So we are now in Season 3. Summer has passed on by and still no Castle. Beckett and the team seem to miss him. Turns out that immediately after finishing his latest book and sending it for publishing, Castle was pulled into a publicity tour. When Beckett, Ryan & Esposito are at a crime scene the see Castle – only it’s a lifesize effigy of him at a big book store. As they move on by Ryan says – “He really is ruggedly handsome” (mirroring Castle dialogue in season 1 that they used throughout season 2 in the opening theme) – that cracked me up!

Beckett and her team burst into an apartment on a murderer’s trail, only to be surprised when they find Castle, who they hadn’t seen or heard from in months, standing over the dead woman’s body holding a gun. Beckett has no choice but to arrest Castle until he proves he is innocent.  This episode is great as a season opener. Next it’s the case of a fake psychic who was killed by her own daughter. We also run into Beckett’s first Training Officer, Mike Royce, now working as a bounty hunter and chasing their murder suspect on a warrant for missing his court appearance. While they investigate a murder of a young executive involving antique guns, a 200-year-old bullet, and New York’s steampunk subculture, we are introduced to Beckett’s new romantic interest, a surgeon (played by Victor Webster).

They also find that the Triple Killer has come back and struck again but while investigating & apprehending their suspect who confesses, Ryan & Castle are tied up by the real killer – a felon who they gave immunity to from jail and was helping them on the case. This shakes both Castle & Ryan up. We get some lighter moments during the murder of a male stripper dressed a cop. Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a dockworker turned bar owner whose body is found floating in the East River, leading to the discovery of a secret that dates back to Prohibition. This leads to a special aged whiskey and Castle also buys the bar. Much hialrity & a wee bit of insecurity & jealousy occurs when Natalie Rhodes (Laura Prepon) playing Nikki Heat in the film adaptation of Heat Wave, joins Castle and Beckett in their next investigation of a high class match-maker, Stacy Collins. Natalie goes to extremes during her “character research,” making herself into the exact image of Beckett, much to Castle’s delight and Beckett’s dismay. Ryan tries to find the best way to propose to Jenny. Next a magician’s death and an older detective brings new evidence for Beckett’s mother’s murder, he & another cop were involved with the circumstances leading to her death, but he is killed before he can reveal all.

Castle breaks things off with his ex-wife Gina, Ryan gets engaged and Lainey & Esposito are having a romance of their own. Castle has to reluctantly lead his former close friend is a killer. Beckett & Castle have to join forces with omeland Security agent Mark Fallon (Adrian Pasdar) in a two parter episode involving a terrorist attack attempt with a deadly chemical weapon. Our duo almost run out of time when Castle, thinking that there is nothing to lose anyway, pulls all the wires and stops the bomb from detonating. One of my fav episodes is the one with the 4 Nick’s Pizza – Authentic Nicks, Original Nick’s, Original Authentic Nick’s & Authentic Original Nick’s – in the same block. When a future Olympic swimmer is found dead in the pool, Castle and Beckett travel into the world of sports, drugs, and drug dealers. Against orders, Beckett travels to Los Angeles while investigating the murder of her training officer Michael Royce, last seen being arrested in the Under the Gun episode; Castle questions Beckett’s motives. Castle and Beckett are called to investigate when Amber Middleberry, a contestant in a beauty pageant, is found strangled and every suspect has a motive to commit murder.

Which brings us to the finale; Beckett’s mom’s murder that the duo are still investigating, reveals that there was a 3rd cop involved. An assassin, with knowledge of the details behind Beckett’s mother’s murder, escapes from custody during his trial leaving Castle and Beckett to track him down. Tensions mount when investigations by Ryan & Esposito reveal that the 3rd cop was Captain Montgomery, then a young cop. He soon got out of it but still is contacted by the assassin. Montgomery agrees to deliver Beckett to the assassin & his cohorts but instead spends time with his family, kisses his wife & kids goodbye and kills the assassin & his group. Before he does so, he confesses to Beckett off his early involvement during the situation but does not who ordered Mrs. Beckett’s death. At Montgomery’s funeral, Beckett is shot and Castle tells her that he loves her. Thus ends the season.

