Castle - Under the Gun

Network: ABC
Time: Mondays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever, Susan Sullivan, Molly C. Quinn

Summary: Encoded evidence sparks Castle's imagination during the investigation into a bail bondsman's murder, but Beckett dismisses his wild theories.  Meanwhile, Beckett's reunion with her ex-partner turns romantic, much to Castle's chagrin.

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the episode.  Please don't read if you don't want to know.

Review: How have I not been watching Castle since the beginning?  Seriously, why did it take me two seasons to discover how wonderful this show is?

The brilliance of Castle comes across in a few ways.  The first is the writing.  It's witty, it's silly and sometimes it's serious, and it always works.  I can't think of a moment when one of the characters said something that made me wince because it was too goofy or too cheesy.  There's a wonderful give and take between all the actors that makes the writing come to life, and it flows so easily that I can't help but wish people really spoke like that.

Even the best script can be ruined by bad acting though.  Fortunately, Castle doesn't have that problem.  No, they won't all win Emmys, but they're a solid group of actors, and, most importantly, they're all believable in their parts.  The concept behind Castle is farfetched to begin with (face it, the NYPD would never let a writer tag along, no matter how famous he was), but it's easy to buy the premise when the acting and writing creates a world where it all makes sense.  Even cliched lines seem funnier than normal (like Nathan Fillion's spectacularly delivered, "Beckett, you were a girl once," that elicited a very loud and inappropriate laugh).

But there's more that creates great moments than meets the eye, things we don't necessarily notice but affect our subconscious.  This is the first episode where I really noticed how the show is directed, but, upon reflection, it's not the first time the direction has made a good (or sometimes mediocre) moment that much better.  Knowing when to focus on the character who's speaking and when to turn to the reacting character is more of an art than most people realize, and Castle does it better than most, especially since both Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic are such expressive actors.  In particular, I'm thinking of the scene where Beckett was on the phone with Royce after he betrayed her, and they cut to the shocked and horrified expression on Castle's face.  A picture really does say a thousand words.

The only flaw I can find is that the cases are always predictable, sometimes to the point of detracting from the episode.  I know it's hard to have a twist when every character you introduced winds up playing a part in the crime, but it was obvious from the start that they were all involved.  It actually made me kind of angry when Royce betrayed Beckett.  This isn't just something that happens in Castle (in fact, NCIS is the worst culprit), but why is it that when a character who has some kind of history with one of the stars shows up, they always wind up being a bad guy?  For once, couldn't he have just been a guy?  It creates unnecessary drama in a show that doesn't need to be too dramatic.

On the other hand, it did give Stana Katic an opportunity for a beautifully done monologue.

If you don't watch Castle already (and are, for some reason, reading this review), go find the old episodes and catch up.  It's only two seasons deep, and it's definitely worth the watch.  New episodes air on Monday nights at 10pm on ABC.


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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

Blue Bloods - Samaritan

Network: CBS
Time: Fridays, 10:00-11:00pm
Cast: Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynihan, Will Estes, Len Cariou

Summary: The Reagans weigh the pros and cons of vigilantism when a man with a police record takes action against a criminal who is terrorizing riders on a subway.

Review: Overall, I was very disappointed by the quality of the new shows this season.  Out of the 35 shows I planned to watch, at least 17 of them werefreshmen.  As of week three, I'm still watching seven.  Blue Bloods is one of them, but I'm not completely sold yet.

I'll start with the positives.  Blue Bloods has a phenomenal cast, and they bring their A-game to each episode.  What's more: they're given a quality script to work with.  This probably wouldn't go on my list of "best chemistry" shows, but they do alright.  I can believe that these people are a family, albeit one with a few issues to work through. 

I also found the case in "Samaritan" to be particularly interesting.  A lot of shows these days focus only on solving murders (and sometimes kidnappings).  Sometimes it's easy to forget that there are other crimes that are also heinous, but not nearly as sexy.  Though there was a murder in this episode, it's not really the main conflict.  Instead, they deal with robbery and gang violence, which occur far more frequently but are reported far less.

