GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

My review of the Castle Season Premiere

POSTED BY: BLUESUNKILL
UPDATED: Friday, September 23, 2011 08:44
SHORT URL: http://bit.ly/rkB4hp
VIEWED: 4871
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Wednesday, September 21, 2011 5:23 PM

BLUESUNKILL


Castle Season 4 Premiere



In last season’s episode, we find out Captain Montgomery is a part of the cover up associated with Kate’s mother’s murder. In the end Captain Montgomery dies protecting Kate and his family. Castle and the others decide to not let the public know what Montgomery was involved in. They thought it would be best to let him die a hero. After all he did die protecting the ones that he loved. However Captain Montgomery’s funeral is soon turned into a battlefield, when Becket is gunned down in broad daylight. She falls into Castle’s arms. He finally confesses his love to her. Although this confession seemed a bit forced; it was long overdue.
In this season premiere of Castle the writers delve into some dark subject matter. This episode picks up right after Beckett gets shot. Castle, Lanie, Kevin, and Espisito stay by Beckett’s side while the ambulance rushes her to the hospital. The first few scenes are heart wrenching to anyone (even if they are new to Castle). There is a particularly gripping scene where Lanie is riding on the side of the gurney giving Kate chest compressions. The doctors rolling Kate’s gurney have to convince Lanie to stop so they can save Kate’s life. Be warned: The premiere episode is emotionally demanding. All of the actors shine in this dramatic atmosphere. The writers not only made the characters seem real, but they were able to evoke emotion without making it look cheesy or fake....
read more at http://kidontv.blogspot.com/2011/09/castle-season-4-premiere.html

"you know what the number one rule of flying is...love, you can do all the math in the 'verse but if you take a boat in the air that you don't love she'll shake you up as sure as a turn of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, lets you know if she's hurting before she keens, makes her home"- capt. malcolm reynolds

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011 5:40 PM

WISHIMAY


I haven't seen you here before, BlueSK (not that that means too much with my memory )

If you are new here, Welcome!

We love anybody who gives our Captain glowing reviews

Where do YOU think this season will go?

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011 6:10 PM

BLUESUNKILL



Thankyou for the welcome. I am not new but I haven't been on the forums for a while so I guess I am new by absence .
This season of Castle seems to be taking a turn for the dark and dramatic, but Nathan really shines in this premiere. If they keep giving him dialogue like this to run with, he is definitely going to make this season great. I mean the show has always had its dramatic moments, but it seems like everything is coming to a boiling point. I am just going to enjoy the ride.


"eating people alive. Where does that get fun" Jayne Cobb

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Thursday, September 22, 2011 12:14 AM

LWAVES


Nice review although I do have a couple of points to bring up to you.

Point 1:

"ALSO WHAT HAPPENED TO LANIE AND ESPISITO?????? It seems like they just forgot about them. I understand that a traumatic event just happened, but that doesn’t mean you should just skip over things."

I assume you mean their relationship was forgotten?
Well we did see them hold each other that showed they were still together. And you have to bear in mind that with the events going on this was always going to be a Castle/Beckett centric episode and they had to introduce a new character as well. It seemed pretty obvious that other plot points would take a back seat. They never mentioned Ryan's relationship or Alexis going off to college either. It doesn't mean they forgot or ignored it, I'm sure it'll come to the front in later episodes.

Point 2:

"After she tells him she doesn’t remember anything after getting shot, he agrees to give her some space. This made me upset. I agree with people who say don’t jump the shark too early and marry off the two main characters.However it isn’t too soon. This show is going on its fourth season."

I think it was deliberately put there to upset folks that want to see them together and thought that this may be it. But we also know by the end of the episode that she was lying and personally I think this will allow for more tension as Beckett truly knows what Castle thinks but Castle doesn't know how Beckett really feels. Four seasons may not be too early for a couple to get together but I think (IMO) that it is too early for Castle and Beckett. She said herself that she's not ready, she still has too much to work out.

Keep up the reviews and keep posting them here, please, as it was a nice read.



"The greatest invention ever is not the wheel. It's the second wheel." - Rich Hall

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Thursday, September 22, 2011 3:19 AM

BLUESUNKILL


this is why i love the Browncoat community. Everyone is so supportive. I re-watched the episode and read your comments and now I think I understand the writer's intention. I will definitely post my reviews here from now on.

