ext_14672 ([identity profile] stlkrchck.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] cimorene 2008-10-26 01:31 pm (UTC)

I am so with you on this. The nationality/accents particularly bother me in NCIS. My mother is Israeli, and thus I spend a great deal of my time with Israelis and in Israel. Ziva's accent is horrible, but at least the syntax and grammatical mistakes that she makes are classic Israeli, and I suppose she looks Israeli enough. Ari's accent was appallingly German. If they wanted to make him truly bilingual, his accent would still be Israeli, American or British. No one from his generation has a German accent, because no one from Germany would be the one to primarily teach him English--especially as it's taught in all schools by Americans or teachers with Israeli accents. (And even if his accent were American or British, there would still be hints of Israeli in it.)

As for Tony, the strangest thing about him being Italian is how much they don't use it as a plot device. I mean, what's the point? Why make something of a big deal out of it (at least when compared to how classically American the names Gibbs and McGee are now considered!) when it's unimportant to his personal life? His family--what we see of it--isn't played as classically Italian. Why not call him--oh, even Michael Weatherby?

But then, I always wonder that naming characters. I get that Ziva being, as Seinfeld would say, a hold-my-machine-gun-while-I-take-a-piss Jew is a big deal and thus I can't quibble with her name, but how interesting would it be to watch a show where the characters had the first names, at least, of the actors playing them?

In conclusion: Oh Gibbs. It's time to move past the bowl-inspired haircut.

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