“It’s a crime when Castle and Beckett go Hollywood” is the commercial tag that comes on before Castle season 8 episode 14, titled, “The G.D.S.” begins. This is a fake out because although writer/private investigator via an online course Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) is in L.A., Captain Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) is nowhere to be found. Not to worry, her replacement, substitute, stand-in Hayley Shipton (Toks Olagundoye) is at his side along with the boy-crazy, devil-may-care, brand new computer expert and security systems master whiz-kid, Alexis Castle (Molly Quinn). Welcome to the Hollywood-style Castle reboot that ABC is banking on its viewers falling in love with.
No, I’m not saying Castle is moving the show’s fictional location to L.A. – at least not in this season. However, the content, subtext and storytelling has the worst of Hollywood thinking all over it. This was a painful hour of television for this long-time Castle viewer. I didn’t think anything could be worse than the “Cool Boys” episode last fall, but I was wrong.
An Overview of The “G.D.S.”
The one thing I did like about this episode was the setup of how the murder was introduced. That actually did feel like a classic Castle murder sequence. Also, none of this review is about the actors. There’s not bad acting going on. The problems with Castle season 8 episode 14 are all from it’s content, the point of the story, and Castle season 8 in general.
From the moment Alexis starts talking about working on her tan and boys – when supposedly she’s there to help her father with the missing time stuff – that sinking feeling you get when you sense bad news is coming hit me. It gets worse when Hayley chimes in with “Surfers are hot.” Then in the hotel room she and Hayley are both scoping out the hotel messager. This is the idea episode writer and co-showrunner Alexi Hawley has of a mature adult women? Wow. Basically he’s created the sorority girls to Castle’s fraternity. With Alexis being a 22-year-old college student her behavior makes sense, but how old is Hayley supposed to be again? Plus, them both checking out the same guy feels weird – it’s kind of like Hayley is Mrs. Robinson and Alexis is Elaine….
Another disturbing sight: watching Hayley strut around as Castle’s partner. The person that should be there is Beckett, but yet it’s Hayley watching his back and looking great while doing it. She even gets elevated to being called a detective by Castle.
Hayley’s looks are then matched up with Kendall Frost (Summer Glau). She’s Castle’s rival for the spot in the G.D.S. and Hayley, just to help Castle out, initiates the whole frat boy dream of, “let’s have two hot women kissing for the entertainment of a guy” thing. It doesn’t stop there either. Both women have to show that night at the guy’s place. That’s Hayley’s great detective skill and way of having his back.
At least when Beckett used her looks on a case it was her being undercover to get information or to get the culprit for her own case. Hayley does this whole routine so that Castle can go look for a knife that will make Castle the one to solve the case and win the open spot in the “Greatest Detective Society.” (Yeah, so much for focusing on justice for the victim.) So, not only is this a sequence of a male fantasy but Hayley’s doing it as a favor for Castle! This kind of sexism has been going on all season, but this is the most blatant thing yet.
The L.A. police detective coming in the next morning and kicking Castle and Hayley off the case is yet another Hawley chance to diminish another great moment from Caskett. It mimics the scene from the Castle season 3 episode, “To Love and Die in L.A.” Then there’s the long and intimate conversation Castle and Hayley have about how Hayley is involved with his disappearance and the way she talks about “being fond” of Castle and Alexis. The tone of it is all about foraging a deep connection between him and Hayley, the same way Beckett talking to Castle about Royce (her old police academy instructor) did back in season 3.
The worst thing about Hayley being there with Castle is seeing the three of them act like a little family. “Your father is right, Alexis.” says Hayley, and her tone is as if she’s Alexis’s stepmother! This dynamic is in the end scenes with the three of them as well. When is the last time you’ve seen Beckett, Alexis and Castle being like that – if ever? It’s like they’re setting up for Alexis to have yet another new stepmother, a role we’ve never gotten to see Beckett play in Alexis’s life at all
As for the secret of Castle’s missing time being about LokSat, that was infuriating. Apparently the only reason to dig up the closed case of Johanna Beckett’s murder was to make it become a case about Castle. Now it’s about his guilt and his protecting Kate Beckett – a woman who used to be one that needed a partner, not a savior. I guess it was too good to last. Even though the viewership for Castle had been climbing for six years straight in the Hollywood way of thinking is that the way to make a show better is to make it all about the guy.
