Author Richard Castle and NYPD detective Kate Beckett are back again for the 23 episode fourth season.
Castle Box Set, which picks up where season 3 left off, delves into the "who shot Beckett?" story arc. Of course, there are plenty of other ongoing (or stand-alone) stories throughout the season including a new Captain (Victoria Gates), a superhero vigilante, a severed head, murder investigations (including a casino owner, fairytale costumers, a celeb, and a dog trainer), an insurance investigator, a deceased ghost hunter, Castle's daughter Alexis, a hostage situation, detectives Kevin Ryan and Javier Esposito, a sniper, Beckett's PTSD, Beckett and Castle being handcuffed together, a diary, medical examiner Dr. Lanie, a linchpin, Thomas Gage, a bomber, Detective Ethan Slaughter, Beckett and Castle's relationship, an alleged zombie, and Sophia Turner.
As with the past three seasons, the fourth season of "Castle" has its moments. Nathan Fillion, as per usual, manages to carry
Desperate Housewives Box Set (as Richard Castle) with his great comedic timing, charm, and on screen presence. Why he isn't a bigger star is beyond me. Additionally, there are a couple of truly memorable episodes here such as "Heroes and Villains" and "Headhunters." 'Heroes' is a fun comic book geek-out episode that even includes a clever Derrick Storm comic tie-in that is actually available stores. As for "Headhunters," "Firefly" fans get a mini-reunion here as Fillion is reunited with Adam Baldwin who guests on an episode.
Now, the big talk of season 4 has been the romance between Beckett and Castle. For shippers,
Family Guy Box Set is a dream come true. For others, like myself, it feels like a bad move. Television history shows that a majority of shows that feature a relationship between two major characters fall apart. The problem with this move historically is that once the characters get together, there's no longer a reason to tune in because the show becomes stale. The tensions and witty banter are no longer there because the character dynamics have changed. Now, obviously, it's too early to say if this is the case with "Castle" as it enters its fifth season, but it's apparent in season 4 that the show is starting to lose creativity. A romance this early almost feels like a desperation move. Time will tell.