Goshdarnit NCIS. Why did you have to betray me? Why? You were my favorite show ever, and if you weren't so amazing I would dump you like a sack of potatoes for what you just pulled.Yes ladies and gentlemen, NCIS has bought into the trans-pshycho-killer routine. I know the episode is several years old, but I just got into NCIS, so give me a break for being abit slow on the uptake. The episode is Season 1 episode 19, "Dead Man Talking." I knew from the brief description that the episode would feature a transperson, but I hoped that unlike every other media representation of a transwoman, this one would be dealt with sensitively and progressively. Boy was I wrong!
The episode revolves around the team invistigating the murder of an NCIS agent who was looking into a cold case about the death of a Navy officer who died in a car crash years ago. Turns out the woman they think is the girlfried is really the officer himself. Gibbs immediately jumps to the conclusion that "he" killed the burned body found in the car and the NCIS agent. The woman, Amanda, in the end forces Gibbs' hand and is shot in the head.
There are a bunch of doozies in this one. First of all, there is no respect for Amanda's decision to transition. In fact, they don't even acknowlege Amanda's trans status. Rather, they make it all seem like a clever rouse to get away with stolen money rather than any acutal desire to be a woman. Amanda was scheduled for surgery. If it was all a clever rouse, I doubt a non-transperson would be willing to go that far. Also, why did the burned body have to be murder? Amanda paid an old school friend to fake the DNA results, she could have just as easily gotten hold of a cadaver to fake her death and NOT been a murdurer. There are so many ways the plot could have been handled to Amanda wasn't a monster, but rather someone who didn't fit into the strict gender binary and rigid gender system of the military and was looking for a way out - faking her own death. The icing on the shit though was a line from Gibbs. He's just found out that Amanda is the Naval officer, and calls Tony who'se on a date with her. He asks where she is, and when Tony informs Gibbs that she's in the women's restroom, Gibbs says "Good, then we can add a misdemenor charge to murder." - IE a man in the women's restroom. WTF!?? And then of course all the obligitory "She's a He" stuff. And then, to make matters worse, Tony sharing a kiss with Amanda becomes a big joke. Kate later teases him by saying "So how was it tounging a guy?" Okay, I don't care if Amanda was a murderer, SHE IS A WOMAN! She was taking hormones, scheduled for surgery, living full time as a woman for years, even - apparently - had identification with a "F" on it. What on earth do transpeople have to do to be recognised as their true gender! Aside from the murdur/faking death bit, Amanda did everything legaly required for transitoning to the female gender. But no. She's still really a dude.
I really hope that one day, media will find a way to treat this issue with the dignity it deserves. NCIS tries with gay characters, sortof. They've fequently had gay naval officers murder their partners for fear of discovery. But I don't remember if they've ever really critiqued DADT in these plotlines. I feel like they have had some sympathetic gay characters who weren't criminals, but on the whole, NCIS had a pretty poor track record like most mainstream media.
Like I said, curse you NCIS for beeing such a great show that I'll keep watching you even if you piss me off with your treatment of queer characters. But now I don't feel bad at all about watching you through less than legal channels. You won't get a dime from me! Jerk-faces.
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