By Michael Seese
One word: WOW!!!!!!!!!!
(I suppose I should add another word to this, and all Castle reviews: SPOILERS!)
I try to avoid hyperbole, but that may have been the best Castle ever. I recall, years ago, reading a review of the Ron Howard movie Apollo 13; the reviewer called it a great film because, even though you knew it would end well, Howard still managed to keep it thrilling. I would say the same about "Hunt." (After all, we knew that they wouldn't kill off Alexis.)
The episode started out great (and in sepia), and just got better. I thought the scene with Castle and Gaston, where Castle asks about the latter's daughters and then says, "Now imagine them gone" was terrific. Then came the scene in the church, where Castle meets Jacque Henri. It was even better. (OK, it bordered on suspense movie cliche...whatever.) The underground scene, with Henri and his "audio mole" (I couldn't find a listing of the character's name) listening to the phone call between Castle and Alexis was even EVEN better. And Beckett's interrogation of Pauline...even even EVEN better. She really dialed her intensity up a notch. And then the rescue...
Again, sorry for the hyperbole, but that may have been the best two minutes of any Castle episode. First, unless you're WAY more insightful than I am, we all assumed Castle had been captured. But the manner in which they presented the rescue -- Castle's Dad (who in IMDB is credited only as "Castle's Dad") talks to Volkov and detonates the walkie-talkie, and then the actual escape sequence is intercut with flashbacks of "Spy Dad" explaining HOW Castle is going to get Alexis out -- was simply brilliant. Truly, as an author, I hope that some day I can write something so clever. (Though the technique really applies more to a screenplay; it would be hard to pull off in a novel.)
In addition to the plot / action, visually "Hunt" was a stunner. The lighting when Castle picked up the strand of hair was gorgeous. And I loved the camera pan through Volkov's mansion: opulent room, opulent room, another opulent room, girl in cage.
I have no real "looks" to report.
Most of the lines which stood out were less "Castle," and more "Die Hard." (And most were delivered by Castle's Dad.)
- "Your friend there was pretty good. But he was out of his league."
- "Oh, don't be an idiot. I'm the good guy."
- "Given how bad you feel about your $200 phone, you might want to pick up that $3,000,000 briefcase."
- "You've been playing cop for years. Are you ready to play spy?"
Castle: "My dad's a spy? Does my mom know?"
Whew! After this, I can see why they're giving us a three-weak break. (That doesn't mean I like it, of course.)
Feel free to share your thoughts on "Hunt."
The "Hunt" is on for Alexis. Can Castle find her? Click to tweet.
By Michael Seese
What a gritty, emotion-wringing episode! Of course, given the plot, could it be anything but? Still, it was nice found a way to let Castle maintain a little bit of his trademark humor.
Martha: "My heart is never wrong."
Castle: "What about your first marriage? And your second?"
Beckett: "Do you want a coffee?"
Castle: "No thanks. My adrenaline will suffice."
The latter came after Castle's tête-à-tête with Stevens, the "wheel man." Personally, I'm glad they had Castle go medieval on his heinie. (Off-screen, of course.) It's what any father would want to do. And since in other situations Castle has been less than macho -- the bar fight in "Headhunters" comes to mind -- I thought it was good to see his other side. Or, as he stated:
Beckett: "I didn't think you had that side to you."
Castle: "When it comes to the people I love, I do."
Director Bill Roe employed a visual trick the show has used before: sepia. When Castle and Beckett met with Agent Harris, the room was awash in a light brown tone, giving everything a warm glow, which contrasted nicely with the chill of the scene. I would point out that the interview with Sara's parents involved no such visual effect.
Naturally, the funniest lines came before Castle found out that Alexis had been kidnapped:
Castle: "Well, it was acceptance until you started applying your fiendish logic."
Castle: "He was hiding in plain sight. A foreign agent in deep cover, on a special reconnaissance mission."
Beckett: "Why would he shoot up a van?"
Castle: "Maybe Jack Bauer was driving it."
Castle: "Though by definition, science fiction is not science."
Esposito: "It has the word in it."
Castle: "It's...that's an excellent point."
This was not an episode for "looks."
If I may pat myself (and my wife) on the back, our predictions were pretty spot-on.
