S07.E08: Kill Switch

[verdana]

On all of these shows, I think they feel the longer someone goes without being with someone, the sadder they get. Like, when they're the young buck, it's fine, but as they get older, they think the character should want to settle down. It's worse for a woman, but I think they feel Esposito should look at all of the marriages around him and start getting the marriage bug. Hey, even Clooney got married. But it is boring, definitely. However, now that they've gotten back on the Esplanie train, I'm pretty certain it's gonna go all the way to the station.

This is a traditional show so everyone has to want to get married or they need to be searching for someone to marry, settle down and have babies with. But not everyone in life wants this and guys like him can be perfectly happy at his age (he's hardly old) being single and dating around. I don't see why they can't leave Espo alone, like you I always thought he came over as the carefree single guy not wanting too much commitment to contrast with that of Ryan. Jon is also better playing the tough, cynical guy. I don't think his range as an actor is particularly that good so trying to soften him up to cooing over Lanie and wanting babies suddenly might not be such a good idea.

Castle: Kill Switch – A Good Cop/Bad Cop Review at Lee Lofland.

It's not that easy to pull a gun from an officer's holster which doesn't surprise me since they're always in close proximity to people and I did also wonder about the virus if it was so deadly and infectious why were Castle and Beckett talking to the guy over his bed without any protective clothing on? I think he was behind a tent if I recall? But it still seemed a little weak after Gates had hammered it home how serious this virus was (even with a vaccine available) that they just walk in and walk out as if they're talking to any normal patient.

Edited November 26, 2014 by verdana

[TWP]

The plot was cliche and boring, yes, but I'm always saddened when I think the supporting cast are better actors than the leads. I think so with Jon, even though I'm not a fan of his character. I enjoyed him as a semi-lead. I agree, bring in this transit cop as an Espo love interest.

I don't know if they're directed to be so, but Castle and Beckett could have almost been replaced by cardboard cutouts this week, their emotional investment was so weak. For me the Hooch comment was terrible (and yes I do know the reference). It was poorly written and not very well played. It just didn't work.

I agree about Gates' role in over-explaining. Her lines reminded me of something a third grader might write to fill out a page count. Marlowe always complains about only having 43 minutes. This filler dialog belies that problem.

I didn't mind this episode. I think Jon could turn his character into something amazing if the writing allowed. It's nice to see that. Jon actually seems to have genuine emotions that he brings to the show, unlike Fillion, who seems a bit emotionally stunted to me, so doesn't really have the personal tools to act a wide range of emotions..... just my opinion.

[madmaverick]

I do really think it's unfair to label anyone, actors included, as "emotionally stunted", especially when one doesn't, I assume, have any personal knowledge of that person.  It's a form of personal attack that is uncalled for regardless of whether it's presented as "just an opinion".  People can describe fictional characters as they wish based on their understanding of them, or criticise actors' portrayal of them as they wish, but it's distasteful to me to bring the actor's personal character into it, especially when it doesn't seem to be founded on any personal knowledge of the person involved.

[oberon55]

I understand and agree with them expanding the secondary characters. The problem is they are terrible at pacing. They just about always go from a dead stop to full speed with no buildup in between. Everything always feels abrupt & sudden. Instead of showing a relationship building between Lanie & Esposito they are probably going to jump right in. This style of storytelling leaves me with no investment in the outcome. I really couldn't care less about Lanie or Esposito because I barely know who they are as people (what I do know about Esposito doesn’t exactly endear him to me). So I'm basically indifferent to their relationship.

[pepper]

I do really think it's unfair to label anyone, actors included, as "emotionally stunted", especially when one doesn't, I assume, have any personal knowledge of that person. 

I'm all for this if there is also a moratorium on saying what a nice person an actor is! Either way, it's opinion. Personally, I think people should be allowed to express those opinions either way, since they're based on what they read and see of the public persona. Maybe I'm strange, but where does "fairness" end and "censorship" begin?

[madmaverick]

Nothing was ever said about censorship; I merely expressed my sense of unfairness and distaste for the opinion expressed.  People can judge for themselves whether the opinion is valid and appropriate.  I personally don't see the logic in making assumptions about a person's character based on that person's onscreen performance.

