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6 Shows and Their Season Finales: Castle, House, Cougar Town, The Mentalist, Gossip Girl and Grey’s Anatomy

Posted on May 22, 2010 Written by ripitup

This week saw a lot of season finales for popular shows. No major spoilers.

Castle starring Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic. Image from http://2.bp.blogspot.com

Richard Castle and Kate Beckett are working together once again on a case. The case is really interesting. It involves secret operatives, deadly games, espionage, hidden motives and a really cool love triangle. You probably know Beckett has been seeing hunky robbery detective Tom Demming and Castle is depressed about it. His daughter will be going away for the summer and so will his mother Martha. Castle has a manuscript to finish and a couple he wants to get away from.

Michael Trucco appears in the last 4 episodes of Castle's 2nd season. I wish he had more episodes. But you can watch

You may not like everything that happens in this episode, romantically speaking.

But as always, the show provides a cool season finale and many more episodes to look forward to.

HOUSE

And the best season finale ever award goes to House!! House has been going on for 6 years and I am just as addicted to show as I was when I first started. Not all episodes are created equal. Some are inevitably more engaging and some of the cases are more unique. But it is OK. House’s (Hugh Laurie) lines and his interactions with other characters and guest stars (patients, etc) is what matters. Some episodes provide more comic relief and some leave us depressed. But it is always good. But if there is an episode to hit you right in the guy and swear you’ll back for the other season is the episode finale. Season 5’s finale was amazing- a great balance between what we wanted to happen and what actually happened. Season 6 us gives us a great case outside the hospital while House multi-tasks with a case at the hospital. And we get all the House-Cuddy confrontations we need. I watched some great finales this season but House’s was the best.

COUGAR TOWN

I really hope this show goes on because its quirkiness and adorably crazy and grumpy and sweet characters, it is a modern comedy that happens to be relevant, funny and interesting all at the same time. Courtney Cox is great and so is the rest of the cast. Andy and Ellie’s baby will really entertain you this time too. It is a nice change for a season finale not to leave the main romance hanging in the air. Jules and Grayson finally hooked up a couple of episodes ago. This episode just has them try to figure out how to tell Bobby…

THE MENTALIST

Obviously, Red John strikes again. Or maybe it is a copycat? Actually, there is both the real thing and the copycat and this makes things much more intriguing. Along with Patrick’s (Simon Baker) first date with Kristina, the case(s), and some really stupid mistakes on Kristina’s part will really keep you glued to the screen. This is one of the most intense episodes ever- Simon Baker is again at the top of his game. And for those of you who have seen it: I have a pretty good guess on who Red John might be. What do you think?

GOSSIP GIRL

OK, Gossip Girl is not an addiction but a guilty curiosity. It is not a show to be watched from beginning to end but rather watch on fast-forward to see what the authors did this time. How much more soap can you add to the opera after all? But this episode might actually the best one yet. Not only I watched more than I usually do but they added a pretty nice cliffhanger to the all the drama and romance and disasters. But please, somebody else make the wardrobe for Blaire. Her clothes are almost often dreadful. And Jenny should put on less make-up. The actress playing her is 16 just like her character. She might age pre-maturely. Just a thought.

GREY’S ANATOMY

Like Gossip Girl, if I watch Grey’s, it is most often on fast-forward. Or I just play in the background when I am doing something else. It wasn’t always like that. I loved this show during season 1. Than Season 2 was even better. Than they got too soapy and killed off one of my favorite characters. But hey, since this post is dedicated to finales, I thought I should check out Grey’s finale. Grey’s writers are good finales. Yes, they are never ever short of drama, complications, conflicts and emotional confrontations. Actually, they just overdo everything. e

Do you remember Dr. Burke? George O’ Malley? Izzie Stevens? Patient Denny Duquette?

But finales add action to the drama. There is suicide or murder or attacks…Guns and accidents go overboard, things get out of hand, some characters die and some survive. But this finale just took the action and tension way up:

Remember the guy whose wife was unplugged from the machine because she was brain-dead? Well, he gets in and kills and shoots more than he had initially planned. Lead or supporting, a lot of characters are endangered, lots of dangerous and risky calls are made and it is safe to say, if this was real life, all the parties involved would need serious therapy.

