Well, I can't say that I'm super frenzied about the show, but I can definitely understand why people react in such a way and why they invest so much in all the 'shipment' stuff. I think it was meant to be that way from the very beginning, i.e. the show has been planned as mostly "relationship driven" rather than "stand-alone detective storylines driven". Hence the two charismatic, "stunningly beautiful" and "ruggedly handsome" leads who have that great on- and off-screen chemistry and flirt madly with each other straight from the Pilot. It looks like their relationship development has been implied from the very beginning as the crucial driving force for the show, therefore there's no wonder that audience responds to that idea and invests emotionally in these characters, in their bitter-sweet romantic dance and witty banter. So the passion of the viewers doesn't puzzle me at all — I guess somebody here has already compared this show with the reading of a good book, and when we read a really well written and emotionally exiting book, we often feel involved in rather same way, I guess. We laugh, and we cry, and we frenzy about the fictional characters and their fictional storylines as if they were real; so same is here.

What really puzzles me, however, is how people get mad at the show in the negative way. I peeked in the Imdb site the other day — it was some other stuff I was looking for, but I decided to peep into Castle threads as well, and I must say I was astonished by the amount of hatred and bile there — especially aimed for AWM, other writers, Nathan etc. And it was not just reasoned and grounded criticism, which I would totally understand, it was much more than that — bile, sarcasm, animosity, rage, etc. Even their Comic Con panel was characterized there as false, unsincere, boring and lacking something that other panels had. Our poor guys, I think they were absolutely charming and entertaining and wonderful and didn't deserve such a scold. Anyway, the question is, why watch it at all if it's so boring?.. Why give a damn? That puzzles me completely, I must say. Of course everyone is entitled to his own opinion, what I can't understand is that passion and how people are willing to waste their time and energy to write about the show that they obvioulsy don't like and spit venom over and over again. There are plenty of shows that I don't like and that irritate me, yet I would never waste my time on their boards bearing malice. [Image Can Not Be Found]I just wouldn't care that much, really. Yet people who hate that show care enough to articulate their hatred more than once or twice. [Image Can Not Be Found][Image Can Not Be Found] That deep level of their emotional reaction is what really puzzles me (and amuses a bit, too [Image Can Not Be Found]).

sheesh!  Hi Carrie,

I spent several minutes responding to your post, and it didn't post.  Don't know what happened.

Anyway, primarily what I said was….

I disagree that this show was 'more' about the relationship and less about the procedural.  In order for it to be as successful as it has been, the show needs to stand on its own in both areas, equally.  There will those more invested in the shipper aspect and others with the procedural.  If you put an emphasis on one or the other, you wouldn't have the draw to the show, Castle has obviously generated.  IMO

I do understand the investment into the show and characters, just as you would have in a good book, but how many really good books out there cause people to get into such a frenzy about the storyline or the characters?  People want to express their POV as I obviously do, but for me to be in places like this, its about having some fun and expressing ideas/thoughts with others who share the same investment into the show.  What I do find puzzling/amusing at times, is how some get so riled up or angry about anothers point of view, over a fictitious show and characters?

Your comment about IMDB website and the various comments there, is more about people who like to stir the pot.  There are a lot of people out there that like to do this just for kicks.  They get into these sites and pick out a few words and turn them into venom.  They haven't a clue about the subject matter, or maybe they do, either way, it doesn't matter.  What does matter to them, is just to cause mayhem.  So you can't take crap like that seriously.  Forums such as this are better monitored and flaming comments are not allowed.

I got to thinking about how the fan base affects, to a certain point, the degree to which the producers/writers of a show will tweak it just for the wanting of the fan base.  I also wondered what they think of the good and bad and the really good and bad comments from the fan base.  Those way out there on the fringes of emotional investment into the show and/or characters.  What do they see, those that are in the industry, when they look out into the sea of fans, especially those that get so angry and/or frenzied about fictitious shows and characters?

