Castle: Season 2

Most of the fun mystery shows are on the USA Network. One of the rare ones on a traditional network is Castle, and season two was just as fun as the short first season. The show revolves around bestselling mystery author Rick Castle (Nathan Fillion). His latest blockbuster series is based on NYPD homicide detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic). Castle has pulled strings with the mayor's office and gotten permission to shadow her on the job. Not only does he not get in the way, but he even offers some help with the bizarre cases she handles. Just how bizarre are talking about? Well, there's the man found tangled in a tree. An Arctic explorer is killed while talking to students from his latest Arctic trip...in a New York apartment. A man with vampire teeth is found in a graveyard with a stake through his heart. A bike messenger and convict are both killed the same day. A dead man is identified by both his wife and his fiancée. And a TV host is killed after whispering to Castle "They want me dead." While the cases are fun, we've also got romantic tension between Castle and Beckett. While Castle has obvious had a crush on her for a while, Beckett is doing her best to resist him at every turn. Throw in Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Ryan (Seamus Dever), the two detectives under Beckett and Castle's mother, actress Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan), and daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn), and you've got the elements that make this so much more than the police procedurals that most networks air. And that's one reason I love this show so much. Yes, you've got the police element to the show. We regularly see the coroner. But the emphasis isn't on the evidence and it finding the killer. Instead it's one interviewing the suspects and breaking alibies. The cases are filled with twists and turns. Okay, so half the time I see the twists coming from a ways away, but I still enjoy going along for the ride even if I have things figured out early. It's the characters who really make this show. Castle's arrogant playboy attitude is softened by his interaction with his mother and daughter. Beckett lets her tough demeanor slip quite often, so we get a glimpse of a very vulnerable person beneath her exterior. I've actually come to believe the romantic tension between the two this season as a result of how they've developed the characters, too. While Martha can be over the top in a famous actress way at times, I still like her. But its Alexis I really love. She and Castle have a wonderful father/daughter relationship, and scenes with the two of them always warm my heart. As much as I like them, I will confess to always getting Esposito and Ryan mixed up. I can never remember from week to week who got what element of character development. I'm sure it's just me as this isn't the first time I've had that kind of trouble with secondary characters. Even so, I do enjoy their characters when they are on screen. So I'm sure it will come as no surprise to say I like the acting as well. Everyone from the leads to the guest stars bring their characters to life perfectly each week. Plus there's the humor. The characters are always teasing each other, and Beckett and Castle exchange some great one liners. I laugh several times over the course of each episode. And it's the humor that makes this show so much fun to watch in reruns even if you already know how the mystery ends. As another measure of fun, the first Nikki Heat novel came out in real life the same time that it was released on the TV show. They make constant references to the novel in the first half of the season, and those references are all true. If you like the show, be sure to check the book out as well. For the most part, they do a good job with continuity on the show. The episodes pretty much stand on their own, with only the littlest of carry over. They do start this season with Castle and Beckett dealing with the aftermath of Castle's interfering in Beckett's past. And later in the season, they do half solve the case of Beckett's mother's murder. However, there were a couple of dropped balls later in the season, right about the time that they did two or three episodes in a row that lost the fun spark. Fortunately, things picked up on all fronts for the last few episodes of the season. Season two consisted of 24 episodes, and they are all here on 5 discs in wide screen and full surround. Extras include a few behind the scenes featurettes, one about how they stage the murders, plus deleted scenes and bloopers. As much as I enjoy mysteries, I like my murder on the light side. Castle certainly fits that bill perfectly. It's got fun cases filled with quips. If that sounds appealing to you, you'll find season two entertains from start to finish.

