You know, this Monday-at-10 p.m. time slot on ABC has not been kind to me. Exhibit A: Crap. ‘What About Brian’ got me. Exhibit B: ‘October Road’: Worth another ride? Nathan Fillion’s Castle was already better than both of those shows combined, but last night’s episode (watch it here) made me do the one thing I hadn’t: care about Beckett (Stana Katic).
She finally told Castle why she became a detective: Her mother was stabbed, the cops called it random gang violence because there were no signs of robbery or sexual assault, and the killer was never found. It explains why she’d be a fan of crime novels like Castle’s — they always have endings — and why she puts solving cases for other families ahead of herself. The episode ended with Castle sitting down to look at her mother’s case file. (Love it when he gets serious — for a moment.) Is that just research for the character he’s basing on Beckett, or will he eventually help crack the case? (Or, will he let something slip that he shouldn’t know, and she’ll get angry with him for sleuthing behind her back, and the situation will either fuel or momentarily squelch the sexual tension that the writers are due to ramp up?) Either way, Castle producers were smart to give us that Beckett reveal now. Just like they’re smart to introduce us to Castle’s first ex-wife next week — and have them sleep together. (After loving daughter Alexis’ bedding, I’m oddly excited to see Castle’s linens, I’m not gonna lie.)
As for the laser tag scene (pictured above, and beginning around 23:28 in that link), two thoughts: (1) I can’t believe how hard I laughed at Martha (Susan Sullivan) walking into the frame and saying, "Has anyone seen my purse?" It was so obviously going to happen, but Sullivan’s delivery was perfect. (As was Fillion’s for his response to her asking how old he is: "Old enough to afford top of the line laser tag.") (2) That is so the kind of scene David Boreanaz would kill to put on Bones. But, as I tried to explain to him last month, Castle can get away with it because they’ve set that character up as a complete man-child from day 1. (And BTW: I appreciated the character continuity last night having ice cream in the freezer.) Bottom line: I want to see Castle play with fake guns, and then when real bullets fly (as they do next week), cower. I want Booth to shoot the bastards.
More ‘Castle’:
Nathan Fillion takes the EW Pop Culture Personality Test
‘Castle’: Nathan Fillion making your clock tick?
‘Castle’: Snap judgment on Nathan Fillion’s new show
I love this show! ABC better do the smart thing and renew it for a 2nd season.
I loved it too. Man, I hope ABC gives this show a shot. It’s better than Bones right now.
Sorry, Lorie and Mandi, but ABC will not support this. They have not given a fledgling show any support since Brothers and Sisters, and that was only because of the Sunday night ratings. Any new, good show will be subject to the ax if they do not pull in the Nielsen numbers ABC wants. Case in point: Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, Life on Mars, Ugly Betty (hiatus my butt)- the list goes on and on.
This show is such a rip off of Bones…not a fan!
It’s kind of cheesy but kind of watchable too. I did appreciate the serious note the episode ended on with Beckett explaining why she does what she does. It’s still a show that I just watch as I do other things around the house though- not must-see TV.
I agree 100% on your assessment. I was already going to keep watching because of Nathan Fillion, but now I’m officially hooked and I hope they decide to keep it. It’s not like there’s anything else worth watching in that time slot anyway.
I really liked the “Sleestak” comment by Beckett’s partner. Good supporting characters help with a show with someone as over-the-top quirky as Castle. I also really liked him playing laser tag with his daughter, she was coming off as too serious at first (I understand that was to counter Castle’s lack of seriousness, but she’s still a teenager).
I like Nathan Fillion from his Firefly days and I always felt he deserved a good show to feature his talent. After seeing the promos to CASTLE, I wasn’t expecting this to be the show.
However, I have warmed up to the show, and realized that it’s now a must-watch. Now I just need to fill the gap between CHUCK and CASTLE (HEROES is such an overblown snooze-fest).
Last night’s episode really brought the whole thing home for me. We finally see Beckett crack a little and that really sold this show. I love the acting, the inter-character relations, despite sometimes formulaic plot-devices. Please, ABC, keep this show going!
Oh, and BTW, for all the BONES/CASTLE folks out there…there’s room enough on TV for two dramadies that are entertaining. I mean hell we have 4,000 reality shows that all seem the same… Quit b*tching so much…
PS — BATMAN refs and SPIDEY-SENSES in the same ep? Winner!
Caring about an ABC drama is like being a caregiver in a hospice.
Oh, Mandi! SOLD! That’s it, I’m going to check out “Castle” lol Seems like this will be more enjoyable than “Bones”(which I’ve stopped watching b/c it’s a completely different show than what it was from the beginning). At least Castle was introduced as a man-child and not changed into one(all of a sudden).
As for this show being a “rip off” of other shows…so what? ALL shows are rip offs of other shows. It’s Hollywood! It’s about HOW you approach it differently and about how WELL it’s written compared to those other shows.
Yeah, of all the shows I’ve caught after Dancing with the Stars, this is the most appealing to me. Breezy and cute. There’s nothing wrong with a Moonlighting ripoff twenty years later. I like it better than the overcooked, shrill Samantha Who.
Mandi – you are invested in Castle because of Nathan! Poor baby. I hope when the show gets cancelled, that you’ll find some way to cope with this.
Oh man I freaking love this show! ABC better do it justice and keep it going!
I absolutely love this show, and was hooked from the first episode. As for the network, I had to think about it and realized this is the only show on ABC that I do watch.
I’m sick to death of reality shows and wish that TV would get back to making good scripted comedies and dramas. If I want a dose of reality I can turn on the news or read the paper.
If ABC is smart they’ll promote the heck out of Castle and use it as a building block.
As for those who say it’s a ripoff of Bones, I disagree. I love both shows and don’t see any similarities beside the fact that you have male and female leads trying to solve crime. That’s a rather generic description to consider Castle being a “ripoff”.
I think it’s the fact the Castle and Bones characters act in a very similar fashion. It reminds me of bones a lot, not so much a rip off of it but very similar style