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We're now 4 episodes into season 2 and have just watched Lt. Jane Doe, which was a Good Thing because it gave Ducky more airtime than usual, and although his rambling reminiscences still feel more like an item on a "quirk" check list than real characterisation, the episode did give his habit of talking to corpses a genuine depth and resonance.
Other than the Ducky factor, though, I like this show less and less the more I see of it. It is riddled with castration anxieties (yeah, yeah, I'm not a Freudian either, but it's funnier than saying "anxiety about changing gender roles"). Not only is there the gradual transformation of Kate from a total man-eater to a squabbling sibling who has no real defence against Tony's charming intimidation tactics of ball-scratching and references to PMS, I've also lost count of the number of episodes where you're encouraged to think the murderer is a man and then they turn out to be a lesbian, or a transsexual. Add to that all the posturing marines, with their lantern jaws and huge muscles, who appear to have been cast directly from the Village People, and the number of times the victim, in spite of this being Navy CIS, is female, and it all starts to look pretty iffy. This episode had a woman being raped and murdered by a marine with a grudge against women in command positions; the previous ep had female naval officers being dressed up as brides, chained to beds and forced to read "How to be a perfect wife" guides. I mean, as Giles would say, the sub-text is rapidly becoming text here, guys.
Then there's the fact that the sole element of characterisation for either Kate or Tony appears to be their on-going battle of the sexes, which would be more entertaining if it was actually witty, but unfortunately is on the level of "The longest I've gone without a woman is eleven days and 18 hours. " - "Why am I not surprised you can remember that so exactly?" Lord, my sides are splitting! If Kate disappoints me (because in her Hillary Clinton incarnation she was at least breath-takingly aggressive, whereas now she just bickers ineffectually) I am starting to hate Tony, who appears to be nothing but an asshole, with no compensatory good qualities. And I owe an apology to Danny Blue for ever putting him and Tony in the same category of character. Because Tony would never, ever say "I'm too pretty to go to prison. I'd never get any sleep."
Other than the Ducky factor, though, I like this show less and less the more I see of it. It is riddled with castration anxieties (yeah, yeah, I'm not a Freudian either, but it's funnier than saying "anxiety about changing gender roles"). Not only is there the gradual transformation of Kate from a total man-eater to a squabbling sibling who has no real defence against Tony's charming intimidation tactics of ball-scratching and references to PMS, I've also lost count of the number of episodes where you're encouraged to think the murderer is a man and then they turn out to be a lesbian, or a transsexual. Add to that all the posturing marines, with their lantern jaws and huge muscles, who appear to have been cast directly from the Village People, and the number of times the victim, in spite of this being Navy CIS, is female, and it all starts to look pretty iffy. This episode had a woman being raped and murdered by a marine with a grudge against women in command positions; the previous ep had female naval officers being dressed up as brides, chained to beds and forced to read "How to be a perfect wife" guides. I mean, as Giles would say, the sub-text is rapidly becoming text here, guys.
Then there's the fact that the sole element of characterisation for either Kate or Tony appears to be their on-going battle of the sexes, which would be more entertaining if it was actually witty, but unfortunately is on the level of "The longest I've gone without a woman is eleven days and 18 hours. " - "Why am I not surprised you can remember that so exactly?" Lord, my sides are splitting! If Kate disappoints me (because in her Hillary Clinton incarnation she was at least breath-takingly aggressive, whereas now she just bickers ineffectually) I am starting to hate Tony, who appears to be nothing but an asshole, with no compensatory good qualities. And I owe an apology to Danny Blue for ever putting him and Tony in the same category of character. Because Tony would never, ever say "I'm too pretty to go to prison. I'd never get any sleep."
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