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Why "Castle" is an awesome show

Recoil

Regular
I admit it. I tuned into this show when it premiered for one reason: Nathan Fillion was in it. He is one of those people who I will watch whatever he is in because he makes it more awesome. I figured this was a broadcast network crime show so it might be a good vehicle for his personality and the ratings seem to reflect this in its second season.

The first season what really made the show wasn't as much the characters, but their chemistry, and Nathan was at the center of it of course. Additionally, its a FUN cop/crime show. When I started watching it I was a bit critical that the actual crimes and plotlines they were solving weren't really that interesting, especially when compared to the 100 other procedural crime shows on TV. Now I think that is the shows greatest strength. They have even made cracks in the show about "if this was a crime show on TV then we would just do X". "Castle" doesn't take itself too seriously and has fun with it. There was an episode a few weeks back where the Castle makes a bet with the other two detectives as to who will solve their case first, and the entire department gets in on it.

All this is leading to this weeks episode --- the typical Halloween episode many shows down. How does it start out? With Nathan Fillion pulling a futuristic revolver out of a holster and spinning it around. Then putting on a long brown coat. He emerges from his bedroom to show his daughter his costume --- Malcom Reynolds from Firefly. The dialog went sort of like this:

Daugher: What are you supposed to be?
Castle: A space cowboy.
Daughter: Weren't you that like, five years ago or something? Its time to move on.
Castle: But I like it!

And then he got called to a crime scene so we got to see Malcolm Reynolds walking around with his browncoat inspecting the scene.

For a Firefly fan that was pretty fun to see, and just reinforces my opinion that the people behind this show just want to have fun with it than to have it be a hard-hitting crime drama --- of which there are far too many on the air as it is. The show definitely does have some serious sides and crimes, and is very well done, but is more entertaining than others IMO.

Another small tidbit about that episode. At the end of it, Castle had his big annual Halloween and his friends from the Police department went as well. Two of the other characters in the series also went dressed as former characters they played on TV: Detective Esposito, was dressed up as in full desert/iraq camo, helmet and M16 --- a reference to former character Sgt "Poke" Espera from "Generation Kill." Detective Ryan went as an Operating Room doctor, a nod to his Dr Ian Delvin character from General Hospital.
 
The commercials looked funny- my fear with this show was that Fillon would get straight-jacketed in normal network TV lame-ass bullshit story-telling. Glad to see that's not the case. And it's cool that two of the major Firefly people are on major network shows.
 
Its almost worth going to Hulu to watch the first 3min of that episode to check it out. I think the episode is called "Vampire Weekend". Its right at the start, and its free of course. :)
 
Heh, if the episode is really called that, it's yet another pop-culture reference...

I watched the graveyard scene for the Buffy mention.
 
Here I was thinking that this show quite eloquently showcases all the crap that tv can offer :)

After watching quite a few episodes I honestly can say that nothing has ever made me think more that these guys don't even try. The idea of the show isn't half bad (altough it's been done a million times) but the execution is just so awful that I feel embarrassed for their behalf. I'm not saying that people shouldn't or couldn't enjoy this - me, this just makes me plain frustrated and strangely a wee bit angry.
 
Dreamer, your comments really surprise me. As I stated above, I think the actual crimes and crime solving parts of the show aren't overly impressive, and I can get the "they dont try" attitude about those...because I don't think they are the focus of the show.

But everything else about the show is entertaining and fun. Good cast, good acting, dialog is well written as well. The episode I commented on above was a good example at a fun romp through some pop culture references and having fun with the cast and fans knowledge of them.

Heck last weeks episode may have had the best line in the series. They were analyzing a music video because the last song a upcoming songwriter wrote may have been about the person who ended up killing her. There was a lyric about how she seemed afraid of a chance coming.

Beckett: So she was afraid of change....
Castle: She was afraid of Obama!?!?
 
I actually watched the music video episode and I thought that the solution to listen who's guilty from the lyrics of the song in the video was... well... it's been done, to say the least. Extremely weak writing. Everything in the show's been done so many times that I can't accept that the guy's supposed to be a witty crime writer. I mean, c'mon. Too easy humour for my taste.

I actually somehow like Fillion a bit and the chick in the show isn't awful to look at. Just that to me everything in this show feels so cheap and easy.

What can you say, different things for different people. I mean, I used to like Smallville a lot and still think that they got so much right regarding the Supes' story! But hey, I'm a Supes fan! :)
 
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I actually watched the music video episode and I thought that the solution to listen who's guilty from the lyrics of the song in the video was... well... it's been done, to say the least. Extremely weak writing. Everything in the show's been done so many times that I can't accept that the guy's supposed to be a witty crime writer. I mean, c'mon. Too easy humour for my taste.

I actually somehow like Fillion a bit and the chick in the show isn't awful to look at. Just that to me everything in this show feels so cheap and easy.

What can you say, different things for different people. I mean, I used to like Smallville a lot and still think that they got so much right regarding the Supes' story! But hey, I'm a Supes fan! :)

Dreamer, I think that's what the supporters are saying is you are absolutely right, it's absolutely a parody of all those things, brought together with Fillion's personality.

Disclaimer: I think that's what people are saying, but, I haven't watched a second of the show, so I may be talking out the wrong side due to being uninformed.
 
Disclaimer: I think that's what people are saying, but, I haven't watched a second of the show, so I may be talking out the wrong side due to being uninformed.

Internet!
 
Disclaimer: I think that's what people are saying, but, I haven't watched a second of the show, so I may be talking out the wrong side due to being uninformed.

Internet!
My Flash is broken, so I can't watch 99% of Internet Videos :( I've tried upgrading, uninstalling and re-installing several times, but, Flash doesn't seem to want to repair itself. When I click on a YouTube link, all I get is a link and a message to upgrade Flash. One Weekend when I've got free time, I gotta call the Geek Squad and fix it. I think what broke it was interrupting the upgrade download while it was in process, rather than allowing it to finish upgrading. And of course, no sound at work, nor the opportunity to sit and actually watch a whole show
 
No, silly, I was calling back a joke from the other thread where I make fun of myself for commenting on a show I haven't seen, thus the joys of the internet.

In a related matter, I've also never seen a single moment of Gossip Girl but.. that show sux!
 
No, silly, I was calling back a joke from the other thread where I make fun of myself for commenting on a show I haven't seen, thus the joys of the internet.

In a related matter, I've also never seen a single moment of Gossip Girl but.. that show sux!

Oh...oops, yea, I remember that now :O
 
I knew Recoil would be enjoying this show. I just knew it! This has actually become one of our favorite shows to watch and I look forward to having some fun watching a crime drama. ;)

I roared when I saw the Firefly getup and didn't realize the other characters were in halloween costumes from past roles. Too cool. That Obama line made me laugh too. :LOL:
 

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