Last week, I said that Beckett's line, "Castle, you don't need to see this," would refer to a blood-soaked jacket. OK, so it was a blood-soaked floor of the van...close enough. I did, however, say that this revelation would be at the very end of part 1. So call me 50/50. This week, when we found out that Hasim possessed an arsenal that rivals Ted Nugent's, my wife said, "He was probably paid by her family to protect her." She nailed it. Then at the end, when Alexis ran out to the roof, I said, "She's probably in Europe." And to be 100% honest, in my mind I thought, "Paris." Though as I've said elsewhere in this blog, I kind of have Paris on the brain right now.
So here is my prediction for this week: Sara's parents were behind the kidnapping. We'll see if I'm any percentage of correct on that one.
We're definitely looking forward to "Hunt."
Feel free to share your thoughts.
What happens when Castle learns that Alexis was really the "Target." Click to tweet.
By Michael Seese
Considering the weekend Castle marathon (with the subsequent reviews posted here), it's amazing I managed to get any writing done on "Eiffel." But I did, surpassing 40,000 yesterday.
2/13/13 32,461
2/14/13 34,570
2/15/13 35,296
2/16/13 36,140
2/17/13 37,288
2/18/13 39,456
2/19/13 40,539
2/20/13 40,784
Monday (2/18), as you can see, was an outstanding day, despite the fact that:
1. I forgot my glasses. You should have seen me in the dimly lit coffeeshop, writing at arm's length, and
2. When I fired up my laptop in the aforementioned coffeeshop, my PC spit out an error message about not being able to start Windows, and then spent the longest 10 minutes of my life "repairing." But it seems to be fine now.
Yes, Monday was just one of those days when the words flowed. All told, I wrote 2,168. But to underscore just how in tune I was, I had completed just short of 1,000 by 11:00, and thought I would take a break. But then I thought, "Ooh! One more thing." Fifteen minutes later, I had another 415 words.
I feel I'm entering a little bit of rough patch right now. Plot-wise, the Tower is under way, and I haven't as yet decided how to keep driving the action. (I recognize the previous statement probably makes minimal sense to you; but I know what I'm talking about.) But I will press on, and hope that I find the words.
More often than not, I do. And tonight is a treadmill night; walking is usually good for 500 or so.
Onward, onward...
By Michael Seese
Three nights...three episodes of Castle. So we're all caught up. For about seven more hours, that is. I enjoyed "Reality Star Struck." Perhaps because "reality" TV is an eye-rolling phenomenon in my world, and therefore, anything that skewers it is OK in my book.
Naturally, the absurdity gave Castle plenty of grist for his acerbic wit. Yes, lots of lines and looks. But before I get to that, I suppose I could discuss the plot. Much like "Recoil," the murderer (SPOILER!) turned out to be someone who had not even been considered a suspect. And, if memory serves, like "Recoil," the killer had not even spoken a line up to the "We know you did it" speech. At least in this case, the murderer had a name. Last week, I think he was just "the driver," at least until taken into custody.
As an aside, when they arrested Penelope, I couldn't help but notice the several small scars on her left shoulder. I wonder if Gina Torres (who, incidentally, appeared in "Serenity" with Nathan Fillion) has had her rotator cuff repaired, as have I.
As another aside, when Castle and Beckett busted Penelope and Bob in bed, my wife said, "They staged it for the ratings." And she was right!
I thought Captain
Gates's obsession with "The Wives Of Wall Street" represented yet
another peek into to quirky other side, much like her love of the
"Gemini dolls" in "Secret's Safe With Me." And Castle's descent into fandom during his all-nighter was portrayed stupendously. Then the writers brought it all together by having Castle and Gates animatedly discuss it.
On to the lines.
Ryan: "I feel like the rooster in the hen house. Except for there's only one hen. A very bossy hen."
Peter Monroe: "You have to find who did this. The audience will want to know."
Castle: "Yeah, not to mention her family, D.A."
Castle: "All these clues will fit into a beautiful murderous mosiac."
Castle: "It's like eating one potato chip."
Beckett: "I usually eat one potato chip."
Castle: "You two back together? Spoiler alert!"
And then the follow-up.
