Every fiction has its own world, and its own rules. There are some TV shows that use the audience’s pop culture knowledge to their advantage and end up writing themselves around it. Castle is one of these shows.
The meta aspects of the show don’t stay within the show’s own world, they spread to homages, for example an episode about possible aliens honoring The X Files, or the recent ‘Murder He Wrote’. There’s also the satisfaction the audience gets when they see Castle and Beckett geeking over The Avengers, quoting Ghost Busters, mentioning Game of Thrones or watching Castle dressed as a space cowboy. It’s the feeling of knowing what they’re talking about, sharing something with the characters, that creates this satisfaction. It’s the same feeling at least I get when Leslie Knope talks about Hogwarts (if you don’t know who I’m talking about, watch Parks and Recreation, you won’t regret it, I promise). It makes the characters feel closer, blurring the lines between fiction and reality and we see glimpses of the Castle world beyond what the 42 minutes the episodes allows. Castle is not only a TV show; (I could quote Gilmore Girls and say ‘It’s a way of life’, but let’s keep my dorky side in check) It’s a story that has spread to different media creating a bond with the audience that doesn’t always happen.
Is there a Moonlighting curse? For some shows you could say there is. It seems the will-they-won’t-they of the leading couple had been dragged out for so long, that not only are the procedural aspects forgotten or repeated, but that when they actually get together the spark they once had is gone. However even if it got frustrating at times, Castle knew when to drew the line. There were some episodes during season four that I won’t be rewatching any time soon, but season five is becoming a fan favorite. Faithful to the show’s roots and comical spirit, the love story plotline doesn’t mean there’s no story left to be told; quite the contrary, it only means the writers get to play with other sides of the characters and cases, as well as the actors. The discovery of these other sides is more than fun to watch.
So with Castle there’s no curse, because you have a hard working group trying to deliver good television every week.The show as a whole laughs at itself, while having a bit of fun with itself, Castle gives a little wink here and there to the fans who in effect are also in on the laugh. Its not just about murder cases or a love story, but more about individuals with troubled pasts (including Castle, Beckett and also their immediate family at the 12th), making a difference, and all the while enjoying life as much as they can. Right now, it’s pretty good to be a Castle fan.
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