Of Swords and Parasols

 Because this TV season hasn't been awful enough to actresses already, they just announced that if Castle gets a 9th season, Nathan Fillon will be in it, but Stana Katic and Tamala Jones won't. According to Jon Huertas, they didn't even bother to tell the rest of the cast before making the announcement (hopefully they bothered to tell the actresses beforehand, but Hollywood doesn't exactly have a good track record there) and no one has contacted him yet about season 9, if it comes to pass.

I mean, I don't know if they plan to kill off half the cast in a shootout or have Castle on the run next season or not, but I don't see how they could think this was a good idea.

I'm watching season 3 of Castle on DVD. Ted from Pan Am was just there as a serial killer.

Does not compute. Nor does all the scruff he had on his face.

Also, it's a good thing that Castle can afford to keep himself in the manner to which he has become accustomed, because that is one seriously high maintenance man.

If ever I doubted that Nathan Fillon only ever really played one character (said character pretty much being Nathan Fillon) Castle would have removed that doubt. Thankfully, I rather like Nathan Fillon as he plays the same guy in new situations, over and over. Though I normally don’t like the character type?

Anyway, this series seems designed to appeal to fans of the old 80s “bickering detectives” shows like Moonlighting and Remington Steele, which is shorthand for “I like it.”

The pilot, though enjoyable, made me cringe as it fell into the trope of “Serious Career Woman is Wrong when she plays by the books and Free Spirited Man is Right despite having no real experience,” and added to it by just saying “it’s more interesting that way.” Thankfully, that doesn’t last long and the rest of the series is more balanced, with Castle frequently learning that Real Life doesn’t always come with fun twists and reveals, and that actual detectives also have to put up with all sorts of boring things, and Beckett is serious about her job, but seems to happily cut loose in other situations.

One thing I particularly like is how Castle seems to almost be actively depressed when not talking to or about women, and not in an objectifying way, much as I roll my eyes at some bits. The guy just seriously likes being around women in any context. But then, his mother, despite not really being a good mother, is pretty much a force of nature, and his daughter is essentially raising him. (I have no idea how Alexis turned out so normal and well adjusted. Girl defies genetics.) Guy probably feels lost if a woman isn’t around, calling the shots in some context.

I’m not particularly thrilled with how a subplot involving Castle prying into Beckett’s past is developing at the end of the season, but I’ll wait until I see how that plays out to cast judgment.

I also watched the second season of Chuck, which I’ve been told is the best of the series. Not having seen any of S3 yet, I would agree, as it starts out having it’s footing well in hand, instead of spending half the season floundering like the first season. I particularly liked the Jill plotline (despite initial misgivings), Alex (show, why do the awesome lady spies who aren’t Sarah and who Casey has the hots for only stay for one episode?) and the Awesome wedding jitters. I feel like I’m being punished, though, every time there’s a Buy More plotline. Hollywood, when will you stop upholding sexist pervs as the pinnacle of humor? Like, I’m pretty sure Jeff and Lester’s character descriptions are “geeky sexist perv” and Morgan’s is “Geeky, slightly less sexist (in isolation) slightly less pervy (unless Ellie is involved) but loyal.” I have to resist the urge to FF every time they come on screen. Though at least Big Mike is fairly entertaining. The only redeeming value they have, though, is Anna, who isn’t even in half the episodes. But heaven forbid Jeff, Lester and Morgan don’t get a plot each episode.

( spoilers )