There's nothing revolutionary about the ABC show Castle. A fairly standard police procedural, its twist is that it involves bestselling mystery author Richard Castle who decides to follow NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett in order to get inspiration for his new mystery series. Beckett is Castle's muse for the character of Nikki Heat and the show has actually spawned some real-life bestsellers of its own with some ghostwritten novels that serve as a good publicity stunt. Well, considering that the last book debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, I imagine these books are actually entertaining on their own merits.
What makes Castle stand out are the performances of the two lead actors. Richard Castle is played by the effortlessly charming Nathan Fillion (he of Firefly and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along blog fame) who imbues the character with just the right amount of whip-smart intelligence and playboy charisma. As the series has progressed, his feelings for Beckett have overtaken the playboy side of things, and he is now a dutiful partner just waiting for the right time to openly declare his love when Beckett is conscious (yeah, he already told her he loved her, but she was too busy being shot at the time). Kate Beckett is played by Stana Katic, a goddess of a lady who seems way too attractive to be a detective, but this is TV after all. However, she refuses to trade on her looks and has created a strong, powerful female character who runs the show. Castle is very much at her beck and call and although he will usually come up with some writerly insight that solves the case they're working on, Beckett is the one who puts the investigation together and actually gets things done.
The will-they-won't-they storyline is one that is familiar to any regular TV viewer. From Ross & Rachel to Jim & Pam, TV is littered with examples of two lead characters who spend agonizing years denying their feelings for each other, only to finally get together much to the audience's relief. Castle and Beckett are a prime example of this. The show is in its fourth season and both characters have realized how they feel about the other at different points in the series. Of course, every time one of them realized how they felt, the other was in a relationship, because timing is always the enemy of any TV couple. Last season, Castle finally openly professed his love for Becket in the season finale, but as I mentioned before, she had just been shot and when she woke up, she didn't seem to remember anything that had happened. I say "didn't seem to" because we learn that she in fact remembers what Castle said, but doesn't want to let on. I think that's either because she isn't ready for this relationship or because she doesn't want to hold him to something he said in a situation fraught with tension.
Of course, the real reason for her reticence is that the show's writers want to keep the couple apart for as long as possible, because we all know that TV shows fizzle once the sexual tension is gone. However, I am ready to challenge that antiquated notion. Yes, you lose some of the excitement when the characters no longer have to tiptoe around their feelings and construct elaborate ruses to hide their emotions. But lately, characters have been getting together on long-running TV shows with not awful results. Jim & Pam on The Office are a prime example of a TV couple that finally got together, got married, and are now having their second child. Many might argue that their relationship got dull once they got together, but I think that was just because the show itself went through a fallow period, which had nothing to do with Jim & Pam. The current season has been filled with romantic moments, classic conversations and pranks, and a reminder that just because they got married, it doesn't mean they still aren't as wildly in love as they were in Season 4. Parks & Recreation is another great example of a show that is highlighting how amazing a TV couple can be when they get together. Granted Ben & Leslie just made their relationship official, but I have no doubts that the show's writers will keep their storylines just as fresh and fun and dewy-eyed as ever.
I understand things are different in the case of Castle. It's a police procedural after all and has to follow a standard formula of solving a crime in 44 minutes with only a few moments to spare for continuing character arcs. The writers have done a fantastic job so far of exploring new ways to throw Castle & Beckett together in heightened situations that further their romantic tension without letting them get together. Monday night's episode was a perfect example where the two of them woke up in a basement after being drugged and handcuffed together by the criminals they were pursuing. They spent the next 44 minutes hilariously trying to find their rhythm while cuffed together, engaging in some impressive acrobatics as they attempted to escape. Both Fillion and Katic are masters at witty banter and their mutual give and take always makes every episode sizzle. You can watch the episode on Hulu if you're curious, it's a good way to get sucked into the show. The nice thing about procedurals is that you don't need a lot of back story to understand what's going on. You could easily just watch this episode and then continue to watch Castle every week without missing a beat. But if you're a purist, you can treat yourself to three solid seasons of worthy entertainment.
My only plea to the writers is this: Please just let Castle and Beckett get together already. It's been four seasons, you owe it to them and you owe it to your viewers. Neither of them is in a relationship at the moment, both are in love with each other, and the stars are all aligned. If I know anything about TV, you will probably have them get together in the season finale, and I'm OK with waiting for that. But if the show returns in September with the news that something has happened yet again to pull them apart, I will be furious. Because you have shown yourself capable of writing some spectacular television and there is absolutely no reason why Castle and Beckett cannot continue to investigate crime scenes and catch murderers without also being happily in love.
