Castle: From Kick-ass Cop to Sexy and Helpless

Last week the TV show Castle won the People's Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama and Nathan Fillion won the award for Favorite Dramatic TV Actor for the title role.  Castle fans were delighted and there was the expected disappointed buzz that co-star Stana Katic did not win for Dramatic TV Actress.

I'm a Castle fan.  Love the show.  I've been watching since it first aired. But my disappointment the last couple years has been less about awards and more about what the show's writers/producers/etc. have done to the character Detective Kate Beckett.

In the beginning, Beckett was a kick-ass cop.  Smart and tough. Skilled in hand to hand combat. She solved cases and brought down bad guys.  Her hair style and wardrobe fit the image. She was beautiful and sexy and there was plenty of sexual tension between her and Castle but she was a cop first, sex symbol second.

 

 In season two, the image changed a bit.  Castle became a little less goofy and bumbling, and he and Beckett began working more as equals, although she was still the cop and he was the writer. By the end of season three, however, Beckett had changed completely.  Note the hair and wardrobe in the picture below.

If you're not a Castle viewer, I should explain that several story arcs over these seasons involved exposing Beckett's emotional vulnerabilities and developing the romantic feelings between her and Castle. But the writers also weakened Beckett role as a cop.  Her fellow detectives seem to be finding all the evidence and it was Castle who found the final clue and put things together. By season five,  Beckett also apparently forgot her hand to hand combat skills because in almost every episode she was overwhelmed, had her gun taken from her, was taken prisoner/hostage, and had to be rescued.  

In the current season, Castle and Beckett have given into their romantic feelings and have "gotten together". Naturally, a lot of the current story lines are centered on their relationship. But even while working the case of the week, there is almost nothing of the strong, kick-ass cop we saw in the first season. Kate Beckett has become little more than Castle's sexy and quasi helpless girlfriend.

Promo picture from this season.

As a Castle fan, I miss the old Beckett. I really liked her. The current one, not so much.  But as a writer, what bothers me is - why the change?  Did the show's writers feel that in order to strengthen Castle's character they had to weaken Beckett's? Did they think she needed to be softer or weaker to build the romance between them? Can't a woman be strong, intelligent, and kick-ass, and still be sexy, romantic, and have emotional vulnerabilities?

Can I get your opinions on this?  If you watch Castle, do you agree with my assessment of the changes in Kate Beckett?  Do you like the new Beckett or miss the old one? If  you're not a Castle viewer, what do you think about strong women characters in general, and about the questions I asked above.

Question of the Day:  Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?