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Castle Notes
Again, in my drafts since October.
I’ve been on a Castle binge (and seriously, way more addicted than to any show that I’ve watched in awhile, years maybe). My sister introduced me to castle almost a decade ago, I want to say when season 4 or 5 was running, I think it was before it was on Netflix, because I think I was relying on the ABC app or something. I seem to be most familiar with season 4 (and I know I started with Gates as captain not Montgomery). I know I didn’t start off watching from the beginning, I’d seen some earlier episodes though. And I know I didn’t finish it, got bored waiting on the next seasons plus it was rather dark for me. But I started from the begining on Hulu this time, yeah, the earlier seasons, SO good. I feel like the writing is not quite as pithy and witting, but then I’m also not paying as much attention (also quote post coming).
And SO many Hallmark actors, more than any other show I’ve watched (meaning Psych and Parks and Rec because the other few shows I’ve seen wouldn’t be likely to have Hallmark actors). I mean like multiple each season for the first few seasons. Also baby Chadwick Boseman. And Jane Seymour (who also is in Hallmark).
I love the trio of Castles/Rodgers. The hilarious mother son relationship, the sweet and funny father daughter relationship. I love Castle vs Beckett (that Benedict Beatrice dynamic, always does it for me). I love the detective “siblings.” The older sister Becket followed by Esposito then baby Ryan. I love Ryan and Esposito, double trouble.
I was too caught up in the show to bother to catch all the quotes, so I had to go digging to find some, and I still am not sure these are all the good ones.
I’d skip “A Slice of Murder” and “Recoil”, the first I didn’t know about and didn’t skip fast enough, the 2nd put me off Castle the first time and was a lingering memory of resistance to rewatch.
When I was starting to rewatch I was getting pretty jumpy (actually I still am) in the dark plus just too scared so I started skipping a lot of the beginning crime occurrence (nice of them to organize it neatly like that). I also think the music keys me up the most really. If you are like me, I’d advise this.
Wild Rover. Where I first learned how to pronounce Siobhan as Espo does. I know the Irish mob pops up a lot and granted this show was two decades ago, but from what I can find it’s not (nor has ever been) one crime syndicate and it’s not active or very powerful in NYC right now. Apparently prohibition was the heyday and it was the first organized crime gang in US? Also learned that such gangs aren’t bounded by countries. I learned recently the Italian Mafia worked in Italy and U.S., I mean not just separate entities. The Mafia pops up in Castle too, but Seamus Dever/Kevin Ryan is Irish American, so I think they threw the mob more maybe in for that character and actor.
I was just wondering how Ryan could have kept his secret from Bobby S. But then NYC is massive, I was wondering, what is the relative population to my state. 2x. NYC has 2x the people in my entire state. So yeah, I guess he could get away with that.
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Castle Goes Sideways
Also in my drafts since October.
So I was going merrily along watching Castle into season 6 thinking, wow, no sour note, hey I can watch it to the end. Ended on a dramatic note, not anything out of character or style.
Started on the sour note. Castle and co. have worked and known each other for years. C and B are committed. And now all of the sudden she doesn’t trust him, even after he’s been framed more than once before. Also there was a memory case before but this one is far too unbelievable and absolute than that one episode case. And trying to add in childhood trauma that Castle (CASTLE! the one who pushes Beckett to re-open her mother’s murder investigation, who is open and aboveboard) has? Um, no, if he’d had that it would have surfaced before (and its not needed, his story is just fine, he doesn’t need a copycat Beckett story, that is Beckett’s story). Adding something this late in the game is implausible.
Then the “trauma” caused by this upside down mixed up plot twist causes them to A) Not want to get married . . . why? They’ve already committed. They’ve had MUCH MUCH worse things happen to them. And they are both serious about what they take serious (Kate is serious most times, Castle can get goofy, but when he means it, he means it). Kate is no nonsense and Castle only nonsensical when he’s being goofy, not soap opera nonsensical. This soap opera stuff is so unlike which leads me to B) Not only are they acting like they suddenly aren’t committed because of “trauma” despite actually previously experiencing real trauma and being MORE committed, they haven’t had sex. Really? Castle always wanted to sleep with her and Kate doesn’t have such a waffling sort of attitude once she commits. Suddenly they aren’t communicating. Sorry, they had that trope (and it fit then) early on about expressing interest (and it made sense then on her side, on his not as much). They’ve always been great at communicating.
