4 Mondays out: 4 Reasons why I think the Castle fandom needs to take a deep breath and enjoy the ride.

Castle fans have been all a flutter since the May proposal of one Richard Edgar Castle to one Katherine Houghton Beckett. First there was awe, then brutal dissection of scenes and dialogue which led to night sweats of hiatus withdrawal offering up everything from conspiracy theories to impending doom for our much beloved 'Caskett'. July arrived with a slew of spoilers, guest star announcements and as a result, we have a fan base gone mad with anticipation. As we arrive at four precious weeks out from the Sept 23rd season premiere fans were given a morsel of what the opening moments of season 6 are going to offer.

Instead of over thinking the tease, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on why in the sound and fury I remain calm, excited and unconcerned about the two hanging questions and their implications for this upcoming season.

1) The Dance
Andrew Marlowe and co. have thoughtfully built Castle around this central relationship, not their love affair, but their relationship. The moment that made this clear was the final five minutes of Sucker Punch in season 2. Beckett discovering and then having to kill the man who murdered her mother is the moment for me when this series made a specific turn towards the potential depth of intimacy this duo possessed. Yes, we've been given five years of double meanings, sexual tension, missed opportunities, sideways knowing glances and ultimately coupling. More importantly however is the fabric woven together around these two characters that allowed the viewers to discover their mutual respect, admiration and affection for one another. Love isn't about the things you adore, it's about the willingness to accept the things you don't. What makes me most excited about season 6 is that the close of season 5 left these two characters in completely uncharted territory and primed to explore what it is to truly love and accept someone for who they actually are.

2) The Ying Yang
This show has always been about the sum of its parts. The strength of the supporting cast be it Molly Quinn and Susan Sullivan giving Rick Castle depth and perspective or Semus Dever and John Huertas as Beckett's extended family and a home at the 12th. Much deserved credit and screen time has evolved for these characters and gives Castle the feel and depth of an ensemble piece. Time (and the writers) have served this show well resulting in wonderful character nuances. But the real accomplishment can be found in the fact that the nuance extends beyond the leads and regular cast.

For me the balance (ying yang if you will) that the writers have crafted so well are the people we hardly see but are integral to how we understand our leads. Think about it - Jim Beckett, Meredith, Josh, Gina, etc. are clearly defined characters in the show's pantheon and as a viewer they are vital to both Castle and Beckett's back stories. However when you look at the credits, Meredith has only been seen in two episodes over the life of the series, yet her influence permeates our outlook on Castle particularly as it relates to his commitment to Beckett. No character better defines the shows use of back story than Jim Beckett, played with such quiet strength by Scott Paulin. Unseen until midway through season 2 and only five times over the course of the series you would be hard pressed to find a fan who doesn't feel as closely connected to him as they do to Martha. His diner scenes with Kate are pivotal in forcing her to stay honest with herself. His conversation with Rick in Knockout gave viewers a window into Beckett's vulnerability and offered the audience it's clearest moment of Kate's feelings for Rick. It is a testament to the writing, casting and actors who in such small amounts offer so much dimension to the central story and theme of the show over the last five years. Adding new recurring characters and expanding the Castle universe for me doesn't take away from the core group we've followed the last five years. It offers an opportunity to observe them through a new and different lens which is ripe with possibility.

3) The Secret Ingredient

The crew. You often hear mention of the crew by many of the actors on the show and many of them can be found on Twitter. I recently sat down and watched the commentary episodes from past seasons. The well deserved reverence that the cast and creators have for the the dozens of people who literally create the world these characters inhabit is boundless. They are the secret ingredient that makes Castle a Monday night treat. I actually marvel at the intricacies that exist on Castle's sets that offer continuity, character definition and plot advancement. The combination of set design, lighting, music and costumes are a character within the show. 

One of the most salient examples the DVDs revealed was the attention, detail and effort placed into the murder boards. The continuity that these details provide serve the actors, the characters they play and lend authenticity to the show and deepens the investment we make as a viewer. Then of course there are episodes like The Blue Butterfly and Final Frontier that are just a feast for the eye in costume and set design. Only listening to the commentary do you really gain insight to the camaraderie this crew has and the joy that emanates from all their hard work. Whether its the big set pieces or small recurring themes, like Castle's remote controlled helicopters, the care and attention given to the world these artists so carefully create is something I can only imagine will be more intriguing as the potential expansion of the Castle universe grows in season 6.


