no shit, right? Yeah, the ep with speed dating was harmless enough. So I see your point. But I figure the most violent ep should be what dictates the time slot.

The show itself is kinda psychopathic - it goes skipping along with you hand in hand, you're having a happy fun time, and suddenly it turns to you and gives an evil smile and there's HORRIBLE CRAZY DEATH.

Hee. Why is it that sounds appealing to me? Do I need to go back to it? I dunno if I can handle the Red John stuff.
 
Castle is very rewatchable. I rewatched Double Down, or whatever that one was where they`re betting on the cases. Which reminded me of the question why Beckett doesn`t have a partner other than Castle. She should, right?

It sounds awesome the way Zenkitty phrases it, but I find it to be gratingly dissonant in actuality on most ocassions. Although I did quit watching and eventually came back to it.

I think the main thing that alienates people from The Mentalist is the protagonist. I'm okay with him being a non-violent sociopath. But I've read a lot of dissatisfied former viewers who've grown to hate him and what they see as the text's excusing of his behaviour.

I think he's hysterical. At precisely the distance he is--aided and abetted by Simon Baker's charisma.

I don't think the show excuses his behavior. Or if it does, Baker's acting against the text and doing it damn well.

I agree, I have liked Jane less and less as the show has gone on.

I don't hate Jane, and I don't look at the show closely enough to feel that the show excuses his behaviour. What I do find is inconsistent writing of how amused we're supposed to be by the fights he starts (which may be "excusing his behaviour" phrased differently?), the almost non-addressing of the deeper, darker issues, and Lisbon's character (yeah, still hate her and how Tunney plays her).

I was getting really tired of The Mentalist until ita explained that Jane is a psychopath, and then the show seemed different and I liked it better. Because I no longer have to like Jane, or anybody who likes him/condones his behavior.

That said, I'm about four episodes behind and not in any hurry to catch up.

What's the difference between a psychopath and a sociopath?

I don't think the text excuses him either. I can handle most of the team's loyalty to him without respecting them less, except Lisbon.

I think the show can't afford to dwell on how dark they sometimes show Jane to be--sleeping under the bloody smiley face, being committed to the psychiatric facility, before you get to his manipulation of the world around him, because they really wouldn't be able to drum up an audience with him that messed up all the time. I don't think the House magic is going to strike too often. And I certainly can't bear House.

Zen, I use them interchangeably--I don't know if that's accurate. It feels weird to use them talking about procedurals in a non-violent sense, but it's the void of emotions that I mean.