DVD Review - Castle: The Complete Fifth Season

Castle: The Complete Fifth Season
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever, Tamala Jones
Studio: ABC Studios
Release Date: September 10, 2013
ASIN: B009RX7IX8
Retail: $45.99
Running Time: 1,032 minutes
Rating: TV-PG

Review:

Tomorrow, ABC Studios will be releasing Castle: The Complete Fifth Season on DVD starring Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as novelist Richard Castle and Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett, with many bonus features, such as Martha's Master Class - Castle's mom presents a whole new way to experience the 100th episode; Your Home Is Your Castle - interior design star Vern Yip gives you an exclusive access to Castle's penthouse & Beckett's loft in all-net TV design special; Lot Cops - Jon Huretas and Seamus Dever bring fans along on a tactical training course to ensure authenticity in the series; deleted scenes; bloopers; and audio commentaries. As an extra bonus, there is a pack of Castle trading cards.

Castle hit the airwaves as a mid-season replacement on ABC in 2009 airing on Monday nights and has become a ratings hit, as well as a fan favorite series. The first episode "After The Storm" picks up where the season 4 finale ended with Castle and Beckett finally admitting their feelings for each other and leading Beckett to meet face-to-face with her mother's murderer. The Caskett couple's romance doesn't stay a secret for very long, as Castle can't keep anything from his daughter, Alexa (played by Molly Quinn), and his mother, Martha (played by Susan Sullivan), but telling their co-workers, Det. Javier Esposito (played by Jon Huertas) and Det. Kevin Ryan (played by Seamus Dever), and Captain Victoria Gates (played by Penny Johnson Jerald) will take a bit longer.

The episodes on the 5-disc set are:

Disc 1:

• After the Storm
• Cloudy With Chance Of Murder
• Secret's Safe With Me
• Murder He Wrote
• Probable Cause

Disc 2:

• The Final Frontier
• Swan Song
• After Hours 
• Secret Santa
• Significant Others

Disc 3:

• Under The Influence
• Death Gone Crazy
• Recoil
• Reality Star Struck
• Target

Disc 4:

• Hunt
• Scared To Death
• The Wild Rover
• The Lives Of Others
• The Fast And the Furriest

Disc 5:

• Still
• The Squab And The Quail
• The Human Factor
• Watershed

With the addition to the 100th episode "The Lives of Others," this season also includes a two-part episode where Castle travels to Pairs to find his kidnapped daughter, Alexis, and must use the help of his long-lost father, Jackson Hunt (played by James Brolin), to save her.

Hooking up two characters romantically could have turned into another Moonlighting disaster, but thanks to clever writing, the series has avoided a catastrophe and continues to be one of the best series on broadcasting television. My favorite episodes from this season are "Secrets Safe With Me" and the proposal ending season finale cliffhanger, "Watershed." As I mentioned above, the DVD has a slue of extras that I'm sure every fan will enjoy. Overall, I enjoyed reviewing Castle: The Complete Fifth Season and I recommend others to pick up a copy, so you can catch up on the episodes before the sixth season premieres on September 23rd!

*Disclaimer - I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.