A Writer and His Muse is Dead

[java]

A writer and his muse is dead. I'm not talking about the cancellation bear and whether there will be a season 9 so I will not be attempting any sort of prognostication. I am saying that the premise of the show, the original hook of embedding a writer into the 12th Precinct, has outlived its purpose. Okay, okay. "Dead" may be overtly dramatic to hook y'all into reading this but I think the story has moved on, matured if you will, beyond Rick following Kate around and all the side adventures and stories spun from that original weave. At the end of the day, and for the sake of this show and fans alike, TPTB need to weave a new web and I think that's what they were attempting to do in both season 7 and 8.

The writing has not been all bad. Yes, I have besmirched, berated, and bemoaned season 8 but in hindsight it hasn't been a total failure. Mia "The Nose" was wickedly written and performed opposite Rick and what a delight that was to view. The season opening two parter was good until we got to the separation scene and that's the rub: tremendous plot holes. They're not numerous. They're just too large to overlook or ignore.

If I had to guess, I would say the showrunners are trying to find a new identity for Castle. I think they're trying things out and leaving themselves with a long midseason recess to re-evaluate the series arc, the season arc, and direction of the show. Is it a comedy? Drama? Procedural cop show? Romantic comedy? Slapstick comedy? These questions I believe are being answered as TPTB gauge fan’s and critic’s reactions so they may reformulate the show to keep old fans and bring in new viewers.

Obviously, at the core will always be Rick and Kate and I'm positive we, they, and everyone in between knows that. What is being determined is how do you move beyond the writer and his muse? A writer and his wife? No. A PI and his wife? No. A PI and a Captain? No stupid walking into a bar jokes, please. A writer and the senator? Not yet. A writer and his...

[castlelover66]

Good thoughts, java.

[nathanfan1]

I enjoyed your reflections, Java. I definitely think you're right that the decision to remove Kate from her detective job at the 12th - no matter where they moved her to - has necessitated a change in the dynamic. They can't keep finding ways for Castle to be involved in the cases at the 12th without it feeling very contrived. 

Maybe I'm not like the majority of the Castle audience but I was happy with the old dynamic and wish they'd have left Kate right where she was. I believe it would have been very enjoyable to see the Caskett relationship and the growth of all the characters evolve with the crime solving as the catalyst for topics. TPTB seem to think that change was necessary in order to keep the audience coming back. Unfortunate that the change they chose is driving people away.

[CF40]

You are not alone NF!  I was just fine with the Writer and his muse premise and was quite looking forward to seeing them navigate working together and being newlyweds.  Boy, what a surprise we got hunh??   <sigh>


Here it is Thursday afternoon and I still haven't watched "The Nose" and honestly haven't given it much thought.  That's where I am and I think others are too.  Indifference with fans is the quickest way to kill a show IMO so I wonder what will happen after the very long winter hiatus.  

[ProudTVJunkie]

Great topic java.

Obviously the TPTB felt that the premise of "a writer and his muse" could not sustain a long running series and they made Kate a Captain and Castle a P.I.

I loved Kate as a detective and she and Castle working side by side along with Esposito and Ryan. For me, that and the Caskett romance are where the magic happens. This season TPTB have taken both of those things away and it’s stolen a lot of my enjoyment from the show.

I was hoping that Kate would be asked to lead some sort of task force, she’d ask Ryan and Espo to join her and Castle would be there right along with them. I suppose expectation is the root of disappointment.

Can the new premise be fixed? Do you think it needs to be or are you enjoying the new dynamic?

[Fossie]

I know that everything has to evolve but I thought, much like on Bones, it would be the relationships that would evolve as our favorite characters investigate murders together each week.

I didn't like the AG story because Castle and Beckett were apart. Last year's P.I. story was tolerable because we all knew it was temporary so it was easier to enjoy the better moments and wait it out but I never wanted to see the P.I. arc come back.

Is there a way to go back to having Caskett back together both at work and at home and have Ryan and Esposito be a part of their work team again? I hope so.

[java]

Oct 22, 2015 16:04:49 GMT -5 CF40 said:

You are not alone NF!  I was just fine with the Writer and his muse premise and was quite looking forward to seeing them navigate working together and being newlyweds.  Boy, what a surprise we got hunh??   <sigh>


Here it is Thursday afternoon and I still haven't watched "The Nose" and honestly haven't given it much thought.  That's where I am and I think others are too.  Indifference with fans is the quickest way to kill a show IMO so I wonder what will happen after the very long winter hiatus.  