What makes Castle stand out are the performances of the two lead actors. Richard Castle is played by the effortlessly charming Nathan Fillion (he of Firefly and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along blog fame) who imbues the character with just the right amount of whip-smart intelligence and playboy charisma. As the series has progressed, his feelings for Beckett have overtaken the playboy side of things, and he is now a dutiful partner just waiting for the right time to openly declare his love when Beckett is conscious (yeah, he already told her he loved her, but she was too busy being shot at the time). Kate Beckett is played by Stana Katic, a goddess of a lady who seems way too attractive to be a detective, but this is TV after all. However, she refuses to trade on her looks and has created a strong, powerful female character who runs the show. Castle is very much at her beck and call and although he will usually come up with some writerly insight that solves the case they're working on, Beckett is the one who puts the investigation together and actually gets things done.
The will-they-won't-they storyline is one that is familiar to any regular TV viewer. From Ross & Rachel to Jim & Pam, TV is littered with examples of two lead characters who spend agonizing years denying their feelings for each other, only to finally get together much to the audience's relief. Castle and Beckett are a prime example of this. The show is in its fourth season and both characters have realized how they feel about the other at different points in the series. Of course, every time one of them realized how they felt, the other was in a relationship, because timing is always the enemy of any TV couple. Last season, Castle finally openly professed his love for Becket in the season finale, but as I mentioned before, she had just been shot and when she woke up, she didn't seem to remember anything that had happened. I say "didn't seem to" because we learn that she in fact remembers what Castle said, but doesn't want to let on. I think that's either because she isn't ready for this relationship or because she doesn't want to hold him to something he said in a situation fraught with tension.
Of course, the real reason for her reticence is that the show's writers want to keep the couple apart for as long as possible, because we all know that TV shows fizzle once the sexual tension is gone. However, I am ready to challenge that antiquated notion. Yes, you lose some of the excitement when the characters no longer have to tiptoe around their feelings and construct elaborate ruses to hide their emotions. But lately, characters have been getting together on long-running TV shows with not awful results. Jim & Pam on The Office are a prime example of a TV couple that finally got together, got married, and are now having their second child. Many might argue that their relationship got dull once they got together, but I think that was just because the show itself went through a fallow period, which had nothing to do with Jim & Pam. The current season has been filled with romantic moments, classic conversations and pranks, and a reminder that just because they got married, it doesn't mean they still aren't as wildly in love as they were in Season 4. Parks & Recreation is another great example of a show that is highlighting how amazing a TV couple can be when they get together. Granted Ben & Leslie just made their relationship official, but I have no doubts that the show's writers will keep their storylines just as fresh and fun and dewy-eyed as ever.
I understand things are different in the case of Castle. It's a police procedural after all and has to follow a standard formula of solving a crime in 44 minutes with only a few moments to spare for continuing character arcs. The writers have done a fantastic job so far of exploring new ways to throw Castle & Beckett together in heightened situations that further their romantic tension without letting them get together. Monday night's episode was a perfect example where the two of them woke up in a basement after being drugged and handcuffed together by the criminals they were pursuing. They spent the next 44 minutes hilariously trying to find their rhythm while cuffed together, engaging in some impressive acrobatics as they attempted to escape. Both Fillion and Katic are masters at witty banter and their mutual give and take always makes every episode sizzle. You can watch the episode on Hulu if you're curious, it's a good way to get sucked into the show. The nice thing about procedurals is that you don't need a lot of back story to understand what's going on. You could easily just watch this episode and then continue to watch Castle every week without missing a beat. But if you're a purist, you can treat yourself to three solid seasons of worthy entertainment.
My only plea to the writers is this: Please just let Castle and Beckett get together already. It's been four seasons, you owe it to them and you owe it to your viewers. Neither of them is in a relationship at the moment, both are in love with each other, and the stars are all aligned. If I know anything about TV, you will probably have them get together in the season finale, and I'm OK with waiting for that. But if the show returns in September with the news that something has happened yet again to pull them apart, I will be furious. Because you have shown yourself capable of writing some spectacular television and there is absolutely no reason why Castle and Beckett cannot continue to investigate crime scenes and catch murderers without also being happily in love.
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