Castle: "Always"

By Michael Seese

OK, so perhaps (contrary to my previous estimate) it could take us two weeks to watch the season finale of "Castle." But it was worth the wait. There were a lot of fine, fine elements in this episode.

The folks who have spent years wondering when Castle and Beckett would get together now have their answer. I thought it was both set up and implemented well. (More on that later.) But I will state for the record that I have concerns about where it will go. In my opinion, "Moonlighting" essentially jumped the shark when Maddie and Dave consummated their relationship. So we shall see...

They reused the same technique as in a previous episode (the name and most of the plot escape me; the important point is the episode begins with Castle and Beckett in an alley, pointing guns at each other), starting out with a cliffhanger (in this instance, literally) and then flashing back to get us up to that point. I'm glad that they didn't end the season with Beckett clinging to the ledge. As I've stated before, unless the writers are planning to kill her, we know she will be rescued. So it really isn't a suspenseful element.

But I thought they staged her rescue well. She called out to Castle and heard (or thought she heard) his voice. When brought back up, she imagined it was him before Ryan came into view. Then the sea of officers parted to reveal...Captain Gates.

As has been the case in a number of previous episodes, the director really paid attention to the lighting. When the gang was planning their next move -- which Castle wanted to short-circuit -- there was dramatic side lighting, with his face in half light, half shadow. Also, near the end, when Beckett and Esposito were getting chewed out by the captain, the entire room was bathed in a sepia glow. In real life, I've noticed that the sky takes on a yellow-brown hue when a rain shower approaches near sunset; and sure enough, Beckett left the precinct and walked through a driving rain at night. As an aside, I thought it was funny that Esposito handed over his firearm, but walked out with two ammo clips on his belt.

One nitpick: a thief breaks into Captain Montgomery's house, his wife shoots him, and Castle and Beckett find out by tracing a phone call? What, did she forget the numbers 9-1-1? 

Of course there were plenty of "looks." I think the best was near the beginning when Castle asked Beckett to join him for a double feature. "Actually, I'd love to," she said, smiling. Then he displayed a dreamy smile.

OK, so back to "the moment." I thought the entire scene where Castle expressed his feeling for Beckett was simply great. Great dialogue ("You've already known that; you've known it for a year), great emotion, great impact. I wasn't sure whether they could top it and the end. But they did with a beautiful simplicity:

Castle: "What do you want?"
Beckett: "You."

So what did you think of "Always?" Please share your thoughts.

Until next season...

Funny Foto #20

By Michael Seese

Perhaps this is too snarky. Perhaps I'm kicking the girl while she's down. But when presented with a headline -- from AOL -- like "Kardashian Can't Forgive Mom for Affair," or more specifically, the subhead, "Kourtney's angry, and there's one major thing she can't understand," I have to comment.

Only one thing? I would start at long division and work my way up to algebra.

Of course, it was Conan O'Brien (not me) who joked, “Khloe Kardashian [yes, a different K-sister] is refusing to take a paternity test to determine if she's actually a Kardashian. She said, ‘I think my record of fame without talent speaks for itself.’ ”

Happy Friday!

By the way, if you like what you see, please subscribe or follow me!
 

Enough Is Enough!

by Michael Seese

Today I am putting down my quill and getting up on my soapbox...

Have you heard about the latest fee that airlines are starting to impose? If you haven't, you soon will. To level set:

- I don't mind that they charge for food now.

- I wouldn't even mind if they charged for drinks (e.g., juice and soda), as long as we can still bring our own water on board.

- I don't mind that they charge for blankets, pillows, and the headsets to listen to the movies.

- I do think it's unfair to charge for the first checked bag; but I'm OK with a fee for any additional stowed luggage. 

But according to Scott Mayerowitz of the Associated Press, airlines have started charging folks who request adjacent seats.

To be honest, I can understand the airlines' rationale. A lot of business travelers pay a a lot of money to book seats at the last minute. (Of course, they don't pay it; but that's another issue.) And the only seats left often are in the middle, which are less desirable than an aisle or window seat. So the airlines are holding those seats. As such, if you want to book two seats together, be prepared to pay extra.

I will state for the record, right here and right now, that this will blow up in their faces. 

Why?

Personally, I refuse to pay this outrageous fee. And I won't. So here is what's going to happen on my next flight...

I'm going to lead my three-year-old son down to seat 26B. Sitting in 26A and 26C will be two nicely attired businessmen (or -women). I will say to them, "I'm sure glad you look like trustworthy folks, because I'd hate to leave my son with anyone. By the way, he gets really cranky if he loses his pacifier, and it tends to roll, so you'd better keep your eyes open. Oh, and he gets airsick, A LOT, so you probably want to be prepared. We're talking projectile vomiting. Good luck."

