Been watching Castle with Eva

[conuly]

Two takeaways from the first two seasons:

1. If somebody offers you a bribe in order to keep you from blowing the whistle on them, for goodness sake - accept it! You can always leave the office a million dollars richer and then blow the whistle on them anyway. Honor is great and all, but there's no honor in being stupid.

2. If you think you can carefully stage a dead body in an alley in Manhattan so it's hanging off of a fire escape in some dramatic way, and get away from the scene after without being spotted, you've got another think coming. Yeah, even aside from the fact that there are no alleys in the city, that episode was implausible. I can't even walk the dogs at 3am on Staten Island without bumping into half a dozen people, how're you gonna hang a body from a fire escape without twice as many people taking pictures and telling you how to do it better?

Comments

[siliconshaman]

There's one alley in Manhattan, and that's the one they keep filming in. cite

[conuly]

I was going to say "aren't there five?" and yes, the article does mention that there are about four or five alleys.

Mystery show routines

[cactuswatcher]

I've been rewatching Bones, and it's amazing how many bodies in D.C. alleys and wooded areas of neighboring states are found by poor slobs face-planting into the remains.

On Columbo, you often see the folly of taunting evil, rich people with the damning evidence that will ruin them, well before you intend to turn it all over to the authorities.

On the old Mannix detective show the way to solve any mystery was make it known you are investigating then wait around for people to come beat you up, thoughtfully leaving clues behind then as to their identity and motives.

Re: Mystery show routines

[conuly]

Does DC have alleys, though? Quite a serious question!

[jhetley]

It's alternative-universe fantasy.

[conuly]

In my fantasies, when people offer me big bribes to sell out, I take them! I can always take the bribe and then sell them out.

[brokenallbroken]

Castle was a wonderful show for a few seasons (until Stana Katic decided she couldn't stand Nathan Fillion for whatever reason), but I never expected it to be any more realistic than any other comedy.

[conuly]

I don't expect realism in procedurals either, but it's nice if they at least make a stab at it.

[thetimesink]

...how're you gonna hang a body from a fire escape without twice as many people taking pictures and telling you how to do it better?

Priceless...

[conuly]

I'm sure I could advise in that tricky matter.

[thetimesink]

Hmmm... I'm not sure that is all that comforting.

Then again, we likely both can benefit from things like "the statue of limitations"...

[conuly]

There *is* no statute of limitations for murder, is there?

Seriously, though, I'm not even sure how that dude got the body up there in the first place.

Also, no joke - nobody inspects fire escapes. I know people use them as balconies all the time, but you really really shouldn't because they are not inspected by literally anybody.

[chelseagirl]

I think my breaking point in Castle was when they kept mentioning freeways in Queens. There are enough ex-New Yorkers in LA that I can't help but think everyone in that writer's room must have known someone they could ask. Also the super-cool steampunk clubhouse in one episode. I was hanging out with steampunks at that time and it was beyond our wildest imaginings.

[conuly]

Clearly you were hanging out with the wrong crowd.

[jennaria]

I enjoyed Castle, but this does not stop me from giggling helplessly at your extremely valid second point.

[conuly]

I enjoyed Castle too, which is why I've been trying to get Eva to watch it with me! (It seemed, ahem, right up her alley.)