Castle: "I wouldn't make fun..." (Laughs) "Fish in a barrel..."
The latter probably accompanied my favorite "look."
So...
I'm going out on a limb here to say that tonight's episode probably will score low on the "chuckle-meter." I'll make two predictions. When Beckett says, "Castle, please, you don't need to see this:"
1. "This" is a blood-soaked jacket belonging to Alexis, and
2. The moment he sees it, and the camera shows everyone's worried faces. the show will fade to black.
Feel free to chime in on "Reality Star Struck."
If you met Castle, would you be "Star Struck?" Click to tweet.
By Michael Seese
I don't have a lot to say about "Recoil." I thought it was a good episode: dark, intense, and other adjectives I've used before. As such it proved to be light on the lines and the looks, which are what I tend to talk about. So I'll just have to forge on, absent my usual material.
As I've said before, I do appreciate ongoing story arcs. I think it's good when every single plotline is not conveniently wrapped up after 48 minutes. To refresh our memory, they started with your standard, "Previously on Castle..." Naturally, they had to show Beckett pistol-whipping Senator Bracken, so that we could see the scar on his left cheek, and say, "Oh, nice touch. Good continuity." I don't imagine we've seen the last of the not-so-good Senator.
There were lines, of course. They just tended to the pithy end of the spectrum.
Beckett (to Bracken): "Is there anyone you can think of who would like to kill you?"
And then:
Bracken: "It must be a dream come true for you."
Beckett: "In my dreams, I get to pull the trigger."
And in addition to her hateful looks, Castle spent the scene in Captain Gates's office positively glaring at Bracken.
We may actually have the time to see "Reality Star Struck" tonight. That would make for a great Castle trifecta this weekend.
Why do Castle & Beckett "Recoil" whenever they see Senator Bracken? Click to tweet.
By Michael Seese
I has been a while. Think we're still two shows behind.
"Death Gone Crazy" featured perhaps the greatest number of finger-points of any episode I can recall. I think I counted three or four instances of, "I didn't kill him. But I think I know who did."
Who was it: the rejected ex-girlfriend? The conservative campaigner? The bodyguard? My wife's early bet was Gary Moore, the COO of Beau Randolph's company; mine was Candice Mayfield. (It was just the way she said, "I've never even seen this guy [Randolph] before.") But in the end (SPOILER!!!) it was someone who hadn't even been considered a suspect.
Typical Castle fair. (Still good, mind you.)
Actually, I think this one featured more characters than any I can recall. Seven suspects, based on my reckoning. And, as mentioned, the murderer never really was a suspect. That's probably why Martha had a token appearance at the beginning, and Captain Gates had the day off.
My favorite lines...
Esposito: "Tennis shoes are practical. They can support your..."
Castle: "Eject."
Esposito: "Whoa! Did you hear that? She broke his nose."
Ryan: "Yeah, so?"
Esposito: "So? That's hot."
Ryan: "Who are you?"
Then building on that, "She broke a guy's nose. She's got to be freaky."
Ryan: "I never thought I'd say this after sixth-grade graduation. Our bra research is done."
They even gave Beckett some grammar chops.
Castle: "Two words: Vito Corleone."
Beckett: "Technically those are names, not words."
Looks:
Castle's bug-eyed look rant when he discovered his daughter's vlog. "My day is not today. That day is not today. Today is the day of the Internet stalker."
(As an aside, when Castle talked to Alexis about it, I thought she got rather snippy, rather quickly. For once, he was being genuinely caring and advice-giving, rather than preaching.)
And Castle's face throughout the interview with Mindy.
Next up: "Recoil."
Feel free to share your thoughts about "Death Gone Crazy." If you still remember the show, that is...
Has "Death Gone Crazy?" Ask Castle & Beckett. Click to tweet.
By Michael Seese
Occasionally, I like to do impossible things. I don't mean things like convincing my cousin that raising taxes on folks who earn more than $500,000 per year will not prove to be the undoing of America. No, I'm referring to things that are slightly easier than that.
For example...