4) Always
The TV shows I love most capture me because of the care and feeding given through the vision and steady hand of its creators. When a show captures my imagination, I don't care about the destination and figuring out how it might all end. Instead I am invested in how the characters get there and what they discover along the way. What made the protracted road of Castle and Beckett's courtship work was that the characters were never merely marking time until they got together. We watched Castle struggle to be a better man, not just for Beckett, but to Alexis and Martha. We held out hope that Beckett would figure out how to get out of her own way and learn to be vulnerable and defined by something beyond her mother's murder. I invested in these flawed characters because they are in fact evolving. It's what makes them interesting and their journey in season 6 more than an answer at the top of the episode. I don't blindly love all of Castle's 105 episodes, but I do admire the way the show has built a universe of people who I have grown invested in a little more each passing year. I trust that no one is more invested in this show than Andrew Marlowe, his cast and his crew to continue to take us on a journey that entertains us as it has faithfully the last five years.

That said, is it September 23rd yet?

REVIEW: Broadchurch - BBC America accomplishes everything AMC's The Killing didn't.

 
Broadchurch is the latest series to arrive from BBC America. The story centers around the death of a young boy, Danny Latimer and subsequent police investigation in a small ocean side town called Broadchurch. The series opens quickly laying out very little back story as it introduces us to the Latimer family, relevant townspeople and a new chief investigator (Alec Hardy) - an outsider who has taken the job over a resident officer (Ellie Miller) the woman passed over for the position.

Tonight marks the third episode in its eight episode run. In that brief two hours Broadchurch has already exceeded everything I had hoped The Killing would be and wasn't. Like Orphan Black before it, Broadchurch seizes hold of its narrative and through sharp, deliberate dialogue establishes several secrets and mysteries surrounding the murder. The creators use everything at their disposal to build suspense and mood for the show. Stellar examples include a deft use of stop motion action, muted color palettes and long camera angles that make the town of Broadchurch a character within the show.

David Tenant (of Dr. Who fame) leads the wonderful cast of actors who rapidly embody this story with effective acting and a realistic emotional gut punch. Tenant balances the role of outsider with an aloof, mercurial sarcasm that serves as a great counterpoint to Olivia Coleman's (The Iron Lady and Hot Fuzz) portrayal of Ellie Miller. I don't know Coleman's work well but find her character bold with a strong defensiveness of small town living that is mix of anger and pride. The casting is key, because the actors all look and feel as though they were born, raised and now raise their children in this sleepy seaside village where everyone is familiar and at times related.

What draws you into this show immediately isn't the mystery of how this young boy died but the utter horror his family, in particular his parents, go through when they realize he is missing and ultimately that he has been murdered. Jodi Whittaker and Andrew Buchan take on Danny's parents. Their smart acting choices and honest dialogue will make any parent cry with empathy for that moment of your worst nightmare being fully realized. As strong as Whittaker's discovery is that her son may be dead, Buchan's heartbreaking monologue over his son's body is simply devastating. I was struck by the end of the first episode how quickly I invested in a set of characters I barely knew anything about, it is a great credit to this cast for making you care. Broadchurch drew me in and captivated me in less than an hour, a feat The Killing couldn't manage in 13 full episodes.

Broadchurch follows in Orphan Black's footsteps crafting a show with great storytelling, quality acting and well plotted pacing. Broadchurch is a methodical thriller, teasing out key points of information just as you begin to form an opinion. With only eight episodes for the season I have great confidence that this mystery will unfold with a minimum of red herrings and circular plots to fill time. Unlike the much talked about Under the Dome, each episode has offered interesting answers that open up a host of new questions. Where Under the Dome seems to be marking time for a second season dangling minor points of interest in between random killings Broadchurch is building suspense through character reveals, compounding secrets and conversations that feed the viewer clues to Danny Latimer's murder. It is a feast for the eye and ear that is not to be missed.

Broadchurch is the best thing on television this summer and for minimal investment you will be treated to a mystery that promises to be solved at the end of the eighth episode. Really, is there a better way to spend a Wednesday evening than in the town of Broadchurch?

Elmore Leonard defined what it means to change the game.

 

Elmore Leonard is the reason I like George Clooney as an actor.

Elmore Leonard is the reason Timothy Olyphant is giving one of the best performances on television right now.

Elmore Leonard is the reason I love complex characters.

Elmore Leonard is the standard by which I assess great dialogue in both movies and television.

I came to Elmore Leonard later than many. Sure, as a movie buff I had seen more than a handful of his films, Out of Sight being a standout. However, it wasn't  until 2001 when I read his NY Times essay about the Ten Rules on Writing that I began to pick up his novels.   

