When Good Characters Go Bad

Okay, in my last post here, way back on May 18th, I referenced another blog post, one I thought had been written by Meg. Apparently, I  totally dreamed this blog post up. However, it was a really good post, so I think she should write it anyway. Just sayin.

I'm about to reference another post and so, for the benefit of those of you who might be concerned that I'm once again imagining things, let me just say: Not this time, baby. This time I'm prepared. In today's post I'll be referencing one of Kate's blog posts, which you can find HERE .

 Okay, now that that's out of the way....

By now, it's been a few weeks since Castle's season finale so hopefully this post is not going to be in the nature of a spoiler for anyone. If you watch the show and haven't seen that episode yet, however, be forewarned; you're not going to like this post. But, then again, you probably won't like the episode either. I sure didn't.

A few days after the episode aired, I was chatting with an author friend of mine about whether or not it was necessary for an author to telegraph the fact ahead of time when an initially good-guy-seeming character was about to go off the rails. Or, rather, when an initially-good-guy-seeming character is about to be revealed as having been duplicitous, manipulative, murdering scum (in short, anything but good) all along.

My friend pointed to Castle as an example of how it was okay to pull this kind of stunt. I, of course, violently disagreed. Hence this post...which I'm writing in lieu of my overdue second chapter for Love's Savage Whiplash. So--shhh!--now you all know. ;)

Anyway, my point is this: Life in SeriesTelevisionLandia does not follow the same rules that govern most other forms of fiction. There are contract disputes to consider, as well as rating slumps, time-slot jumps, surprise cancellations...or the ever entertaining possibility of actors-acting-badly. *cough* Charlie Sheen *cough* Not to mention the occasional actor who is inconsiderate enough to actually fall sick or die during filming.

Really, what are they thinking?

I don't for a single minute believe that the writers of Castle are to blame for the mess that was this last episode. I'm sure they had no idea at the beginning of the series what they would be asked to do with Captain Montgomery's character. It's not their fault that they had to scramble around at the last minute...or the last few episodes...tacking odd bits of dialogue into otherwise sensible scripts. Throwing in small, seemingly pointless scenes that--even at the time--seemed to have no other purpose than a blatant attempt at foreshadowing. And, worst of all, trying to backtrack. Putting into a character's mouth words that should never have had a place there--not if anything that occurred over the course of the previous two seasons was anything to go by!

There was one scene in that episode that really spoke to me though. It took place in an alley behind a bar. Ryan and Espisito were nearly incoherent with frustration and disbelief about what Montgomery was doing...or had done...or whatever.

It was, IMO, the best scene in the episode...by which I mean to say, it was the only scene that didn't leave me scratching my head in confusion. I figure one of two things occurred. Either the actors were  adlibbing--giving voice to their own emotions about how screwed up the show had suddenly become. OR...the writers had inserted this scene, intentionally, in a last-ditch attempt to vent their own impotent rage and telegraph their annoyance at what they were being forced to do.

Either way, that scene worked for me the way the rest of the episode did not...and I'm not even going to discuss the insane plot holes and contrivances and sheer insanity that surrounded the ultimate denouement. Other than to say...really? We're supposed to believe Beckett couldn't take Castle in hand-to-hand combat? We're supposed to believe she didn't arrest him on the spot for obstruction of justice? Uh...yeah. I don't think so.