Too Old for Cool

I’m pretty sure “Castle” as we’ve known it is leaving “Castle,” too, and it’s had a good long run, so that’s fine. I’m mostly there for Nathan Fillion anyway, and liked the Kate Beckett character way more in the early days. But at the same time … I’d have minded Beckett leaving a lot less if they’d never brought she and Castle together as a couple, and really a lot less if they hadn’t spent the last season or two contriving reasons to keep them apart. The only way I could make it through this whole ridiculous “I have to pretend to be broken up with you to keep you safe” plot line this season is knowing it would eventually be over and they’d get back together, and if the endgame is instead going to be her death or disappearance … maybe I’m leaving “Castle,” too. If they can spin off something that looks like the light funny detective show I originally fell for, I’ll give it a look.

And so, it begins again. Seems like maybe fewer obvious drop-outs in this crop (Geraldo, though? Really?). Jodie Sweetin should be able to get Keo past Week 3 for a change (though whoever is responsible for her photo on the DWTS site, back away from the Photoshop right now). 

Marla Maples, a.k.a. a former Mrs. Donald Trump, wins this season’s award for Most Cynical Inclusion of a News-Related Personage (hey, I ended up liking Alek Skarlatos a lot, but his inclusion was really unbecomingly stunt-like on the part of the producers). The lineup seems kind of heavy on football players, who sometimes do great and sometimes show that their moves on the field don’t translate. I’m cautiously optimistic, anyway. 

My early rooting interest is Nyle DiMarco, who is I believe the show’s second Deaf contestant (after Marlee Matlin). It will be interesting to watch from an inclusion perspective, and if he’s able to dance anywhere near as good as he looks, he’ll be around for a while.

Finally caught up with the season’s last episode of “Undateable” many, many weeks after it went live. This is one of the few shows I really really try to catch live, to get the added fun of getting the behind-the-scenes view before and after the show and during commercials. But there was a pot-luck dinner that night, and this episode went into DVR limbo for a while. I really enjoy how they make the most of the live aspects on this show, especially the musical guests, and in this ep the silliness of the flashbacks being done live. The whole show is pretty silly, and there’s definitely been a sacrifice of plot development in the switch to live. But I don’t think I’d like it that much without the let’s-put-on-a-show-right-now zaniness. It’s a lot of fun. And if they manage to get another season, I think doing a whole scene with a kid on your shoulders needs to be a running gag.

Good news for the Too Old for Cool household. One of the few shows my husband and I generally keep caught up with on our DVR.

Will be hauling out my comfort scale tonight to evaluate Oscar dresses for how they’ll hold up to a long night of sitting. If what you really want is an old white lady’s take on the Oscars, I’ll be live-tweeting with my @parentingroundabout colleagues at #OscarsPRP.