Always...Castle

There's this site I'm a member of that gives away stickers of shows. This is where I first came to know a television show called Castle. I had never watched it until a week ago. I finished in like seven days. All five seasons. The fastest marathon I did. I used to be a sticker hoarder, which is what we call the collectors, but lately I've been keeping only those sets I like. And the Castle set I kept.

It all started when I watched some San Diego Comic Con videos. One of them obviously is Nerd HQ's Doctor Who panel. It was moderated by Nathan Fillion, who I only knew because my friends watched Firefly. It was a fun panel! Then I was drawn on watching Nathan's own panel. And I discovered that he is the most generous person. He held auctions so that the money could be donated to the charity that Zachary Levi supports, which at the moment escapes my mind. That's when I said that I would begin to watch Castle.

I don't know why I was never interested in the first place, aside from where does it air here. I watched Grimm, which is similar regarding the genre (police procedural), from the first season. Maybe because I wasn't that much interested in police drama. Or because the title was misleading (okay, okay. What is castle and why is it called like that blah blah). I only know of the fandom/following because of Tumblr. I follow stories of some shows through the micro-blogging site but I never got interested, but since I do follow a lot of people. The posts and the reblogs in the dashboard in one of my personal Tumblrs is a smorgasbord of fandoms. That is, on a whim, I said, "Let me try watching it". -I was also impatient in waiting for Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special, anything at all. The To Be Continued.....November 23rd is annoying. Haha!! :D And Sherlock won't be back until October or November, too.- And since 30 Rock won't be coming back, sob sob, I'm gonna add this to my fall TV what to watch.

From ShareTV

The show is fantastic! Brilliant! No, I'm not borrowing The Doctor's catchphrases. I thought it would be an all-out drama, which is probably why I never bothered even looking at it. It's a dramedy - drama and comedy. Nothing against drama shows but I'm more inclined to watch a lighthearted situation rather than a heavy one. I've never seen a pilot so strong that you want to watch the next episode at once. In fact, I've never seen a show where you want the next episode at once. Most shows get stronger, story-wise, in the middle of the season. Heck! FRIENDS gained audience during the summer reruns of the first season. This one has Go written from the pilot.

The character development is interesting. You see this semi-uptight, by the book, NYPD detective Kate Beckett (the gorgeous Stana Katic) being annoyed by novelist Richard Castle (Fillion) open up and start tearing down the walls surrounding her in the subsequent seasons (I wanted to say series but I remember this is US TV. Haha!). Given her personal tragedy, I understand why she put up those walls in the first place. I love how Castle actually managed to tear part of that wall down when no one can. I am also beginning to understand why Castle was attracted to her at first sight. He has two failed marriages, most likely just known the girl for less than a year although he did love both. Beckett was a mystery to him, the same genre of his books. She is an alpha-female but also vulnerable and he saw that vulnerability as a crack to the wall but never really took advantage of it. Instead, he took her under his care. In contrast, you also see the character of Castle develop into a shallow-minded person to someone intellectual, who can solve real crimes, and grow up and take things seriously. Beckett herself didn't take advantage of the fact that Castle is a multi-millionaire and actually worried that she is only a cop so why would someone like him be with her.

Suffice it to say, I ship Castle and Beckett - hard. The chemistry between Nathan and Stana is tremendous that a lot of fans (see YouTube comments) wonder if they're an item or not. I also think that this relationship will last. Although not in the same genre, I probably can compare Castle and Beckett's relationship to Monica and Chandler in FRIENDS. I also clearly remember that Monica and Chandler hooked up in the last episode of Season 4, when they were in London (although Monica cleared it up before they got married that she was looking for Joey.), and kept it a secret in the first half of Season 5. Chandler proposed in the double episode of Season 6 (The One With the Proposal Parts 1 and 2) and got married in the double episode of Season 7 (The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding Parts 1 and 2) and we can assume that they are still married and taking care of their twins. I think Castle and Beckett, Caskett to the shippers, will last just like Monica and Chandler.

I hope the show reaches ten seasons, or more. The stories are becoming interesting every episode. The writing is brilliant. The acting is brilliant. I don't know why they're being snubbed by some award-giving bodies (coughEcough). The scene that got to me the most, acting-wise, is when Beckett got shot by the sniper (S03E24 - Knockout). Stana gave a superb performance, just a simple jerk to indicate that she had been shot. No fuss, no fanfare. Nathan also gave a superb performance as Castle - the emotion: the worry that she might not make it, the love that he feels for her.

I cannot wait for the new season to start! Castle proposed to Beckett in last season's finale. The BTS - behind the scenes - photos show a promising start. :)

Here's to another exciting season and for more seasons to come!

PS: Castle and Beckett are actually polar opposites despite thinking the same when solving the murders. It shows too. Just look at their iPhone cases - Castle's is black, Beckett's white. ;)