Why These Changes Show the Worst of Hollywood Thinking
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This is an old rule I learned in screenwriting around the time I was taught your lead character must be a white, straight man (like the target audience): if you have a woman right there in front of your leading man and she’s not stirred by him, the insecure young men film and TV target will wonder what’s “wrong” with him. Is he gay? Is she? The real reason, I was informed, to put women in a script was to reveal things about the men. Any other purpose I assigned to the women was secondary at best, but I could do what I wanted there as long as the women’s purposes never threatened to distract the audience from the purposes of the men. Once I realized that merely passing the Mo Movie Measure test was enough to “distract” the audience from the men, I quit screenwriting and have never regretted it.
What has made Castle different from shows like The Mentalist is that in its pilot the show did not adhere to that bolded statement. Beckett was allowed to have her own purpose – being a homicide detective. She’s the one who wants to find justice for the victims, and she’s the one with a painful past. We want to see her succeed just as much as we want Castle to succeed in winning her over. It’s this difference – Beckett being a fully realized character outside of her connection and attraction to Castle – made the Caskett pairing the most interesting one of the several will they/won’t they type of shows that have been on the air.
In contrast, Castle season 8 episode 14, “The G.D.S.” has removed Beckett from the picture with nary a mention until the very end. Then the story being told in the episode, and the woman put in to replace Beckett (who is irreplaceable) completely fulfils those bolded guidelines above. That is why “The G.D.S.” doesn’t feel at all like a Castle episode.
Before moving on, let’s get clear about something: none of these changes in the show’s tone, or the structure of this episode are accidental or because of anyone’s schedule or time off. An actor’s availability has nothing to do with bonding Castle to Hayley, or deciding he needed to be invited to a secret detective society. Back in September the new co-showrunner Alexi Hawley did an interview over at Give Me My Remote where he said one of the things he wanted to do was repilot Castle. Unfortunately, he wasn’t kidding. “The G.D.S.” (what I think of as, “The Gosh Darn Spinoff”) creates a totally different idea of the show.
The Road to “The G.D.S.”
In viewing Castle season 8 episode 14 I watched a show that used to be about two great characters reshaping itself into being about just one of them. All roads now lead to Castle, and the way this season has twisted itself around to get viewers here have ripped apart the storylines of prior seasons. The worst of this is what’s been done to Beckett’s character. Her being a good detective, and a thorough one – that’s been cast as her being an obsessive woman “that likes being broken.” It’s the same kind of sexist thinking that paints a women with power and authority as a witch – but with “b” instead of a “w.”
The idea doesn’t fit with the prior seasons of Castle, but it’s an idea brought in by Hawley, as part of this road to changing the show’s basic DNA. For seven seasons viewers watched a woman who put in the time and effort to not be defined by her mother’s murder. Not only did she go to therapy to work on herself, but she developed the patience and willingness to not let trying to get Bracken fill her every waking thought.
It’s not that Beckett gave up on getting Bracken, but she starts living a fuller life and brings Castle in on all of it. His contributions as her partner are what lead to her being able to finally have him arrested and put away. Her story became their story. With,”Veritas” the Bracken story was done, and since then Beckett had clearly moved on.
Castle season 7 was the start of this shift to focusing everything onto Castle, so Beckett doesn’t do much. However, the second half of the season has Beckett thinking about her next career moves, ways that she could, in larger ways, get justice for victims. Also on her mind was her life with Castle and them thinking about starting a family.
Then came the wonderful season 7 finale, “Hollander’s Woods.” It gave Castle a backstory that Beckett is then able to help him resolve. That resolution is his moment, just as Beckett finding the tape and arresting Bracken were hers. It’s a nice reversal that proved, once again, that it’s Castle and Beckett’s teamwork that is the key to solving murders, and to the show’s success. Beckett shows how much she trusts Castle and knows how valuable he is when figuring out a case.