Now for the negatives.  To start, I hate the mystery story they developed for Jamie.  I'm bothered by the growing trend in crime shows where the first episode needs to introduce some big mystery that will unfold throughout the season/series.  Jane and Red John in The Mentalist.  Neil and Kate in White Collar.  Even Callen's unknown past in NCIS: Los Angeles.  It works in some shows (like The Mentalist and Monk).  But some shows, like this one, don't need a big complex puzzle to solve.  I haven't yet grown to care about the living characters in Blue Bloods; I certainly don't care about their dead brother.  It's enough right now to develop the characters through episode-centered stories until they're more fully formed.  I like seeing how they balance their family and their jobs (especially since most of the family is working together).  Why does it have to be more complicated than that?

That's the biggest fault I see so far.  I'd like to see Bridget Moynihan's character get a story for herself, but it's only the second episode, so there's still time for that.  I'd also like to see the side characters develop a little better.  Right now, the only one I can identify is Jamie's partner.  I know Frank has both an assistant and a girlfriend, but I don't know which is which when they come on screen (situational clues notwithstanding).  Also Danny has a family and Jamie a girlfriend, but I don't feel like we know anything about them.  Again, this will probably change as the season progresses.

I do like watching Blue Bloods, but I hope some things change and grow as it continues.  The first few episodes of a show aren't always indicative of its future, so I have faith that, given enough time, this has the potential to develop into a really enjoyable program.


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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

NCIS: Los Angeles - Borderline

Network: CBS
Time: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00pm
Cast: Chris O'Donnell, LL Cool J, Daniela Ruah, Linda Hunt, Barrett Foa, Peter Cambor, Eric Christian Olsen

Summary: Deeks and Kensi partner on a mission to find three marines who disappeared after their Humvee was ambushed in the desert.

Warning: This review contains spoilers for the episode.  Stop now unless you've seen the episode or you don't care.

Review: NCIS: Los Angeles is a show that really started growing into itself towards the end of season one, culminating in a wonderful season finale and a strong two-part premiere.  I was worried when pre-production started that it could never live up to its predecessor, but there are times when I actually think it might be better than the original (not that I don't love NCIS, of course!).

I find this show far more serious than NCIS.  The characters manage to have both a sense of humor and a level of professionalism, and they deal with more international terrorism cases than simply missing or murdered Marines.  They also don't have the "cowboy" quality that Gibbs' team has.  For the most part, they follow the rules.  When they do break them, it's because of special circumstances.

This episode centered around a Mexican drug cartel that had kidnapped two Marines and killed another.  To find the missing Marines, the team split into two groups.  Sam (with Callen as backup) reactivated a dangerous undercover identity to work the drug angle, while Kensi and Deeks tried to track the cartel through the southern California desert.  The humor went with Kensi and Deeks; the drama went with Callen and Sam.

Amidst the case was a lingering mystery... where did Hetti send Nate, and how did he learn to shoot?
The  drug cartel story was done well.  Unlike NCIS, Los Angeles seems to be able to pull off case-based episodes, even when the characters' personal lives aren't in the forefront.  This may be because Los Angeles is newer and hasn't had as much time to use lots of different scenarios.  Or it could be because they don't look for plot twists; the focus of this story was how they got from the crime to the rescue.

The chemistry between Kensi and Deeks was pretty good as well, though Deeks is clearly struggling to find his place in the show.  I liked him when they introduced him, so I'm hoping he eventually settles in.


My biggest problem was the resolution of Nate's storyline.  I understand that the writers and producers are trying to show the audience that no character is safe, but did they really need to write Nate out?  The team was working, and his character provided something that no other offers: the psychological insight into the criminals (as well as the team).  Obviously the show can survive without him, but it's stronger when he's there.  I haven't heard whether or not it was Peter Cambor's choice to leave, nor do I know if this is a permanent move, but I'm bothered by the trend in shows to get rid of the side characters whose jobs are not the main focus of the show.  I hope he'll be back by the end of the season.

