Editor’s Note: In the beginning, RedFence did not watch television. Not one principle contributor had a cable hookup. Seriously. Go ahead, call us snobs.
Then TV came to DVD and we saw that some of it was good. And then someone said, “Let there be Hulu,” and we saw that some of it was good and easily available. And we started watching and talking and . . . well that’s what RF is all about.
So we created TV Worth Watching, a discussion of the various corners of the tele-sphere that actually hold our attention. It’s a review series, blog, thing. We think it’s pretty good.
TV Worth Watching: Castle, season one
by Joel Champagne
As a fan of the standard-setting show Firefly, I always watch for new shows starring its principle cast. I love a chance to see the faces of my favorite characters onscreen again, and yet I always hope they will move beyond those old roles. In his hit show Castle, now in its second season, Nathan Fillion manages just that.
Starring as writer Richard Castle, Fillion does an amazing job of making you forget about his past roles and care about his new one. (That said, the show can be surprisingly self-aware, making references to Fillion’s previous roles, just as a nod and a wink to fans.)
The basic premise of Castle is perhaps not unique. A specially talented individual uses that special talent to help solve crime mysteries — a la, Monk, Numb3rs, Fringe, Dexter, The Closer; even House M.D. kind of fits the type. The genre has yielded masterpieces and mind-draining duds. Despite a somewhat clunky pilot, Castle manages to bob toward the top of that heap.
For a special talent Richard Castle has his status as a popular mystery novelist.
Castle first gets involved in the investigation of a murderer who has copied the killings in his novels. He meets and tags along with detective Kate Beckett (played with increasing subtlety by Stana Katic), and finds inspiration for his next book. After pulling some strings, the writer gets permission to shadow Detective Beckett on future investigations as “research” — much to the chagrin of the detective. Of course, with his quick mind, and knowledge of crime (at least the literary kind), Castle manages to help the police instead of just getting in their way.
The show definitely starts a little rough. In the pilot especially, Castle comes off as the typical rich playboy, and Beckett plays the cardboard cutout ‘stoic cop.’ As the season continues, however, these clichés swiftly fall away. Castle-as-sleazeball is quickly shown to be an act, revealing true steel underneath. Beckett, whether through good writing or Katic’s portrayal, develops an actual personality, meeting Castle’s jibes with a swift wit of her own.
But this show offers more than star power. Unlike most buddy cop shows, Castle does not make its leads seem intelligent by making every other character a blathering moron. Beckett’s police team is smart, too. Detective Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Detective Ryan (Seamus Dever), the two-man backbone of the team, work these cases hard, bantering with Beckett and Castle all the while.
The show also follows Rick Castle’s home life and, in a very rare choice for a television show, avoids the teenagers-are-out-of-control, and my-parents-just-don’t-understand drama clichés. Castle is a single father, and a damn good one. His daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn) is actually a really good kid, and they share a healthy and positive relationship. I, honestly, was shocked. Throughout season one, and even more in season two, the show starts giving the beats for a typical ‘father disappoints daughter’ episode. But unlike almost every other TV dad, Castle immediately drops everything to rush to his daughter’s aid. It’s truly compelling to see a good relationship, written well. On the other hand, Castle’s mother, former Broadway actress Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan) starts out a flamboyantly over-the-top meddler, incredibly obnoxious, and often the worst part of the show. As season one goes on, however, the writers give her a bit more substance, and a lot less verbal slapstick. So here’s hoping.
As it matured through its first season, Castle developed some top-notch writing and acting. The crimes are various and compelling, and the banter is hilarious. Season two currently is airing on ABC, with some episodes streamed at Hulu.com. The web-savvy may find other episodes scattered around the interwebs, despite the network’s efforts to hamstring the show’s popularity by limiting availability.
Ratings-wise, Castle seems to hover around the ten million viewer mark. Apparently this was solid enough for ABC to order another 22 episodes for season two. This is fairly amazing since season one had only nine.
Fans can already buy season one on DVD, with loads of behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with Fillion and Katic. In a very odd twist, one of Castle’s fictional books, Heat Wave, has been ghostwritten and published by Hyperion Books. ABC released chapters in weekly increments, but the book in its entirety can be found in major bookstores. Written entirely in character by an anonymous author, Heat Wave hit No. 6 on The New York Times Best Sellers list. However you discover it, Castle definitely earns the title TV worth watching.