I have been a fan of thrillers and crime stories since I was in Junior High. The books I love are because I become riveted by the plot and can't wait to see where a story is taking me or I connect to a character's perspective and outlook on the situations and circumstances surrounding them. Those are the aspects of novels that keep me up until 4AM reading. Like Leonard, I don't ever "want hooptedoodle to get mixed up with the story". Pound for pound you'd be hard pressed to find it in any of his stories. In its place you will discover funny, astute and intriguing dialogue. Dialogue that serves to propel the story and define the character who speaks it. It's the gift and originality that made Elmore Leonard a standout. the show Justified, created from one of the stories in Fire in the Hole offers us U.S. Marshall Raylan Givens who embodies the ability Leonard had for developing people that lived on the grey line that exists between the law and criminals. Four seasons in the series has told stories that range in interest and plausibility, but all are surrounded by terrific, unpredictable characters whose motivation for action is always evolving.

The legacy of Elmore Leonard for me will always be his dialogue. Many terrific examples exist, but for me this defines his greatness.

Much will be written in the upcoming days about the 'Dickens of Detroit'. I seriously doubt any of it will capture the wit, complexity and sheer joy that you will find by picking up one of Leonard's books. Plus, you'll never have to read a prologue if you do.

Laughter of Women: It begins with Lucille Ball

Eileen Brennan's recent passing got me thinking about the legacy of funny women we see in entertainment. Comedy, often in the form of a TV sitcom has provided fertile ground for women to thrive on television. Over the ages we've watched women break barriers and offer social commentary all while generating a tremendous amount of laughter. I initially started to create a top ten list of my favorites but quickly generated a list of 15 names and I was barely in the 1980s. So instead I've decided to highlight women individually and thematically. The vast diverse talent of comedic women warrants it and besides it allows me to wax nostalgic on some of the terrific TV shows I grew up loving and now share with my own daughter, thanks to cable syndication and streaming. These periodic posts will simply reflect women who I find luminescent, smart and funny.I am sure those of you reading have an instant list in your own head. Here's to seeing how much our lists coincide.

Any conversation about comedy, women and television must begin with Lucille Ball. Period. Fittingly, today would have been the great Lucy's 102nd birthday. I Love Lucy was a groundbreaking show for a myriad of reasons. It was the first television show to shoot in 35 mm film and pioneered the use of a three camera shoot in front of a live audience. In fact, CBS initially balked on the show because they didn't believe audiences would accept Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as a couple on television because due to the fact that he was Cuban. However, the most impressive act around this historic show was Lucille Ball's business sense, when she along with Arnaz conceded a portion of their salaries to own the rights to the show.

Still, what made I Love Lucy an iconic part of television history was the singular physical comedic brilliance embodied by Lucille Ball. It is well documented that Ms. Ball did not think she was funny. In fact she actively sought out mentors and coaches to perfect her physical comedy. Given the clip below, I would dare anyone to look at any given scene from this show and not laugh. Her perfectionist desire certainly paid off in spades.

I began watching reruns of I Love Lucy weekday afternoons after school. The humor, hijinks and misunderstandings are a fundamental mix that we still see in TV sitcoms today. Think about the great married sitcom couples - Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Ray and Debra Barone, and most recently Claire and Phil Dunphy. All owe a debt to the foundation I Love Lucy created over 60 years ago. The situations that Lucy, Ricky, Fred and Ethel found themselves in remain universal and as a result timeless. I know this with absolute certainty because just the other day I came downstairs to find my 8 year old watching a marathon of episodes on the Hallmark Channel by her own her choice. In an age of kids obsessed with bad Nickelodeon and Disney 'tween comedies' that's saying something.

More often than not tributes point to the classic moments of Vitametavegamin and the candy making episode. For my money "Hollywood At Last" remains the pinnacle showcase of Lucille Ball's genius. I begin laughing with anticipation the moment they sit down at The Brown Derby and I am in tears by the time she butters her hand. The back and forth between her and a straight faced, silent William Holden is spectacular. Ultimately what makes I Love Lucy's comedic genius work is that there is never a false note or trace of cynicism in the joke. No matter how ludicrous the situation, how exaggerated the moment Lucille Ball conveys a sincerity that makes the audience adore her the way that Ricky does. There is a pure joy the emanates from the final scene in each episode, especially the ones when Ricky is singing to her.

In an age of crass and often derogatory humor I Love Lucy is a great reminder that comedy can be rooted in joy and that the human condition, irony and shared experience will always generate a knowing smile, no matter the generation of the audience that is watching.

We all have our favorite Lucy moments, let me know yours in the comments. In the mean time join me in remembering Lucy Ricardo's birthday on what would have been Lucille Ball's 102nd.

Happy Birthday Lucy!