falulatonks | "just for that, i base my next book on esposito."

I shall keep using the occasional TV-related ramble as my distraction from studying - I've spent hours on history today and it's getting annoying.

I didn't watch How I Met Your Mother this week, though I heard it was good, and I haven't watched Chuck since the second episode, though I've heard the last two episodes were good, but I did watch Castle, and I want to talk about that because damn, was that fantastic TV or what?
1. Perfect case. The mysteries aren't usually my primary concern with shows like this, because as much as I like them, the characters interacting in order to get further is usually more interesting to me, but this week's case was brilliant - genuinely thrilling, and actually kind of genius. I didn't expect the twist, and I loved it.
  
  And the best part of it is that the more I think about it, the more brilliant it gets? First of all, just consider the two bad guys: it was so easy to believe that Gates was the serial killer, because he just oozes evil, crazy homicidal maniac vibes. And now we know that he's only an amateur, really, and that he did things wrongly in the two murders he did carry out - a) he got caught, and b) his fingerprint was on the badge on the crime scene. And then you think about the fact that he actually did want to go back to prison, as Beckett observed, because he rules things there - which means he put the badge there kind of on purpose? And at the same time he got his foster brother's operation done. Complex villains! I LIKE THIS.
  
  And the other guy, Jerry Tyson, was likable enough that even the detectives were calling him by his first name, not his last, and he was completely believable as that man who did a tiny wrong once and just wants to leave all of that behind, with his girlfriend. Except he doesn't care about the girl, and HE'S A CREEPY KILLER! And that shift was so fascinating. And awesome. And genius - all his misdirections, everything.
2. I'm loving the idea of the 3XK maybe coming back again. Even if he doesn't, I like the things he's suggested he's already put in place - he's taken Ryan's badge, has changed his name and face before, was able to avoid the most competent professionals until the very last second. And he's clearly able to put on enough of an act to be able to manage and manipulate people into doing what he needs done. Excellent. and creepy.
3. My favourite thing about this show (other than how much I love it for having mature characters who don't resort to teen-ness and actually say that they enjoy each other's company, or that they care for things, etc.) is how completely competent everyone is, and in a believable way. All these cops are doing their job, and they're doing it to the best of their abilities - they make phone calls before entering a possible crime scene, they're thorough with their evidence, they try to break their suspects, everything - but they don't have extraordinary tools that they manipulate to their will ~~coughAngelaBonescough~~, and they never do stupid things.
  
  All the characters were on fire in this episode - they had their funny moments, as always, but they were all being brilliant at their jobs, and I love it. I love watching people being competent in general - I realised it was a preference of mine when I started tagging fics on delicious with "competency" - but I love it even more when they're characters I love, and characters that I'm used to seeing be good at their jobs. Their skills aren't determined by the difficulty of the case - it would be easy to give a case of this magnitude and threat a set of detectives who were good at their job, but made mistakes. I'm glad they never resorted to that.
4. OH MY GOD, NATHAN BEING BADASS. In that last scene where he and the killer started psychoanalysing each other, Castle got as close to Mal as I've ever seen him, and it gave me chills~~/made me swoon~~. And this showcase of awesomeness isn't new, either - he gets jumpy in times of danger, but he's always been able to calm himself down enough to work through things and rationalise - like when he broke into Beckett's apartment after the explosion, or when he shot someone sneaking up behind her in the season premiere. Of course his creative writer-side would let his mind take control of the situation. (And nfgh, all that stony glaring. MAL! I LOVE YOU.)
5. For all that I adored from this episode, the greatest part of it may be how the writers used the great mystery as the main story and let the character moments and relationships ease their way in naturally. I loved Martha offhandedly talking about how laxatives gave her performance urgency, loved the believability of Castle's paranoia for his daughter even if she didn't fit the serial killer's MO, loved the Captain signing off and asking Beckett out for drinks, loved Beckett shutting Castle's ideas down and then asking about it on the side anyway. Loved Ryan and Esposito squabbling over their filing system.
  
  I adored Beckett charging up the stairs of that hotel in the end without any back-up and Esposito racing behind her when he realised it, and I loved the little shine of one tear track on her face when she got Castle out of the handcuffs, and I loved Ryan whining, "No I don't!" in the background when Castle said he needed an ambulance. Loved her bringing him the coffee, and adored the quietness of their hands just clasped together like that (that moment was so great on its own, really - what we were seeing there was understanding and compassion, and I love it very much).
6. People are worried that the Castle/Beckett relationship is moving out of something with URST to a friendship, but a) I don't see that at all, b) I kind of love that their relationship is built on something more than liking each other a lot and wanting to be with each other, and c) I'm sorry, both of them are kind of dating other people, and it may not be serious (they're obviously not serious), but they're adult and not stupid enough to be able to draw a line. WHY DO RATIONAL DECISIONS BOTHER PEOPLE, I DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND. I continue to love this build-up, the speed of it as well as the decisions that influence it.
I don't know if you guys can tell, but I'm just a little smitten with this episode. I always talk about how much I love this show but I'm never able to break it down to specifics, so I'm glad I did this this time. Can more people watch Castle (this week's episode specifically) and see how well crime procedurals can be written/acted? I don't need brilliant, groundbreaking genius - Castle is familiar, but it's good, and it's smart, and I love it for that.