Considering the past seven seasons, this new behavior of Beckett’s in season 8 is – to say the least – one huge story continuity break. However, continuity is irrelevant when you’re attempting to smash the past and redo the story. LokSat, the Castle and Beckett separation, it’s all done to elevate Castle to be “king of the world.” Castle, “The G.D.S.” is about setting him on his throne. Think about it. Rick Castle has gone from being Beckett’s partner to being a P.I. with a new team of women that work for him (not with him – he’s the boss.) With this episode he’s now labeled as being one of the best detectives in the world.
Everything in season 8 is fine – if you’ve never seen an episode of Castle prior. If you’ve been watching all along it’s a total mess and Castle season 8 episode 14 is the worst of it. First of all, if there were such a thing as “The Greatest Detective Society,” Castle being chosen to join it on his own merits is insane. He has never been positioned as a great detective. Even as a P.I. the show has Castle getting made whenever he tries to follow someone. Why? Because he’s a brilliant crime writer. When he meets Beckett his ability to “write the story” proves to be a great asset to her detective skills and together they make a great team. At least, that’s what the show used to be about. Remember the show’s original intro?
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As the writer, Castle is narrating this story, but the story he’s telling is about him and Beckett. Castle is about them and their relationship. They are the show’s central characters. Well, they were the show’s central characters.
With Castle season 8 episode 14 the story has being reframed as being all about Richard Castle as one of the greatest detectives ever. What about the story of his muse Beckett, the one that celebrated her – with the invaluable help of Castle – being able to track down and bring to justice her mother’s killer? It’s now being completely overshadowed. Because of this LokSat scenario Beckett didn’t really get the person responsible for her mother’s death – it’s LokSat. Nevermind that this big bad LokSat makes no sense as a story to begin with. The Castle story is now about how he went through great lengths to “protect Beckett” and has this burden of guilt about getting her team killed. Apparently it had nothing to do with that search she did while working in D.C. – so in short, the LokSat case has nothing to do with Beckett at all. She’s only an unfortunate victim. Oh, then of course there’s the whole idea that Castle just stumbled onto LokSat while out saving the world. What a guy, right?
This is Hawley’s repilot of Castle. Within the Castle, “G.D.S.” episode, the writer Hawley makes a couple of editorial comments about the proceeding via talking about Castle’s first movie “Heat Wave” being a total flop.
Castle: That was all because of this really obtuse studio executive. What the hell was his name….
Trevor Nigel (Doug Savant) is the studio executive who gave him all the notes and changes on Heat Wave. Nigel tells Castle that he knows the studio did a horrible job with Heat Wave – but wants Castle to know that back then he’d “fought” for Castle’s vision. Now that he’s in charge of the entire studio:
Trevor: It’s time to get back into the Richard Castle business.
Being that Hawley is a writer who left Castle after season four and has now returned as it’s showrunner it’s hard not to read into this. Then again, would the writer cast himself as a series serial killer who rips out people’s hearts….
It’s not just Hawley who stated that changes were coming. Back in January the former head of entertainment for ABC spoke about all the “great ideas” they had to keep Castle around for “years to come” (www.deadline.com). “Spinoff” is the word I and others have been using, but actually a spinoff usually has a different name than the original show. J.A.G.S. became NCIS, The Closer became Major Crimes. Lee said he wanted to keep Castle around. That’s more like “The New Coke” which I mentioned in a previous Castle article. Coke wanted to keep the name but change the ingredients. It failed because people expected a certain taste and quality from something labeled “Coke” and the makers of the product thought it was all about the name. They were wrong. It was about the content and it’s connection to that name. After 3 months Coke brought back the original formula of their soda as Coke Classic. If only TPTB at Castle could bring back classic Castle!
What is Classic Castle
The pilot for Castle built a strong foundation for what the show was going to be about. First there’s the mysterious and artistic hint of a woman who’s just been murdered. Then we meet Castle at a launch party for his latest book where he’s busy signing a woman’s bared chest and surrounded by female groupies. This cuts to an image of Beckett walking towards the murdered victim. Underneath her cool exterior we can see she’s emotionally affected by the sight of the dead woman covered in rose petals. Added to that insight we get a moment of her kneeling by the body saying:
Beckett: “Who are you?”
