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Castle Cast from left: Seamus Dever, Molly C. Quinn, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Tamala Jones, Jon Huertas and Susan Sullivan

Above: Castle Cast from left: Seamus Dever, Molly C. Quinn, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Stana Katic, Nathan Fillion, Tamala Jones, Jon Huertas and Susan Sullivan

And the wait was officially over on Monday, September 20.

If you are new to Castle, you might want to check out the intro post where the characters and the plot basics are desribed. And if you are already a fan of Castle and/or The Mentalist, you might have a good time comparing these two solid crime/action/mystery/thriller shows, remembering Castle is the funny and Mentalist is the emotionally much more intense one.

Before I get into the plot and review of the first episode of Castle’s 3rd season, let’s remember where the characters (romantically) left off: (yes, there will be spoilers for season 1 and 2)

NYPD Homicide Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) and Famous Best-Selling Crime Author Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) caught the perfect dynamic and sold numerous difficult and challenging cases together. Castle ‘s mother Martha (Susan Sullivan), daughter Alexis (Molly C. Quinn ) and Beckett’s crew- Esposito (Jon Huertas) and Ryan (Seamus Dever) are all aware that these two have more than friendly feelings for each other but neither is directly admitting to it.

So Beckett had a couple of dates and Castle had some attempts at other flings, but the audience was fully aware that they would rather date each other if they could. The “will-they? won’t-they?” dynamic reached its peak when 4 episodes into the finale of season 2, we met another Detective, Tom Demming (Michael Trucco). Tall, fit, dark and handsome Demming met Beckett at the workout session at their precinct during a workout session. Being a robbery detective, Demming assisted them on a case – much to Rick’s contempt, jealousy and discomfort. Of course he was right to be jealous. After Demming proved he was indeed a good cop and a good guy (he did ask Castle if there was something going on between him and Beckett and Castle said no), he asked her out and the two cops started dating. His constant presence, in both helping the cases and hanging around Beckett, drove Castle crazy.

Beckett was confused but her crew convinced her that Castle was too obviously into her and well…Beckett let Demming go. Unfortunately, right at time, Castle had given up on Beckett, as he thought he couldn’t compete with Mr. Perfect. So he did hook up with someone: his second ex-wife/agent Gina (Monet Mazur). So when Beckett saw them together, she didn’t mention the break-up and Castle went to the Hamptons with his ex.

Season 3- Episode 1- Plot Summary & Review

Opening scene: Castle is at a crime scene, holding a gun. He hears shots, he runs outside. He runs across Beckett, who is facing him with a gun, telling him to get down. No one else seems to be in sight so how did these two end holding guns at each other?

Cut to 3 days earlier…

It’s yet another day in the fall at the NYPD and Castle isn’t back. He also hasn’t called, so in addition to Beckett, both Esposito and Ryan are pissed and disappointed. Castle’s has finished his new book though, and it is on sale.

While the cops are investigating the death of a high school chemistry teacher, they are lead to a second murder scene- the flat of a tattoo artist. They also find Castle there, holding a gun. Starting with Castle as a suspect, they get to work together on the case after his innocence is proven. There is also a third murder, an impossible connection between the three deaths and the usual unresolved angst and the regular jokes between Beckett, Castle and the crew…

No, I am not telling the details or the end or how the opening scene resolves. Come on, people! You need to watch it to enjoy it fully.

Fun Line:

As the crew stand outside the bookstore window, looking at the life-sized, cardboard version of Castle:

Ryan: He really is ruggedly handsome.

Enjoy!

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The Mentalist starring Simon Baker. The guy can read you like a book. No point in hiding anything. His brilliance is not without a sense of humor either. Image from: http://www.iwebie.com

Castle starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Well, maybe Castle and Detective Kate Beckett aren't as good at manipulation and reading people as Patrick Jane but they sure do have a unique way of brainstorming. Image from: http://2.bp.blogspot.com

I love both of these shows and I wrote introduction posts for both of them on my blog. But being a big fan who refuses to miss even one episode, I decided to write more on this fun topic. And after realizing many similarities between the shows, I decided to make this joint post.

If you need background info, you might check out my posts on The Mentalist and Castle. So, let’s roll with the fun similarities:

Both Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) and Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) are really good looking. They know it and they like it.
Both men love mind games. They also have a wicked sense of humor and they love misbehaving.
However Patrick is much less responsive to attention- since he lost his wife and kid a while ago.
Both men “consult” on the murder cases. Castle relies on his background information and his writer’s instincts. Patrick Jane is an awesome “mentalist” who is just great at reading people.
Both California Bureau of Investigation (CBI- assisted by Jane) and NYPD (assisted by Castle) have closed many cases, thanks to the main characters- whether their teammates accept it or not.
Even though their teams don’t always agree with them, they like their unorthodox helpers and have gotten used to the situation.
Both guys have very personal motives in helping the cases. Castle first needed to step in because a copycat murderer was committing the crimes as depicted in Castle’s novels. Then he realized the female detective and these cases would make for a great inspirational source. Patrick’s motives are can be considered more noble. He is after the serial killer who killed his wife and child. He is assisting the other cases for redemption and to have a sense of purpose.
Both Castle and Jane love being inappropriate: asking too direct questions, eating at the crime scene, enjoying the idea of being involved in a murder case… Both are originally good guys who just happen to like the thrill.
Both get to get in the investigation room. Simon Baker’s Patrick Jane however gets to use more “inappropriate” methods such as hypnosis. Not that he is allowed but it does get confessions.
They make a great team with the “boss”- the female detective in charge.
In both cases, team members provide comic relief in addition to the lead characters’ fun behavior.
Both men have a flirty/friendly relationships with the female detectives.

The Mentalist starring Robin Tunney and Simon Baker. Robin Tunney's Agent Lisbon gets annoyed and shocked by Jane often but she does like him a lot. Maybe in the future episodes...who knows? Photo from: http://mentalist.informe.com/gallery/

The Mentalist starring Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeowan and Amanda Righetti — The Mentalist Cast. From left: Robin Tunney, Simon Baker, Tim Kang, Owain Yeowan and Amanda Righetti. You can call them team Jane. Photo from: http://mentalist.informe.com

Castle starring Seamus Dever, Nathan Fillion, Jon Huertas and Stana Katic — Team Castle- from left: Seamus Dever, Nathan Fillion, Jon Huertas and Stana Katic. Photo from: http://www.tv.com/castle/show/

There are obviously many differences:

– Such as Castle is a happily divorced man (yes, he couldn’t be happier he is divorced) and his only daughter is alive and well.

– Castle provides the same amount of comic relief in each episode. The Mentalist is more of a drama/thriller so some episodes can get heavy- especially if it is about the serial killer Jane’s after.Castle also gets the right idea about the case by brainstorming with her daughter or just simply through a conversation.

– The attraction between Castle and Beckett is obvious. Jane and Lisbon are more friends than anything else. Jane is still mourning. Even though Castle and Beckett have feelings for each other, they just don’t act on it.

– Beckett’s boss is fond of Castle and loves having him around. Lisbon’s bosses? They are not exactly crazy about Jane.

If you have anything to add, please comment away.

Richard Castle and Kate Beckett Are Back with Castle Season 3!

Castle vs The Mentalist: Comparing Two Addictive Shows