Castle brings Nathan Fillion to a large audience

by Naureen Mohammed, 2L
Law Weekly
April 1, 2009

Rick Castle is a famous mystery author who charms everyone he meets, which isn't surprising considering he's played by sexy, smirking actor Nathan Fillion (Firefly). If you've been under a rock for the past year and missed Fillion's hilarious performance as the Hammer on Joss Whedon's internet sensation Dr. Horrible's Sing-along Blog, as well as his understated role as a philandering husband on Desperate Housewives last season, you may not know who he is. Fillion reminds audiences of a young Harrison Ford; he's charming in an immature but sweet way, with a deep voice and annoying smirk that means that the characters he plays will inevitably be slapped by a woman at some point or another. In Castle, ABC Mondays at 10 p.m., the female lead prefers to grab his ear and twist it.

The show has more to recommend it than Nathan Fillion--the mysteries of the week are well-written and intriguing, and there is no shortage of laughs. Castle is rarely serious and always brilliant, and he tends to approach each case and suspect as if they are events or characters in one of his books. However, there are serious moments as well; Castle finds it harder to be casual when he comes across a murdered teenager, especially when the case reveals some unsavory details of what that teenager was involved in before his death. Not only does he empathize with the families, but he seeks reassurance that his own teenage daughter is not in any trouble.

While the show is ostensibly about Castle, almost all of the other characters are women. First, we have the beautiful and dedicated homicide detective he attaches himself to in order to get material for a new mystery series. Kate Beckett is tough, good at reading people, and does not pretend that Castle is anything but a major pain in her… neck.

However, she also admits to being impressed by his parenting skills; Castle's daughter Alexis is everyone's ideal teenage daughter. She is a stickler for rules and openly affectionate with her father. Sometimes it is difficult to tell who the parent is in the relationship. Castle is a relaxed but protective father; he stayed home and wrote while his daughter was growing up because he did not want her raised by nannies the way he was. Castle's mother, a larger-than-life former Broadway actress who is always on the prowl for men, lives with her son and granddaughter.

Watching the show, it's obvious the cast and crew is having a lot of fun making each episode, and the actors have a lot of chemistry. The writing is fresh and the stories are fascinating, which is why it is so surprising that CSI: Miami, which is on CBS at the same time and has deteriorated in quality over the last few years, gathers a much larger audience. Whether you're looking for a good mystery or just a good character-driven story, Castle is a much better way to spend your Monday nights!