This is a detective who cares about the victims, a point that will be a core part of the character.
As the episode goes on we meet detectives Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever) and Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas) whom we get are her subordinates. Medical Examiner Lanie Parish (Tamala Jones) is quickly established as more than just a colleague to Beckett when Beckett whispers a complaint about her lack of a dating life and Lanie tells her she needs lipstick. However, it’s Esposito who lets us know Beckett likes the challenge of unusual murder cases – which later plays right into her being an avid reader of Richard Castle mystery novels. Beckett can tell things about the murderer because she recognizes the display from one of his books. So now, even before they’ve met, Castle’s given her insight into a case and we know they have a connection.
Going back to the book signing party the audience learns that there’s more to playboy ruggedly handsome mystery writer than initially thought. Yes, he’s got a definite peter-pan syndrome going on, but he tells his publisher and ex-wife Gina that he killed off his main character Derrick Storm because it wasn’t fun anymore. She warns him that he’d better come up with his new book and character or he’s gonna have to return his advance.
Castle being bored with the character turns out to be a symbol of his being bored with his current shallow lifestyle. He shares this fact with his young teenaged daughter Alexis, who’s studying for a test at the bar – because he’s worried about her.
Castle: “Don’t you want to have wildly inappropriate
stories that you can’t tell your children?”
That scene between Castle and Alexis tells us that he capable of caring for someone besides himself. Not only because of what he says to his daughter, but because we learn that he let his mother move in with him.
We’d met his mother, Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan) just prior to this scene and saw that the apple doesn’t fall far the tree. Martha is where Castle gets his fun-loving ways and quick wit. It’s this second introduction of Richard Castle that makes him such an interesting character. Had he just been a partying playboy he’d have just been a rich and shallow guy who’s emotional development got stunted at 21. Instead, Castle is a man who wants something different in his life – but hadn’t a clue about what that is. He needs to be inspired – and that cues him meeting the serious and buttoned-up Beckett.
From here on the sparks fly and the magic begins. The banter that these two have is fun and clever, but the deeper magic happens when Castle tells Beckett why she became a cop.
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Before this moment, the banter was fun and naughty, with Castle being 100 percent on as his charming self. This is the first time Castle sees Beckett as more than a conquest or a story. His mask drops and the viewer can feel his remorse of having gone too far in ripping her past open just because he could. It’s the moment she becomes his muse – and he, slowly, begins to mature. He’ll always have that spark of childlike (not childish) innocence.
The Wrap Up
In the same way he’s a good father who loves playing laser tag with his kid, Castle growing up doesn’t mean the playfulness would go away – or should – go away. What shouldn’t be happening is the regression of his character that’s been going on this season. The lowbrow humor and the tone of the comedy has been beyond even the man we met in the very beginning. It’s more like the guy we heard about in that episode – the one caught naked riding a police horse. He also shouldn’t be partnered with and bonding to Hayley. Sure, at the end he gives up the G.D.S. by saying this to the head of the organization, Mason Wood (Gerald McRaney)
Castle: I already work with the greatest detective in the world and I can not wait to get back home to her.
That’s a lovely feel-good statement – except Castle isn’t working with Beckett anymore. Remember? Just in case you had the idea that this “G.D.S.” thing is a one time deal, Mason tells Castle he’ll be keeping an eye on Castle. It can now pop up at any time and whisk Castle away on mystery adventure, because, really, he’s now one of world’s greatest detectives.
Here’s one last thing. If you’re wondering why I haven’t mentioned the whole scenario with Lanie, Ryan and Esposito it’s because everything else was so upsetting. In brief, the storyline plays like a scenario written by an 18-year-old boy. The idea of Lanie dating is a nice one, but the crass humor throughout this ruins what could have been a fun story. Especially if it had actually been about her thoughts and feelings and not the set up for a bunch of fratboy jokes. It would have been nice to have something in the episode feel right besides the murder. Instead, it feels like Castle just had its heart ripped out.
(*An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified Jennifer Kesler with Jennifer Kessler).
