New Nathan Fillion Series - Castle - Mystery Writer Turned Sleuth Coming To ABC! (1 Viewer)

[Adam Lenhardt]

I liked this episode better than the pilot. Using his mother and daughter largely as a bookending device worked better than intertwining a personal storyline with the case of the week. Seeing him all snark all of the time with Katic's character, it's nice to see the "real" him so to speak at home. I also appreciated we got glimpses of Castle with his guard down when Katic's character wasn't looking. Fillion's performance in the laundry scene was terrific and begs the question: did he cheat on one of his wives, did one of his wives cheat on him, or both? His daughter's a better than average take on the well-worn precocious mold, but her character is important for what she says about him. I loved that the episode ended with him looking at a picture of the two of them when they were younger. His mother's still coming off as a little too sitcom-ish for my taste.

 

[Patrick Sun]

The interpersonal stuff is more interesting, wonder how long they can keep up peeling back the layers on these 2 main characters.

 

[NeilO]

I liked the bit in the episode where Castle was narrating the story of the guy in 8B and just mesmerized everyone there in the squad room.

 

[Shane D]

i read the ending scene different with the girl, i saw him realizing its not all stories and that stuff is ugly and dirty in the real world, cause they cut to him everytime the girl would grind the knife on her leg. so i took it to mean it was the first time he was fully confronting a truly hurting person, not just an empty body or a story he made up. course i could be wrong.

i also thought that was a picture of him with his daughter, since he said he always took her to the park, the slouch looked like a man, not a woman.

and i am enjoying this show too just for fillion, hes doing a great job.

did anyoen else catch him on the end of dancing with the stars as the host said stay tuned for castle staring nathan fillion and the camera cut to him and his costar sitting in the audience.

 

[pitchman]

I only caught a bit of the first episode, but since Medium was a repeat last night, I watched the second episode in its entirety. Overall, it made for an entertaining hour of television. I agree with all of the praise for Fillion. It is well deserved and he literally carries the show. Susan Sullivan was an interesting (and appropriate) casting choice for Castle's mother. I hope we get to see more of her and the interplay between she and Nathan.

The Moonlighting comparison is a good one, although I hope Castle doesn't become as zany as that show did in its later seasons.

I missed most of the pilot and as a result, I guess there is something I don't quite understand. As it stands now, isn't this show premise designed to be short-lived? I mean realistically, how long is any major city police force going to let an untrained "mystery writer" tag along with a detective in (what for all intents and purposes is) the role of a partner? I don't care who "orders" such an arrangement, it seems to me that the potential risk and danger for all involved would ultimately prevail over the continued enforcement of such an arrangement. Like I say, perhaps this was addressed in the pilot in some way, otherwise, to me, it seems like it'll be an issue down the road.

 

[NeilO]

Since dancing runs over I saw the very end and was surprised to see them sitting there for promotional purposes.

 

[Steve Y]

The whole premise is outlandish, but that's not bothering me too much. It's not a realistic police procedural, and it doesn't even seem to be trying to be. The second episode was pretty good, the case was a little more interesting. Fillion is the main reason to watch right now.

 

[NeilO]

Second episode ratings: from
Media Life Magazine - Hot cha-cha: 'Dancing' lifts ABC to first

 

[Louis C]

I mentioned the writing earlier - Fillion alone won't be enough. I thought the writing was ok for episode 2 and it had some interesting dialogue - the story was ok, but had some pretty cliche plot twists.

The character development might help things a lot in episodes to come. The 'police procedural' path is a well worn one, and one which they should tread on lightly.

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I find myself not only accepting this show, but looking forward to viewing it. I guess I like Fillion more than I was aware of. Somehow his "charm" comes off as genuine, not forced. I also like his relationship with his daughter, and mom is definitely Cougar comic relief.

I just finished the episode with the nannys. In it, there's a place where he goes into "author" mode and starts reciting the case as if it were a book. That rang true for me. I felt like I was watching an author visualize and talk. He was wrong, but no matter. He also made a statement about getting the plot from his first book from One Life To Live. That was a cool little shoutout (and where I first saw him).

 

[Patrick Sun]

Just acknowledge your Nathan Fillion Man-crush and move on.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I didn't like Monday's episode as much as the second one, but I'm definitely still on board. Castle's daughter is going to have real breakdown at some point in the future, because it's way too much of a strain trying to be that perfect.

 

[Greg_S_H]

The actress did a good job with the turnstile scene. I thought she was kidding him, saying, "You think I'm on drugs, when this is the worst thing I've done." She sold the emotion of the scene and I felt what Castle would have been feeling, that you don't want to see your daughter that upset when you just want to keep her safe.

It's funny, they seem to be dropping the "Castle is an annoying, unwanted tagalong" thing pretty quick. He asked smart questions, made impressive observations, and the only time Kate showed annoyance was when he tried to listen in on her call.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The daughter was teasing him during his initial interrogation, but I think the turnstille scene was 100 percent earnest. In spite of (or maybe because of) her less than conventional upbringing, she clearly wants to be the perfect kid. I know lots of kids, girls in particular, that are like that.

Judging by ABC's preview for Monday's episode, it looks like Castle and the cop will be back to sparring again.

 

[Michael Harris]

I noticed that too and was certainly happy about that. The annoying shtick can get old fast. One or two times an episode is fine since there has to be tension between the two but not all the time.

 

[Nelson Au]

I just noticed that at the end of Quantum of Solace, Stana Katic has a bit part. I thought that girl looked familiar and I saw her name in the credits. She had longer hair was rather pretty with longer hair.

 

[Greg_S_H]

I just read at futon critic that Castle's season has been cut from 13 to 10 episodes. I don't know, but I'm guessing this doesn';t auger well for the future of this series.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Not necessarily. "Castle" is ABC's highest rated 10 PM drama this decade, runs a close second to CBS powerhouse "CSI: Miami", and has maintained nearly all of its audience from the premiere.

"Cupid" and "The Unusuals", neither of which have even premiered yet, also got their seasons cut short. The only new shows NOT to be cut short were 30-minute sitcoms "Better Off Ted" and the upcoming Bob Saget sitcom.

The real test for "Castle" will be to see how it fares without ratings monster "Dancing with the Stars" as its lead in.

It's not a show I'd mourn terribly (basically a more serious "Psych" with a different gimmick), but it's a quite enjoyable way to round off my Monday nights after "Chuck" and "Heroes".

 

[Greg_S_H]

Good to hear it is doing well ratings-wise. Fillion needs a hit.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Not a bad episode, but the gunfight drove me nuts. Beckett and Castle arrive at the purse-buyer's apartment expecting the killer to be there already, probably standing over a dead woman. He had a head start, after all. So what do they do? They enter the apartment, chat with the near-victim, then go looking for the purse. And neither of them thinks to close and lock the door and call for back-up immediately. Beckett should have been facing the door with her gun drawn and sent Castle and the woman into the back bedroom. These aren't stupid people, either of them, and Beckett is a trained cop. It pisses me off when the writers make smart people act like morons just to set up something like the gunfight. (They could have ended up in much the same place if the killer had reached the apartment first and stabbed the woman. It would have been plausible for them to risk going in without waiting for backup in order to rescue the woman. It was not plausible for them to suffer simultaneously amnesia with regard to the fact that the killer was at best minutes behind them and that they were standing with their backs to an open door.)

OTOH, Castle's ex was really hot. (See the "Redheads" thread in After Hours.)

Regards,

Joe