Criminal Minds, is an American police (in this case FBI) procedural television show which premiered in September, 2005. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), which is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes, based in Quantico, Virginia. The series is based on special agents  Jason Gideon (Mandy Patinkin), Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson), and the rest of the Behavioral Analysis Unit, hereafter referred to as the BAU team. For the first season, that team is composed of Elle Greenaway (Lola Glaudini), Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler), Jennifer “JJ” Jareau, (AJ Cook), and computer / data expert Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness). When the series premiered, Vangsness was not in the regular cast, appearing instead as a guest star.

The season starts with agent Gideon rejoining active duty by joining the BAU team led by supervisor Hotchner. Elle is a new member of the team who is made permanent after the first case of a serial killer in Seattle. From the second episode onwards agent Jennifer joins the team.  JJ acts as the team’s liaison with the media and local police agencies, usually hanging out with Garcia if the two are in the office. As the series progresses, JJ moves more into the filed, liaisoning in the different cities they travel to. The team soon is in the thick of things, solving a serial arsonist case in one episode and a copycat bomber before traveling to San Diego to help stop a serial rapist and murderer called the “Tommy Killer” by the local media because he glues his victim’s eyes wide open after raping and murdering them.

One of the more disturbing cases is a serial killer who takes families hostage and spends time with them acting as a father figure during what is supposed to be their family vacations. Then we have Elle, along with four civilians, is held hostage on a train in Texas by a paranoid schizophrenic who is convinced that the U.S. government are monitoring him through a microchip in his arm. Reid and Gideon are forced to play into the man’s fantasy to save the people he has taken hostage. This episode is based on a real person’s case. Then there are the murders in a small town which the killer, a teenage frames to look like that of a Satanic cult who are based in the area. There are cases of cannibalism, child abduction, a vigilante, a sexual serial killer in Mexico who targets older women and a charmer who dates women and then drown them. But my favourite is the one of two serial killers, where the woman is innocent but faked her 2 year old son’s death so she could save him from her psycho killer husband. 15 years later Gideon tries to save her but she blames herself for not being able to save the girls her husband killed and is happy that her now 17 year old, living with adoptive parents, is healthy & growing up safe. Very moving.

The season ends on a cliffhanger in the Fisher King, a burnt victim man who has abducted his own daughter. While on their separate vacations, each member of the BAU receives a clue from a psychotic killer obsessed with Arthurian legend who challenges them to save his next victim. Elle is shot critically in her home by the killer, who is enraged when they break one of his “rules”. The second part of this two parter will be the first episode of the second season.

When you look at watching an epic medieval times tv series look no further than Game Of Thrones. I rarely watch HBO series, although I have heard that HBO series are usually good, but this one is fucking awesome. Game Of Thrones is an American medieval fantasy television series created for HBO by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, based on author George R. R. Martin’s best-selling A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels, the first of which is called A Game of Thrones. Based on watching this I definitely need to get my hands on the books and read it at my leisure.

Looking at the cast I was wondering wow – Sean Bean, Mark Addy & Lena Headley! That’s a good list of leading actors to have. Sean Bean – I dunno, is this guy just made for medieval style movies? It seems like that to me. This is also one of the series that, whatever your genre tastes may be (scifi, cops & detective, horror, drama, romance, comedy etc), this is something everyone must try and watch. But beware as there is plenty of nudity & fornication and some violence in it, so it’s not for children or the easily offended.

At the heart of the series are two families – the Starks are led by Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark (Bean), patriarch of the Stark family. His wife, Catelyn Stark née Tully, is played by Michelle Fairley. Their children are Robb (Richard Madden), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Arya (Maisie Williams), Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) and Rickon (Art Parkinson). Kit Harington plays Ned’s bastard, Jon Snow, and Alfie Allen plays Theon Greyjoy, political hostage and ward of Lord Stark. The royal family King Robert Baratheon is played by Mark Addy, and his wife, Queen Cersei Lannister, is played by Lena Headey. Cersei has two brothers; her twin, Ser Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), and the clever dwarf Tyrion (Peter Dinklage). Cersei’s oldest child is Prince Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), and his bodyguard is Sandor “The Hound” Clegane (Rory McCann). Aidan Gillen plays Petyr “Littlefinger” Baelish, Master of Coin for King Robert’s Small Council.