Years ago, when my wife and I were dating, I was sitting on her couch, reading. Actually, I must have been studying something, as I had a highlighter pen. From my vantage point, I could see that the cat had jumped onto the kitchen counter. Since she didn't want either of them up there, she had given me explicit permission to take action. So I transferred the pen to my left hand (I'm right-handed) and flung it. I missed the cat. The pen hit the counter, ricocheted up, caught a wall switch, and turned on the disposal!
And I thought, if you were to hand me an unlimited supply of pens, then put a gun to my head and say, "You have an hour to toss these at the switch..." Well, just shoot me now.
Or recently...
The, the other night, I got out two Tylenols, and put them on the counter while I got a drink. And I put them down like this.
It's hard to tell from the above photo, but the one below shows them balancing on each other!
It's too bad that Vaudeville has had its heyday.
By Michael Seese
When I last wrote about The Secret World Of Gustave Eiffel, I was on the verge of 20,000 words. I said in that post that I hoped to "ramp it up" this past week. Well...
2/3/13 19,573
2/4/13 21,012
2/5/13 22,789
2/6/13 24,815
2/7/13 26,193
2/8/13 27,405
2/9/13 28,114
2/10/13 28,507
2/11/13 30,177
2/12/13 30,884
I'm especially proud of the days on which I "skipped a 4th digit," if you will. For example, on February 4, I went from 19K to 21K.
February 6 also was a good day. I had prepared to shut down for the night. But when I saw that my word count was 24,768 -- or 1,979 for the day -- I just had to press on to reach 2,000. (2,026 to be exact.)
My ultimate goal is 80,000 words. But my plan is to get from where I am now to the end, and total perhaps 60,000. Then, I can go back and fill in the blanks, especially at the beginning, which is very sparse. So while I still can't claim (even to myself) that I'm "there," I am "getting there."
I'd like to offer another snippet.
Let me state, probably again, that I like writing
dialogue. I really enjoy writing it. On the days I'm writing a lot
of dialogue, I have humongous word counts. It just flows. Whether it's
any good... I suppose that is for you, the readers (and ultimately the
New York Times reviewer) to decide.
Here is the set up. An important plot element centers around the decision to choose Eiffel's design as the centerpiece of the 1889 World's Fair. The chapters which lead up to this section explain that it was a rigged contest; Eiffel was going to be selected. Per Wikipedia, it was contrived in reality, too. But Eiffel was a bridge builder. Therefore, the architectural community launched a subtle (and not-so-subtle) campaign against him.
Simply pondering the scope and scale of the work which lay ahead caused his head to hurt. Eiffel rubbed his temples in an effort to silence the throbbing. When it grew in intensity and frequency, he realized that the pounding came from without, rather than within. Someone was at the door.
As soon as he opened it, he wished he had not.
“Gustave! How good to see you,” Jules Bourdais said through his sneer. Bourdais always addressed people by their first names as a form of condescension.
“Monsieur Bourdais, to what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?”
“Gustave, does one need a reason to visit an old friend?”
Bourdais emphasized the word “old.” Eiffel certainly did not consider him to be a friend. He nonetheless maintained his cordiality.
“Of course not, Monsieur Bourdais. Please do come in. Allow me a moment to straighten up."
Eiffel hurried back to his table, and hid the drafts of the Tower beneath another sheet of paper which featured several half-finished doodles, and served expressly as a decoy. When Eiffel looked up, he saw that Bourdais had shown himself in.
“What are you working on, Gustave?” he asked, coming around to Eiffel’s side.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. As you can see, just a bridge. Bridges are what I do best, after all.”
“Would this be the bridge for Breslau?” Bourdais asked, raising an eyebrow.
Eiffel tried to hide his astonishment.
“Breslau? What do you mean?”
“Nothing. So you are not preparing an entry for the Exposition?”
“Why do you ask?” Eiffel couched the question in faux-sincere innocence. In reality, he desperately wished to know the real purpose behind Bourdais’s visit.
“Even though you are an engineer, Gustave, perhaps you have had conversations with some of my colleagues in the Société Française des Architectes. Securing the commission for the the gateway of the Exposition would be a great honor for any of us. For you, I would imagine, the crowning achievement of a lifetime. So I just assumed that you would be preparing a proposal. Even though you build bridges.”
Eiffel noted that Bourdais overemphasized the last word, even more so the second time than the first.
