Castle - season 2 - Page 4

Pleased that it is renewed for a 22 episode season 3.

Me too. Here's the story.

 Fun references last night to Leno, Conan and Letterman!

This is one of those shows that just keeps getting better with each episode.

 And they started to break the forth wall and winked at the audience too!

Castle may have finally crossed the line with this one.  I can buy a writer shadowing a detective.  I can buy a civilian outsmarting the cops.  But a novelist having any say over who gets cast in a film?  This I can't believe.  Not even Stephen King or John Grisham gets that kind of input.  (Unless they're also producing or directing, as King has done at least once or twice.)

I kept thinking about the old joke.  You know, "Did you hear about the blonde actress?  She went to Hollywood and f***d the writer."  

Aside from that, a very enjoyable episode.

Regards,

Joe

JK Rowling sat in on all of the auditions :)   And "Twilight" writer had a big input as well.  I think some of that has changed, as the writers started to work on making themselves celebs.  :)

I don't think it's just wanting to be celebs... it's also not wanting to see their work taken to left field from their vision. Previously, writers just felt lucky to have their works adapted. But after many bad experiences, some of the more powerful ones are saying, "You know what? I'd like to have some input to make sure you do justice to my work."

First of all its complete fiction.  I throw out logic and just enjoy the ride and its a good one.  Great episode. 


He can put whatever stipulations on it when he sells the rights.

No, he can try to put whatever stipulations he wants in.  As in all contract negotiations, each side only gets what the other side agrees to.  Very few writers have a) the interest or b) the clout to get involving in casting movie adapations of their work.  The studios basically can't negotiate this kind of stuff away when they buy book rights because casting is traditionally the preogative of the director - and directors usually aren't even being considered at the time a book is bought.  It is hard to sign a director later when you have to tell him, "Oh, by the way, John Grisham gets final say on casting."  Most self-respecting directors (and all of the big name ones) would walk away from the project.  



Potter and Twilight are exceptions on every level.  The studio heads would have given their own children to secure franchises like those. 

Finally everybody is missing the fact that I was freakin' KIDDING.  I guess I should have festooned the post with smiley faces, but they would have spoiled the deapan effect I was going for.       Somehow I thought that repeating the actress joke would have been enough.  Silly me. 

Regards,

Joe

 

Yes, we know you were kidding but it is interesting. 

Grisham does now ask for that, which has been a big tie-up in getting new books to the screen.

Orson Scott Card has demanded that from the beginning, which is why you have never seen any interpretation of "Ender's Game" and I doubt we will for a very long time.  He's had major directors involved, but in the end, the requirement of a very young kid (no older then 12) that he has held to (in my mind, rightly) has prevented studio efforts.

If a writer had an "optional" input credit and strongly recommended a bankable actress anyway who wanted the part, all things being equal, it wouldn't hurt.  Especially considering now studios look to franchise.  So, the studio would think "if this works, and the writer likes it, he'll make more books/etc."  :)

Or he'll help promote the film. In the Castle universe, this author has a high enough public profile that he might be useful in that regard.

Castle is in my top 2-3 shows currently running.  I really don't understand why it isn't a bigger hit.  I've liked shows before that I knew wouldn't get the ratings, but this is a series I would have bet money that it would get big ratings.

I hope they don't rush the relationship between Castle and Becket.   A big part of the fun is Castle getting on Becket's nerves.  If they were to become and item, I don't think the show would work as well.

"You do remind me a little of Hooch."

As much as I enjoy the show I found Castle's willingness to jump into bed a little jarring.  It seems beneath his character after the slow buildup between him and Beckett since the show started.  Plus Beckett's nonchalance about it seems in contrast to that buildup as well.

I didn't see Beckett as not caring about Castle's "hook-up". In fact, she seemed jeleous or at least annoyed and did everything she could to break them up without being obvious. Typical passive-aggressive behavior.

I think though that we've tried to play Castle up from the beginning as a wanna be playboy.  I thought it was completely in character.

