On Rosewood this season there is a new captain in town and he is the polar opposite of Ira Hornstock. Villa and Rosie have pretty much “kissed and made up” (although not literally) and Pippa is keeping a very low profile. Both Rosewood and Villa still have that magic chemistry and it is clear that this show is the new Castle, sans the whole “writer vibe.”
While the comparison is not perfect, there is no creative type on this team, there is enough of that Castle give and take that it fits. Both shows feature a man and woman who are romantically linked and are on the same wavelength. Villa and Rosie constantly finish each other’s sentences and reach conclusions at the same time.
Beaumont Rosewood is surrounded by family, as is Rick Castle. Most importantly it is a show that deals not only homicide but also has that “will they, won’t they” game. Castle dropped that ball when their two main protagonists got married. Rosewood is still playing that game and it works.
In the season two opener, a young college girl is found dead. There is a new captain and he turns out to be an “outside the box” sort of guy. He hates the rules and is a bit…odd.
Ryan Slade also appears to be a bit of a psychic.
During the investigation Villa has pictures of all the Mayor’s entourage and family. The murder suspect does not have enough going against him for the detective to interrogate. Slade reaches down and picks up a picture of one of the men and says, “What about this guy.”
That picture looks suspiciously like the murderer caught at the end of the show.
“Forward Motion & Frat Life” proves that Villa and Rosie can successfully work together even when they have a major falling out. It also shows that Donna is everyone’s mother in this scenario as she and TMI talk about outstanding issues.
Pippa may be getting her head together off camera, except for two musical numbers that are hot, hot, hot, but her absence is keenly felt. On a sidenote, this woman can sing.
Hornstock has moved his junior detective office into the basement but still shows why he was the captain by helping out at a crucial point in the investigation. Ira also questions his friend the mayor and clears him as a suspect.
Mitchie is now a fully fledged member of the team. He and TMI are getting along very well, as long as he stays away from “hairless wonder.” Rosewood’s crew is one short since Pippa has taken a brief hiatus to deal with the TMI situation.
Donna is not romantically linked to the inmate seen in the season one finale. Rosie has an interesting new receptionist who likes animal cages and it looks like his sister may be focussing on a new career in music.
This episode had a party bus, a frat house and a political slant. The murdered girl was the mayor’s illegitimate daughter and his advisor killed her to protect his boss’s secret.
It also allowed Ira to move out of the basement. He has always had a soft spot for Villa, and Rosie, it would have been a crime to lose him.
The first episode of Rosewood’s second season ended with Villa and Rosie working as a real team again.
Back to the Castle comparison: Like Castle’s subplot of Kate’s murdered mum, Villa has the death of her husband looming large in her memory. The killer was never caught.
When Rosie did some searching into the list of suspects and the forensic evidence, Villa was infuriated. Sound familiar? Beckett had the exact same reaction.
This new twist, as well as the other similarities, makes it clear that Rosewood is the new Castle. There are, however, more than enough differences to keep the show fresh from allegations of being a copycat.
For one thing Rosewood is a pathologist, not a writer, and Villa is not Beckett. The chemistry between Annalise and Rosie is very similar and it is this aspect that makes the comparison so apt.
Of course the biggest difference lies between the ABC series being a comedy and Rosewood being categorized as a drama. (Although dramedy is more accurate, there is a lot of humor in this crime show.)
Rosewood airs Thursdays on FOX. Tune in and see what you think. Is this series another Castle?
Cast:
- Morris Chestnut – Dr. Beaumont Rosewood Jr.
- Jaina Lee Ortiz – Det. Annalise Villa
- Eddie Cibrian – Captain Ryan Slade
- Gabrielle Dennis – Pippy Rosewood
- Anna Konkle – Tara Milly Izikoff (TMI)
- Domenica Lombardozzi – Det. Ira Hornstock
- Lorraine Toussaint – Donna Rosewood
- Sam Huntington – Mitchie Mendelson
Guest starring Yancey Arias as Mayor Ramon Esparza
Mikes Film Talk 