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[SPOILERS] Is Rick Castle too smart for a TV series?

March 12, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Paige F MacGregor
6


The previews for Nathan Fillion’s new show, Castle, which premiered on ABC this past Monday night at 10 p.m EST, described a type of story not entirely dissimilar from that of the second season of Michael C. Hall’s Showtime hit Dexter: A genius, if you will, of his craft becomes wrapped up in an aspect of his own work. The difference, of course, is immediately apparent: in Dexter’s case, he finds himself investigating murders that he committed (genius murderer), whereas in Castle’s case he volunteers to “help” investigate a string of murders modeled after those featured in his bestselling books (genius writer).

What viewers found out last night, however, is that Castle’s involvement in the investigation of copycat murders ends before the first episode is even over. In fact, it is Castle who facilitates the lightning-speed resolution with insight he garnered from writing his books, calls to the Mayor to expedite evidence processing, and even some well-placed maneuvering that allows police to apprehend the murderer. So is Rick Castle too smart for a television series? After all, in one episode he solved a story line that could have (and some argue should have) spanned most of, if not an entire, a season.

Perhaps Rick Castle is simply on his way to proving how perfect he really is for a television series. Although Dexter Morgan’s strategy of using his position to manipulate the actions of those around him in order to prolong the process and prevent his colleagues from uncovering the truth isn’t applicable, perhaps Castle’s knowledge of the psychopathic mind will help Det. Beckett to move through cases faster, making Castle a new kind of Law & Order—one with a snarky and only moderately attractive female detective and a narcissistic, egocentric know-it-all who somehow manages to be both funny and adorable at the same time (perhaps because I’m not the woman dealing with him? Or maybe it’s just because it’s Nathan Fillion…).

Speculation aside, we will all have to wait until next Monday to get a better idea of how Castle will play out this season. A few pleasant surprises that I discovered upon watching the first episode included: 1) Nathan’s character has a daughter, and she’s a very well crafted, interesting character who has the potential to contribute a lot to the show; 2) plot concerns aside, the show’s writing is extremely good—the dialogue is interesting and flows naturally, and the characters are, for the most part, believable; and 3) Rick Castle really isn’t as much of an asshole as Captain Hammer.

ABC, castle, dexter, joss whedon, michael c. hall, nathan fillion, rick castle

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About the Author
Paige rejoins Fandomania after taking a two-year hiatus to get her Master's degree in Media, Culture and Communication from NYU.
6 Comments
  1. Navy Mom March 18, 2009 at 1:36 pm

    I think this show is one of the best on TV. I like having some “SMART” tv shows instead of the formula garbage that other shows put out. I also loved the Womans Murder Club. That was great too. Keep them coming and keep this show on the air.

  2. Jennie May 17, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    love love this show. The plot(s) are beyod amazing; it’s nearly impossible to guess the murderer. And the show is quite addicting. Not one minute of the show takes your attention from the screen.(mainly because the dialogue’s fast, if not interesting, and there’s a lot of actions). It also has the perfect amount of humor a mystery/murder should have. Plus Nathan Fillion is just charming as Castle and the main female character has the much-needed amount of female spunk a show needs.

  3. M June 7, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Am I the only one here who thinks this show is a little disappointing & formulaic ? I admit I started watching for Nathan Fillion’s screen presence but it’s just a little dry. Perhaps it will get better as the season continues.

  4. Sandy October 11, 2009 at 4:17 am

    Love this show! It’s funny, smart and sexy. Castle is aggravating and endearing at the same time….and incredibly sexy. I enjoy the dialogue – it’s witty and intelligent. I find myself laughing out loud at some of the dialogue, and that’s not something I normally do. Great show!

  5. Mandy February 19, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    I loved Nathan in Firefly, and I love him in this- it’s witty and intruiging, and whereas the outcomes Law and Order, Medium, and other murder mysteries are eaasy for me to guess, this one surprises me everytime.

  6. Marjorie April 18, 2010 at 5:49 pm

    I love this show and all its characters. Keep it coming!

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