And then it just didn’t seem to get the tone right after that. Most of the previous episodes in the previous season were serious (some more than others) with humor as an aside, as extra. Now it’s goofy all through with “serious” as an aside. That’s not Castle. It’s Psych. And with Psych it works with the characters and that was the intent. It doesn’t work with Castle characters.
And them sneaking off to get married. If they were going to do that, they wouldn’t have planned a wedding first and wouldn’t have done it so flippantly. I actually think eloping might not have been too out of character. But the way it was done certainly was.
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My (Somewhat) Dramatic Autumn Thus Far
October = Castlemania. This time I started from the beginning (so good) and watched into season 6 thinking that maybe I’d be able to watch the whole show. Then 7 happened, and there is the sour note (and I’ve plenty to saw, so prepared to be bored by a few more Castle posts coming up).
I enjoyed the banter (the early seasons are especially good) and the relationships. I was getting SUPER jumpy and freaked out at night, plus didn’t want see some of the stuff (because it has a happen of flashing into my mind at night, awesome), so I started skipping the actual murders and murder scenes more aggressively.
Also, I do not like Halloween. I’m not as terrified as a kid, but between Castle and a (mild to most people) spooky day Youtube video, I got the most graphic nightmare, still remember it.
I actually started out watching Only Murders in the Building and then got caught up. So I tried Castle and like I said, Castlemania. I mean, I didn’t want to read or watch anything else.
Some professional ATM robbers hit a bank near where I live (stealing my neighbor’s truck to do so), meaning they were in MY complex!). Then they hit one of my bank’s locations here in town. So that was interesting.
Not going to lie, not sure that really scared me. I’m not sure how much it would have bothered me. Castle was SO in my head, that (plus every news story I’ve ever read) was what was making me paranoid.
Then I called the police on someone for the first time ever. One morning after I’d literally just ordered some extra door jamming protection (!), I saw someone walking behind my apartment, in what is essentially like a private backyard for my line of buildings with a tree line separating us from the back of Kroger. It seemed that this person possibly may have slept a few yards from my bedroom (I’m second floor, but the ground sweeps up to a higher level). Um, that is going to be an absolute NO from me.
Anyway, apparently they’d gotten calls before about this person. Someone at work said the cops wouldn’t do anything out here as they were all 70 years old. They aren’t. A really cute young policeman* came when my car was hit in my work parking lot while I was working. Yeah, that happened too.
Oh, and I don’t think I mentioned, early one morning in September, I headed next door to Kroger, feeling productive . . . and busted my wheel on a curb, so that was I think $500 (I had some regular stuff done, so I don’t remember the exact breakdown). Awesome.
The kid backed into my car on that side. Again, awesome. I don’t think he did any major damage, but you can tell it’s been hit well. So it matches the other side, when last year I ran over a curb (notice a pattern?) and messed up the bottom edge a bit. Still haven’t had that fixed since it wasn’t necessary to function and it wouldn’t be someone else’s insurance paying . . .
Oh, and I tried to poison Bjorn. Apparently grapes are poisonous to dogs?! I knew in the back of my mind I should check before giving them to him, but I was lazy and didn’t. He had some potty issues, nothing major, I thought I’d been giving him too many treats, then when I was eating breakfast and he was begging for grapes, that got me to check. Yep, poisonous. Poor baby. He did get treats then because Mommy tried to kill him. So I’m going to be much more careful.
Speaking of Bjornling, I got some photos of him in his bat wings which I shared on Instagram. Since he’s not a fan of being still, especially when I have treats and because I stupidly didn’t get a video you can’t see the full effect, but it was cute and hilarious.
In less dramatic news, I sewed 4 skirts thus far (and put in all 4 zippers on the first try very well, yay me!), knitted most of a baby blanket, reorganized my craft stuff and apartment (huge project, not quite done and will always tweak), and tried another mystery author (Josephine Tey) that I enjoyed and another fluff romance author (Berta Ruck). I’ve also made several fall-ish soups, pumpkin bread, and butterscotch chip cookies. I also reread North and South.