When a beloved show ends for the season, what's a devoted fan to do but go back to the archives. Therefore, I staged a season one marathon, a season I owned and had reviewed on Amazon a few years ago in my review entitled: "More Than Just Another Pretty Face." Who can forget the meeting of the intelligent, kind, handsome, fun-loving, intrepid writer and the valiant, complex, stunningly beautiful detective? One scene still had me laughing after two years. In this scene Rick and Alexis, while playing a father daughter game of laser tag, invite into their home a stunned Kate Beckett. And then Rick's mother makes a grand dame entrance in her green -clay facial. Humor, brilliant repartee, sight gags, fantastic ensemble acting, excellent writing and production values, humans in all of their diversity, evoke laughter, emotional tension and tears. I tried to talk to my family about my "issues," to no avail. I required more Castle weekly appointments. I wrote a review entitled "I'll Stand By You," about the season three finale and corresponded with a compatriot. How amazing the power of the internet and of Amazon to connect total strangers in an exchange of ideas and a meeting of the minds. Still I was in withdrawal. I had to get my hands on Season Two; I ordered and waited. I watched again a few of the remaining season three entries on demand, and while critically examining the few entries available, I drew more conclusions about the show. Today I wrote an additional review on" Knockout" and later greeted my UPS lady. My very own season two had arrived. Yes, another marathon or two is in store for me and probably another review, but first I wanted to share some additional conclusions I have made regarding the season three finale. In "Knockout," Castle's third season finale, Kate says to Rick, "You don't know me, Rick, you think you do but you don't." And he responds that he knows she hides in her mother's murder case and she stays with men she doesn't love. He claims she could be happy, but she is afraid to be happy. This is true, but Rick, the same applies to you. You stay safe with frivolous women who mean nothing or two ex wives. Indeed, Rick Castle is a loving son and a magnificent father. A good friend and an intrepid partner, he is uplifting and fun. But he has a painful awareness, masked with good humor, that his mother doesn't even know who fathered him. Love his mother he does, but this knowledge has to hurt. He, too, is afraid of a deeper rejection or disappointment in love. We know this fear of complete happiness and love runs through the valiant Kate. With a grieving but recovering alcoholic father and her mother murdered, her fears are manifest and masked with safe lovers who will not press her for the love she cannot give. She knows Rick is different, but he cannot or won't force her to acknowledge their mutual and powerful attraction. Everyone around them sees their love. Therein remains the frustration of the viewer and the genius of the writers of this tremendously human romance, drama, comedy and police procedural. Vowed to have Kate's back, "always," Rick accompanies Kate to LA to track and capture the man who has killed Kate's mentor and friend. While staying together in a suite, Rick confesses to Kate, "You know what I thought when I first met you. You were a mystery I would never solve... I am amazed at the depths of your strength and your heart." And realizing that the moment is emotionally charged, he backs off with these words: "and your hotness." Kate responds, "You aren't so bad yourself." The next scene is a metaphor for the show. Exposed by an obvious mutual desire, Kate panics and retires to her room. To distance herself Kate calls him Castle as he, stricken, remains and endearingly calls her Kate. Behind Kate's locked door the director focuses on the door handle and Kate's unsteady hand. Will the conflicted and sometimes shy Kate erase the barrier and go to Rick? With his heart racing or perhaps sinking, Rick waits for the woman he loves to make a choice, to come to him. Seconds pound or does time stand still. When Kate finally opens the door to go to Rick, it is too late. Humbled or heart -broken, Rick has retreated to his room. And Kate watches his door shut. From the soundtrack, a fragment of a song permeates the air as this dance of love and desire unfolds. From Pearl Jam's Just Breathe, these words come through: "Oh, I am a lucky man to count on both hands the ones I love.......stay with me." In the same scene Josh Ritter's plaintive song and words resound, reflecting Rick's unspoken words: And I keep me in a vacant lot In the ivy and forget-me-nots Hoping you will come and untangle me one of these days Come and find me now.

Castle is brilliant. I love it - it's a brilliant satire and farcical parody of the entire genre and I look forward to season 3. The characters, while excellent in the first season, become a lot more nuanced in season two. The stories revolve around the murders and mysteries, but Castle is, at heart, a story about people - warts and all. I'm not sure why the writers chose to change the character of Kate Beckett as they did (having her grow her hair out), because there was no need to make the character more feminine. If this show were a dead serious cop drama, scenes with Beckett stripping for a bath or changing her clothes to bail Castle out of a sticky spot with Russian gangsters would have felt like the creators were pouring the sex appeal on and weakening the character - instead, they made her more complex and interesting through the dialogue, body language, and sudden tone shifts in those kinds of scenes. Castle himself remains a fairly static character, but as he is the centerpiece, this makes a lot of sense - what's revealed about him is not new things about him, but how the character has changed from the first season to the second, and watching true, carefully crafted and subtle character growth is fascinating. The writers haven't ignored the 'secondary' characters - Alexis, Martha, Esposito and Ryan all get handled well, treated with respect, and grow with the show, but never seem like their presence is forced into the limelight in order to remind the viewers they exist - they organically and naturally are added to the story when they're needed. Despite the show being built on the concept of being a very subtle parody of an entire genre, the show still treats the people who are victimized by murder with respect, and does a good job of showing even bit characters or one-off villains as rounded, dynamic people - something I rarely get the chance to see in this kind of show. And did I mention the fantastic dialogue? Over all, a very enjoyable show. Worth the money and worth the time - especially if you have an appreciation for the finely crafted parody.