I highly encourage you to watch "The Nose". The interaction between The Nose and The Writer makes this episode. It may also provide insight into what I'm talking about in this thread. Maybe, lol!

But seriously, watch the episode.

[java]

Oct 22, 2015 16:22:31 GMT -5 ProudTVJunkie said:

Great topic java.

Obviously the TPTB felt that the premise of "a writer and his muse" could not sustain a long running series and they made Kate a Captain and Castle a P.I.

I loved Kate as a detective and she and Castle working side by side along with Esposito and Ryan. For me, that and the Caskett romance are where the magic happens. This season TPTB have taken both of those things away and it’s stolen a lot of my enjoyment from the show.

I was hoping that Kate would be asked to lead some sort of task force, she’d ask Ryan and Espo to join her and Castle would be there right along with them. I suppose expectation is the root of disappointment.

Can the new premise be fixed? Do you think it needs to be or are you enjoying the new dynamic?

PTVJ, I think the current premise with Capt Beckett and Rick the P.I. can work given enough time for the story to unfold with good writing. Heck, anything will work if the show sticks with “Castle Logic” and stays consistent. I know, “Don’t ruin my story with your logic”, but clearly we've seen the price for touching a sacred cow (eg the one and done) without showing the fans that it was necessary and in a manner that makes sense. For example, Beckett leaving Castle to protect him doesn’t work because with The Dragon’s partner Kate doesn’t have a bank account for leverage nor any leverage at all.

Now, what I’m about to suggest must be viewed with the understanding that I have no law enforcement experience and I have no idea what role a police captain performs other than managing staff and dealing with the press. We saw a bit of this with Monty and so shall we see it with Beckett but I do think this position does open the show up for other possibilities. Let's first tackle the onscreen Castle/Beckett time together.

It will diminish. Sorry, no way around this but it doesn't have to be every episode. Rick can head to the 12th with Kate but it's not about the books anymore. I don't see why he cannot be a part of murder investigations as Kate runs multiple teams looking at multiple murders and using her husband's insights to help solve cases, deal with politicians, and pull strings. The man knows people and he's always saying, "I know a guy". This part of the show can also expand to include fresh faces with the main focus on Ryan and Sgt. Esposito. I don't want Hayley around because she's acting as a consultant which is what Rick is doing so either fold her into the team with Espo leading and Beckett commanding or use her only for very specific cases.

Not every episode needs to be about the 12th or murder. Why can't we have a storyline where our couple are together doing things married folks do and if need be have Beckett commanding by phone? Lots of flexibility here and I'm just suggesting that not every episode needs to include a murder investigation. Maybe they're out doing something personal and it's not until the end of the show that Beckett gets called because of a murder or an investigation gone wrong and runs off to work.

Conspiracy theories. Why not blackmail Kate? Why not put the pressure on Kate like they did to the assistant AG, Allison Hyde? How about a series arc where there are those who are pushing and grooming her for the Senate because they see potential as well as The Dragon's partner pushing her for his/her own personal gain down the road? Why not use the cop that took down Bracken set up to replace him and have a struggle and fight to manipulate Kate to become the next Dragon using her husband, his family, and her father and friends as leverage? She can't protect them all yet she also has resources to turn the table on them down the road. Now, that's a show I'd watch.

So there's a ton of possibilities to make this a good or great show again. They just need direction and make the story work. Fart jokes or having Kevin bending over screaming to be shot in the buttocks isn't the show I look forward to. But, yes, I believe the current dynamics can work.

[willtcastle]

      If I am being honest, the final episode of Season 7 pretty much ensured that whatever career path the TPTB chose for Beckett, it would take time and focus away from the Castle-Beckett partnership at the precinct.

      We have to realize once again (And more imp the TPTB), that at the heart of it all, Castle the show is about the Castle and Beckett relationship both personal and professional. Without their interactions on these two fronts, the show suffers, because  that is what the fans have come to associate it with over the years. That is how the showrunners presented it to begin with and that is how it was developed over the years. Not as a drama/procedural/comedy/dramedy but as the love story of Castle and Beckett.