"I'm going to the special kind of hell" Captain Malcolm Reynolds

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Thursday, September 22, 2011 9:05 AM

RAHLMACLAREN

"Damn yokels, can't even tell a transport ship ain't got no guns on it." - Jayne Cobb


Quote:

Originally posted by BlueSunKill:
This season of Castle seems to be taking a turn for the dark and dramatic....



Don't worry. Usually after a tense and dramatic episode they'll throw in a lighter, funnier ep. For example: after the two parter "Tick, Tick, Tick" and "Boom!"(message bullets and bombs) we got "Wrapped Up In Death" (Mummy curse, and Nathan being Indy).

Here's hoping they get the new captain drunk at some point.


--------------------------------------------------
Find here the Serenity you seek. -Tara Maclay

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Thursday, September 22, 2011 11:43 AM

BLUESUNKILL


that is so true!! I love when they break the dramatic with a lighter episode. After all, our captain malcolm reynolds can be hilarious when he isn't busy kicking reaver butt

Also that new captain is getting on my nerves but i guess that is what she is there for.

"bullet in the brain pan squish" River Tam

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Friday, September 23, 2011 1:53 AM

THESOMNAMBULIST


Hey BlueSunKill

Nice review. I actually watched the episode just so I could get in on this.
It was a good dramatic episode and the actors had plenty to do, which was nice to see, but the secondary case was a little bit lame. I mean really shouldn't the police have searched the room all over for evidence. Having Rick looking under the bed was a bit hokey. Obviously a necessary device but it did feel a little bit 'Murder she wrote' when they revealed a huge splatter of blood! Still they made up for it I guess.

Regarding their relationship, I think they laid the foudations in this episode which basically says : "We're going to delay them getting together." Which to me seems about right. Castle and Becket need more time away from the precinct to really sell this relationship. So far it's all very busniess like, so perhaps they can use the coming seasons to have them interact outside the office.

I was hoping the new captain was going to go the other way and really like Castle. Be more like an enthusiastic fan who on the side had designs of being a writer herself and would bug Castle with her attempts at writing a book. Still I guess this way there's a sort of nemesis to the alliance of Becket and Castle, which should prove interesting.

Anyone else sense a spin-off with Ryan and Esposito?


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Friday, September 23, 2011 3:24 AM

BUP

No more running. I aim to misbehave.


I had to watch it twice myself. So much happening there. I didn't think she had really gotten shot. That was a shocker. I was thrilled that she remembered everything at the end.
The last scene between Castle and Alexis stood out to me. Alexis asking probing questions, etc.
Did anyone else notice?

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Friday, September 23, 2011 3:50 AM

PENNAUSAMIKE


I wrote the following letter to Andrew Marlowe, the creator of Castle at the end of season 3:
Quote:


Dear Mr. Marlowe:

First, I want to thank you for the first 57 episodes of Castle.
I work in maintenance, second shift, usually seven days a week, and I have little free time.
So, I choose my entertainment VERY carefully. I came to Castle because I am a fan of Firefly and Nathan Fillion. I was delighted at how well the Richard Castle role fits Nathan Fillion and vice-versa. Everything I loved about Mal Reynolds is continued or magnified in Rick Castle. Stana Katic brings great depth to Kate Beckett through some of the most subtle character moments.

(Ex: The scene in the first episode were Castle says he can tell Beckett her “story”, she smugly tells him to go
ahead, and her smugness melting away as he does just that…)


As a fan, I enjoy the Firefly shout-outs scattered through Castle. Maybe it was just projection on my part, but I felt Jose Molina managed to instill some of the Firefly vibe in the character dynamic of (the show) Castle. The ensemble cast you assembled has created fictional characters I want to invite into my home and my life. My sons and I have just wallowed in the joy that is Castle.

The Castle website, http://castletv.net/about , says;
“Castle is inspired by shows like Rockford Files & Moonlighting that are lighthearted with romantic tension and unlike the dark procedurals prevalent today Castle invites the viewer to invest in the relationship of people having fun together and engaging in witty banter.”

Although that is a bit of a run on sentence, that about sums up my taste in entertainment; i.e., I look to upbeat people and tales that are grounded in reality, but not mired in the problems, tedium or tragedy of real life.

