NCIS: Caitlin “Kate” Todd versus Ziva David

NCIS is on its sixth season yet the show continues to give us surprises and good laughs. Like most TV crime shows, the main cast of the series would include at least one female in a team of investigators (perhaps to offer a woman’s point of view of particular crimes and also to engage the male audience). In NCIS, Sasha Alexander as Kate Todd and Cote de Pablo as Ziva David have filled in this position.

Ziva David and Kate Todd

Ziva David is one of the exciting characters in the series that has contributed an extra dose of charm to the show. Kate Todd also gave a witty and flexible mix to the series. Yet who was more engaging of the two? Who made the show more fun and addicting?

Caitlin “Kate” Todd

Caitlin "Kate" Todd

The first episode of the series marked Caitlin “Kate” Todd‘s entrance to Gibb’s team in NCIS. Her flexible and resourcefulness was highlighted and carried on throughout the two seasons she was in on the show.

As the show went, Kate proved to be one of the assets of the show, and the team. She developed great rapport with the other characters and gave out a cool and solid appeal to female investigators. Her “entanglement” with the main male casts also became an entertainment for the viewers. Her relationship with Jethro Gibbs was viewed as respectful as well as a little flirtatious. Her quirks with Tony Dinozzo was seen as a “sibling” squabble. And her interesting “bond” with terrorist Ari Haswari created a dangerous atmosphere to which most viewers became attracted to.

Kate Todd was murdered at the end of season 2, as Sasha Alexander asked to be written off the show. Her death caused some confusion and mild outrage among the audience, as she was one of the main characters of the show and has given justice to the her role.

Ziva David

Ziva David

Replacing Kate Todd on the team, Ziva David‘s entrance raised some eyebrows but glued everyone to how she would turn out in the series. And I have to say, she turned out to be an amazing addition.

A Mossad agent, fast-thinking and trained to kill, her character appeared to be calculating and sharp. She adapted well to the pace, and has become a trusted member of the team, as well as earning a thumbs up from the viewers. She was also equipped with a sense of humor and smug confidence that allowed her to balance well with Tony’s and Timothy McGee‘s jokes and taunts. Through her rough upbringing as a Mossad agent, she is undoubtedly the strongest in the team when it comes to combat.

Cote de Pablo is still on the show, and Ziva David has been modeled as a round character as each season passes. As the show becomes more involving and striking to the characters’ personal lives, Ziva’s character has also been brought out more and more.

My Verdict:

I go for Cote de Pablo and her character as Ziva David. She delivers more humor and more wit into the show. And with Kate Todd only appearing in two seasons, and Ziva currently in four, Ziva has had more time to captivate the audience and be more recognized. Plus the fact that she can kick some serious butt, she has got to be more interesting than Kate Todd.

CSI versus NCIS

I’m fond of watching crime investigations and solving puzzles, which is why I’m a fan of crime series such as CSI, NCIS, Cold Case, even the tough-softy series The Closer. The two most popular crime series are unarguably NCIS and CSI. Which one tops the other?

CSI and NCIS

CSI franchise

CSI Crime Scene Investigation began in 2000, and has been so successful that it has spawned spin-offs and franchises. NCIS began when the original cast’s appearance in JAG prompted some interest to make a series on them. It is now going along smoothly with its sixth season and does not appear to be slowing down.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

It started with CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and became CSI: Las Vegas when its two other franchise, CSI: NY and CSI: Miami, also became hits. Among the three, though, it is still CSI: Las Vegas that has the upper hand, mostly due to the fact tht it was the first and has already established some ground among TV audiences.

CSI: NY and CSI: Miami are running their 5th and 7th seasons, respectively. CSI: Las Vegas goes on their 9th season, even with the departure of the show’s main lead, William Petersen, with two other main characters, Jorja Fox and Gary Dourdan.  CSI: Miami also had their share of main characters leaving the show, but nothing as dramatic as William Petersen’s departure.

The majority of the main cast are still on the show, though, and the show still delivers thrills and suspense. There’s no sign that the show is stopping, with the many unsual cases and mysteries presented.

NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service

NCIS is also doing great with its sixth season and still has increasing popularity. The series was spawned after a spin-off of the series JAG. While NCIS is also a crime series, what makes it unique is that it only focuses on cases involving the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.  This would get us into looking how investigators handle high-profile and sometimes highly confidential cases.

NCIS focuses on only one team and one case at a time. The show also incorporates lavish humor with the investigations. There is a trend in which each season has one major case building up throughout the episodes, and this has especially added up to the thrill and suspense.

Which One Is the Better Crime Series? I love them both, but I think NCIS overtakes the CSI franchise. For one, NCIS has a smarter and more humorous lines along the seriousness of the situations they’re in. Another reason is because of the growth and development of each of the main characters in the series. CSI doesn’t dwell deeply unto the lives of its characters. In NCIS, you can really see how each of the agents has gone through emotional abyss. CSI also had their share of dead agents, but NCIS has suffered more. Not that having agents killed off makes the show more fun, no. It’s because it highlights the danger of the job, and shows how it affects the investigations. The CSI franchise has also somehow become a little static in their style; always with two or more cases, with only a surprise here and there each season. NCIS, though, can still surprise us even when it’s already on its sixth season.

The Cast of NCIS