[Toni Boop]

IMVHO, not much. While not wanting to bash Emilie Wickerham, her fans or fans of the Bishop character, the character has totally ruined this show... for me and many others.

Understand that while I loved Ziva and miss her terribly, this has absolutely nothing to do with her departure. I loved Kate and was saddened when they killed her off (love Sasha on Rizolli & Isles btw). Despite that, I loved Ziva from the moment she first appeared and started busting Tony's ... uh ... chops. Yeah, that's it. I was, completely truthfully, prepared to accept the new "girl" 100% before she arrived. That plan went out the window from the moment they introduced Bishop. You do not, IMO, introduce a character to an established team by making that character better that the veterans. Remember in her first episode she told Ducky a thing or two during one of his autopsies, saying she had memorized an autopsy manual? Not cool. There were others but the biggest crime was her tactics being what wound up catching the first bad guy she went after with the team. Hello? Gibbs? They have dumbed down the entire cast for the sake of propping up this one character. Finally she is a child compared to the others. She has no field experience whatsoever and looks plane foolish with that gun.

The show was better, I feel, in the episodes after Ziva left, before her arrival. She needs to go. And they don't have to go kill her off. I'm not that mean. In one of the more recent episodes, she mentions her husband having a problem with the hours she's been keeping. Something that was not, apparently, an issue when she was at the NSA. Send her back there. If they must, they can just make her a recurring character like so many others.

That all having been said, I have a fix for the character if they insist on keeping her. Do you all remember the episode when Tony & McGee went to Afghanistan and wound up rescuing Ziva? At one point, Tony tells Hakim(???) that each member of the team had a function... the guts, the brains, the politician etc. Make Bishop the "diplomat". She seems to be the "sweetest" of them all. Let her be the one that smooths the way with tough characters/witnesses. That might help things.

Whew!!! OK. This was lengthy I know. I apologize. But it feels good to get it off my chest. Thanks for your patience and HAVE AT IT.

[maplezbear]

While I am not totally aginst the character, I do agree with your first paragraph.

Like your idea of giving her a "function" of "diplomat". That would be a good way to help with the character.

[Toni Boop]

Originally Posted by maplezbear (View Post) While I am not totally aginst the character, I do agree with your first paragraph. Like your idea of giving her a "function" of "diplomat". That would be a good way to help with the character.

Thanks, Steph. I figure that might ease the pain. Anything. Just give her her own role on the team and let the others be who they have always been. The characters are what drive this show and have for a decade. It's disrespectful, IMHO, to bring those veteran characters down in order to prop up the newbie. She should stand or fall on her own.

[maplezbear]

Agreed

[Summer Falls]

See I do understand d this dislike for her .. For me I think they make her seem to perfect (mind due i only have seen a few episodes ) ..I think cause she gifted in all these talents it just seems like it's been done before all these get this cool tech girl which is kind of a cliche .. But I like her but they need to build her up more for me to love her

[maplezbear]

Yup! Agreed! Also, I felt like she got away with a lot of stuff that the rest of the team never would have gotten away with. Like there were times Gibbs told her not to do something and she did it anyway.

[Toni Boop]

This is true, Steph. The problem with her going against Gibbs is, first and foremost, that she IS going against Gibbs. Secondly, she doesn't have the standing or gravitas that SHOULD have Gibbs "forgive" her going off the reservation. Tony, Ziva, Kate ... all of them did so, but they had earned Gibbs' trust. No way a newbie...a "probie"... like her should be that cavalier about ignoring instructions from her superiors, that would actually include Tony and McGee.

[Megz1989]

I'm Anti Bishop!!

[maplezbear]

Agreed Toni! That's what has bugged me most about the character and her introduction.

Hey Meg

[shinebrighterxx]

I think what bothers me about the character was she was the way she was introduced. They've all had things to learn but she just didn't seem to listen & was being shown as so good when she really wasn't. I know some hate put on her is because people want Ziva back which isn't fair but I tried to like her & have an open mind despite that but it is just so hard to like her. There were episodes where I thought 'ok she's ok now, I'm actually enjoying this' but I can't say that I like her. I don't hate her, I just don't like her writing or the way they seemed to push her on us. Making her look all good & perfect isn't a way to make us love her. Give her layers like the others have & don't take away from the other characters or what makes them (or the show) special

[maplezbear]

Agreed! Especially with the last line.

[Toni Boop]

Ditto everything you said, Steph. Chelle, I think it got to a point where I was happy if I could just tolerate her for one episode. Here's what I want to know. Is no one paying attention. Or are the Anti-Bishops in the minority?

[shinebrighterxx]

I'm not sure, i've seen more hate or at least people unsure on her than people liking her

[Toni Boop]

That's my sense 2. There's another website that's not moderated it seems where the hatred is palpable. On the other hand the other FAN site doesn't want to know from bad reviews, though they say it's ok to say not nice things about the character. But you can tell it's not "welcome". Anyway, I see that that one site is not indicative of the feeling about the character more broadly.

I really hope producer minions troll these boards to get a wide sense of the sentiment of this character.

[room to breathe]

I feel sorry for the actress because she is going to receive a lot of hate when I am sure she is a wonderful person and actress. The character though I cannot appreciate. I loved Ziva and she is what I watched for so the show lost a lot when it lost her. Perhaps that clouds my judgement of Bishop, I do not know, but I find her unrelatable and hard to find an attachment too. She acts too perfect and lacks any faults, but that is not realistic as no one is infallible. Hopefully the writers are reading what the fans are saying about the character and show and make changes for next season. I doubt that I will ever be able to appreciate this character though but I would like to see her have more layers and some faults to make the show more enjoyable. They need to focus on the other characters and not make her the star of the show too.