Once Upon a Castle

[osprey_archer]

OMG you guys, Castle had a fairy tale episode! Actually I do not think it is quite as well done as the noir or steampunk episodes, but still, YAY FAIRY TALES. Also, this episode one of the things I really like about Castle: no matter how ridiculous the methods of murder are (dressing people up in fairytale costumes and posing them? How do you not leave DNA evidence?), the motives almost always seem real and human: the characters are motivated by money, jealousy, or the need to keep secrets.

I was going to write a post about my favorite Castle characters, but then I realized that I adore all the characters in Castle, even Ryan's girlfriend Jenny who gets, like, seventeen seconds of screen time.

Doubtless there are people who hate Jenny anyway for getting in the way of Ryan and Esposito's bromance, but whatevs, haters gonna hate. The important thing is that the show doesn't offer any encouragement for it, unlike for instance Criminal Minds treatment of Hotch's wife Hailey.

Also, if there was ever a TV cop paramour who would be totally okay with an OTV, I'm pretty sure Jenny would be it. So in Ryan's wedding episode, as part of a case they find proof that Jenny slept with a pick-up artist while she was dating Ryan (because the pick-up artist kept photos of all his conquests in his little black book). They're all freaking out about how Jenny CHEATED ON HIM and HOW WILL THEY TELL RYAN and then Ryan is all, off-handedly, "So is Jenny's photo in that pick-up artist's book? She told me she hooked up with him like a month after we started dating..."

And everyone else is all "WHAT?"

And Ryan, breezily, is all, "It's not like we were exclusive yet."

OH CASTLE ILU for being so matter-of-fact about that and not having Ryan throw a fit. (I was rather expecting them to call the wedding off at the last moment. I might have broken the television if that happened.)

Castle and Becket regularly freak out about the other person having romantic anythings with anyone, never mind they're not actually dating. It's completely in character for them, but nonetheless I am pretty tired of the "Castle and Becket meet YET ANOTHER of Castle's old flames and Becket is secretly jealous" plotline, even though they did make great use of it in "Pandora"/"Linchpin" (which is otherwise a ridiculous two-parter).



First, I thought this episode made great use of yet another "Becket envies one of Castle's exes" plot because I was so busy being irritated about it that it didn't occur to me to suspect Castle's CIA girlfriend of being a turncoat till the very last bit, when she's walking behind them into the hangar place. Never let CIA agents walk behind you! It is a universal sign that they are up to no good!

Second, though the twist surprised me, I still thought the plan to start World War III was total baloney? So the plan is to kill a Chinese government official's daughter, who in a fit of grief and rage will convince the Chinese government to stop buying US debt and thus plunge the world economy into an abyss.

Doesn't it seem more likely that the other Chinese government officials will listen to his grief-crazed rant about destroying the world economy by refusing to buy American debt and be like, "We are so sorry for your loss. How about you and your wife take a nice long vacation and, you know, work through your grief."

And third, why does Castle's ex (whose name escapes me) even want to start World War III? So at the end we find out that Castle's ex was probably a forgotten KGB sleeper agent, which is...apparently supposed to explain why she wants to destroy the world as we know it?

This is why Castle's conspiracy episodes are so disappointing. Lots of Castle plots are bizarre and byzantine, but the conspiracy stories don't have that saving kernel of believable motivation at the center of the bizarreness.

Comments

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

I kind of stopped watching TV regularly a while back, but I thiiiink most of the fandom has gone the polyamory route for Jenny and Ryan and Esposito.

[kikainausagi.livejournal.com]

I must be looking in the wrong part of fandom, then, because most of the fic I've found kills Jenny off or otherwise sidelines her, and it makes me grumpy. I'll have to go poking around again.

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

Well, boo. Maybe I'm misremembering the ratios because I'm more likely to click on the poly fic. :-( I'm not really involved in the fandom.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

Do you remember any stories in particular? OTV stories are Relevant to My Interests. :)

[carmarthen.livejournal.com]

Nothing that grabbed me enough to bookmark, alas.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I have read approximately zero Castle fics, aside from a couple of cute gen stories about Alexis. (Alexis! How much do I love Alexis and Martha! I think Castle does a great job balancing Castle's private and work life.)

But the fact that there is enough OTV fic to give you this impression (even if there's also lots of more traditional "sideline the girlfriend" fic) makes me happy.

[kikainausagi.livejournal.com]

I was so happy with the way that pickup artist reveal went, because I do would have come perilously close to breaking the TV had they made Ryan the poor wronged fiancee. But instead it was perfect! I love the fact that Ryan and Jenny are a couple that talk like adults, and they both have histories but IT'S OKAY. There are not enough relationships like that in media.

Also a Jenny/Ryan/Esposito OTV is really the only way I can ship Ryan and Esposito any more, because I like Jenny, for all that she's been onscreen for five minutes. There's one author whose characterization I like, but they tend to kill Jenny off and that really kills the mood for me.

Pandora/Linchpin were awful. Still not as bad as the dirty bomb/CIA two partner, but almost. I don't know what it is about season finales and Castle, but they seem to trip up pretty frequently.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I know! I was on tenterhooks the whole episode with the pick-up artists, because they had set it up to be this huge awful thing and Ryan would, I don't even know, leave Jenny at the altar.

And then Ryan is all "Whatevs, pass the mu shu pork!" It was great.

Given how jealous Castle and Becket are of the other's romantic entanglements, and even Esposito clearly has some jealousy issues with Lanie, of course they all do think Jenny's fling would be a huge deal for Ryan.

I think Esposito would have the hardest time adjusting to an OTV, but that would just make the story more interesting to read. If they're all just "Awesome, let's do this thing!" that's really a pretty short story.

Pandora/Linchpin isn't even a season finale! They have no excuse.

[kikainausagi.livejournal.com]

Yesssss, I would read all the stories about Esposito being confused and more than a little skeptical (at first) about the idea of sleeping with his engaged/married partner. That kind of thing would totally fall into 'not cool, bro' territory for him, because I don't see him being the kind of guy who sleeps with married women.

Now if only I could find that story. Siiigh.

[osprey-archer.livejournal.com]

I would read that until the end of time! Let me know if you find it.