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Archives:: TV Reviews
 Castle
Airs on abc: http://abc.go.com/shows/castle
Mondays at 10
Genre: Whodunit—think Murder She Wrote with wittier repartee, a younger cast, and sparks flying between Castle (Nathan Fillion) and Beckett (Stana Katic)
Here’s the premise: Castle is a mystery writer who is shadowing police detective Beckett in order to do research on his latest protagonist, Nicki Heat, who happens to be a female police detective. Needless to say, Beckett is less than enthused to have Castle on board, but even she isn’t immune to his boyish charm.
This show has it all: mystery, humor, and a good love/hate romance. Anyone who is familiar with Nathan Fillion’s other work (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) will also love him here. Those who like mysteries will also like the show, although some mysteries are stronger than others. In particular, the Halloween episode is a must-see; it starts with Fillion in his old Firefly get-up and ends with him as Edgar Allan Poe. Everything in between pokes fun at Halloween conventions within the confines of an excellently crafted story.
One of my favorite parts of the show concerns the relationship between Castle, his daughter, and his mother. They all live together, and the daughter is clearly the “parent” of them all even if she does occasionally indulge in a little laser tag with dear old dad. Other members of the supporting cast are equally strong, and occasionally you might even glimpse a cameo of some of America’s greatest mystery writers in one of Castle’s poker games.
Reviewer: Sally Kilpatrick
Petit Fours: a solid 5/Hot Tamales: 3
Anyone out there a Supernatural fan? If you’re not, you’re missing out.
My daughter and I are Jared and Jensen groupies. She’s team Jared, I’m team Jensen.
(Jenson’s in the foreground by the way. Sizzlin, huh?)
For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, Supernatural is a series on the CW. Jared Padalecki plays Sam Winchester, boy wonder, computer genius, sensitive, demon blooded, younger brother whom my daughter refers to as The Spice of her Life. Jensen Ackles plays Dean Winchester, flawed, classic rock, classic car, fast women, trans fat, pie loving older brother. I simply refer to him , with a twinkle in my cougar eye, as Hottie Mc-hotstein.
In a nutshell, the brothers are demon hunters, bent on saving the world from Lucifer and his minions.It’s a friggin awesome show if you’re into hot guys, paranormal worlds and a cherry, 67, black, Chevy Impala…hey, who isn’t into that?
The series has an official cast of two. The only regulars are the “Spicy” brothers Winchester. Every week, the Winchester boys find themselves in a new city or town facing a new supernatural threat, encountering new characters along the way, most never to be seen again. And that’s just fine by me.
Two brothers, battling evil with a shirtless scene every so often is all I need to be supremely happy.
And given the nature of the show, it just wouldn’t work if the brothers’ lacked chemistry. Luckily, Ackles and Padalecki instantly created beautiful music together from show one. You can actually feel their chemistry when you watch. You share their sadness (these butt kicking guys actually cry. It’s heartbreaking when they tear up), their frustrations and their few moments of happiness. You laugh at their pranks and jokes and in general, you believe these guys could be brothers. The actors do such a good job my daughter and I actually feel like they really are related and we hate when they fight.
From a production standpoint, this show is one of the best on the air today in my opinion. There are basically four directors that call the shots on a rotating schedule and all of them are good. They’re each on the same plane, and because of this, the show is tight, well written and boasts a deep sense of continuity. Plus, the writers have done their homework. The lore and mythology of the show are based on real legends in history. This gives the series a very realistic feel. On top of that, the effects, both practical and CGI are top notch for TV. It’s often bloody, scary and totally freaky, but the tendency for gore is perfectly offset by a rockin sound track, a hot car, the believable emotional struggle between the brothers and the overall story arch that continues through each season.
October is the month of ghouls, goblins, vampires and spooks. What better way to embrace the spirit of Halloween than to curl up on the couch with a warm cup of cocoa, slippers on, phone off, TV tuned, and watch this show? Plus, you might even end up bonding with your teen son or daughter while taking it all in. It’s a win win.
The show is in its fifth season right now, Thursdays, 9:00 on the CW. If you’re like me and can’t abide starting a series from the middle, never fear, the first four seasons are on DVD and I promise, they are worth every penny. The GMC you pick up from the show alone is worth it’s weight in gold if you’re a writer. I’d buy it as a learning tool…well, for that and the opportunity to see Sam Winchester’s abbs on screen. You can also rent the series from Blockbuster or Netflix…pick your poison.
I highly recommend you try it out. Whether you’re a die hard paranormal fan or not, I believe the story of these brother’s, their tragic history, their present struggle and the future battles they’ll face together will keep you coming back for more.
So, all you paranormal TV fans out there, let me know if you’re a Supernatural fan – what do you like about the show and are you team Jared or Jensen?
If you’re not a SN fan, what shows do or did you like? Buffy? Angel? Heroes? Lost? Smallville? Fringe? Just to name a few.
Love to hear from you!
Have a great day, a happy Halloween and make time to write, write, write!
Tamara
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Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin Start
Castle 