Oh, also as part of Darling Desi’s fall list, I read by candlelight a few times (the actual reading is great with a kindle with its own light, not so great with a normal book), which was so much fun and atmospheric and pretty (for proof, see pretty photo that I’m proud of on Instagram). I’m hoping to do a several more of her ideas this month as well.
*He’s probably married, should have checked for a ring, I think I saw one. Guys around here even younger much less my age either are already married with kids or have several baby mamas.
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Favorite Castle Quotes, Early Seasons
For your reading pleasure, I present some choice quotes from the first (3 I think) seasons of Castle. And in lieu of a post that requires some thinking . . .
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“Careful Hans, your New Jersey is showing.”
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“From the library of Katherine Beckett.”
“Do you have a problem with reading, Ryan?”
“Yo, check it, girl, you’re totally a fan!”
“Right. Of the genre.”
“Right, the genre, that’s why you’re blushing.”
“What are you, twelve?”
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“Mr. Castle, you’ve got quite a rap sheet for a bestselling author. Disorderly conduct, resisting arrest.”
“Boys will be boys.”
“It says here that you stole a police horse?”
“Borrowed.”
“Ah, and you were nude at the time.”
“It was spring.”
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“Exactly how much longer do I have to expect you to be shadowing me on my cases like this?”
“Hard to say, when I’m writing a new character there’s no saying when inspiration might strike.”
“I thought I was your inspiration.”
“Oh you are Detective, in so many ways.”
“Yeah well your inspiration might strike you sooner than you might think.”
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“Do you know the school?”
“Oh, I’ve been kicked out of all of New York’s finer educational institutions at least once. The irony is, now that I’m rich and famous, they all claim me as alum and want money.”
“It is just so rough being you.”
“My cross to bear.”
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“Be careful, okay?”
“Do I detect actual concern for my well-being.”
“Screw this up and I’ll kill you.”
“That’s more like it.”
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“Six months.”
“Six months what?”
“We dated for six months.”
“I didn’t ask.”
“Yeah, I know. You were not-asking very loudly.”
“I know. I’m like a Jedi like that.”
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“Oh, do you want to see grumpy? How about the cover art for your new novel?”
“Nikki Heat cover art? That’s only available to. . . oh my God, you subscribed to my website? Wait a minute… are you Castlefreak1212? Castlelover45?”
. . .
“So what did you think of your alter ego Nikki? Pretty sweet, right?”“Sweet? She’s naked!”
“She’s not naked! She’s holding a gun. . . strategically.”
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“You were all over me to get a copy of that book. Do you have any idea how many hoops I had to jump through, just so my editor wouldn’t send an armed guard to watch over you while you read it? The least you could do is to… [pauses and looks at her] Oh. Oh! I see what you’re doing.”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Oh, yes, you are. Yes, you are. You’re trying to push my buttons, but it’s not gonna work.”
“Really?”
“Mmm.”
“‘Cause it seems to be working just great.”
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“What?”
“Nothing… it’s just I’m so used to seeing you act like a 12-year-old all the time, it’s refreshing to see you as a father.”
“It makes you want me, right?”
“…And there’s the 12-year-old again.”
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“Does he look like a killer to you?”
“Everybody looks like a killer to me, Castle. Job requirement.”
“Do I look like a killer to you?”
“Yes, you kill my patience.”
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“I can’t believe how many lives were ruined over one woman’s need to protect her family’s reputation.”
“You will never have this problem. Between Grams and myself, our family reputation’s already in ruins.”
“Mmm. Lucky me.”
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“. . .but changing your identity? The math doesn’t quite add up for me.”
“You know what math doesn’t add up for me? Two wives.”
“One wife too many for you?”
“Two wives too many.”
“Seems like the common denominator in that equation is you.”
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“No, no wait, this scene is going to expose the killer. ‘The play’s the thing wherein we’ll catch the conscience of the king.’ Hamlet.”
“‘We already know who the killer is, so you are wasting my time.’ Me.”
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