Speaking of side characters, I heard rumors that Eric is in for a story of his own sometime soon, and I'm really looking forward to seeing some more of him, considering I think he had about five lines this episode.

"Borderline" was another in a line of solid episodes of NCIS: Los Angeles, but I worry that constantly shaking up the team will turn more people off than the quality writing and acting can keep.  It is only the beginning of the second season, so I suppose the show is still suffering from some growing pains, but I hope they don't do any damage to themselves while they continue to develop.

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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

NCIS - Worst Nightmare

Network: CBS
Time: Tuesdays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Sean Murray, Cote de Pablo, Pauley Perrette, David McCallum, Rocky Carroll, Brian Dietzen

Summary: The team searches for a kidnapped girl, whose grandfather complicates the investigation.

Review: I continuously have the same problem with NCIS.  I love the show--it's one of my most highly anticipated of the week--but the case-related plot lines have recently started to fall flat.  I started noticing this with the introduction of the Michael Rivkin storyline in season 6, but then it started to pick up again in season 7... until the drug cartel.  There was no need to delve further into what Gibbs did after Shannon and Kelly were killed, no reason to humanize the man he murdered.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I was perfectly fine with him remaining anonymous, and the act simply being a part of Gibbs' past that no one really knows about.

I know that story was (mostly) resolved in the season 8 premiere, but this week's plot wasn't much stronger.  This time, a kidnapped little girl's grandfather turns out to be not what the NCIS team expected, and he gets in the way of their investigation into her disappearance.  It wasn't that it was overly complex or overly simple or anything like that.  It just wasn't that interesting.  Is it possible NCIS is running out of interesting cases, or was this one just a little weak?

But then the cases have never been why I tuned in to NCIS each week.  I do that because I'm completely in love with the characters, and I love to watch them interact with each other.  And, in that respect, this episode was certainly worth the time.  It was intern week at NCIS, and each section of the team had a college student to teach.  Most of the focus was on McGee and his intern Conrad (played by Greek's Zack Lively), who really didn't want to be there.  It was wonderful to see McGee, who's done a considerable amount of growing up since he first appeared on the show, with a probie of his own... even if it was just for now.  Not only did it emphasize the changes in McGee, but it was good to get some fresh blood into the bullpen.  Whether Lively will start making regular appearances seems unlikely, but it might be good for them to introduce a new cast member to shake things up a little.

The intern in the morgue created an interesting kind of story for Palmer, who didn't appear until midway through the episode to find his place at Ducky's side may have been usurped.  The new girl shared Ducky's love for long, rambling stories and Scottish music, and poor Palmer wasn't sure what to do with that.  I was mildly amused by his quest to find a new place at NCIS, but I mostly just felt bad for him.  For awhile I really thought they were grooming him to take Ducky's place, but now I'm not so sure.  Hopefully this episode was an anomaly, and Palmer will go back to being the autospsy gremlin we all know and love next episode.

The final intern was in Abby's lab.  Abby, it must be said, has had some bad experiences with people in her lab, and she was not happy about having an intern... especially one with a little crush on her.  I do love seeing Abby flustered.  She takes her normal level of over-caffeinated and doubles it, and it's always fun to watch the reactions of the people she's talking to, especially Gibbs, who just takes it all in stride and fixes it with a word or two.

The secret to NCIS's success is focusing on personality stories instead of case ones.  When the plot is more centered on what the team is doing, they're engaging, humorous and sometimes dramatic.  When it's more about solving a murder, they tend to come off as a little dry and sometimes trite.  NCIS certainly hasn't lasted for eight seasons by exclusively sticking to one of those methods, but the episodes are definitely more enjoyable when they don't spend a lot of time worrying about creating and solving a complex crime.

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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

Bones - The Couple in the Cave

Network: Fox
Time: Thursdays, 8:00-9:00pm
Cast: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, TJ Thyne, Michaela Conlin, Tamara Taylor, John Francis Daley

Summary: A surprise visit by Booth's girlfriend, war correspondent Hannah Burley, forces Brennan to take another look at her relationship with Booth.  Meanwhile, the team tries to identify a couple whose remains were found in a cave in a national park.