[Image Can Not Be Found]

That's a good question Fillkat. I guess the answer is very complex, and might differ from one person to another. As far as I'm concerned, getting emotionally involved with these characters or frenzied about the show is my way to get out of daily life. Not that I don't like my life! But imagination has always been vital to me. Castle allows me to do just that : imagine, and believe when I'm watching the show that everything is true, even if deep down I know it's not. You can live other things, experience other things, through their eyes. I would even go as far as to say we kind of "become" them, in a way. And it's liberating. It's just like writing a book. I'm a writer, and the main reason I write is because it helps me, on many levels, to get out of myself and become someone else, someone I could never be, someone that makes me dream, or that scares me, or makes me cry or laugh. Someone that makes me feel alive, somehow. Even if you're happy with your real life, you always need escapism, from time to time. That's what TV or movies are for. And being someone else, even just for a few minutes, when you're watching a show, is priceless.

I think a lot of us kind of identify with the characters, and when you do, it's normal to care about them and about their relationships. And even if you know it's fictitious, you still want them to be happy, and you want some things to happen, and some other things not to happen. Because you know it will fulfill this 'other person' inside of you. That's why – I think – sometimes it becomes hard to remain objective, or calm, or indifferent.

@Carrie, I know what you mean. I will never understand why some people on some forums – not really here on Castletv.net – are willing to waste their time to criticize and bash a show that they don't like. I got in a fight online with a guy, a few years ago on IMDb, about an actor that I liked. The guy spent quite some time writing a post on why he hated the actor. And I was so frustrated! I couldn't help myself. I replied to him, and asked – politely – why he felt the need to waste his time on that. Basically, the guy replied "It's my right to post". LOL I was like… hello… don't you have better, more valuable things to do with your time?! [Image Can Not Be Found] Those posters on IMDb are usually called "trolls". That's what everybody calls them on IMDb. They seem to enjoy spending their time criticizing everything and everyone, just for the sake of it. Some of them don't even write ONE positive message. Just negative ones. That's because of those trolls that I've given up on the IMDb message boards a long time ago. I only use IMDb to get information on movies, series, or actors. But the forums really are a place to avoid, especially if you're feeling down or if you need to be cheered up.

I grew up watching soap operas and you will never find fans for frenetic or psycho than soap fans. [Image Can Not Be Found]  I had people email me THREATS and spam my email adress because I didn't like the same character and couple they did!! I mean, seriously!? Fans like that eventually ran me off from watching the daytime shows, although I still operate a message board devoted to one of the actors from The Young and the Restless.

I've never understood why people would spend their time on a message board or posting about a show/actor/character they don't even like. Not everyone is going to watch every single show that another person does, nor will they interpret the shows they do have in common the same way. As the old saying goes, different strokes for different folks. I guess in the end, folks like that have way too much time on their hands.

Nev827 said:

Carrie said:  

What really puzzles me, however, is how people get mad at the show in the negative way. I peeked in the Imdb site the other day — it was some other stuff I was looking for, but I decided to peep into Castle threads as well, and I must say I was astonished by the amount of hatred and bile there —…

I completely agree with you here.  I read comments on various websites (usually at the end of news articles about spoilers for the show) or see videos people have put together on youtube talking about how cliched and unrealistic the plots of the episodes are and I wonder "Then why do you watch if you think it's so bad?"  Why would someone spend such energy to shout from the rooftops about something they think is silly or ridiculous?  There are a couple folks like that on these boards, and I asked one person such a question in chat once and the response I got was "Because I want it to be better."  Well, that's great.  When you run your own show, you can do what you want, but for now, AM is in control and you'll have to just suck it up. 

My apologies if I offended anyone.

I just read this comic this morning. It hits this issue squarely on the head. (Warning: Don't look if you're offended by certain words of profanity – there is one there)

http://xkcd.com/546/

That's a great cartoon. I've been experiencing something similar over at CMT.com this weekend. People coming to an artists video page to trash the artist and his fans….um if you hate him and us so much then WHY THE HECK ARE YOU HERE??? lol. Someone people just love being self righteous.