      Keeping that premise in mind, once they decided to disrupt their professional partnership to a significant extent with Beckett dealing with her own team while being the captain at the precinct (No matter how hands-on she could be) and Castle expanding his PI venture, something needed to be done to balance what was lost from their professional dynamic.

      That should have meant a greater focus on their personal life and their marriage. They needed to show more of how they managed their day to day life as a couple while trying to navigate their increased focus on their (Now) individual careers. Instead, what they have ended up doing is drive them apart in their personal life as well. End result being we literally and figuratively have no Castle and Beckett. Now the TPTB might try and spin it whichever way they want (And harp on about how the Caskett relationship will be Always at the center of the show), but the reality is the show has moved away from that as Season 8 has progressed.

       I guess they will eventually go back to a PI writer and his captain muse solving cases (Though not to the extent and not with the level of interaction that they previously had), but where will their personal life and marriage be at the end of all this? Will those moments be highlighted and greater in no or will the show settle continue to focus on developing the side characters and their relationship with Castle/Beckett to make up a good portion of every episode.

[java]

Oct 22, 2015 22:49:45 GMT -5 willtcastle said:

If I am being honest, the final episode of Season 7 pretty much ensured that whatever career path the TPTB chose for Beckett, it would take time and focus away from the Castle-Beckett partnership at the precinct.


We have to realize once again (And more imp the TPTB), that at the heart of it all, Castle the show is about the journey of Castle and Beckett as their relationship develops. Without their interactions, the show suffers, simply because of what we have come to identify it with. That is how the showrunners presented it to begin with and that is how it was developed over the years. Not as a drama/procedural/comedy/dramedy but as the love story of Castle and Beckett.

Keeping that premise in mind, once they decided to disrupt their professional partnership to a significant extent with Beckett dealing with her own team while being the captain at the precinct (No matter how hands-on she could be) and for Castle to expand his PI venture, something needed to be done to balance what was lost from their professional dynamic.

That should have meant a greater focus on their personal life and their marriage. They needed to show more of how they managed their day to day life as a couple while trying to navigate their increased focus on their (Now) individual careers. Instead, what they have ended up doing is drive them apart in their personal life as well. End result being we literally and figuratively have no Castle and Beckett. Now the TPTB might try and spin it whichever way they want (And harp on about how the Caskett journey will be at the center of the show), but the reality is the show has moved away from that as the episodes run by.

Castle has always been this quirky romantic comedy about a writer and his muse coming together and forming a family bond. Yes, the heart of the show is family whether it's at the loft or at the 12th and it is this coming together of broken lives that I tune in for although the occasional great story lines do grab me. Breaking up this family, this sacred cow, even temporarily, ruins a great show, especially with such a weak justification.

Whether Kate is a detective, captain, or Senator, and whether Rick is a writer or a PI should only be logical progression as their story unfolds but I absolutely agree that at the heart of it all is them, their family and friends. We all may differ in how we believe that family should be portrayed and the amount of screen time and "shut the front door" moments, but having Beckett walk out 2 episodes into season 8 was unbelievable.

[willtcastle]

I completely agree with you. The cases/overarching storylines for this show are an addendum to what Caskett and their relationship is. To a large extent, they have been used to develop the characters (Sometimes for the better and at other times, well....) so that they would be able to build a partnership to begin with and then turn it into a relationship that would culminate in marriage and be strong enough to sustain itself through the trials and tribulations that the lead characters will face because of the nature of their jobs.

Their circle of family and friends help add more shades and depth to Castle and Beckett and give us more eyes with which to view them and their adventures, but eyes which aren't impersonal.

The problem I suppose we fans don't want to address is that for the TPTB it just isn't about looking at how the characters want their story to be told, but the nitty-gritties involved in developing and running a Tv show in the real contrived world of entertainment. That means having to accommodate other stakeholders from the network to the actors and so on and so forth. In a no of cases, they are restricted in their ability to tell a story as they would want to/as the fans expect them to either through a lack of understanding of the concept of what romantic relationships/married life in reality looks like or because of the constraints they face.

Sorry I just went on a completely different tangent. My point is because of one or the other reason, almost all showrunners who find themselves in a similar situation end up taking the easier way out, breaking up the couple to create angst and buy as much time as they possibly can before they HAVE to focus on the elephant in the room. If it ensures the survival of the show in question for another season or two, everyone associated with the show wins.