 

Sure, there's free speech, but there's also a reason libel exists.

[pepper]

Ok, understood. But does the message board libel rule it also apply to Andrew Marlowe and why he writes the way he does about relationships?

[Gant]

I didn't know where to put it, there are all sorts of threads going now, so putting it here in the last episode thread.

 

After my sudden and somewhat unintentional Castle hiatus I've just about caught up with the season. The biggest surprise was that I actually did miss this show. Didn't feel it while not watching, but I guess my heightened level of enjoyment in the process of catching up can be attributed to this sudden discovery, lol. I missed the characters, missed the relationships, missed the silliness of it all (other shows I watch have nothing silly about them, so I get my dose only from Castle and Community). IDK if it's because of that+marathoning the episodes, but this season while still extremely uneven and seemingly aimless, feels much fresher and more enjoyable to me.

 

I have long ago learned to enjoy Castle in bits and pieces, and even though some of the bits are still as stale/forced as ever, there seem to be more bits that are just plain fun — sometimes if you switch your brain off, sometimes even with the brain on, lol. Have to say I found something to enjoy almost in every episode. Well, I doubt I'll be rewatching the premier, but as the first episode after my "hiatus" it still went by smoothly, I just know that in normal circumstances I would have been whining and complaining about all sorts of things in it. And Kill Switch — this is the first episode this season that really dragged and felt incredibly boring to me. May be my enthusiasm is finally wearing off, but more probable that I just don't care for Esposito and his troubles that much (even after a break). I'm trying to decide if I should watch in real time now, or store up several episodes to add the "missing" factor to my enjoyment again, lol. But I missed this board too, so guess it's real time for me now.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Gant

[madmaverick]

I am all for any rules being applied consistently and fairly.  

 

When I've criticised Marlowe, it's been in relation to his writing, not his personal character.  I can't speak for other posters, of course.

 

ETA:

this season while still extremely uneven and seemingly aimless, feels much fresher and more enjoyable to me.

 

Gant, welcome back.  Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder!  Glad that you're enjoying the show more this season.  I am, too.  It still has its issues of course (cough mythology amnesia cough, boring Espo episode), but somehow the Caskett chemistry has seemed better this season, or perhaps it's finally getting a good bedroom scene and satisfying wedding vows that have made me find this season more enjoyable.

Edited November 27, 2014 by madmaverick

[Gant]

Thank you, madmaverick, it certainly does (the heart thing). Yeah, this new mythology looks like a very shady slapdash job (if it even looks like anything, not much to go by), I can't believe they had the whole summer and couldn't think of anything better than the lame, as old as Philo Farnsworth, amnesia gimmick. There could be so many real life problems/background issues to give Rick Castle some much needed substance and development. But guess they had to start from the plot point of his disappearance in the midst of the wedding (because it was so important for the story, you see), so needed something big and deliberately improbable, and went to the soap opera textbooks.

 

So far it doesn't look to me like they even know what they're doing, and don't just make it up as they go along testing the audience reactions and gathering notes from the studio. IDK, I need to catch up on the interviews and BTS stuff as well, just my impression from the things I see on the show and managed to catch in the fandom. This season's episodes have a vaguely chaotic, random, aimless air about them IMO, which actually adds to this  feeling of freshness and fun, but doesn't bode well for the future, lol. If this helter-skelter touch is really because of the lack of direction and forethought of course.

Edited November 27, 2014 by Gant

[verdana]

Gant. I agree with you about Castle's "mythology", it's a pity that they couldn't find something more engaging for the character than what they've cooked up using the tired gimmick of convenient amnesia to create contrived drama.  Richard Castle deserves better. 

 

The season has felt aimless, there doesn't seem to be any plan that I can see. I don't like to think the ship is simply drifting with no firm direction in mind, as of now it feels more a case of watch, wait and see reactive writing by TPTB and not based on the conviction of your storytelling as a writer. 

 

As for being fresh and fun it looks like they're going to fall back into predictable bad habits soon with Castle and Beckett by creating contrived mini road bumps of angst for them to navigate when what they should be doing is concentrating on developing them as a happily married couple solving quirky cases together.

