Castle's Couple

It was recently brought to my attention that on Valentine's Day, my daily post was a cop-out link to somebody else's article on Glee. Apparently this was disappointing to my minimal fan base who were expecting something romantic and special for the day of love. Sorry to disappoint. And "no" is the answer to the question nobody asked. I wasn't too busy to write up a review or an analysis because I was on a sweet romantic adventure with a special someone. I just couldn't come up with anything to talk about that day. In all honesty, I'd probably have forgotten it was Valentine's Day altogether if it hadn't been for the constant Twitter reminders from famous people who were apparently spending their precious date time on their smart phones tweeting about the experience.

Anyway. In honor of the forgotten holiday, I've taken a page from E!Online and decided to do a television couple themed blog entry. If you didn't get the reference, click here to be sent to the online survey of television's hottest couples and vote for your favorites. But be forewarned. If any of my favorite couples lose out to anybody from Glee or anything with vampires, I will be quite upset and likely throw some sort of temper tantrum.

So I gave a lot of thought to the couples on that list and tried to come up with what made some of my favorites so much fun to watch and after much deliberation I've come to a conclusion as to which couple deserves to be (but probably won't be) named TV's best couple. My pick has to be Richard Castle and Kate Beckett from ABC's Castle.

Absolutely the best portrayed "Will They Won't They" couple I've ever seen on television, Castle and Becket clearly have strong feelings for the other. They're clearly in love with each other, but the timing has never worked out for the two of them to make a mutual confession, and they've never gotten together for anything more than a cover-maintaining kiss here and there. Pretty much the standard definition of the "Will They Won't They," right?

What makes Castle's couple different? It's the fact that the writers and the actors have managed to make us care about their love but not care if they get together. Their unique dynamic has all the viewing appeal that a good unmatched couple should have. We get to watch their relationship develop from episode to episode, and there's always room for more growth because the couple never reaches that point of mutual realization and connection. Every time they share a moment along their journey, we as the viewers are treated to a little boost of excitement for our hopeful romantics, and every time it doesn't work out, we feel sad for our heroes. The problem with most "Will They Won't They" couples, though, is that watching a pair of people skirt around a relationship for several seasons at a time can get frustrating when the audience starts to realize that any idiot would have made a move and ended the dance if it weren't scripted to not work out.

Castle and Beckett don't have that problem. Something about the actors' natural chemistry and the writers' insistence on keeping the romantic relationship within reach but still at arms length makes the Castle couple easy on the mind. Somehow this relationship manages to be in the foreground and the background at the same time. They're no Jim and Pam, who instantly called to mind their lack of a relationship every time one of them was on the screen in the early seasons of The Office. With Castle and Beckett, the relationship is never the driving force of the episode. The crime solving always takes precedence. We see this point hit home full force in this week's Valentine's Day episode of Castle.

Castle's personal investment in a murder suspect puts him and Detective Beckett at odds with each other. Tensions mount to the point where the two wind up in a screaming match that ends with Castle being thrown out of the precinct. Never during that argument, or at any point during the episode, did I fear for Castle and Beckett's personal relationship. Beckett clearly showed concern for Castle as she told him that he was just too close to the case to be useful, and later in the episode, when she harshly interrogates his friend, she tells him to wait in the observation room, softly informing him that he doesn't "want to be in there for this." The two clearly care about each other at all times, and Castle will often slip flirtatious or playful bits into his cases - it's a part of what makes him so fun to watch - but Castle and Beckett succeed at keeping work and play separate.

The love between the characters manages to seem genuine and unforced, so we don't worry when they're not together. The Castle couple gives us all the heartfelt warmth without the heart-pumping fear of a permanent split. We know that the two are meant to be together, and we're comfortable waiting.

At least I am.

The problem is that Castle and Beckett are a safe couple. They don't have that heart-wrenching uncertainty that can be so alluring for a season or two. So when the final votes for hottest TV couple are tallied, I'd put my safe money on a Finn and Rachel, or even a Leonard and Penny, before a Castle and Beckett.