Oh, Castle
I just finished watching the two-parter episodes of Castle "Set-up" and "Countdown". And... wow. I don't even know how to feel.
First of all, I was not impressed by the mystery of the (two) week(s). This week, the plot ran thusly: terrorists are going to create a 'dirty bomb' and blow up part of New York City. Only, the terrorists are army veterans who are angry that the war's heroes are being forgotten and that everything they fought for is being handwaved. The episodes were incredibly preachy on the whole. I'm not saying that patriotism is a bad thing, nor am I saying that these issues shouldn't be discussed by television shows. But Castle? Really?
It was just such a sudden break from the usual tone of the show. This is the show that has spoofed Indiana Jones, the X-files, and Firefly, all in a very goofy and loving way. The murder of the week is usually absurd, and the episodes are very rarely frightening. The few tense episodes there have been have all been centered primarily around character backstory, so they've fit into the story arc fairly well. These two episodes, though... it was like they were intense only for the sake of being intense. It felt like something from a different show.
I wanted so badly to like it. It furthured the Castle/Beckett will-they-won't-they! Oh my god, it had some of my very favorite tropes: 'Huddling Together For Warmth', 'Random Stranger Thinks They're Together', 'Near Death Experience Leads to Confession (+ 'Confession Is Interrupted' all in one!)'. The directing was also rather different -- the shots were more interesting, the lighting created these great effects, it was far superior to the usual fare on Castle.
Also, the ending was classic:
Click to viewTHAT'S THE SHOW I LOVE. Completely ridiculous, occasionally even crackier than Glee, but with more Nathan Fillion (who, I've gotta say, has not aged well :( You were so handsome in Firefly, bb, what happened? He's still incredibly charming and his comedic timing is great, he's just not as much fun to look at.)