Castle, BSG, and Babylon 5
Mar. 16th, 2009 11:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lodessaI don't remember the last time I enjoyed a show as much as I am enjoying Castle.
I continue to love Castle's family. His mom was clearly the rebel daughter of the family Lucille Bluth and Claire Meade belong to, and his daughter is extremely awesome. I love how mature and yet youth ful she is, and how she puts him to bed and mothers him, but also how she seems totally age appropriate and not at all sexualized. The info about him being Mr. Nanny was so sweet, and totally believable, given that writers do work from home, and men who need to be the center of attention often do actually enjoy and do well with child rearing because children need and admire and adore you in such a selfless way that nothing is more gratifying to a narcissist.
I really loved watching how being a mystery writer gives Castle a unique and actually valuable perspective, but it is at the same time limited. His need to put a coherent narrative together works because even in real life, things do not happen for no reason. I also enjoyed how he did not interfere with the final scene between Detective Beckett and Chloe, I believe because he was seeing it as a novel scene and the woman to woman thing was perfect for the fictional climax. But at the same time, Castle is busy looking for the most exciting story, and although there is always a story it isn't always the most appealing one.
I love Detective Beckett, I love that she's a hard ass and the boss of people but that she isn't just totally shut off and is effected by things like learning that he actually raised his daughter himself. I love her snide comments about how inspiration is going to hit him real soon (when she's inspiration) or that maybe tomorrow he will get shot or killed (in such a hopeful tone). Her annoyance is extremely realistic, and I am enjoying speculating who it is who was killed (today I speculated brother instead of father or lover would be interesting).
Also I love how extremely aware the show is of how much the police department is a boys club (this is something Life has been disappointing me in regards to recently) and how even though she's a serious cop with rank and he's an outsider who is an amatuer, Castle is more at home and instantly "one of the boys" than she will ever be.
BSG...
So I liked it well enough. Flashbacks are pretty and interesting. Poor Roslin (I want her pajamas btw) and OMG Six fixed Gaius' problem because he was defensive about his sharecropper father (so interesting to see that relationship get layers) and it makes me think they are going to go back to them in the end and come full circle a little. Also Lee is a terrible liar and his confrontation with Baltar, which no one was a winner in. Also, the Chief hurting Helo because HIS 8 betrayed him. And Doc Cottle, being active and supportive instead of just reactive and the way he's become part of Adama's miltary family... oh yeah and Adama telling Kara she is his daughter, no matter what.
Basically the flashbacks are an odd choice for the end, but it worked because what was taking place in the moment could then be simple enough to set up the finale cleanly. Let's hope that whatever is coming this week is worth the wait and validates the show's continued existence past season 1.
Also I finished watching Babylon 5 last week (I cried, not just got choked up by actually had the tears steam down my face and onto my lap). I don't quite feel prepared to talk in detail about it as a whole yet, but hopefully soon, and in the meantime I will say it is beautiful to see something so well planned out and watch characters have somewhere to go for 5 seasons that doesn't cheapen them or forget its own canon.
I continue to love Castle's family. His mom was clearly the rebel daughter of the family Lucille Bluth and Claire Meade belong to, and his daughter is extremely awesome. I love how mature and yet youth ful she is, and how she puts him to bed and mothers him, but also how she seems totally age appropriate and not at all sexualized. The info about him being Mr. Nanny was so sweet, and totally believable, given that writers do work from home, and men who need to be the center of attention often do actually enjoy and do well with child rearing because children need and admire and adore you in such a selfless way that nothing is more gratifying to a narcissist.
I really loved watching how being a mystery writer gives Castle a unique and actually valuable perspective, but it is at the same time limited. His need to put a coherent narrative together works because even in real life, things do not happen for no reason. I also enjoyed how he did not interfere with the final scene between Detective Beckett and Chloe, I believe because he was seeing it as a novel scene and the woman to woman thing was perfect for the fictional climax. But at the same time, Castle is busy looking for the most exciting story, and although there is always a story it isn't always the most appealing one.
I love Detective Beckett, I love that she's a hard ass and the boss of people but that she isn't just totally shut off and is effected by things like learning that he actually raised his daughter himself. I love her snide comments about how inspiration is going to hit him real soon (when she's inspiration) or that maybe tomorrow he will get shot or killed (in such a hopeful tone). Her annoyance is extremely realistic, and I am enjoying speculating who it is who was killed (today I speculated brother instead of father or lover would be interesting).
Also I love how extremely aware the show is of how much the police department is a boys club (this is something Life has been disappointing me in regards to recently) and how even though she's a serious cop with rank and he's an outsider who is an amatuer, Castle is more at home and instantly "one of the boys" than she will ever be.
BSG...
So I liked it well enough. Flashbacks are pretty and interesting. Poor Roslin (I want her pajamas btw) and OMG Six fixed Gaius' problem because he was defensive about his sharecropper father (so interesting to see that relationship get layers) and it makes me think they are going to go back to them in the end and come full circle a little. Also Lee is a terrible liar and his confrontation with Baltar, which no one was a winner in. Also, the Chief hurting Helo because HIS 8 betrayed him. And Doc Cottle, being active and supportive instead of just reactive and the way he's become part of Adama's miltary family... oh yeah and Adama telling Kara she is his daughter, no matter what.
Basically the flashbacks are an odd choice for the end, but it worked because what was taking place in the moment could then be simple enough to set up the finale cleanly. Let's hope that whatever is coming this week is worth the wait and validates the show's continued existence past season 1.
Also I finished watching Babylon 5 last week (I cried, not just got choked up by actually had the tears steam down my face and onto my lap). I don't quite feel prepared to talk in detail about it as a whole yet, but hopefully soon, and in the meantime I will say it is beautiful to see something so well planned out and watch characters have somewhere to go for 5 seasons that doesn't cheapen them or forget its own canon.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 07:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 09:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 09:30 pm (UTC)Castle may not be the best tv around, but it's very enjoyable. I loved the scenes with mother and daughter in the second episode (and amen to Lucille, Claire and Castle's mother being sisters - Castle's mother got the (relatively) most normal child, despite her rebellious ways, though). Detective Beckett... I'm not sure if I get her yet, but I can give it some time.
And, sadly, this half-season of BSG is so uneven that I'm a little afraid to get my hopes up for the finale.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-17 09:35 pm (UTC)And Castle is sounding pretty cool... (but I've kind of failed at TV watching lately, so I'll probably just follow it vicariously through other people's recaps rather than trying to find a way to watch it... :P)
men who need to be the center of attention often do actually enjoy and do well with child rearing because children need and admire and adore you in such a selfless way that nothing is more gratifying to a narcissist.
Had never thought about it that way, but, oooh! I really like this formulation.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-19 07:36 am (UTC)Hulu... it's your friend. It wants to help you watch Castle.
Sadly that interpretation about narcissist men and child rearing is courtesy of my mother, who was talking about my father at the time... but it still makes very good fiction analysis.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 03:30 am (UTC)Yay, it is nice to have a TV show in common again!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-18 03:45 am (UTC)The Bluth and Meade matriarchs being sisters is well established in my personal canon, but I think adding the third sister here really gives it a little something extra. I sort of feel like manips might be needed.
It is! I've missed you.