“Oh, I am,” Eiffel said, casually. He knew that Bourdais was baiting him. But he could not resist playing the game a little.
“Oh?” said Bourdais as he scanned the table.
“Oui. As of now, I have just a few rough sketches. Nothing even remotely worth mentioning. The competition is not to be formally announced until 1 October, is it not?” Eiffel, it goes without saying, knew by heart the correct date.
“No, Gustave, it is 3 October.”
“But of course.”
“So you have not committed much to paper?”
“No. You?”
“I am nearly complete,” he boasted.
Eiffel knew Bourdais, or at least his reputation for vanity, very well. He knew that the proper mixture of prodding and ego-stroking would loosen his tongue.
“I am certain that yours will prove a magnificent fabrication. I must confess, Monsieur Bourdais, that whenever I stroll down the Pont d' Iéna, and pass the Palais du Trocadéro, I am compelled to linger for several minutes so that I may drink it in, and admire its bold Byzantine flavor."
Eiffel knew full well that “byzantine” could also be interpreted as “devious” or “surreptitious.”
“You, then, are in concordance with most of Paris. And whenever I travel by train and cross one of your bridges, I think, ‘This bridge was built by Monsieur Eiffel. I can rest secure in the knowledge that, most likely, it will not collapse.’ ”
“You are too kind, Monsieur Bourdais. So your proposal for the Exposition...will it be modern, or adhere to the classical schools of thought?”
If I have not said so lately, I learned of Jules Bourdais through my "encyclopedia," also known as Eiffel's Tower, by Jill Jonnes. For that matter, many of the characters which I am building worlds around are those real-world personalities who populated Paris at the time, and who come to life on her pages.
I am so going to have to send her a copy when it's done. (Positive thinking.)
By Michael Seese
Last year, I entered a poem in the (radio station) WCLV annual Valentine's Day Love Poem Contest.
I didn't win. I didn't even place in the top 10. Did that stop me from trying again?
Nope!
So here is this year's entry, "City Of Light."
September stroll, Champs-Élysées,
Mona Lisa, café au lait,
Place du Tertre, al fresco dine,
Le Moulin Rouge, fountains of wine.
Our honeymoon down by the Seine,
"We will return. Some day." And then...
The babies came: one, two, then three,
Bottle feeding, Band-Aid knee,
Soccer practice, violin,
Homework, laundry. What's that? Sleep in?
Play, bath, story, then kiss goodnight.
Our home, our own City Of Light.
(Gee, I wonder why I thought of Paris.)
My wife said "Awwww" when she read it.
It's due tonight (or was it last night? no matter; I sent it Saturday) at midnight. Wish me luck.
By Michael Seese
These guys are getting sloppy.
I literally rolled my eyes when I saw the (clearly visible) from: billybob4@ns308599.ovh.net
Yeah, that sounds like "Facebook Administration."
And though it's hard to read (at the bottom) if you hover over either button, you see the target is http://33344.webtest.goneo.de/suspenses.html
In case you were not aware, the ".de" stands for Germany, aka, Deutschland. So unless I unknowingly have an account on GesichtBuch ...
Be safe out there, kids.
By Michael Seese
Did you miss me?
As I imagine you've assumed (or forgotten / ignored) I've been busy scribing away at "The Secret Life Of Gustave Eiffel."
Though I had no breakthroughs (as I described last time) I have made some good progress:
1/24/13 11563
1/25/13 13150
1/26/13 13382
1/27/13 13593
1/28/13 15105
1/29/13 15526
1/30/13 16287
1/31/13 17323
2/1/13 18523
2/2/13 19163
2/3/13 19573
I've had a few stellar days. For example, I wrote nearly 1,600 on 1/25...but then just over 200 each the next two days. Still, my previous check-in showed 10,250 words. So an additional 9,000 in 11 days isn't bad. Part of the problem is, I have been working last week on filling in some details of a few chapters which already had a lot of the pieces in place. As such, it's kind of hard for me to think ahead, and write the scene in my mind. But I'm just about to leave that behind, and enter "new territory."
Hopefully, I can ramp it up this week.
By Michael Seese
The other day, at a local supermarket...
All I know is that the next time someone calls out, "Cleanup on aisle 5!" they'll be ready.
