Re: Prentiss Backstory

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

So putting of doing chores today, I decided to see what was happening in the Middle East 15 years ago that could have some bearing on Prentiss and her backstory. I looked at 1992 (Wikipedia) and it wasn't very impressive...

February 18 - Iraq disarmament crisis: The Executive Chairman of UNSCOM details Iraq's refusal to abide by UN Security Council disarmament resolutions.

July 6-July 29 - Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq refuses a U.N. inspection team access to the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture. UNSCOM claims that it has reliable information that the site contains archives related to illegal weapons activities. U.N. Inspectors stage a 17-day "sit-in" outside of the building, but leave when their safety is threatened by Iraqi soldiers.

September 17 - Two Kurdish opposition leaders are assassinated by the Iranian Kazem Darabi and the Lebanese Abbas Rhayel.

But it reminded me of something, and checking out 1991, I get:

January 15 - The United Nations deadline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from occupied Kuwait expires, preparing the way for the start of Operation Desert Storm.

Ooh baby. Just over 15 years ago we were invading Iraq (the first time) for invading Kuwait. So I suspect Prentiss' story is tied up with that. Plenty of opportunity for trauma in a war zone.

ETA: I went back to look at more of 1991 and found this as well:
August 7 - Shapour Bakhtiar, former prime minister of Iran, is assassinated.

Comments

[polgarawolf.livejournal.com]

Now THAT is extremely interesting. And our Emily was in the Middle East so much because her father was an Ambassador in the region. That is potentially extremely telling. I believe I'm going to have to earmark this, to use as a reference in case anyone tries to go into her backstory . . .

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Yup!

Glad to be of service


MKK

[polgarawolf.livejournal.com]

I always want to know more aobut the characters in the things (shows, books, etc.) that I like, so every little bit helps. Plus, it makes the characters realer to have some idea of what would've been going on the world around them, what would've been making the news and making them worry, etc.

[beatriceeagle.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think her mother was the ambassador. (Luckily, A Last Word is rerunning on Wednesday, so that should be easy to clear up...)

I think there's definitely potential in the war. I don't remember it at all (I actually wasn't born for most of it), but wars tend to be messy, and are by nature violent. Plenty of potential for trauma-inducing events.

Sadly, this is all speculation until the Powers That Be decide to give us backstory.

[polgarawolf.livejournal.com]

It's good speculation, though, because we know one of her parents (I remember Hotch referring to Ambassador Prentiss, but without a first name. I always assumed it was her father because of the reference to the Middle East, prejudices being what they are in that neck of the woods, but it could be her mother and that might actually be the source of the problem right there, come to think of it) was/is a diplomat and we know that she knows Arabic because she lived in several Middle Eastern countries growing up. So researching to find out what would've been going on in that area of the world while she would've been over there helps us to familiarize ourselves with the character.

[beatriceeagle.livejournal.com]

It definitely does. It's certainly more than we can get for Hotch's background (we know how old he is and where his mother is from, and that there's likely a history of abuse, but there's no research we could do that could really help us). I'm just frustrated because I really like Prentiss and want to know more about her.

I assumed it was her mother who was the ambassador because when Prentiss and Hotch first meet, Hotch says, "Ambassador Prentiss's daughter? I did security detail for your mother." Then, later, in Sex, Birth, Death, when Prentiss rants about politics, she refers to her mother. "My mother was a career politician, Agent Hotchner. You worked with her. Did you like her?" So while it's entirely possible that her father was the ambassador and her mother is another politician of some other kind, that's not what's hinted at.

[polgarawolf.livejournal.com]

Very true. She's pretty much the only member of the team (besides Reid, sort of) we can try to do any research on. I'm hoping that since she's interacting more with the team that they'll let slip more and more about her past. *Crosses fingers*

Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten about the line in the later episode. (I only got to see that one the once, so I'm less familiar with it than I am with most of the other episodes.) It probably is her mom. In which case, my earlier comment about how that may be a big part of whatever nastiness happens to be lurking in her past becomes even more probable. They do NOT take well to women in positions of authority in most Middle Eastern countries. I wonder how in Hades she managed to convince anyone to let her go over there in the first place . . .

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, the US Ambassador to Iraq from 1989 until the (first) war broke out was, in fact, a woman, April Glaspie. See here. She was scapgoated by some members of the press who made out she was responsible for the invasion of Kuwait by giving him to understand we didn't care what he did to/with his neighbors.

MKK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Glaspie) ()

[polgarawolf.livejournal.com]

Now that is extremely interesting. *Hums thoughtfully at the implications, if they're modeling Ambassador Prentiss on April Glaspie to an extent and yet somehow the good Ambassador has managed to remain a career politician* Blast! Why is the next episode's showing so far away? Now I'm even more curious than ever about how much they're planning to reveal about Prentiss' past!

[marykaykare.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I thought.

They do it just to torment us. (And build demand.)

MKK

[polgarawolf.livejournal.com]

There are some extremely interesting possibilities for Prentiss. I do hope they will address her character more befor the end of the season, now that I realize just how interesting some of those possibilities are, now!

Too true. It's a pity seasons tend to run between 20 and 25 episodes, with the average being 22 or 23. But I understand they spend a week to ten days per episode, so I (mostly) understand why they don't usually film any more than that.

It would be very nice if someone would realize that the show's popularity would support some product tie-ins, such as a series of books. I know they have books for tv shows like the CSIs and Buffy. Why not Criminal Minds as well?