These are my takes on the finales. What are yours?

P.S. Desperate Housewives also had a pretty good ending to the 6^th season. But I think it had better finales before and did we really need that comeback?

OTHER TV SHOW POSTS

– The Forgotten starring Christian Slater

– Who’s The Boss? starring Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano

– NCIS Los Angeles starring Chris O’ Donnell

– My Own Worst Enemy starring Christian Slater

– Alias

– Chuck

– Modern Family

– Justified starring Timothy Olyphant

– Sex and The City

– Damages

Castle vs The Mentalist: Comparing Two Addictive Shows

Posted on April 29, 2010 Written by ripitup

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.

The Mentalist starring Simon Baker

Posted on April 19, 2010 Written by ripitup

Simon Baker as Patrick Jane in The Mentalist. Photo from: photobucket

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) is a mentalist, helping the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) with their cases.

A mentalist-as the definition appears on the screen right before each episode starts- is someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion.

Patrick used to pass himself off as a psychic and had more than a good 15 minutes of fame too. But when the serial killer he was helping the police catch killed his family to show he wasn’t as smooth or smart he believed himself to believe. After that, Patrick assists the CBI full-time. He profiles the suspects and the victims. By using his mental capabilities, he makes almost perfect assumptions. Although his theories don’t always amuse the detective in charge, Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), she is aware of how big an asset he is. Mind you, she doesn’t always approve of his tactics. However, more often than not, he ends up being right.

A good friend of mine suggested I should watch The Mentalist. His reasoning was that I loved House and there was a big chance I would like this show too. As a fellow House addict, he wasn’t wrong. There are some uncanny similarities in the way how their mind works, how smart they are and how much attention they pay to details and how much they can derive from little stuff that could mean not much to others.

There are of course many differences as well. Patrick Jane doesn’t really mind talking to people. He takes pleasure in figuring them out whereas House really hates every extra “social” minute he has to spend. He is less of a loner and he used to be much less unconventional. He was married with a kid, until it was taken away from him. He sure gets to smile more often. But the thing is, there is no reason a fan of House can’t enjoy The Mentalist and vice versa.

Simon Baker is a good actor. You might have dismissed the tv show The Guardian he was previously starring in. I did. And you could have just labeled him as the pretty boy in The Devil Wears Prada. However, when I watched him in Sex and Death 101, I realized that he could indeed be worthy of all the fuss. Don’t be fooled by IMDB’s genre tags for Sex and Death 101. It is not a romantic comedy by any means. It is a black/dark comedy and obviously the romance is attached is very unconventional to say the least. Not a great movie but it is interesting and different. And then I watched him in The Lodger. He plays the mysterious lodger who may or may not be a serial killer, highly admiring Jack The Ripper. And again, although the movie wasn’t that good, Simon was.

Finally, Baker is the leading actor in a show well worthy of his talent and of your time. It is interesting, captivating and sometimes gruesome (due to the nature of the crimes). But our character Patrick does not come without a sense of humor. And neither do Teresa and the members of her team. And it is set in California, my favorite place on earth.

As the tagline of the show states, let the mind games begin. And I do love a good mind game!

Posts featuring The Mentalist

Castle vs The Mentalist- Comparing the two addictive shows

Television’s 3 Most Brilliant, Emotionally Broken Men: Patrick Jane, Gregory House and Jack Bauer

Use of Social Media in TV Series featuring Castle, The Mentalist, House, Cougar Town and NCIS Los Angeles

Seven Engaging Tv Shows with Suspense Featuring Castle, The Mentalist, House, Ncis Los Angeles and More

All Posts Featuring Simon Baker

Simon Baker Trivia: 21 Facts About Australian Actor Simon Baker

Not Forgotten Movie Review

The Lodger Movie Review

Top Nine Aussies in The Entertainment World: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue and More