Review: I'm going to come right out and say it: I like Booth's new girlfriend.  And I like her and Booth together.  Booth is so happy with her, and he's so obviously in love.  How can you not like it?  I also really like about their relationship is that Booth is clearly not with her as some kind of twisted ploy to make Brennan jealous (which you may scoff at, but is a fairly typical plot device when two characters are engaged in the "will they, won't they" game that Booth and Brennan are).  He loves Hannah because he loves her, and it has nothing to do with Brennan at all.

This episode was good for several reasons.  First, like I just mentioned, because it introduced Hannah and really showed her relationship with Booth.  Also because the team was solving their first case the way they used to, without any of the awkwardness of having been apart for seven months.  Even Clark was back as an intern... and he was still troubled by the fact that the team brings their personal lives to work with them all the time.  Everything was back to the way it should be.

The case itself was pretty easy to solve, which is a mild detraction from the overall quality of the episode.  I know after awhile there are only so many ways a case can pan out, but it's nice when the writers still manage to trip you up a little.  In this case, I identified the killer the first time he/she walked into a scene.  It loses a little bit after that point, even though it's still enjoyable to watch the team try and come to same conclusion.

It's good to see that a summer off and a new character haven't disrupted the chemistry between our favorite characters.  Booth and Sweets had a few wonderful exchanges throughout the episode, Booth and Brennan were spot on, and even Cam and Hodgins had some fun.  I'm looking forward to more of Hodgins and Angela and the baby story as the season goes on.

This episode did exactly what it needed to: introduce Booth's new girlfriend, establish what her relationship with Brennan would be, and show the audience that, despite the end of season 5, the team is back and just as good as they were when they left.


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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

Nikita - Rough Trade

Network: CW
Time: Thursdays, 9:00-10:00pm
Cast: Maggie Q, Lyndsy Fonseca, Shane West, Aaron Stanford, Ashton Holmes, Tiffany Hines, Melinda Clarke, Xander Berkeley

Summary: Nikita tries to right a past wrong when she posed as a nanny for a government official who ended up dead.  Michael comes to Nikita's aid during her quest, and also begins to question Percy's motives.  Meanwhile, Amanda forces Alex to deal with her claustrophobia after she has a panic attack.

Review: I'm constantly surprised by how much I like this show, and how quickly it became something I anticipate watching.  The writers did a wonderful job creating characters that are likable despite the horrible things they sometimes do, and I find that I am sympathetic towards almost all of them (not Percy, but they really haven't done much to expand his character yet).

Every episode provides a little more backstory into characters' lives, and this one was no exception.  We finally got to see a little more of Alex's life before she met Nikita, and we got just a small hint of Michael's past as well (did you catch that last line?).  We also saw a flashback from when Nikita was first recruited, when she was happy to be working for them, and her hair was messier.  I imagine we'll see more of the chemistry between Michael and Nikita as the series goes on.

As much as I liked the backstories, I wasn't as wild about the present day mission Nikita was trying to pull off.  It stemmed from her first kill, and she wanted to make amends by taking down the group that hired Division to kill him.  But there was a slight twist that I wasn't wild about, since it warped Nikita's reason for doing what she was doing.  I don't want to spoil it by giving anything away, but I like when Nikita has the moral upper hand, and this twist brought her down a little.  That being said, it did create an interesting moment for Michael, who is starting to realize that he has no idea why Percy does anything he does.

I really enjoyed Alex's present-day story too.  She hasn't been doing much but acting as a mole for Nikita in the past few episodes, so it was nice to see her with her own story to carry.  In this case, she has claustrophobia due to a traumatic event from her childhood, and Amanda is trying to "help" her get over it.  We got to see some real strength of character in Alex, not giving Division a win over her, even if she made it look like they did.