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Brilliant analysis. I can only add something posted elsewhere: When the GDS head admonished Rick and Kendall for being “messy, boorish, and lacking sophistication,” I thought he was talking about the show.
It´s very sad, but I have to agree with you.
Great review.
As always your anaysis is well thought out and supported, spot on and I totally agree with everything you wrote. I hate this season of Castle, but what I hate the most is what they have done to Beckett’s character. There aren’t enough strong, fully realized female characters on TV as it is, but to take one of the few and trash her the way Beckett has been trashed this season is shameful (I am doing my best to be polite here). I really hope karma takes care of whomever thought it was a good idea. I hope you keep telling it like it is Joy.
Excellent analysis. I learned some new things.
The real problem with Hawley’s approach Castl PI/GDS is that it is BORING. Boring in the same way the Mentalist was boring and why I stopped watching that show early on. Classic Castle was different from any other show on TV or the internet. On top of that Classic Castle has the best rom-com team in the business. It was not boring. It is not boring.
If ABC wants to go with PI or GDS I won’t be watching that show. I don’t think it will last half a season. Nobody cares about LokSat or Castle’s missing time. Those story lines were boring from the beginning and continue to be completely uninteresting. People in the industry are not stupid. They will easily see that PI/GDS is not Castle and it will not syndicate well.
Now if for some reason Katic signs for another season and ABC turns back toward, in the direction of, Classic Castle three things will happen. Ratings will pick up. Not return to early season levels, but pickup. The continuing episodes will syndicate as well as Classic Castle. And, I will continue to watch.
Joy again you are so right.
It is so obvious Hayley is the new Beckett and Alexis again is (not sure what she )at 22 it’s sad.Hayley seems to be again Beckett with this relationship too.
The promos for the next episode are not good Caskett wise,Hayley and Rick scenes abound.
As for this episode it is the new worst for me.If it is preparing me for the future….don’t bother ABC,I am not interested.
As usual, 100% spot-on, Joy. Thank-you for always capturing so very well what many of the fans are feeling. I’ve decided I’m not watching Castle until the end of the season – if I do then – so I can see where they go. I can’t buy Castle as an LA detective working with Hayley and Alexis and sans Beckett – that is just not what Castle is supposed to be – what Castle was – what Castle was meant to be. Repiloting a show like this is complete insanity – and egomanical – and hopefully deadly to it. I literally hope it dies a quick death if TPTB keep on this direction. I hope they learn that the “people” do have power – and they write for us – WE pay their salaries…they’re not some god in an ivory tower that gets to cram what they want down the throats of consumers…we just have to quit consuming. It’s very depressing. And added to everything – yesterday’s Blind Item from TVLine about a network drama “killing off its star” has me intensely worried that it’s Beckett that’s going to die so they can rebrand this “Castle P.I.” and move him to LA because he “has to get away from all the memories in NY.” I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE I’m wrong in my worries, but there’s every reason to believe the writers would do this with what we’ve seen so far. Sigh…Thanks again.
This article is absolutely perfect!! It is exactly what true Castle fans are thinking. The new showrunners obviously made commitments to Fillion to steal the show back from Stana and make it a ridiculous frat boy sitcom heavy on fart jokes and ‘comic face’ close ups of Fillion and his new genius daughter and a side kick Hayley who will never steal any spotlight from the mighty Castle. The smart, classy and clever show is gone and so are the viewers. Ratings go from 12million plus to 4million and yet writers continue to churn out this junk. They should have cancelled at end of season 7 and start this fall with a new show, new name which would already be cancelled by mid season and we wouldn’t have had to suffer watching the slow death of the show we loved.
Give me a break! This season is all about the transition of Stana Katic off the show. It started last season when with they started Castle PI because they weren’t sure if Stana was going to come back for Season 9. When Season 9 started, and behind the scenes Stana made it clear this was her last, they began to diminish her screen time to help with the transition. GDS was the very next step in the process. Are hardcore fans going to like iit? ? Most likely not. Well, if they are looking for someone to blame, stop blaming the writers, and start blaming the stars. Stana wants to move on and that’s her right, but the writers and ABC want to see if they can still have a show. We should all wish them the best.