I got hooked on this show a few months ago. Kind of goofy, but still a good crime drama with romantic tension in the air. What more can you ask? I tend to be a TV snob, watching mostly documentaries and movies that have some artistic or social quality. That doesn't mean I'm too good for some basic, fun to watch entertainment, and this does the job. Castle's character is a successful millionaire, but just goofy and vulnerable enough, plus ok looking but not over the top good looking to keep him from seeming somewhat believable. Beckett's character is so good looking, confident, and successful that it's hard to imagine her ever seeing anything in Castle, but the chemistry is undeniable and they use that to tease the viewer into coming back episode after episode and season after season. The plots are, for the most part, original and refreshing, but far enough from reality that you have to just go along and stop reminding yourself that these things would never happen in real life and that nobody would survive the predicaments that confront the characters on each episode. I am former law enforcement and know that none of the things on this should would ever happen, but again ... I don't care. Sometimes you just need to escape reality for an hour or two. One of the real surprises for me has been Susan Sullivan. After watching her as the uptight Kitty Montgomery on Dharma and Greg, I couldn't have imagined her playing any other character. In Castle, she plays Martha - Castle’s whacky mother, who is an over-the-top, past her prime actress, with a multitude of character flaws, but who is nonetheless loveable.

My Husband and I love this series. We love the playful banter between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, how she keeps his ego in check at every turn. They couldn't ask for better partners in Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever. The interaction between the four of them on the job and as friends is just wonderful to watch.. It's been great to watch Molly Quinn growing up as Castle's daughter, and a pleasure to see such a mature young person. more so then her for ever young dad, who she has to bring up. But it is great to see how much funny Molly and Nathan have as father and daughter. Susan Sullivan as always, is wonderful to watch as Castle's mother, rounding off the their off beat family. Their interactions with each other are just hilarious but the love shows through. Tamala Jones, love her character as friend to Becket and love interest to Esposito, she is great and oh so funny . Ruben Santiago-Hudson and Penny Johnson Jerald round the cast off. We love their interaction with their team. This series is very interesting but oh so funny. We owe the first 4 seasons and are looking forward to getting the 5 and 6 seasons. We have been fans of this series since it's start and will continue to watch this fantastic cast and their stories as they unfold. Thank you for a wonderful story every week. Keep up the great job.

This is a great crime dramady featuring Nathan Fillion who we all know from Firefly! If you're old enough to remember, I have to liken Castle to a blend of "Moon Lighting", "Columbo", and "Murder She Wrote". If you are a fan of "Firefly" you will be unable to stifle a huge grin during the first few minutes of Episode 6 here in Season 2. The 30 second gist of the show is that Fillion is a crime writer who gets connected with an attractive detective and manages to convince the mayor (who Castle is friends with) that he should have unrestricted access to follow her around for inspiration. He's also a huge asset to the NYPD with his understanding of criminal behavior etc. Fillion is great and there is lots of comic relief surrounding the central murder plot so it's not a real downer to watch. Season two continues to refine the chemistry between Beckett and Castle and their relationship is always in flux with lots of tension and humor. As of the time of this writing, they are into Season 6. We just started watching a few weeks ago, ripped through season 1 and are now halfway through Season 2. Owning them on Amazon is the way to go, commercial free and easy to watch on pretty much any internet connected device, not to mention binge watching multiple episodes back to back makes for nice unwind time after the kids are fast asleep! Long live Castle! :)

