Castle - Season 1 & 2 [DVD]

Castle is a gem of a series: the tone is fun without being slapstick, the plots are serious without being boring, and the characters are wonderfully written and played. On the outside, it's yet another Cop + Random Expert show: Detective Kate Beckett works murders in New York; Richard Castle is a popular crime thriller writer with influential connections, who has just killed off his most famous character. A series of murders based on one of his books occurs, and Beckett goes to him for help. They don't get along - she's sharp and no-nonsense, he's laid back and imaginative - but they solve the case. Castle then decides to write a new series, using Beckett as inspiration, and gets himself permanently assigned to follow her around, much to her disgust.

The Castle/Beckett relationship is the heart of the show - they bicker, they argue, and yet they find they need each other. There's the inevitable romantic tension, but the show cleverly never lets it go too far. The murders they solve are as interesting as anything in other cop shows, and can be quite dark at times, but the fun is in how Beckett's police work runs up against Castle's annoyingly good intuition. The balance of the humour and the murder is extremely tricky to pull off, and the show gets it right time after time.

The other characters in the show aren't neglected either. Ryan and Esposito are junior detectives on the team, and although often in the background are well rounded and get good dialogue. Castle lives with his teenage daughter Alexis, who is sensible, mature, and generally more grown up than Castle. He is also lumbered with his mother, Martha, a dramatic social butterfly who occasionally pauses to give Castle some pithy advice on life. The use of his family really helps ground Castle as a character, and emphasises that he's just a tourist to the grimy world of crime. There's also Lanie, a cheerful Medical Examiner, and Captain Montgomery, who slowly develops from cliched tough-but-fair boss to a more rounded character.

This box set gives you the shorter first season, and the full-length season two. The first season takes a few episodes to get the balance right, but once it's in the swing of things each episode is a gem. The second season is a full 24 episodes, and had to to develop on season one without losing what made it special, and in the main it manages it. There is an ongoing plot about the death of Beckett's mother from some years ago, and Castle causes a lot of trouble by being too eager to get involved. The potential romance plot between the leads is given a few interesting twists, which keeps up the "will they/won't they" tension without letting too much happen. Some individual episodes in season 2 have to work hard not to be "murder of the week", and there are a few below-par ideas, but the dialogue and writing pulls them out of any problems. Overall, well worth picking up (and the later seasons are worth a watch too).

I have these dvds, bought from Amazon.com and they are great!
There is everything in this series, crime detection, humour,
romance, or the promise of romance between Castle and Kate Beckett
and so on. Each episode stands alone,but there is a series-running
story about Kate's mother's murder that threads its way through,
and is still ongoing in Season 4.
This is a really strong story line and makes for some very dramatic
episodes. This is a MUST for all fans of TV crime shows, this one
has something extra.

I posted my review of Castle on the Season/Series 1 DVD, so thought I would post it here and update it.

After watching series 1, I concluded that it was enjoyable at times but nothing outstanding, I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about really. People also kept on commenting on the great chemistry and although I found the odd moment here and there, I just couldn't see it.

I wasn't going to watch series 2 but a friend of mine told me to give it a try and I wasn't disappointed. It actually gets better and better, and now I am currently watching series 4. I couldn't wait for the DVD after the way series 3 ended (probably one of the best episodes you will see of Castle). You get to see Beckett's story about her Mother develop and you get to see a different side to Castle. Yes, some of the cases are pretty simple(I can normally spot the killer *SPOILER* any time there is a special guest star) but what makes the show work is their relationship (Castle and Beckett) and yes I now see the Chemistry and it's electric! You also get to know the other characters (Ryan and Esposito) and watch them develop on screen also. It's the first show I have watched where I actually like all of the characters - yes even the sometimes annoying (for some) daughter.

Sometimes for me, the case takes a back seat while I sit back and enjoy the Beckett and Castle interaction. There are some excellent stand out episodes (especially the continuity of past episodes)where the case is the central point of the episode, and when you get the developing characterisation of the major protagonists and a good story/case rolled into one then Castle is one of the best things on TV.

As mentioned series 3 is excellent, and the last episode is outstanding. However, I have just finished watching series 4(currently showing on Alibi - I couldn't wait another 9 months to watch it on TV!) and the ending of series 4 surpassed the ending to series 3 if that's possible! All I will say is CHEMISTRY! And an outstanding climax to a number of issues that was shadowed throughout series 4. The writing and acting on this show is top notch and one of the best crime dramadies out there (The Mentalist a close second). Enjoy!