Between this episode and the summary for the next, I'm starting to get little prickly warnings about Alex's sort-of friend Thom.  Right now he's pretty gung-ho about Division, and I can't imagine he'd be okay with the things Alex does to help Nikita.  Which leads me to believe that Alex should not be getting as close to him as she seems to be.  I'm curious to see where that road leads.

Like I said, I never expected to like this show as much as I do.  It's ratings are a little shaky though, and I'm hoping the CW doesn't pull it before it really has the chance to develop into a great show.

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My Rating:
[5] Excellent
[4] Good
[3] Average
[2] OK
[1] Bad

Criminal Minds - JJ

Network: CBS
Time: Wednesdays, 9:00-10:00pm
Cast: Thomas Gibson, Joe Mantegna, Shemar Moore, Paget Brewster, Matthew Gray Gubler, AJ Cook, Kirsten Vangsness

Summary: While JJ attempts to reunite a family whose daughter has mysteriously disappeared, her BAU family braces for the loss of one of their own.

Review: I understand a news reporter is supposed to be objective about the stories she covers, never letting her personal opinion prevent her from telling the facts.  That's why I'm extremely glad I'm a reviewer in this case, not a news reporter.

I haven't been quiet about the fact that I'm upset they wrote JJ out of Criminal Minds, and I know there are many, many other fans who feel the same way.  And while I appreciate that she went out in a dignified, almost wonderful manner, it doesn't change the fact that she's gone, and my enjoyment of Criminal Minds has gone down just a little.  I know I'll get over this eventually because it's just a television show and it doesn't really matter, but right now I'm sad and angry.

Clearly the writers felt this way too.  From start to finish, they couldn't have done a better job of making it obvious that they believe JJ (and consequently AJ Cook) to be irreplaceable.  The fictional reason for her leaving mirrored the real reason in many ways, with her being forced to leave the position she loves because people with more power and authority made her.  Even when Garcia asks who will make the team feel safe with JJ gone, and JJ spits back a sarcastic, "There are plenty of big, strong men around," is a thinly veiled comment on the sexism that many fans feel contributed to the firing of AJ Cook (and Paget Brewster's impending departure next season).  The writers obviously felt it was wrong for Cook to leave, and they channeled those feelings into the script.

These same feelings were apparent in the actors' performances as well.  Probably to appease angry audiences, we were treated to a touching scene between JJ and Hotch; an angry scene between JJ, Emily, Reid, Morgan and Rossi; and an absolutely heartbreaking scene between JJ and Garcia.  All three were perfect in their own way, from Hotch's almost-awkward handshake to Reid's lost little boy voice to the very real tears Garcia cried.  I sniffled when Hotch told her he'd miss her.  My eyes filled up when Reid insisted they couldn't take her away.  And I bawled like a baby when they showed flashbacks from JJ's many episodes over the past five seasons.  I'm not ashamed to admit it; this is probably tied for the most emotional Criminal Minds episode ever (with the final Reaper episode, of course).

It's also unfortunate that this was probably one of AJ Cook's best episodes.  I've always loved her character, but they rarely let her get any good stories.  Not only was she the focus because she was leaving, but they also focused on the part of her job we don't see as much, where she deals with grieving families and somehow gets them to help solve the case.  It was wonderful to see her getting so much screen time, even if I didn't like all the reasons.

The sad thing is, I could really have liked this episode.  Watching Morgan, Rossi, Emily and Reid take turns trying to crack the two suspects while JJ tried to handle a family about to break was good.  It wouldn't have been the most action-packed episode, but it was uplifting in its own way.  If the last ten minutes had never happened, I would really have enjoyed it.

I still don't know why someone thought it was a good idea to get rid of an actress who is not only clearly beloved, but important to the show, but I would certainly love to be able to go back in time and stop them from making that move.  As is, I'll have to make due with hoping the backlash from this will be bad enough that they'll call and offer Cook her job back.  And that she'll accept.  For now, I give this episode 4 out of 5 stars because the acting and writing were wonderful, but I just can't see the episode where JJ leaves as excellent.

What did you think?  Are you as upset as I am?  Sound off below.

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