Castle: Television Is Getting Better?

To answer the question above; no. It's not getting better. The networks still have their collective heads up their butts and from what I've been seeing over the last decade most good television happens as a happy accident. Somehow something with merit and entertainment value slips through their web of corporate need, unrealistic expectations and backwards thinking. The tastes and motives of big corporate television networks have nothing to do with good TV.

Having said that, it's time for a review. This is one of those happy accidents I was talking about. It's a new show called Castle.

Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic star in this hour long television show about a pulp novelist (Richard Castle, played by Nathan Fillion), who gets paired up with a New York Police Detective (Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic) and together they solve crimes.

Fillion plays the Castle character with great comedic timing and just the right amount of flare as he roams through the first five episodes adding his insights and drawing material from crime scenes and investigations. I love the character and it seems like another perfect fit for Nathan Fillion.

The detective in this series is played very well and at first it seems that it's an easy role. As the series continues (I've seen all 5 episodes so far), we discover that there's a bit more to Kate Beckett and she's not willing to become attatched to, or reveal much of anything personal to her new scribe partner. It's very easy to ham up the hard nosed detective part, and now that I think about it I've seen that role hammed up more often than not. No problems here, Stana Katic does a great job. her character is believable and strong enough to be a good counterpart to Richard Castle.

There are other characters, ranging from the wise daughter to the detective co-workers and though they're somewhat cliche, they're well placed, performed and not over played. The only character I dislike is the zany mother, who I've been seeing on several different television shows recently played by different similar actresses. It's like the networks put the word out that every new hour long drama or comedy must have a zany grandmother.

In short, go watch Castle. If you like detective mysteries and are a little tired of the CSI's and the Law and Orders this should be a nice change. It also stands on its own, so even if you're not into detective shows, give it a shot. It's just different enough.

Down With Mad Men, Long Live Trust Me

A lot of people love the premium television show about advertising professionals in the mid 20th century called Mad Men. I don't. I think it's boring, predictable, the writing is flat with little or no pop and I can't wait until the cast is free to work on better projects, because the acting is the only good thing about that show.

Now that that's out of the way...

Along comes the new TNT show; Trust Me. This is another show about an advertising agency, an idea mill if you will. It's modern but not shined up, you won't see many metrosexuals (not that I have anything against them other than the fact that they're far prettier than I am), and you certainly won't see a relief to the pressure the characters in this show are under. This show grinds, and the grist in that mill comes in the form of some great characters played by many comedic actors we've seen in numerous places. From a Will and Grace veteran to the star of the failed show Love Monkey, along with many other medium to well known television mainstays.

There's a vitality to this show. Nothing is easy, everyone feels pressure from the top, and everything happens at the absolute worst time for everyone. People fly off the handle, and the comedy is imbedded deep in the drama. Watching this popping dialogue being slung around by these actors is like watching an hour of solid bippity-boppity-bounce-bounce-boo! (That's excited speak for; 'the dialog is really well written, fast and tight.') The really good bits, where a little sunshine peeks in through the dark clouds come in the form of realizations and temporary victories made by the characters who recover just enough to climb the next hill.

Oh, and there's a genius new girl caught in the middle.

Go watch this show.

RL

January 25 to January 31 Is Review Week!

I realize that things have been a little slow on my blog lately because I've been working hard on Spinward Fringe Frontline. So I've decided to take half an hour a day this week to review something on television or film.

I used to review interesting and terrible productions on this blog fairly regularly, and I thought, since there was little I could report on while the work continued on Frontline other than the fact that it's going well, I'd give reviews another spin.

There's a few things to keep in mind, however. I tend to be brutal when I review something, I've written such classics as "Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Starship Troopers 3" and "The Happening: Don't Let It Happen To You". The titles are only the beginning of these all out attacks. I actually enjoy pulling entertainment apart if it's likely to waste someone's time.

On the other hand I can be very generous in my reviews, and to be honest I enjoy writing that kind of piece a lot more even though I rarely find entertainment that's worthy of praise.

Anyway, there you have it: Starting tomorrow, it's review week on this blog and I hope to entertain you while I hack and slash or excitedly exult with some humour mixed in either way.

As far as Spinward Fringe Frontline is concerned, well, I'm having quite an adventure and I can't wait to pass it on when the book is finished. It's taking me longer to write this one simply because it's a bigger book, there are three running plotlines, and some very important things happen in this volume. I'll have more to say about that later on, until then, enjoy the fireworks.

RL

Californication: The Last Good Season

Drinking and driving, sex, rock stars, wannabe porn stars, plagiarism, drugs, and a writer who is not at all about the work but into all of the above. I couldn't have been more resistant to liking this show if it starred Big Bird and Freddy Krueger. Actually, that could be fun, bad example.

Suffice it to say it was the show I started watching not sure what I was seeing at first, then I just couldn't look away, and before I realized what was going on I was hooked. Hooked for two whole seasons. It's hard to say, but I'll miss this show.

A few people out there know that there's another season coming, and they're asking; “Randy, why are you mourning the passing of this show when there's going to be at least 13 more debaucherous episodes on the way?”

Well, if the rumours of David Duchovny checking into a sex addiction clinic are true (and the therapy sticks), it really looks like the fun is over. I know, that's insensitive and Dave gets a lot of flack for confessing his sex addiction but I mourn the passing of this terribly offensive show because I can't picture the third season being as edgy, funny, juvenile and adult (yes, it's both), as the first two. With David Duchovny recovering from his addiction, being the star and a member of the production team I see things taking a turn for the tame.

This is one of those situations where I'd love to be proven wrong. I think season three will be crap compared to the wonderful experiences of seasons one and two (that left me feeling dirty and used once a week), and yes, I want to be proven wrong. I want them to maintain the high quality low standard humour that made me laugh out loud at least once per episode.

Until then, if you missed Californication entirely and have a deeply rooted case of guttermind, you'll love this humour. Go rent the dirtiest DVD outside of the curtain, or buy it if you have the cash lying around. Then tune in for season three and see if they took the hard out of the core as I suspect. If I'm wrong, well, I'll be the first to raise a glass.

RL

And THAT my friends, is what happens when someone sends me an Email asking; "I miss ur reviews, why don't u do them ne more?"