the show, I just don't view her as the one I identify with (which I think is what they were trying to do with her character back in the start of the show). As I said, I dislike how she treated Rhys in season 1, but she has been shown to have changed and I think that contributed to a certain amount of redemption.
Part of what contributes to my liking the character is the way she is portrayed. Eve manages to inject a certain amount of human emotion into a confused character.
Did that answer anything or am I being overly muddled? It's a difficult subject for me, these characters. I'm much better at describing my damaged hero worship.
*nods* I got what you were saying about Gwen; I was trying to articulate my own love/hate relationship with her. I think, in part, the reason season 1 TW was so... uneven was that the writers focused so much on developing the Gwen character as a means of giving us insight into the world of TW that other characters fell to the wayside. It's one reason season 2 was better IMO, b/c it wasn't always focused on her, though they did continue it to an extent. There are a lot of things about her character that I wish they wouldn't have highlighted. One of the things I find most objectionable is the way she was pushed to the forefront from the beginning. She was the rookie, and all of a sudden, considered an expert or leader. and I don't buy it. the fact that I like Gwen at all is due to Eve's acting. I imagine in the hands of a less talented actress, I would find very little redeemable in her.
the fact that I like Gwen at all is due to Eve's acting. Exactly! That's what makes me so ambivalent about the character. She made such shit decisions in season one. I didn't like how she was suddenly the leader when Jack vanished because it made no sense (I read a lovely fic the other month, "Shades of Ianto", when he and his experience at Torchwood One actually mean something. You know, making sense :)
I really do wonder what'll happen next season with her. Hopefully the trend of her being less annoying will continue.
NCIS is an amazing show. It's very much about procedure and forensics under the detective story. I don't think I've once said to myself, "there's no WAI they'd do that in RL". Which is a record.
From what I heard when TW was first coming on the air, Gwen was going to be the everyman in the story (everyone else had that air of mystery about them, except Owen but that's a rant for another day). I don't think it came off as planned. I liked the actress and all that but I think Jack was the entry character for me.
I'm not sure if Cardiff is some kind of crime hotbed, but surely she'd have at least thought about what might go down if some criminal had a gun. (Then again, I'm from Canada where the cops have guns, and while the citizenry isn't as armed as our cousins to the south, rifles and shotguns aren't unknown in more rural parts. I think I fall into the same class as you on the culture clash)
Kate is so much better than Gwen, I don't mind cheating in TV show, it's a common human flaw what I don't like it that Gwen reconned Rhys afterward. I also don't understand how she justified her cheating.
You are starting NCIS, have you seen their first two episode in JAG?
NCIS is one of the most consistantly well-written shows I've ever watched. I love the characters - all of them. One of my favorite things about the show is the evolution of the characters based on the cases/events in their lives . . . even if the change isn't automatically evident. I'm talking development over seasons, not episode arcs. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far. Where are you, episode wise?
My dad's been trying to get me to watch NCIS for like five years now. While I'm watching online, the history channel is showing season 1 again and we had an hour-long conversation about it at Father's Day dinner. I think my mom has a crush on Tony, because dude. Tony.
Ahem. I'm in the middle of season 2's "An Eye For An Eye", the one with eyeballs in the mail. I know how this season ends, and I've seen one of the season 3 eps with Ziva, but I love the way these characters develop. I think I'm in love with Abby. I hope that one day we get to see more about why she and Gibbs are so tight.
So now that I'm into this show, and Bones, what else do I need to see?
I'm a huge Abby/Gibbs shipper. Even wrote them (sorta) once. I like McGee a lot, too.
Let's see. We watch those two, House, CSI:NY, Rescue Me, Supernatural, Torchwood, Doctor Who, Attack of the Show, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show. And that's when we remember they're on. We buy the dvds when they come out more than actually watching eps when they air. Torchwood is the exception. We didn't miss an episode of season 2 once.
I haven't gotten into NCIS fic yet; I'm waiting until I get to the end of season 5 before I dive into that, but the idea of Abby/Gibbs intrigues. I've seen a lot of Gibbs/DiNozzo flying around the internets, but not much else. But since Abby is made of awesome, I think I want to read up on fandom's take on her :)
Of those shows you watch, I follow Bones and NCIS (obv), and SPN, TW and DW. Haven't seen House since last year (fell away from it) and since I can't get Colbert or Daily online, I tend to surf the highlights. It's the best way to get American political news, anyway, which is sad.
Torchwood is one of those things for me that was an instant love. With some shows, I watch and like, but TW just grabbed me by the pancreas and dragged me along. But I think I have indicated such with my fics :)
Back to NCIS, I think one of the best things about it is the quality of the guest stars. They haven't really hit wrong yet.
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Part of what contributes to my liking the character is the way she is portrayed. Eve manages to inject a certain amount of human emotion into a confused character.
Did that answer anything or am I being overly muddled? It's a difficult subject for me, these characters. I'm much better at describing my damaged hero worship.
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Exactly! That's what makes me so ambivalent about the character. She made such shit decisions in season one. I didn't like how she was suddenly the leader when Jack vanished because it made no sense (I read a lovely fic the other month, "Shades of Ianto", when he and his experience at Torchwood One actually mean something. You know, making sense :)
I really do wonder what'll happen next season with her. Hopefully the trend of her being less annoying will continue.
Seriously, I love Eve.
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From what I heard when TW was first coming on the air, Gwen was going to be the everyman in the story (everyone else had that air of mystery about them, except Owen but that's a rant for another day). I don't think it came off as planned. I liked the actress and all that but I think Jack was the entry character for me.
I'm not sure if Cardiff is some kind of crime hotbed, but surely she'd have at least thought about what might go down if some criminal had a gun. (Then again, I'm from Canada where the cops have guns, and while the citizenry isn't as armed as our cousins to the south, rifles and shotguns aren't unknown in more rural parts. I think I fall into the same class as you on the culture clash)
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You are starting NCIS, have you seen their first two episode in JAG?
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I haven't seen the JAG eps, but I'll try and dig those up. Worth watching?
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I love that icon. Gibbs and Abby are so awesome.
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Ahem. I'm in the middle of season 2's "An Eye For An Eye", the one with eyeballs in the mail. I know how this season ends, and I've seen one of the season 3 eps with Ziva, but I love the way these characters develop. I think I'm in love with Abby. I hope that one day we get to see more about why she and Gibbs are so tight.
So now that I'm into this show, and Bones, what else do I need to see?
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Let's see. We watch those two, House, CSI:NY, Rescue Me, Supernatural, Torchwood, Doctor Who, Attack of the Show, The Colbert Report, and The Daily Show. And that's when we remember they're on. We buy the dvds when they come out more than actually watching eps when they air. Torchwood is the exception. We didn't miss an episode of season 2 once.
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Of those shows you watch, I follow Bones and NCIS (obv), and SPN, TW and DW. Haven't seen House since last year (fell away from it) and since I can't get Colbert or Daily online, I tend to surf the highlights. It's the best way to get American political news, anyway, which is sad.
Torchwood is one of those things for me that was an instant love. With some shows, I watch and like, but TW just grabbed me by the pancreas and dragged me along. But I think I have indicated such with my fics :)
Back to NCIS, I think one of the best things about it is the quality of the guest stars. They haven't really hit wrong yet.
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