That’s one way to guess about what’s going on behind the scenes. I’m sure some other fan will come on and blame Fillion. The fact is regardless of why these things are going on, the choices being made fall back on the writers and executive producers. If you want a playbook on how to transition a character off of a show and into a new one all you need to do is look at The Closer changing into Major Crimes. They did it by staying true to the characters and continuing with the story arc. Their writers did a top-notch job. What’s going on with Castle is a huge story mess and it reflects a way of thinking that is sadly very Hollywood.
The boring stories and mind numbing plot lines are not the product of the actors. ABC, the show runners and the writers are responsible for those.
Chester D, I would love to know how you “know” Stana has told them she is moving on. It’s not that I disagree because I was surprised she signed on for season 8, but you speak in such definite terms that I am curious about your source.
Even if Stana plans to move on, there are much better ways to write it, without trashing her character, so her moving on or not is a non issue IMO. Also, have you given any thought as to why she may want to move on? I believe that is something you should ponder.
I do not know what Stana was and is thinking ChesterD,I am pretty sure no one else does either,I feel that the writers are going to have to shoulder the load that is s8.
Stana and Nathan according to all reports I ever read signed on for 1 year,and I would say all the rest also did.It would make sense if they are seeing how things went this season…..
The example of the Closer and Major Crimes is perfect.There is a right way and then there is s8 of Castle if indeed Stana does not return.I was a loyal watcher of the Closer and she said she was not returning so it made it easier on me and everyone.
I am sorry Joy, I thought you knew what was going on and had been going on BTS. When someone writes these columns you always assume the writer has some contract on the show to get a heads up. Its not my place to go into detail, but I will say this….not everyone handles stardom in the same way. Some let it go to their head, and start acting all empowered by their new fame; while others realize that fame is fleeting so it matters how you treat people on the way up and down. In the end, Hollywood is a business where professionalism is valued, and its just like any other industry. When that professionalism is called into question, it affects everyone that person has to interact with. Knowing what I know, most fans will never ever really see what goes on BTS, so they will always be given to picture that is altered. Altered by the studio, or social media, or agents, or the press who don;t want to reveal what they really know for the fear that they would lose their access. Castle has been a great TV show. Yes, the writing has been murky this year, but the writers are trying to make something new given the obstacles that they can not change, and truth they can not reveal, yet. So, if its up to you, how could your keep a show’s premise the same and change it all at the same time? Right now, just be happy that its not your job.
Chester, maybe you are assuming.
I think that Joy is holding back and I am going to attribute that ‘holdback’ to her professionalism.
Great and greater analyzation Joy . Your column is being quoted on many sites. Castle fans are adults in many aspects and you speak the fans as adults who can differentiate and eliminate the bogus
It’s a homer, out of the ballpark.
Chester, you may be more revealing than you realize regarding BTS events. Let’s table the problems of Castle, the series, and address Castle, the BTS show.
Be clear about this fact, I know nothing. BUT, your selection of words and phrases.
…”empowered by their new fame;” – by process of elimination, surely one of two would not tolerate or concede to certain things if they felt so empowered or “,
…”When that professionalism is called into question, it affects everyone that person has to interact with” – fans are sensing a lack of interaction between two main characters, for sure.
Therefore, you imply a lack of professionalism is impacting this interaction and lack of professionalism feeds back into this (false and fleeting) sense of empowerment “affecting everyone” (everyone escapes me). Why everyone?
“Some let it go to their head”, – inflated ego is a byproduct of something going to going to one’s head.
So, it takes us to back this important detail,
” This season is all about the transition of Stana Katic off the show. It started last season when with they started Castle PI because they weren’t sure if Stana was going to come back for Season 9 (ie. S8?)
Why did she not want to come back? Would that have something to do with lack of professionalism, feeling of empowerment affecting relationships which translate to bad working conditions, (and I am not referring to dirty toilets)
Is the fight worth the effort?
Okay, I admit that I am speculating and wondering if the pieces of the puzzle fit.
Or should I reverse the source of the ego and empowerment and apply to the same???????
Pat yourself on the back. You stroked by curiosity and nosiness.