Of course, I have no intention of leaving my son with strangers. But that won't happen. What will happen is that one of them will volunteer to take my assigned seat, 16B. Two ends will result:

1. He will have to grab his bag from the overhead bin and swim upstream to aisle 16. Potentially, that could delay the plane's departure and therefore its arrival, which costs the airline in terms of reputation.

2. Then, he will complain to the airline because he paid extra for an aisle seat, and instead got stuck in the middle. And he'll ask for a refund.

End of problem.

What do you think? Will this fee remain, or will it go down like the Hindenburg? Please share your thoughts.

Another Day, Another 100 Words

by Michael Seese

I enjoy starting the week with one of agent Janet Reid's 100-word flash fiction contests. It's a good mental exercise, not to be confused with a mental exorcise, which writing frequently is.

The words this time:

Twist
Sharp
Slaughter
Say
Law

My story is titled "Miscommunication."

“You’re texting as I speak?”
    “Yes. Is that OK?”
“I suppose.”
    “Go on. What does the law say?”
“It’s very clear. We’ve been doing this for millennia.”
    “Really? Good to know. What are some specifics?”
“Make sure the blade is sharp, so the kill is quick. Don’t twist it.”
    “Sounds merciful.”
“We don’t want to slaughter them, have them die in pain. After all, we do eat them.”
    “You do?”
“Yes.”
    “And they say waterboarding is cruel.”
“What are you talking about?”
    “Um...”
“I’m speaking of the shechita. What are you asking about?”
    “The same, of course!” (texting) “Cancel Guantanamo! CANCEL!”

It's a little bizarre. So perhaps this one leans toward the exorcise end of the spectrum.

Please share your thoughts on "Miscommunication."

Funny Foto #19

This is the view outside of a shopping center near my home.

To the front is Mitchell's Fish Market, a seafood restaurant. Though it's hard to see, to the rear is clothier Kilgore Trout.

I just like the juxtaposition.

My Latest Project

I promise that one of these days, I'll get around to talking about what I've been working on lately. There is a lot. (Actually, as I wrote this, I realized that I really do miss putting together these little progress reports.) In the meantime, here is a hint of what is coming.

Way back in February, as I was submitting "Worm Herding" to the Pill Hill Press folks, I found another call for submissions for an anthology of theirs. (I mentioned this already, but it probably makes sense to refresh your memory.) It's called "Use Enough Gun."

Sometimes, a mistake can lead to the hunter missing their quarry. Sometimes, an ill wrought plan can get the hunter injured, or even killed. And sometimes, when the hunter grossly underestimates the prey, worse can happen. Much worse. Make your stories cautionary tales that highlight the dangers of monster hunting. Tell us of mistakes that can occur when planning is replaced by reckless action, or when weapons malfunction, or when information is held back from those that need it. Give us a story about what happens when a hunter is simply overmatched by a creature that they never really stood a chance against. Or, tell us of the worst cases, the stories that send chills through the hunter’s bones; tell us what happens when they are turned into the very things that they are sworn to destroy.

I've been working on a story called "Tinkerhell." It takes place in a strange land called "Pixie Hellhole." If that doesn't give you a good hint as to what my hunter will be up against, consider this passage:

    I turned and jumped. I figured that after a few seconds I would hit the ground and start sliding, rolling, falling. But I didn't. I stopped. In midair. They had caught me, and were bringing me back up. I recalled the words, the warning of the old man at the tavern, the fellow with one eye and tiny little scars all over his face and hands.
    “They may only be three inches tall. But they’re mean little f--kers.”

The deadline is 5/31. So I'm working diligently. As I found with "Worm Herding," sometimes I grossly underestimate how many words I have in me.

As I was lying in bed last night, I came up with some ideas for the scene I was planning to work on next. On the way to work, I pulled out my trusty voice recorder, and started talking. Yeah, I probably shouldn't do that on the freeway at rush hour, but ...

I managed to dictate 700 words. It then took me about 40 minutes to clean it up. And I still had time to write another 250. That's not a bad hour's worth of work.

I'll keep you apprised of how the story goes.

As an aside, the $87 and $89 "used" copies of BUGS that I commented on last week apparently have been sold. Now, the used price is $16.65.

Castle: "Undead Again"

I know this is pre-anticlimactic, I guess, considering that the season finale already has aired. But we just got around watching "Undead Again." I'm sure it won't take two more weeks to watch and review "Always." So bear with me.

