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Re: Castle - Greg_phpbb3_import1 - 04-23-2015
You know what makes good theater? A ten minute discussion of plot in an alley.
Slightly OT - Drunk Monk - 05-04-2015
My latest binge series has been BBC's Death in Paradise, which relies heavily on the Castle formula, arguably more so than the Mentalist did. The first two seasons are on Netflix.
It's set in a fictional Caribbean Island of Saint Marie, and has a bumping reggae soundtrack, which like RastaMouse, really sells it for me.
The lead is a nerdy but observant DI (like Castle) who is a transplanted Brit and always wears a suit and tie in the tropics, paired with a hottie DI (like Beckett), and two assistant cops, but instead of an ethnic macho vet and a milktoast goody-two shoes, it's an old cagey veteran cop and a young rookie. There's a commanding officer who always tells the investigators to be prudent. There's even a mom, although it's the hottie's mom, and she's not a ginger, she's French. Every episode starts with a murder and there are a lot of red herrings until the very end when the lead DI gathers all the suspects together and unravels the complicated murder plot. It's very formulaic that way.
Wikipedia gave me some spoilers about upcoming cast changes in Season 3, and the show went 4 seasons. The seasons are short, just 8 episodes. It has completely derailed my DareDevil viewing.
And then...without warning... - Drunk Monk - 05-07-2015
Carly Rae Jepsen? WTH?
I caught an ep of Death in Paradise from season 4. Three of the four lead roles were swapped. And there wasn't as much reggae music. I'll probably bail out on the series by then as it didn't work nearly as well with the new cast.
As the "slightly OT" continues.... - cranefly - 05-09-2015
LCF and I have watched a few Death in Paradise episodes, some with the original lead, some with the replacement.
Our problem with the show has always been the British lead as protagonist. There's something demeaning and imperialistic about a British dude showing these lowly islanders how to solve criminal cases. It reminds me a bit of The Principle and The Substitute, where James Belushi and Tom Berenger respectively enter a problematic black neighborhood and win the hearts and the minds of would-be dropouts and drug addicts.
True, there is an attempt to show the naivete of the Britisher as he tries to fit in on the island; still, when it matters most, the Britisher takes control, holds forth, and the islanders hang on his every word as he solves the latest murder. And a lot of times what the islanders overlook are things they should know (lack of footsteps in the sand, the fact that it rained last night, the boat schedules to and from the island).
Still, when LCF and I stumble upon the show when I'm channel-surfing, we usually end up watching the rest of the episode. It's such a beautiful setting, with beautiful islanders, that we can usually ignore what we consider its shortcomings.
Re: Castle - lady_cranefly - 05-09-2015
I'd probably watch Castle if we stumbled on that. *Nathan.* <sigh>
But we're allergic to network TV.
Still catching up - Greg_phpbb3_import1 - 05-09-2015
Oh, look a murder on the plane! What are the odds that Castle would be on the plane.
As series go on they try and invent novel ways for the murders to occur and places for them to happen. I think this points to the fact the series is running out of steam.
Although, they did fly Oceanic Air, which I thought was a nice touch until my cynicism pointed out ABC probably has a bunch of Oceanic Airlines footage and props lying around.
True, the colonialist attitude of Death in Paradise is annoying... - Drunk Monk - 05-10-2015
...and the plots are very formulaic. But it's mostly about the music for me, which is very well selected, at least for the first two seasons. I've binged through those via Netflix, and might engage Season 3 a little, just to watch the transition of characters (unfortunately wikipedia spoiled a major upcoming twist on that for me). So it's back to Castle, which has been renewed for Season 8.
Re: Castle - The Queen - 05-10-2015
lady_cranefly Wrote:I'd probably watch Castle if we stumbled on that. *Nathan.* <sigh>
But we're allergic to network TV.
I'm with you, LCF. Nathan is always worth watching, no matter what he's in.
LCF - The early Castle is really good... - Drunk Monk - 05-11-2015
...it began with this great motif of a mystery writers' poker game when Nathan would sit down with some real mystery writers and they'd hash out the case as if it were a mystery story. It was a really cool device but it was abandoned after the first season or so. Back then, mystery novels were always advertisers of Castle.
Re: Castle - lady_cranefly - 05-11-2015
Along with Fillion (and Fillion's hair), the one bit I saw that instilled in me an eternal soft spot for the show was him showing up in a bullet proof vest that said, "Writer." Day-um, that was funny.
I would luv one of those writer vests. - Drunk Monk - 05-12-2015
The season finale last night was weak however. No crazy cliffhangers like Kate getting shot or blown up or Castle vanishing (I'm still not happy with how that was resolved). There was a lot of gratitude, which was sweet, but the Castle creation story was something clearly pulled out of the scriptwriters' butts, and the potential twist of Kate's fate next season is silly. There was a sense that the scriptwriters felt that Castle might not be picked up next season, so they offered a potential conclusion just in case.
BTW, I'm really annoyed that a lot of reports are saying Revenge was cancelled. It concluded when the time was right. It wasn't cancelled.
Season 3 of Death in Paradise - Drunk Monk - 07-12-2015
The.season opener was strong. S has binged it already, mostly for the music and the locales. Neither of us like the new inspector. Not sure how much of this I will watch but I still like Camille and the supporting cast. There was a good Monty Python reference in the Parrot episode.
Finished Season 3 - Drunk Monk - 07-19-2015
The new lead grew on me by the end but the absence of the original lead was just blown off after the 3rd season opener. I'll probably watch Season 4 even though Camille leaves. Dwayne's character has really grown on me. And the music and locations are still delightful.
back on topic - Castle Season 8 - Drunk Monk - 09-30-2015
Well, I accidentally watched the 2nd episode first and got really confused. I was like 'Daaaaaang, did I forget how season 7 ended? What the heck is happening?' Then I realized my mistake when it was over. I'm not sure I'll go back for that 1st episode.
Ep2 Season 8 felt really rushed. Not enough humor. Too much silliness. And what is up with Molly Quinn's make-up this season? She looks like some sort of porcelain doll face. Are they ever going to get back to Castle's missing time in the last season? This new story arc feels like they are reaching too much, at least so far...
Am I liking seas:8? The jury is still out. - Drunk Monk - 10-06-2015
Castle drinking 50-year-old scotch with Alexis? Does that work for me? Not sure. Alexis has always been a major part of the show for me - being a dad of a daughter, it resonates. I get all misty with the scene where Castle checks for monsters under Alexis' new dorm room bed just before leaving her there.