I love this show. There is something similar in flavor to Remington Steele. The writing is clever. The actors are clearly having a grand time making chemistry whether it's with the leads or the supporting characters (and a few guests like Alyssa Milano and Dana Delaney as well). Sadly this second season does not have any commentaries with it. I could have sworn commentaries were recorded and available on the abc website. Why aren't they on this set? Because they wouldn't have been able to squish 5 episodes on each disc? I loved the package for the first season because it included lots of witty commentaries that gave the listener a sense of the camaraderie of the cast, show-runners and writers. One of the fun things about the show is all the meta-jokes that the casual viewer might miss, but hardcore fans will really enjoy. I know there are people who watch this show and have no idea that Castle's poker buddies are real-life mystery writers. Many Castle fans have no idea that the "Space Cowboy" Halloween costume Rick tries on was Nathan Fillion's costume from Firefly. (And the rest of the cast gets in on the act with their costumes of recently-played characters in the party scene at the end.) I am sure there are a million other little bits of fun in the genesis, writing and production of the show and I wish there were commentaries to point them out. Even including the twitter comments by the cast members while they were filming would improve this package. Still, the show is great fun and if you don't care about commentaries, this package is just fine.

I recently re-watched my season 2 DVD set and, having now followed "Castle" through six seasons, was taken with just how great this show was back in its early days. The clever whodunits, the witty, flirtatious banter, Castle's life as a mystery novelist, his poker games with real-life mystery writers, the humor and (dare I say it?) "sweetness" of the budding romance between the writer and the detective...it's all there in the show's second - and very best - season. Because the first season was short - a mid-season replacement that had only ten episodes, the writers and producers were left with plenty of real estate to develop and polish these wonderful characters in season 2. This gave the second season a warm originality and a lighthearted, lovable tone that by the middle of the third season had begun to fade. What had once been compared to "Moonlighting" or "Murder She Wrote" would later start to look more like "24" or "Criminal Minds". Season 3 brought darker stories of terrorism, high-level conspiracies, serial killers, and espionage that sent the show in a different, often far-fetched direction. And then, of course, there's the love story. Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion brought a chemistry to their unlikely couple that had chat boards and word-of mouth buzzing long before the writers began pandering to the "Caskett shippers", and when a glance or a smile or a cup of coffee was enough to win over even the most literate and cynical fans. Watch the last ten minutes of the Season 2 finale, when Beckett becomes aware - just a bit too late - of her feelings for Castle. That beautifully sad moment when Castle walks away, unaware that he has finally won her over, and the wistful look in Beckett's eyes as she realizes her missed opportunity. Hookup moments and sex scenes are a dime-a-dozen (as they were, often to the point of silliness, in seasons 5 and 6) but watching two good people gradually fall in love, and then be kept apart, is the essence of all great love stories. Season 2 captured this with a freshness and poignancy that the later seasons couldn't match. I'm not blaming the writers or producers for changing the show. Something as good as what we saw in Season 2 could not have lasted. Characters and storylines had to evolve and the cat-and-mouse relationship had to be dragged on, however unrealistically, lest the show die an early death. Every show hits a peak at some point in its life, from which the only direction is down. For Castle, the tip of that peak was Season 2.

Entertaining, clever and interesting detective series, full of witty dialogues and meaningful endings. Each episode shows an original murder scene and the discovery of the criminal almost always comes as a surprise thus making it interesting to watch. In addition to that there is series reveals the increasing chemistry between the main characters. The witty dialogues make it amusing and captivating to watch without being cheesy. Good balance serious crime investigations on one hand and the playful nature of the communication between the NYPD detective (Stana Katic) and the best-selling novelist of crime books (Nathan Fillion). An intelligent and fun series worth checking it out.

Superbe série d'enquêtes criminelles

ストーリーが全て面白いので、何回も見てしまいます。

Sono una fan di Castle! Una serie davvero ben fatta per chi ama il genere. Al momento non è in commercio in italiano... quindi aiuta anche ad imparare un pò di inglese nel mio caso!

I think this is the very best tv show in a long time. I love the characters and the plots. I would keep buying the episodes. I would recommend this series to my family and all my friends. I love Nathan Filion and Stana Katic is great too. His mom in the show is a riot, a great actress. I've seen her in the Hulk and in the soaps. I love the way they have Castle interact with his daughter and mom. Really love this show.