‘Castle,’ Season Two: The Favorite Detective Duo is Back!

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Watching the first season of Castle left viewers puzzled thanks to its terrible cliffhanger, an ending no one expects from such a feel-good, entertaining show. Waiting for the second box set to release (as I once did) turned out to be a mild form of agony. We had to know what happened to the sparring Det. Beckett and the annoying Castle.

Castle, Season Two (2009) ABC TV Show Review

There’s a strain between famed novelist Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) and his novel “inspiration,” Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic). Her mother’s murder is the one case Beckett asks Castle to leave alone, and that’s the one case he didn’t keep away from. His clue discovery is something the coroner didn’t see. Unfortunately for Kate, there’s a magazine doing a piece on Castle which includes a joint interview. To further injure her, she has to let Castle tag along when her newest case comes in during their interview.

Putting aside differences for the one case, Beckett goes into investigator mode, ready to catch the bad guy (even when the body goes missing!). Meanwhile Castle not only juggles his dramatic mother (Susan Sullivan); but also his daughter, Alexis (Molly Quinn), who is dealing with all the ups and downs of a first love.

TV SHOW REVIEW | ‘Castle,’ Season One: A New Kind of Buddy Cop Show

Right from the start, the changes in season two pile up. Perhaps not the most insignificant of which is the ladies all seem to have a makeover. Kate now appears softer and more feminine to counteract the harder persona of her hard-earned career; similarity, her wardrobe has more finesse. The kinks of season one seems to be working out, too, and there doesn’t seem to be that same pliable tension between the two leads, at first. Also the gang (including Seamus Dever; Jon Huetas; and Tamala Jones) are all back which is a happy thing indeed. I’ve come to appreciate all the supporting players in addition to the leads, but no one is more memorable than Alexis.

The cases set up differently. In season one, the opening always has this mysterious feel with catchy music as the camera pans out, which I thought was kind of unique. This season goes for less attention-grabbing. As the show goes deeper into this season, what does returns is the sparring of Castle and Beckett. Alexis also has to handle some changes, too, and it’s a joy to see our outside of just her home life (interacting with Beckett, coming to the precinct and the like).

Probably, although much is memorable on this second season, the best episode comes in the arc “Tick, Tick, Tick…” and “Boom!” (both are fabulous). On the surface, this may appear nothing special, but look deeper and I think you’ll find more than just comedy is driving Castle’s page-turning popularity.

‘Castle,’ Season Two: The Favorite Detective Duo is Back! Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion return in ABC's second season. #ABC #TVShows #StanaKatic #Comedy #Castle #TVArchives Share on X

Content: Victims die in multiple ways (strangulation, drowning, bullets). Flirting and crude comments is the majority of the sexual material. There’s some weirdness in “Vampire Weekend”; and “The Mistress Always Spanks Twice” is a semi-graphic case in which the victim is hanging from custom-made sex toy handcuffs. (The operation “punishes” guys; complete with whips, leather clad mistresses and the like.) Castle has a brief fling with an actress who uses him. Pop culture serves as a backdrop for “Famous Last Words” proving a scary reality at the kind of song lyrics teens listen too; a teen has her punch spiked at a party. Another episode involves an “escort service.” The show is TV-14.

Photos: ABC