I know everyone knows this already, but Mark Sheppard's continual appearances on sci-fi/action-adventure series being immortalised by his involvement in Doctor Who is just delightful. Bring it on, sir.

Oh, I watched The Death of the Doctor (Sarah Jane Adventures) while eating lunch today because I love Eleven and I want to see Matt Smith being Eleven forever and ever and I missed him, and it was cute. I think SJA looks like it's more decently-written than most of RTD's work on Who, does that even make sense? I liked the vibes I got from the show, in the little that I've watched of it. I still think the title is ridiculous and terrible and overblown, but I do like RTD's penchant for melodrama and nostalgia in smaller doses (it appeals to the sappier side of me), and I think all the actors managed to tamp it down before it got out of hand, which David Tennant didn't always manage. (I think I've figured out the flaw of Ten's final episodes - RTD and DT were too simultaneously in awe of each other.)

I'm already getting pissy about James Cameron confirming two Avatar sequels, and they don't even look like they'll be released for years. ARE YOU FOR REAL, BOY?! Someone on Twitter or Tumblr once named Cameron the Ryan Murphy of cinema (or the other way around?) and I kind of get it. And it makes me want to punch him in the face.

There were other things I wanted to say but I've mostly completely forgotten. I miss Parks and Recreation.

-- rachu

Okay I had to stop halfway through your post to point to this:

In that last scene where he and the killer started psychoanalysing each other, Castle got as close to Mal as I've ever seen him, and it gave me chills/made me swoon...Of course his creative writer-side would let his mind take control of the situation. (And nfgh, all that stony glaring. MAL! I LOVE YOU.)

I'M GLAD SOMEONE ELSE CAUGHT THIS. I have the biggest crush on Mal/Nathan Fillion - it's taken me a while to admit this, but I have - but Castle doesn't quite cut it for me. Except when he's that close to Mal and I flail and want to jump through the screen to hug him. You can see this episode was a big deal to me :) I might actually post later. But Fillion was very careful about that line but you could see it and it was brilliant. Guh.

But I want to also echo your appreciation for competency among the killers and the detectives. Just... it's nice to see people do their job well :)

Oh man, Mal is pretty much one of my favourite characters of all time (I love him so much that I'm completely ashamed that I don't have an icon for him, damn it!), and it's his complexity that makes me adore him. Castle doesn't have that same depth, and it's kind of killing me. I wish he'd be given darker stuff to do because he does it so well - this is why I don't think he'll ever be given a character as perfect as Mal again, because it shows off his talent so beautifully - so this one scene in this week's episode both excited me and made me miss Firefly terribly. I agree - he held himself back just right, and it was fantastic.

MARK SHEPPARD! HE'S SO AWESOME.

he plays a badass Crowley on Supernatural. Everyone thinks he plays it just like Crowley is in Good Omens. He sort of does, i guess. His Crowley is wonderful.

AVATAR SEQUELS WTF. WHO CARES SRSLY.

HIMYM!

:D

Yeah, I know he's on SPN! I love him a lot. He's also been on Firefly and Leverage, to name just a couple of his awesomer, more badass characters. Favourite guest!

hehe he was on the pilot of White Collar too. he makes his round on very awesome shows, clearly.

and i love his accent. it's wonderful:P his sense of humour is hilarious

I REALLY enjoyed the "Death of the Doctor" episodes of sja - the Eleven/Matt Smith fix was greatly appreciated, and he fit in with the show's characters/feel really well I thought. Plus I love me some Doctor/Sarah Jane, and their little moments were perfect (although I would have liked to see THEIR goodbye, WTF show!?)

But the kids were great, and I really liked how it focused on the companion and the conflicting feelings they have for the Doctor and being left by him, and Matt Smith did a GREAT job of (again) seeming like he's 900 years old and went through all those adventures with Jo and Sarah and that he genuinely missed them and adored them. He never ceases to amaze me.

Matt Smith is astounding. He manages to convey the Doctor's age and his just-this-side-of-alien-ness so perfectly. When he gets quiet and a little sad he just about breaks my heart, and in that scene with Jo on the other planet he killed me. He also killed me with his little twitch when Jo talked about angering the Time Lords back home. OH, MATT.

I'm sorry, I just love him very much - I could talk about the things I adore about everything he does for ages, oh man. Just brilliant. I can't wait to have him back on his own show again.

I do wish we'd gotten more Doctor/Sarah Jane, you're right. But on the whole, surprisingly enjoyable! The kids were really great, and I really think there's an aspect of the writing on this show that feels less forced than Doctor Who - I can't put my finger on it, but I liked it.

"just for that, i base my next book on esposito."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject