Castle Archives - Page 8 of 8

Warehouse 13 – Steampunk Secrets

Warehouse 13 briefly flitted by my radar when it first began airing, but the premise didn’t capture me and I didn’t recognize the actors. Over the years I heard mostly good things about it, so when an acquaintance recommended it, I got the first disc from Netflix to try it out.

The pilot was a little slow (being a double-length premier at 90 minutes long) but interesting. The two main characters had a Bones- and Castle-like opposites attract chemistry, and I loved their new boss’s penchant for retro gadgets and milk and cookies. The show’s focus on supernatural objects rather than supernatural beings helped it stand apart from other speculative shows.

Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly play U.S. Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering, who are ordered to the mysterious Warehouse 13 after saving the President. The warehouse is managed by the eccentric Artie Nielsen, played by Saul Rubinek, who I know best from the pilot of Leverage (I’ve seen the pilot so many times I can quote just about every line). He tells them the warehouse stores items with unique or mysterious qualities, and their new job is to collect them.

The second episode runs a little tighter, and guest stars Tricia Helfer (best known for Battlestar Galactica, but she was also in several episodes of Burn Notice) as an FBI agent reluctant to share information with a team who can’t even explain their reason for being there. It was about halfway through this episode that I knew I would keep watching this show. And as the opening credits ran for episode three, I knew I loved Warehouse 13.

At only three episodes in, it’s hard to compare it to shows I’ve watched for years, but I’d put it on par with Alphas, a fellow SyFy show I’ve recently fallen in love with. Definitely better than my experience so far with Supernatural and Suits, though not as amazing as Veronica Mars and Bones. I love the steampunk feel and the sibling-like bickering between the partners, and in many ways so far the show seems like a weird mishmash of Bones and Angel (minus David Boreanaz).

But Netflix isn’t going to cut it, not if I’m going to be rewatching episodes with a friend. So I just bought myself season one.

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Rizzoli & Isles – High Heels and Handcuffs

I watch too much crime drama, so last summer I was reluctant to jump into Rizzoli & Isles. But since there were few shows airing new episodes during the summer, and since Sasha Alexander (Kate from the early seasons of NCIS) was one of the co-stars, I decided to give it a try.

The 10-episode first season was great. Pairing two very different characters together to solve crimes has been done way too many times, but when it’s done well, it works. Rizzoli & Isles has the unique twist of having the duo be two females, instead the usual man and woman (Bones, Castle, etc.) or two guys (Psych, White Collar). Boston was also a fresh setting, for me at least.

The first season had a great mix of conflicts – Rizzoli dealing with both her past and present with the murderous Hoyt, crazy fun Italian family issues, and breaking in a new partner while still working with her old one; Isles with uncovering secrets about her past and naivety about certain situations. The show had some great guest stars too – in fact, Donnie Wahlberg’s character in a few episodes directly influenced me trying out Blue Bloods that fall.

But so far, the second season has bored me. The drama has felt overwrought, and none of the episodes that have aired so far has gripped me. It must be still doing well as far as viewers go, since TNT just ordered a 13-episode third season, but I’m not sure I’ll keep watching. I’ll probably finish out this season at least, especially since late August and early September will be a bit empty as far as new episodes go. I’m still hoping the show will pick back up, since it has a good cast and did so well in season one.

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Supernatural – Dead in the Water

I approached this third episode of Supernatural feeling a little ambivalent about the show. The pilot had been amazing and almost too creepy. The second episode had been a bit of a dud. But for most shows, the third episode plays a pivotal role – after episode one establishes the premise of the show, and episode two establishes the “formula” of a normal episode, episode three usually gives the best picture of the rest of the season, and sometimes the rest of the entire show.

(Hmm, just to prove that theory to myself I looked up the third episode of some of my favorite shows – so many awesomely fun moments – from John Casey throwing a microwave at a bad guy in Chuck to Spike making fun of Angel to Beckett grabbing Castle’s ear when he tries to overhear her phone conversation.)

So after the “previously on” section played (I seriously hope they don’t show clips of the pilot in front of every episode this season), the episode opened with a victim’s last moments while the credits blinked up on the screen. I saw one name and immediately got excited – this episode guest starred Amy Acker!

Best known as Fred from Angel, she’s also in Dollhouse and even a couple episodes of No Ordinary Family. I think it was brilliant to cast Amy so early in the show – Angel had only been off for a year, and Supernatural was aimed at similar viewers. And the show was nice enough to make her an integral part of the episode – not just a cameo walk-on.

This episode did a great job of making ordinary moments creepy, and the Winchester brothers played off each other much better. They actually seem like a team. The dialogue steps up a notch, too, with Acker delivering a fun zinger:

Must be hard with your sense of direction – never being able to find your way to a decent pickup line.

The brothers introduce themselves as Agents Ford and Hamill, a Star Wars reference it took me a bit to catch. And Dean shows a bit of his vulnerable side, but I’m still not feeling why thousands of fans are gaga over these characters. I’m hoping that will become more apparent soon, as the brothers are this show’s only constant so far.

Yet in all, I loved this episode, and am definitely looking forward to more Supernatural!

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Alphas – Pilot

I watched the pilot of this show based on three things:

1. Its basic premise. Though many are claiming it’s a ripoff of Heroes or X-Men, I never got into either of those so it doesn’t matter to me. I did see similarities to Fantastic Four and the movie Push – but when you have people with superpowers teaming up, it’s hard to find new ground.

2. Camy Tang liked the pilot and recommended it on GetGlue.

3. The show stars Ryan Cartwright (who played Vincent Nigel-Murray on Bones. I miss his British accent, though!).

I enjoyed the pilot. While it didn’t scream at me to watch the next episode, it intrigued me enough that I probably will. The guy in charge of the team (Dr. Rosen) is played by David Strathaim, who reminds me a bit of Dustin Hoffman. Azita Ghanizada has appeared in quite a few of the shows I watch (NCIS: Los Angeles, Castle, Psych, How I Met Your Mother, Veronica Mars, and Bones) and Laura Mennell has an impressive list of speculative appearances. And while I didn’t recognize him, it was fun to find out that Malik Yoba played Yul Brenner on Cool Runnings (18 long years ago).

One of the things I really liked about the pilot was the side effects/drawbacks the powers had. The guy with super-strength can only use it for about 5 minutes. The girl with enhanced senses has to block out her other four while magnifying the one.

The visual effects throughout the episode were fun to watch most of the time. The characters were distinct, and had a good blend of camaraderie and conflict. While the dialogue didn’t strike me as exceptional or witty, it wasn’t bland and there were a few humorous moments that held promise for future episodes.

One of the reasons I’m not anxious for the next episode is that the pilot tells a complete story. In a way I’m glad, as it seems Hulu won’t be getting more episodes for a while and I’m not sure I’ll be trying to find it elsewhere in the meantime (so many shows, so little time). But part of me thinks they missed a great opportunity for a good hook. It fits if every episode is going to be pretty much self-contained, but I would much rather see an overarching story. The ending of Hicks (Warren Christie) joining the team had pretty much been established by promo pics. However, many of my favorite shows have self-contained pilots, so that won’t hold me back from continuing to watch the show.

I just hope they’ll have a bunch of fun guest stars to spice things up.

Added note: I wrote this post before this article was posted, which has details on geeky guest stars (including the awesome Summer Glau) AND discussion on episodes being self-contained. I feel a bit psychic.

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Fathers and Daughters

In honor of dads everywhere, this Father’s Day I want to talk about my favorite TV father and daughter relationships, both “real” and father/daughter-like.

CASTLE – Richard and Alexis Castle

Castle’s relationship with his daughter is one of my favorite parts of this show. I love the twist of having the daughter be the responsible one, but it’s clear that Alexis loves her father’s playful antics. One of my favorite scenes of the two of them is their laser tag battle. Another is when Castle comes out dressed like Captain Mal from Firefly:

Alexis: What exactly are you supposed to be?
Castle: Space cowboy.
Alexis: Ok, A: there are no cows in space. B: didn’t you wear that like five years ago?
Castle: So?
Alexis: So, don’t you think you should move on?
Castle: I like it.

I also love the scene where Alexis confesses to jumping the turnstile. I hope Alexis chooses a local college because I would hate for that dynamic to be missing from the show.

VERONICA MARS – Keith and Veronica Mars

Not only do these two share sleuthing skills and a strong desire for justice, they know each other extremely well, and it’s evident from the first episode.

Keith: Don’t do anything on the Kane case, I’ll handle it.
Veronica: Okay.
(a few lines later)
Keith: And Veronica.
Veronica: Yes?
Keith: When you go after Jake Kane, you take backup.
Veronica: I always do.

Both father and daughter make huge sacrifices for each other throughout the show. And when one of the mysteries of the first season threaten the very core of their relationship, Veronica stubbornly chooses the man she calls Dad. Twice.

NCIS – Gibbs and Ziva

Gibbs also has a father-like relationship with Abby, but with Ziva you get to see how they go from enemies to reluctant allies to trusting each other completely.

Gibbs: You lied to me.
Ziva: No. When I told you Ari was innocent. I believed it. But yes. I would have lied to you. He was – my brother. And you were nothing. But I was wrong about Ari, and you. When I pulled the trigger to save your life, I was not following orders. I mean how could you even think – he was my brother. And now he is gone. Eli is all but dead to me. And the closest thing I have . . . to a father is accusing me . . .

I love that scene from “Reunion.” And Ziva is the one who manages to break through Gibbs’ amnesia. Ziva is the one Gibbs returns from retirement to help.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER – Giles and Buffy

These two have so many great moments together, after getting off to a rocky start as his crusty British ways tend not to mesh with her irreverent attitude. One the key episodes in their father/daughter relationship is “Helpless,” where Buffy asks Giles to take her to the ice show in her father’s place. Unfortunately, Giles has to betray her trust for a Slayer coming-of-age test, and when he can’t bear to lie to her anymore, his “father’s love” for Buffy causes him to lose his job as her Watcher.

And then there’s this touching moment in the midst of Buffy being under a love spell in “Something Blue”:

Buffy: I’m not crazy, and I know that you probably don’t approve, and my father’s not that far away, I mean, he could– but this day is about family – my real family – and I would like you to be the one to give me away.
Giles: (Touched) Oh, Buffy! That’s.. that’s so.. (Comes to his senses) Oh! For God’s sake! This is nonsense. Something is making you act this way. Don’t you realize what you’re doing?

I love Giles’ quiet smile of relief when Buffy returns from Los Angeles in season three. And their reunion hug in season six. And when Buffy asks him to be her Watcher again in season four.

HAPPY FATHER”S DAY!

What is your favorite father/daughter pair on TV?

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What I Will Watch in Fall 2011

Now that CBS has finally posted its fall 2011 schedule, I have a good idea what I’ll be watching come September. Most of the time, of course, I will watch shows online the day after they air, but if I get a chance to watch them live, this will be my schedule.

Sunday

8PM – Once Upon a Time – ABC

This fairy tale meets modern life sounds like it has promise, and I love the promos.

Monday

8PM – How I Met Your Mother – CBS

8:30PM – Two Broke Girls – CBS

9PM – House – Fox

10PM – Castle – ABC

Chuck’s move to Fridays and House’s move to 9 finally makes my Mondays conflict-free (though I imagine Chuck’s ratings would have greatly improved with House’s move – seriously, is it any wonder the show wasn’t doing well against BOTH House and HIMYM?). Two Broke Girls sounds interesting, and will nicely fit in my half-hour gap.

Tuesday

8PM – NCIS – CBS

9PM – NCIS: Los Angeles – CBS

9PM – Ringer – The CW

CBS was smart not to mess with its Tuesday domination. Both shows had awesome finales Tuesday night, and NCIS: LA was finally renewed yesterday. I was a bit worried that they were going to off Jimmy Palmer in the NCIS finale, but Los Angeles ended with the more dramatic cliffhanger, making me anxious for season 3. I will have a hard time deciding what to watch at 9, but the CW’s terrible online viewing experience may tip the scale toward Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Ringer.

Wednesday

8:30PM – Suburgatory – ABC

8:30PM – Free Agents – NBC

I will be checking out these two shows solely for their Whedonverse alums: Suburgatory features Alan Tudyk (Firefly and Dollhouse), while Free Agents stars Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Merlin).

Thursday

8PM – The Big Bang Theory – CBS

8PM – Community – NBC

8:30PM – How to Be a Gentleman – CBS

9PM – The Office – NBC

9PM – Bones – Fox

9PM – Person of Interest – CBS

Thursdays are still full of conflict. As usual, I probably will watch The Big Bang Theory live and Community on Hulu when both are airing new episodes. How to Be a Gentleman sounds promising, and I probably would have checked the show out anyway even if it didn’t perfectly fill a half-hour gap (the promo, however leaves a bit to be desired). Watching Bones will depend on if I catch up on back seasons of the show over the summer. The Office’s penultimate episode of season 7 proved that the show can still be hilarious without Michael Scott, so I plan to keep watching. Jim Caviezel (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Passion of the Christ) stars in Person of Interest, and the sneak peek was excellent.

Friday

8PM – Nikita – The CW

8PM – Chuck – NBC

9PM – Grimm – NBC

10PM – Blue Bloods – CBS

It seems a bit odd, having such a solid line-up of shows for a Friday night. Blue Bloods has proved it can hold its own on the evening, but its family vibe makes it a more likely choice for those who stay in Friday nights. I suspect the young-adult-aimed Chuck won’t do as well, but since it’s the final season of the show the numbers aren’t as important. And it’s pitted against fellow action show Nikita, which also doesn’t seem like a good Friday night fit. Grimm has a tough shot against both a cop show and TWO speculative fan favorites, Fringe and Supernatural (which even I may be watching instead if I have time to check them out this summer).

USA’s Psych typically counts as a summer show, it doesn’t sound like it will be starting until August or September this year (since it’s cable, I won’t be watching it live, though). There are a few other shows on the major networks and some mid-season pickups I also plan to check out if I have time.

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Renewals, Cancellations, and Finales

Wow – tons of shows are getting renewed or cancelled this week, and many are airing season finales. I keep checking for news and getting a rush of joy or sadness, and sometimes both. This year I dived headfirst into many new shows, and quite a few of them got cancelled.

Before this year, only two shows I watched as they aired had been cancelled with only one season – Fox’s 2009 summer medical drama, Mental (I had only started watching it at the urging of my sister) and another summer show, NBC’s excellent modern retelling of the story of David, Kings. (I watched the best-known one-season show, Firefly, years after it was off the air.) I picked up 3 new shows in 2009-2010 regular season: Community, NCIS: Los Angeles, and V – all got a second season. Even the two new shows I started watching in summer 2010, Covert Affairs and Rizzoli & Isles, will be back this summer.

This year I watched 6 new shows: The Cape, Detroit 1-8-7, Blue Bloods, No Ordinary Family, Outsourced, and Nikita. As of this moment, four have been cancelled, and the other two haven’t been renewed yet.

A quick recap of the verdicts on this season’s shows, by network:

ABC

They kept Castle, one of my favorite shows, but cancelled the three other shows I watch on the channel – Detroit 1-8-7, No Ordinary Family, and V. Of the three, I was most surprised by V’s cancellation. The show was intriguing, with an excellent cast, and the short seasons helped keep the integrated storylines comprehensive. I started watching it for the sole reason that it starred Morena Baccarin, aka Inara from Firefly (Alan Tudyk, aka Wash, was also in a few episodes). With this season’s finale ending the life of one of the most annoying characters on the show, I had high hopes for season 3. Too bad.

CBS

They seem to be waiting to see what the other networks do, as they haven’t revealed many verdicts. But I’m confident they’ll bring back the two not-yet-renewed shows I watch on the channel: Blue Bloods and NCIS: Los Angeles. NCIS, How I Met Your Mother, and The Big Bang Theory have already been renewed.

Fox

I’m only current with one show on the channel, House, and its renewal is hardly a surprise (it will likely be the final season, however). I’m glad they renewed Bones (on season two now and loving it!) and Fringe (hoping to try it soon), though.

NBC

I was shocked to find out less than a day after watching the season finale of Outsourced that they’d cancelled the show. I was really looking forward to season two. The Cape was dead as soon as they shortened the episode count from 13 to 10, but I plan to get Bear McCreary’s soundtrack to the show. The other Firefly alumni show, Chuck, has been picked up for a 13-episode final season (I love Chuck, but as more and more of the show’s characters move toward domestic bliss, I can see why they’re deciding to end it.) And of course, Community and The Office got renewed. Community’s finale does raise the question of whether they’ll bring back one of the main characters for season 3. And does the show have a 4 season limit due to the college setting?

The CW

I only watch one show on the channel, Nikita, and there’s no word yet on whether it’s been picked up for season two. I really hope so. My lineup needs more shows that focus on the overarching story instead of individual episodes, and the last few episodes of Nikita really kicked things up a notch.

In conclusion: Networks really seem to be abandoning rookie shows this year. I hope that space goes to other high-quality scripted shows and not endless rehashed versions of reality and competition shows.

And my other wish for the 2011-2012 season – don’t air The Big Bang Theory and Community in the same time slot!

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Bones vs. Smallville – Initial Thoughts

I know two episodes isn’t always enough to find out whether you’ll like a show, but since pilots often differ from typical episodes, I think most shows should be given at least two chances to hook a viewer’s interest (of course, some shows are so terrible they don’t deserve even one full episode, but I’m more talking about a “meh” reaction to a pilot). I know I wish I’d given Buffy more episodes to grow on me, though the fact that I sought out other Joss Whedon shows right afterward hints that it simply was vampires creeping me out.

With my supernaturally-inclined shows all over for good or for the season (The Cape, Merlin, V, No Ordinary Family, and Being Human), and having finished my Buffy/Angel marathon, it seemed like a good time to try out Smallville. So I watched the first two episodes. And yawned.

To be fair, it probably wasn’t a good idea to watch Smallville so soon after falling in love with the Buffyverse. Smallville had big shoes to fill, and true to its name, it didn’t measure up. It didn’t have humor. Or suspense. The dialog was stilted and predictable. Good characters had no flaws and bad ones, no virtues. The country setting didn’t appeal to me either.

Since I’d watched one Superman movie, I was able to pick up on the hints of mythic origin, and thought they were rather well done – until they decided to paint them bolder as if screaming “Get it?” at me. And since I didn’t really care about the elements that would make up Superman’s future (unlike the elements in the Star Wars prequels that made me enjoy them – R2D2, C-3PO, Palpatine’s rise to power, meeting Lars and Beru), I lacked a sense of wonder at their arrival.

I liked the music. Lex and Chloe seemed like they could become interesting characters. But that was it. I may try to make it to a third episode, if only for the fact that James Marsters (aka Spike) will eventually show up on the show. But considering that won’t happen until season 5, and he’s only in there for 14 episodes, I doubt it. Maybe if I’m really, really bored.

To make up for the disappointment of Smallville, I decided to try watching Bones instead. Yes, I already was watching eight other crime dramas, but only one of them focused on the FBI. I’d heard Bones was good several times. It starred David Boreanaz (aka Angel). And Netflix had every past season on watch instantly.

A few minutes into the pilot, I knew I had found a gem. The chemistry and arguments between Brennan and Booth reminded me of Castle and Beckett. The humor and camaraderie of Brennan’s team made me think of NCIS. (And Castle and NCIS just happen to be my two favorite crime dramas.) I watched the second episode just to make sure this show wasn’t too good to be true.

Already, with her brilliance, beauty, and social awkwardness, Dr. Temperance Brennan seems to have so many layers waiting to be uncovered. I love her “I don’t know what that means” line. And she’s a writer!

Seeing David Boreanaz in a different role is nice (since as Angel he tended to live in a perpetual state of angst, with brief periods of dorkiness and pure evil). Many shows tend to paint FBI agents as “by the book,” so it’s refreshing to have the cop being the one who goes by gut instinct.

Four episodes. Two shows. One clear winner.

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TV Trends – Online Fandom

This post about online TV show fandom caught my attention – mostly because of how many shows I love are on the list! A university student surveyed more than 3,000 people to determine which shows have the most ardent fans, as far as online activity goes. The survey was only for shows currently on the air (if they did ones that have been canceled, I’d wager Firefly as #1), and the results were:

1. Supernatural
2. Castle
3. Smallville
4. Community
5. Hawaii Five-0
6. Chuck
7. Bones
8. Leverage
9. The Vampire Diaries
10. Fringe
11. Burn Notice
12. Glee
13. Mad Men

I thought I’d take a look at each of them in turn.

1. Supernatural

I really don’t know much about this show at all, other than it stars Dean from Gilmore Girls, and I’m guessing it fits into the speculative genre. I’m kind of curious now.

2. Castle

One of my favorite shows ever – consistently good in every way. I love that it’s about a writer. I love that it stars Nathan Fillion and that Firefly references pop up all the time. I feel that if someone took all the TV shows I love and found one that encompassed them all, Castle would be it.

3. Smallville

I’ve always been more of a Spiderman rather than a Superman fan. I did enjoy the main character’s acting on movies I’ve seen him in, but I never had a chance to watch the show. However, after finishing watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I watched a couple of James Marsters’ (Spike) Q&A sessions. He has a reoccurring role in Smallville and he talked about the story of Superman being a Christ story for an atheist world. That really interested me in watching it and with No Ordinary Family and The Cape being likely out of the picture for next fall, I’m looking for a good superhero show. I plan to start watching it soon.

4. Community

This little half-hour show is just hands-down funny. I loved it from the first episode, and while I don’t think the second season is quite as strong as the first, Abed will keep me watching for many years to come.

5. Hawaii Five-0

The main reason I don’t watch this show is that I’m watching too many crime dramas already. Since it airs in the same time slot as Castle, there was little chance I’d watch it live, and since it’s on CBS it’s harder to catch up on old episodes (I’m a big Hulu fan, especially when it lets me watch the whole current season). I did watch one episode in the middle of the season when there wasn’t a new Castle – I thought it was good, but not great.

6. Chuck

Action, humor, romance – what more can you ask for? Oh, just Jayne from Firefly. I sometimes let to-be-watched episodes of this show pile up when I’m busy (usually in a lull between several cliffhanger episodes), but I always watch them eventually. I’m a bit surprised that a show this well-liked is consistently on the bubble for renewal.

7. Bones

Thanks to Netflix having all back seasons, once I recover from my Buffy/Angel David Bornanaz deluge I plan to check out this show. Despite it being yet another crime drama, I’ve heard good things about it.

8. Leverage

Another one of those rare shows that’s “practically perfect in every way” and that I’ve loved from episode one. The concept of modern-day Robin Hoods, the tight-knit team of great actors, engaging plot, witty dialog, and explosive action. If you’re not watching Leverage you’re really missing out.

9. The Vampire Diaries

I’ve only caught half an episode while waiting for another show to start, but I wasn’t impressed. If I start to go into vampire withdrawal I’m more likely to try out True Blood instead.

10. Fringe

This is another of those “waiting for a chance to try” shows. I’ve heard it’s good, but not much else.

11. Burn Notice

Love this show, for three reasons. 1. Michael. 2. Sam. 3. Fiona. Easily one of my favorite summer shows, and more consistently good than even Psych.

12. Glee

I’ve watched 10 or so episodes. Love the music, hate the soap opera.

13. Mad Men

I’ve heard it’s good, but I haven’t heard anything that compels me to watch it.

So, out of the shows I’m not watching yet but thinking about, which do you think I should watch?

Supernatural, Smallville, Bones, or Fringe?

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NCIS: Los Angeles – Kensi and Deeks

Since I’m a huge fan of NCIS, it was only natural that I’d try out its spin-off show, NCIS: Los Angeles. The two-part “Legend” intro on NCIS held a lot of promise, but an additional nudge toward the show was that it starred Chris O’Donnell. I’d really enjoyed his acting in movies like The Three Musketeers and The Bachelor.

The show got off to a bit of a rough start. Oh, sure, the acting was decent, the plots had plenty of twists, and there were lots of “cool” extras like high-end equipment, action scenes, and undercover gigs. But the chemistry between team members felt awkward and forced, and backstory details seemed invented specifically for each episode instead of building on each other to create full characters.

Now that the show is wrapping up its second season, both individual characters and the team as a whole seem more unified and realistic. And through some casting changes there have been some pleasant surprises, one of whom is the character of Marty Deeks.

Deeks, played by Eric Christian Olsen (who I recognized instantly as Vaughn from Community), entered the show late in season one and eventually became Kensi Blye’s partner. Pairing the two of them up was brilliant. The contrast of strong, confident woman who gets the job done and doesn’t put up with shenanigans with the playful, annoying, yet always has her back guy reminds me of other crime show partners, most notably Tony and Kate from the early days of NCIS, and Castle and Beckett from Castle.

A few recent episodes underscore how the two of them are growing together as a team. “Personal” showed it in an overt way, with life-threatening obstacles. “The Job,” while containing danger as well, focused more on the underlying emotional stress of the work done, and how partners can and should support each through that.

Oh, and I can’t post about NCIS: LA without mentioning Hetty. She is the heart of the show, and I hope rumors about her being replaced aren’t true. I loved the episode in season one (“Brimstone”) where she quotes The Three Musketeers as the credits begin to roll: “Go home, find a wench, raise fat babies, live a good long life.”

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The Cape – Farewell

When a show is cut from 13 episodes to 10, and then the final episode is only aired online, it’s pretty safe to say that the show will be canceled. While it’s a sad ending for The Cape, I’m glad NBC at least gave fans the opportunity to watch the last episode.

I first remember the extremely vague teasers for the show. They were frustrating. I wanted to know what kind of show it was – historical? speculative? action? Then I found out Summer Glau (best known as River from Firefly) was going to be on it, and I knew I’d at least be watching the pilot.

The pilot was engaging enough for me to keep watching. A cop is framed and presumably killed, but is rescued by a criminal carnival troupe. With their help, he becomes The Cape, a superhero without supernatural abilities, who fights crime, looks out for his wife and son, and plans to bring down the man who framed him.

The visual effects and soundtrack for the show are stunning. The cast is a mix of decent to exceptional actors, and the overall story arc was pretty good. The intrigue built with each episode, but a few plot holes and unclear motivations marred the story. And it was full of dichotomies – a dark, gritty feel with very few actual deaths, a superhero without any powers, a dad putting his family through emotional hell to avoid possible physical danger.

Like No Ordinary Family, The Cape seems to be trying to blend a family show with the superhero genre, with mixed results. I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t a “must watch.” I mostly liked the fact that it fit nicely between Chuck and Castle for my Monday night Firefly trifecta (Jayne from Firefly is Casey on Chuck; Mal from Firefly is Castle on Castle). I was hoping they’d explore more of Glau’s character Orwell, but the most they gave was in dream sequences during the two-part “The Lich.”

I feel the show would have succeeded better if they’d decided to lean one way or the other – making the show darker and delve more into characters and motivations, or give it a lighter spin and inject some humor.

In all, it’s worth watching, but I don’t plan to get it on DVD. But if the soundtrack ever comes out, I’ll definitely buy it. It would make great writing music.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Changes

As I get further into the Buffyverse, I’m not liking some of the new things that are cropping up. The first three seasons were awesome, but season four was a bit of a letdown (I’ve read that it’s the worst season of the seven so I’m not alone in this). I suppose since I watched season one of Angel first that I grew attached to his character, so his absence in the later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is something I’m still getting used to.

Not that I mind Riley – I’ve enjoyed Marc Blucas’ acting in several movies (and even an episode of Castle). And I enjoyed Spike being in the story more – he’s hilarious.

I miss Oz. I feel they could have done a lot more with his character. And Willow went from being one of my favorite characters in the first three seasons to someone I could barely relate to, and from spoilers I’ve caught it sounds like it will only get worse.

The science vs. supernatural worked well for the plot arc of season four, and Adam as a combination of the two was a truly creepy “big bad.” I also enjoyed catching the crossovers with season one of Angel as I rewatched it.

Now with the start of season five of Buffy we have another big change – the addition of Buffy’s little sister Dawn. I knew she was coming in later seasons, so I noticed the two or three times Buffy is mentioned as an only child in earlier seasons. But I didn’t expect Dawn to be so awkwardly dropped into the show. Seriously, Buffy’s parents are divorced – couldn’t they have made it that Dawn was living with her father in Los Angeles up until this point instead of pretending that she’d been in Sunnydale this whole time? And I think it would have been far more interesting for Dawn not to know that Buffy was the Slayer at first and have to figure it out. Her initial reaction would have be much more compelling than the whiny intro she is given instead.

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Castle – Lotto Cash, Lotto Suspects

Castle is one of those rare shows I fell in love with before the first episode ended.

Of course, the premise was chock-full of things to make me fall in love with it.

Genre? Check. I love crime dramas. I’m currently watching about 8 different ones that are still running.

Actor? Check. I’ve been a fan of Nathan Fillion since the first episode of Firefly.

Setting? Check. New York City is awesome.

And then they threw in the clincher – the show is about a writer. And not just any kind of writer, but a novelist.

I didn’t need to watch it to love it.

But on top of all that promise, they added other great actors (especially the lovely Stana Katic), beautiful visuals, and a stellar script.

I think it was destined to become one of my favorite shows.

After last week’s intense episode, I was looking forward how Castle would return to a “typical” episode this week without being boring. They succeeded. From Castle’s insistence that the butler did it to the rapping brothers, this episode had hairpin turns, humor, and heart. The only thing that seemed lacking was that Ryan and Esposito’s conversation about Lanie was a bit too short.

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Blue Bloods – Family Crimefighting

Blue Bloods, CBS’s new crime drama, is one of the few shows I picked up this fall season. Too be honest, I wasn’t sure that I needed one more crime drama on my plate, but I’d enjoyed Donnie Wahlberg in Rizzoli & Isles over the summer, so I decided to watch a few episodes before I made up my mind.

The show surprised me. The great acting and sleek presentation reminded me of ABC’s Castle (which is currently tied with NCIS for my top crime drama, and is also set in New York City). But instead of Castle’s humor and writing references, Blue Bloods chooses one distinctive quality to make it stand out from the crowd – family.

It’s a quality that works extremely well, making the character-driven aspects of the show strong. It has also made the show thrive in the usually dead zone of Friday nights. While Blue Bloods has many elements that appeal to TV’s prime viewing target range (18-34-year-olds), the family dynamic lets the show reach the heart of the people who are more likely to be home on a Friday night – namely, families.

Tonight’s episode had a special treat – guest star Gloria Votsis, who plays Alex in the show White Collar.

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