There has been a slow build-up between Castle and Beckett, but Castle has been a skirt chaser from the beginning. In my mind, it's one of the reasons Beckett hasn't wanted to get involved with him. Does he really want to be her romantic partner, or is she just another interesting notch? I think she usually comes down on the side of Castle being immature and mostly interested in a new toy or conquest. The show even goes out of it's way to show her having some interest, then Castle does or says something that causes a, "What was I thinking," reaction from Beckett.

Bummer of an ending. The show depends on its sexual tension to work, so I suppose it was necessary, but did they have to break Beckett up with tall dark and handsome before stabbing her in the heart? Next season will be interesting, now that Beckett knows that Castle's what she wants but is seemingly unattainable. It will also be interesting to see if Alexis is still a little miss goody-two-shoes after a summer of independent living with reckless teenagers. All in all, this season wasn't as good as last year, but it has some terrific peaks along the way. I'm happy it'll be back next year.

I've heard it said shows die when people get together (Moonlighting?), and that the will they/won't they is what keeps people watching. I ignore it. Until they declare their intent like adults and make adult decisions, I don't get into it. I'm a firm believer that you create your own heartbreak if you never declare yourself. Anyway, the back and forth is cute whether they're together or not. And the rest of the show is quite entertaining as well.

 

Has Castle put on some weight?

Yeah, classic. The will they or won't they and Beckett breaking-up with the cop and Castle seeing her as taken and going to the Hamptons with the ex was classic teasing the audience. The Moonlighting example was true, but I can't see why they can't get together and declare and still make the show fun. They can be committed and dating without sleeping together to make it interesting. What a sad look on the faces of the other cops when they saw Beckett crushed.

That Moonlighting thing has poisoned a lot of shows.  Lana was supposed to be Clark's Smallville love on the road to his relationship with Lois, but the show was too afraid to put them together until it was too late and it became annoying.  There have been a couple of shows this season that have ended (maybe temporarily) the "pining for each other" bit, and things are fine so far (I don't name them in case people are waiting for the DVDs).  I've never seen Burn Notice, but it's been named as the new standard for shows not afraid to have their leads become a couple.

 

All that said, I think Castle and Beckett do seem to work better on the Moonlighting paradigm.  It works best when there aren't any serious outside interests.  It was cute when the pair went on separate dates, ended up at the same restaurant, and were more interested in comparing notes about the current case than in attending their respective partners.  The best part of Castle and Beckett is when they are on the same wavelength and suddenly come up with the solution to a case and finish each other's thoughts.  They did it tonight when they realized the game was a blind.

Thankfully

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

has tackled the supposed 'Moonlighting' curse and moved on without missing a beat.

 

Really enjoyed this season - was expecting a Castle's daughter and mother being in danger episode this year.  Guess it will happen next year.

 

Love the writers poker game scenes.  'One book a year Castle? That's pretty thin.'

 

'See you in the fall?' 

 

'In the fall.'

    Quote:

Yes, that was a classic tease with the typical bad luck timing we sometimes see.  I bet that Castle and his ex will be loggerheads before the summer is out and that is where we'll start in the fall. 

 

As far as the episode - I noticed that X-File alumn Rob Bowman is an executive producer and directed this episode which brought Mitch Pileggi in for a typical/atypical role.  It was great to see his stereotypical role fool us for a bit until it was all turned on its head.
 

In thinking about the comments about the teasing and the Moonlighting issues when the leads hook up. It occurred to me that a series like Hart to Hart or film series like The Thin Man, from which Hart to Hart is based, the married couple worked out very well. But that would probably totally change the dynamic of the show. And given how Becket is a cop and Castle a writer. How do they justify allowing a civilian always involved in the cases and investigations. Of course this isn't reality. 

 

I think they should just admit to each other they like each other and move forward.

The "Moonlighting curse" has been debunked -- credibly in my opinion, but some still cling to it. I'm not sure that's what's driving the main plot here, though; rather it could be the pace they have decided to take on a season-by-season progression, to work through each stage.

There are shows that are structurally equipped to move from sexual tension to a relationship. I don't think Castle is one of them. If it had any serious continuing storyline to hang the relationship on, such a transition might work. But "Castle" really doesn't. Without the sexual tension, I'm not sure what's there to make the mystery of the week compelling.