This was a fun episode. Of course, like "Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind" and "Heroes And Villains" -- not to mention every episode of "Scooby-Doo" -- you knew it was not a real zombie. Castle even acknowledged as much when he answered Ryan, "No. You know what I do believe in? Driving Beckett crazy." But still, you want to go along for the ride to see how they're going to take a zombie killer caught on tape and turn it into a real murderer. If I may boast, I picked the killer right away. Tom just seemed like the obvious choice. (Actually, though, I have to admit that I noticed he had blue eyes, just like the still-image close up of the walking dead.) And finally there was a character -- Tom's fiancée Greta -- who actually had a New York accent.

The scene where Castle and Beckett first encounter the zombies was just superb. As I said above, you knew it wasn't real. But it didn't matter. (For the record, zombie walking is a true phenomenon; a Yahoo search yields 63,000,000 hits, the first of which is www.zombiewalk.com)

Likewise, you just knew that "zombie Kyle" was going to come to life in the morgue. It was still great.

Plus, the running gag with Castle and Alexis playing laser tag -- especially the fact that she rappeled down into the living room -- was just a nice addition to the show. I hope they touch on it again at some point in the future, because it was a good father-daughter moment.

In short, "Undead Again" was another of the type of episodes which makes Castle a great show.

I think my two favorite lines were "pants-wetting terror" and (Castle, to his mother) "You will pay for your treachery." And, kudos for the cultural reference to World War Z.

Naturally, I must cite the looks:

- Castle's overall look as he listened to Charlie's frantic 911 call.
- Castle's excitement when they first saw the face of zombie Kyle on the video, along with the disbelief on the part of Beckett, Esposito, and Ryan. (The random high five when Castle proclaimed, "Our killer's a zombie!" was precious.)
- Beckett's confused recognition when Castle told the M.E. who is not Lanie (character name: Sidney Perlmutter) "I will treasure the special moments we've shared."

Feel free to share your thoughts, and check back soon for a review of "Always."

Funny Foto #18

File this one under, "Seese, your brain has too much time on its hands."

"Bulk" mulch? As opposed to what...mulch by the teaspoon?

BUGS Funny

This is not one of my traditional "funny fotos." But it's funny, as in "funny strange," nonetheless.

BUGS is now available on Amazon:

From the above image, you can barely see that it's available new and used. The latter alone, I consider amusing, seeing as how the book has been out for about a week. Take a look at the used prices.

Hmmm. Should I buy it new for $13.13, or "used" for $87.59...or if I'm feeling generous, $89.39?

Completely seriously, I want to write those folks and ask, "How's business?"

A Good, Short Read

In my last post, I shared my entry for agent Janet Reid's latest 100-contest. I didn't win. But I did get a shout-out:

Call P. Diddy and get this man a record deal!
Michael Seese 6:12pm

While, in my mind, my story always is the best, I have to acknowledge that the winning story this time was terrific. It's a great example of just what a writer can do in 100 words. Please take a few minutes to drop by Janet's blog (click here) and read it.

You might want to get a tissue first.

Then, I invite you to jump over to my Flash! Stuff page and read today's short story, "What Choice Did They Have?" You can decide for yourself if I was, perhaps, inspired by her.

Busy Busy!

I have been so busy with writing lately, that I haven't had much time to write about writing. I'll put together something soon which details all the stuff I've been working on over the past few weeks. But since I'm sure that you, my DEVOTED FANS, have been worrying about me, I thought I'd get this posted tonight.

It's been a while since I added to my weekly flash fiction collection. But then along came super agent Janet Reid with another of her 100-word contests. The prize: THE CRONING by Laird Barron. She adds, "If you're a total wuss about scary books (and this is well-shelved in dark/horror/scary as hell) we'll find you another book."

Included among the 100 words must be:

Double
Trouble
Bubble
Twin
Spin

The first three immediately should suggest Macbeth. So I ran with it.

The Macbeth Rap
That was “I Would Die 4 U” by Romeo Void. Now for a Bard twin spin, here’s Shakespeare’s Sister with the “Macbeth Rap” on radio KVON.

Is this a dagger which I see,
Pointing the business end at me?
Knock, knock, knock! Get outta my club,
Or I’ll cap YOU, Beelzebub.

Double, double, toil, and bubble.
Don’t cross me, fool, or there’s trouble.
Eye of newt and toe of witch?
Bring me a Colt 45...bitch!

Out motherf-----g spot! Out I say!
What do you want, punk, anyway?
Hell is murky? Ain’t you heard?
Yo yo, I’m your lord. Word.