BTW, I am confused because I really think don’t think any of them have fame. Maybe they think so, but they are primarily known only to Castle fans. My friends do not know the cast. They’ve heard about the show but are not viewers. So where is this fame or stardom or empowerment coming from?
Chester, part of the problem is that anyone can.claim to know what goes on bts. In fact another “insider” recently put the blame on Nathan. All that people can really do is look at the evidence that people see on TV, read in interviews, etc, which is what Joy has attempted to do in her various articles and reviews.
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Unless you are willing to put your money where your mouth is (so to speak) you must accept that some people will doubt your words.
ChesterD do you have a crystal ball that can share with the rest of us so we too can be enlightened?You seem to insinuate you know the bts info.
We do not know what is in their minds as to why they do what they do,not you or me,people can speculate and they can voice their opinion that’s why we reply on these sites.Is there anything you want to share with the class?
Chester, Hi.
How’s your opinion factory doing now thta Football season is over?
Sorry Joy, in my earlier posts I forgot to mention how much I like your reviews. You definitely have a perspective and a style that I really enjoy. It’s tough to be a writer today when its so easy to have your reviews critiqued by anyone with a keyboard and internet access. Especially when you write about a TV show that has cultivated a fan base who seem very emotionally tied to the characters. I guess it is hard for fans to realize that Hollywood is a business, and acting is a job. Sure, many actors talk about passion and creativity of their craft, but its also their job. Take Social Media for example, Istragram/Twiitter/etc has become a tool for the actors. Like doing an interview, they are always cultivating an image that they want the public to see. My “friends” in the business thank their lucky stars for Instagram/Twitter because it allows them to go straight to the fanbase. As one of them put it, “We get to play make-believe at work, and on the web”. So, as I alluded to above, there is always more going the behind the camera that fans will never see.
No worries Chester. I think anyone who writes publically expects to be criticized, and when it’s done without being personal or threatening it’s completely acceptable. I am also aware than more can be going on behind the scenes on a set, although I claim no knowledge of what could be going on BTS on Castle’s. You are correct about that. However, it is, as you say, a business. As in any business, sometimes, for whatever reasons, management can make decisions that end up creating more harm than good. The New Coke seemed like a good idea to protect and grow the market share…but it wasn’t. However, the turnaround on it ended up being quite profitable. Of course, I know some things can’t be changed so easily – or at all.
Totally agree, Its just, in your example, the makers of Coke can’t be held responsible for the end recipe, if one of the major ingredients decides they don’t want to be in Coke anymore. At least they are trying to make Coke Classic here, but its hard to catch lighting in a bottle, twice.
The lightning in the bottle is what Katic and Fillion did and still do when they are on screen together, alone. The total lack of chemistry between Toks and Fillion just jumped off the screen. It was the single element in the episode that said Toks is not going to replace Katic successfully or in any way for that matter.
Assuming that the issue is what you’re saying, trying to remake Coke Classic is the mistake. Coke realized they had to leave the original alone, but that they could capitalize on the name Coke with things like Coke Zero. However, if you tarnish the original brand you’re upsetting the consumer who then wants nothing to do with the brand at all.
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Look at what, “The Closer” did. The show exited its lead character Brenda but the series still works as a single story arc without major breaks in her character or her story’s journey. Because The Closer’s series arc makes sense and ended in a way that fit her journey, “Major Crimes” was easier for viewers to accept. It also helped that they didn’t try to call the show without Brenda, “The Closer” because that would be seen as trying to replace the character. The fan base knowing what was going on and why was useful as well, but it’s the first point about the series arc that’s the most important. Castle hasn’t done this.
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Instead, what is happening on Castle is a destruction of what was built over past seasons – seasons viewers have loved – in the name of making this season. Ripping apart what has meant so much to fans wasn’t the way to entice them to try a different version. The best chance one has of catching lightning in a bottle twice is to get a second bottle – otherwise you risk breaking the original one and losing what you’ve already captured.
Can the ‘makers’ of Castle ( not coke) at least capture a well-written script?
I can yield to the lack of Caskett but shouldn’t they have the ingredients for good scripts?
Can they, at least, offer continuity?
I could not agree with you more!