Which brings me to my second point. Episode 58, “Knockout”, was glaringly unlike the show that drew me in, even down to the way it was filmed. Little things, like even Castle’s “WRITER” bulletproof vest, seemed jarringly out of place in this dark episode. I’m potentially interested in the idea of introducing conflict into the precinct with a new Captain that doesn’t like or support Beckett and Castle. But the show wouldn’t have to climb out of a dark, atmospheric hole if, “the Brett Favre of the 12th Precinct”, had retired instead of being killed. Shoot, he could have still been the third cop; just in witness protection rather than bleeding out. Maybe I’m not in tune with the average viewer, but watching fictional characters work through grief isn’t my idea of entertainment. Beckett’s character was shaped by her mother’s death, but I don’t think I would have been attracted to a joyless show about her working through the loss.
I prefer to watch characters grow by overcoming challenges, NOT working through tragedy.

So, to my final point:
There is no Moonlighting Curse! There is only the curse of writers so insulated from positive reality that they can’t find drama, growth and humor in a mature, committed relationship. “Hollywood” is always about characters “hooking up”. But interesting, successful relationships are about two people figuring out how to follow the same path.

Maddie and David of Moonlighting were doomed because their banter stemmed from their bickering, which stemmed from their insurmountable differences. After they “hooked up”, there was nowhere meaningful to go. Then, the story REALLY screwed the pooch by having Maddie marry that other guy…what?! There’s the “Moonlighting Curse”. Moonlighting dropped the ball on the relationship, and then tried to recover by throwing the whole character dynamic out the window, all the while making the failed relationship the focus rather than the private investigating.

There is no need for Castle and Beckett to “hook up” and then burn out.
Castle and Beckett are far more complex characters than Maddie and David. Castle and Beckett are very similar in their core values and interests. Their bantering is rarely bickering because their differences come from those similar core interests and values being molded by different experiences. Mr. Marlowe, for me the entertainment would come from your characters establishing their relationship. Oh, and the mysteries they solve together.

Beckett stated long ago in the series that she wanted marriage to be a once and done. So I see her insisting on her and Castle getting to know each other better outside of work before committing. You know, “dating” as opposed to “hooking up”. A relationship would accelerate the character development curve where by Beckett is loosening up and Castle is becoming more in touch with the fact that for most folks, life is about consequences. I see story possibilities where Castle and Beckett begin to worry about the risks they face. Should they continue to put their lives on the line? Should Beckett shoot for a desk job and Castle stay home and write? How would Beckett handle fame and fortune? Or would Castle have to reign in the glam for a more mundane family life? How would Castle’s family react? Would Alexis relish the idea of Beckett joining their family while Martha, perhaps, feels a bit threatened?
Because solving the mysteries should stay the primary focus of the show, these relationship developmental plot points would be spread out over a full season or two. Unlike “hooking up” as the once and done consummation, developing a real relationship for the Castle and Beckett characters is a springboard to further development.

NOT having Castle and Beckett develop a relationship seems the bigger risk to me. Beckett has already “kicked Castle out” three times now. Yawn, as if…
Castle professed his love for Beckett. How lame if he retracts that pronouncement.

McMillan & Wife (September 17, 1971 to April 24, 1977) and Hart to Hart (1979 to 1984) built watch-able shows on characters in solid relationships. I have always viewed the Beckett/ Castle relationship as developing from like-minded pals into a serious, committed-to-each-other partnership. THAT is a story/ character arc I would like to see unfold. At the very least, I hope Castle can find the positive, upbeat tone it set in the first 57 episodes, again.
If episode 58 is the look of Castle’s future, for me, the joy will be gone. I hope Knockout will prove to be an anomaly rather than a game-changer.
Not sure this letter will have any influence, but like voting, I’ve done what I can.

Wishing you continued success,

Mike
pennausamike
My Firefly Collection at:
http://fireflydvd.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3541



I have no interest in the show becoming "dark" or "dramatic".
I feel at this point, Castle (the show) is positioned to move in either direction.
It can slide further into heavy drama, or it can move back into lighter entertainment.
I'll be extremely disappointed if yet another show I've emotionally invested in ceases to be uplifting and becomes another wannabe mimic of real life.
Which is what I watch "entertainment" to escape from for a little while.

Mike

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Friday, September 23, 2011 8:44 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Great letter Mike, you made some great points about the handling of shows like Castle, Moonlighting, etc.
I do hope they take those comments to heart, I would bet the farm you are not alone in that assessment.


SGG

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