Edited November 28, 2014 by verdana

[McManda]

The season has felt aimless, there doesn't seem to be any plan that I can see. I don't like to think the ship is simply drifting with no firm direction in mind, as of now it feels more a case of watch, wait and see reactive writing by TPTB and not based on the conviction of your storytelling as a writer.

 

I don't think this season has been any more aimless than any of the other seasons, and certainly not more than the first two seasons, where there was no real season theme. S3 was probably the first real season theme they had - getting Castle and Beckett back as partners, watching them grow closer despite each having an SO. S4 was Beckett's recovery and her walls, S5 was them dating, S6 they were engaged, S7 now they're married. But if this season is "aimless", then so were the first 2 seasons. We didn't have a season arc or even a theme in those seasons. It was just Castle and Beckett solving crimes with a touch of her mom's case when the writers felt like they were bored.

 

I guess I don't fully understand this criticism, because because Castle is heavily based on procedural, it's going to be snippets and formulaic. It's the nature of the beast. It's not a show that's ever had a "last time on" to catch people up to speed because it never had to be. And maybe that makes it feel aimless, but again, that's more the way they've set up the show than anything else. They can have a theme, or an end goal, but it's never been the type of show that's been a clear cut on a single storyline.

 

And I think that's okay. If that's what any one person is looking for in this show, they're definitely going to be disappointed.

[Gant]

I wasn't talking about the lack of season arc, theme or anything like that, McManda, just a feeling I had while watching the episodes. Something in the air, lol. And it wasn't even a criticism.

[verdana]

Who directed this episode? It's the director's job to make the actors look engaged in what they're doing and inject some life into the proceedings, get them fired up and energised.  Everything was tepid - the writing, the directing and the acting - a pretty lethal combination.  I'm with you SweetTooth that having an episode that generates nothing other than boredom is the worst.

Edited November 28, 2014 by verdana

[S55]

To answer your question, verdana, Jeannot Szwarc directed this episode. His only other credit is last season's "Dressed to Kill." He's supposed to be a pretty well-known director, but I confess I'd never heard of him when he directed last year. I think he's already slated to return later this season too? 

[FlickerToAFlame]

Szwarc has directed a few episodes of Scandal that I watched recently. I binge watched so I didn't register any good or bad direction in his episodes vs. other directors'.

[pepper]

I thought Jon Huertas did a damn good job, so not sure what else the director could have expected of him. It was nice to see the police procedural part of the episode getting praise in Lee Lofland's review and that was in part due to the Huertas performance.

 

The guest actors were also excellent IMO and there's not a lot that the other actors could do with reams of exposition and a formulaic plot (which seem to be the main criticisms of the episode) so again, not sure how the director would fix that

[McManda]

Maybe if they'd made me care about Esposito before this, I might have been involved. But I don't relate to him. He's good for one-line wise-cracking, but a whole show about him left me cold.

I never felt any sort of apprehension or fear for Esposito, but not because the plot was weak or because the acting wasn't good. I've fallen into the TV viewer trap, where I think "well, he's a main-ish character, so they're probably not going to kill him. plus, we know Jon Huertas has at least a season long contract. this is a midseason episode, so nothing too horrible is going to happen; no cliffhangers, nothing super dramatic".

 

So I watch the episode as I would any other and go, "hey, when Espo jumps up to take down Jared Stone, it looks like he's mouthing "I love you, Lanie". (which was brought up later by Marisa the transit cop). I watch and go, "hey, I really like Marisa the transit cop, maybe they should keep her around". I watch and think, "hey, this is much less of a "theme" ... there's no zombies or vampires or ghosts or models or anything ... I like this idea".

 

My enjoyment didn't come from the suspense or the action or the acting or the directing. My enjoyment came from it feeling more like an episode of Castle (and less like a paint-by-numbers case where they threw in some characters), where it at least gave an opportunity to explore other characters (with Lanie having more to do than mention a cause of death, or Esposito solely being comedic relief, or Ryan just showing up with a "we got a hit" theory). I still think it was a solid episode, and much more rewatchable than others, even early episodes. Suicide Squeeze is always one that I tend to skip over, for some reason.