Across the Narrow Sea, Viserys (Harry Lloyd) and Daenerys “Dany” Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) –exiled children of the previous king that King Robert overthrew – are on the run for their lives and trying to win back the throne. Dany is married to Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), the leader of the Dothraki. Iain Glen plays exiled knight Ser Jorah Mormont, who is sworn to help and protect the siblings. Viserys has arranged the marriage between Dany & Drogo in exchange for the promise of the latter’s ferocious army in order to win back the throne. The way he looks at his sister as just an object to achieve his goals (even examining her naked body before presenting her to Drogo) is evident of his arrogant & self-importance and his single mindedness of getting the throne back. Drogo, a rough & silent king takes a liking to Dany and marries her, taking her roughly in evening sex sessions from behind. Dany learns to give pleasure from a Dothraki prostitute and soon wins over Drogo and is pregnant with his son.

King Robert visits the Starks at their castle & land along with his wife, oldest son & heir and the queen’s brothers Jaime & Tyrion. During the visit Robert tells his friend Ned about his proposal to unite the two families by having Joffery marry Sansa. Sansa herself is thrilled at this news although her parents don’t reciprocate this feeling. It is during this visit that Ned’s 10 year old son while climbing a tower sees Queen Cersei engaging in sex with her twin brother Jaime! They catch him in the act and Jamie speaks to him and pushes the young lad down to the ground, as they fear that the rest of the people will come to know of this little incestuous affair. The Starks are in despair over the little guy who is in a coma & as a result of the fall his legs are broken beyond healing. Ned is called away to the capital of King Robert’s kingdom to serve as the hand of the King, taking his two daughters with him while leaving his sons & wife behind. Jon Snow leaves to join the Night’s Watch at the wall protecting the 7 kingdoms.

When we catch up with the crew we see them sharing lighter moments. They are having a barbecue, grill meat & fish and buying food & vegetables from a local guy who sells his wares off his boat. The sun is shining, they are drinking beer and the food is being cooked. Post lunch Lincoln picks up his guitar and starts playing a tune and singing. Lena soon joins him playing her accordion. The makers of the series did a good job of making this all calm & serene – heck this might be a group of friends going on a lazy cruise. But yes there is also a discussion about having a leader for the expedition. Suddenly Jahel (why is she always the harbinger of doom) starts screaming and points to something in the jungle. The crew looks at where she points and sees the corp of  white man hanging from a vine off a tree. As they approach the young man springs to life, struggling against the creepers and Kurt shoots the vine and it breaks and releases him. The young man turns out to be Jonas Beckett, Dr. Emmett Cole’s former camera man and who was hired by Lena to go along with Emmett’s crew.

He is sick with symptoms of malaria and the crew take him to the boat and treat him. Turns out that the ambitious Jonas followed a native elder into the jungle against Emmett’s explicit orders to try to capture on film his sacred funeral ritual only to be cursed for doing so, damned to perpetually hang from a vine-noose in eternal pain and agonizing regret. The myth of the hanging man is discussed among the crew mainly filled in by Jahel. She also tells them that unless Jonas leaves the boat the rest of the crew will also die. Soon they have to take shelter as a large storm is heading their way. They are bombarded first by birds that hit against the boat in a supposed suicidal run, killing themselves by hitting the glass or other parts of the boats at high speeds and later by a hail storm of bugs that crawl all over the boat and they have to lock themselves inside. Back in Emmet’s voyage, the spirits covered the ship in vines, which Emmet solved by letting Jonas hang. In earlier footage we find Emmett cutting off large chunks of vines only for it to reappear a moment later and almost forcefully take a female crew member away by dragging her.

Soon it is apparent that in order for the crew to survive they might have to sacrifice Jonas back to the jungle just like Emmett & his crew did. Lincoln, who is a medical graduate is appalled and refuses to allow that to happen. However Jonas in a bout with remorse on seeing Lincoln’s attempts to keep him alive, decides to sacrifice himself in order to save the rest of the crew. The spirit is appeased and we see a form being released from his phone – on which Jonas had recorded the funeral.