NCIS: Was Kate a "Bitch"?

[Rowan Sjet]

If Ziva is a Mary Sue, then every one of the characters is (Marty Stu in the men's case), especially Gibbs. How about telling us what your real problem with the character is?

I don't have a problem with either character. They're different of course, Kate was more abrasive I think, which I guess could translate for some people into 'bitch' but that wasn't her sole defining characteristic, nor even her greatest. So no, I wouldn't call her a bitch.

 

[Saga]

i love Ziva. actually, NCIS is one of the rare shows where i actually like all the main characters. it took awhile, but even Director Vance grew on me.

 

[Jono]

She could be a bitch at times but as Rowan Sjet said it wasn't her defining characteristic. She was a strong woman with convictions and she cared not only about what she did but for the people she worked with.

If Gibbs can put up with Tony's arrogance he can put up with Kate's.

 

[Sephiroth]

Kate was all right, it's Zeva I could never stand

 

[Jack Bauer]

I bet Sasha Alexander cries herself to sleep every night. She bailed on NCIS just before it got huge.

She may have for a few years. Probably not much now. She's married, has two kids and her show on TNT Rizzoli and Isles did quite well and is coming back for another season this year.

No, Kate wasn't a bitch. I liked her a lot. Watching the marathon today I miss her a lot. I like Ziva too though.

 

[firehawk12]

If Ziva is a Mary Sue, then every one of the characters is (Marty Stu in the men's case), especially Gibbs. How about telling us what your real problem with the character is?

She's the generic action hero who, unless they need some random cliffhanger, never loses.

Which is fine, but she also has very little personality as well, so all she becomes is a plot device meant to appeal to a very specific group of people.

 

[kitkat]

I don't think Kate was a bitch. I liked her, still do. However, when I've gone back and watched the older ones now, I MUCH prefer Ziva to Kate. My opinion after re-watching eps is that Kate was actually really boring.

 

[Admiral2]

After watching USA's "in the Beginning" marathon my opinion on Kate hasn't changed. I mean Tony is what he is, but Kate seemed to LOVE being the bitch and starting things herself. Am I alone on this?

You're probably not alone, but I happen to disagree. The team members ragging on each other has always been part of the show. Why does Tony get to be "what he is" but Kate's a bitch for doing the exact same thing?

 

[Marc]

After watching USA's "in the Beginning" marathon my opinion on Kate hasn't changed. I mean Tony is what he is, but Kate seemed to LOVE being the bitch and starting things herself. Am I alone on this?

You're probably not alone, but I happen to disagree. The team members ragging on each other has always been part of the show. Why does Tony get to be "what he is" but Kate's a bitch for doing the exact same thing?

I must be one of the few who think that while DiNozzo is good at his job he's definately a bit of a douche or as a poor joke I made goes - "Is DiNozzo Italian for The Nozzle?"

 

[Skywalker]

I like DiNozzo, but he worked better with Kate than Ziva. Ziva encourages him or plays along too much, while Kate did a better job of reining him in when Gibbs wasn't there to do it.

 

[Star Wolf]

Unlike the first female agent the ex FBI one looking for revenge in the backdoor pilot Kate was ex Secret Service and forced to step down in prestige to join a unknown agency.

 

[Velocity]

I don't think Kate was a bitch, she was intense. Being a former Secret Service agent, she had to be constantly alert for anything, against anyone. Ziva has a little different mindset, but as Israeli-trained, she is intense in her own way. Knowing that there are a lot of people who want you and your countrymen dead and your country erased, tends to focus your mind and body. I like both of those characters equally. NCIS is full of great characters.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

I didn't think so the first time or two through those seasons of NCIS...but now, when I see any of her episodes, she really does come off as prudish and condescending a fair bit of the time.

I don't know why I have just been noticing this lately, after I've seen all of those episodes 2-3 times each. But what I thought was funny banter back in the day really does come off as irritating now.

 

[kitkat]

I don't know why I have just been noticing this lately, after I've seen all of those episodes 2-3 times each. But what I thought was funny banter back in the day really does come off as irritating now.

ITA. At first it did seem like cute banter but now when watching it, it is annoying, bores me and makes me roll my eyes. Tony's banter with Ziva is much cuter, imo.

 

[firehawk12]

If you want you want to compare relationships, the Tony/Kate relationship was more interesting simply because they were essentially never going to hook up. It was a brother/sister relationship.

With Ziva, they've basically started appealing to what are essentially shippers. So their relationship boils down to Ziva making a comment that reminds the audience that she's a foreigner and Tony looking at her with puppy-dog eyes.

What's funny is that I eventually dropped JAG by the time it reached this point in its lifetime, so I'm not sure why I'm sticking with NCIS now. Even with Bellasario gone, it doesn't really feel all that different.

 

[Australis]

<sigh> What the world needs so many fewer of is shippers. Really. They mess up whatever they touch.

Yeah, I said it!

 

[Technobuilder]

I thought Sasha Alexander left because she got pregnant and didn't want to deal with the hectic 16 hour days Bellisario was infamously known for.

Mark Harmon eventually had a similar issue with Bellisario and of course we know what happened there.

 

[Jono]

^ Not sure if she was pregnant but at the time the reports were she quit because she couldn't handle the schedule of filming a 1hr TV show.

 

[Marc]

I thought Sasha Alexander left because she got pregnant and didn't want to deal with the hectic 16 hour days Bellisario was infamously known for.

Mark Harmon eventually had a similar issue with Bellisario and of course we know what happened there.

From reports at the time the Harmon was more pissed about production issues like getting scripts late, the frequent changes etc etc.

So Bellisario got bumped aside from his hands on production role and now Harmon's an Executive Producer (but not sure on what work he does in the role but it probably gives him more of say).

 

[Technobuilder]

^Yeah, that's what I meant when I reffered the "16-hour days Bellisario is infamous for". He'd been pulling that sort of stuff since well before JAG from what I understand.

And in regards to Sasha "not being able to handle the workload"... seems more like a studio-side story to explain why Kate was offed (when the fan backlash went crazy at the time) than something Sasha Alexander herself would of said.

But here's an excerpt of an interview she did last year: http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsideth...ha-alexander-is-ready-for-post-ncis-duty.html
"Do I regret leaving? I absolutely don't, for a million reasons that I've never spoken out about ... for a million reasons that I can't. I had a wonderful time doing it for two years, though."


Who's to be certain, I never thought she was a bitchy character, and at the time I thought it was a great story arc.