Last season, I started watching Rosewood and it kind of grew on me. It had a bit of a Castle feel to it, and I liked the vibe. Plus the always rosey Rosie was a bit of a change from the broody grumpy types that often inhabit procedurals. At the end of the season, the “will they or won’t they” storyline came almost to a climax, with the deed imminent. But in Castle-like fashion, Rosie dropped the bomb — he had looked at Villa’s dead husband’s case, and thought it was murder, not accidental death. No more lovemaking, no more romance, no more partnership.

The season opened with a dead college girl, and I confess I never felt anything for her all episode. Her story was cliche but more importantly, her scenes were scant of emotional resonance. The rest of the episode was about picking up pieces from the season finale. Pippi is off doing her music thing, so her romance was dead. The Captain is relegated to being a junior detective, and there’s a new Captain starting. And, just for fun, Villa and Rosie are trying to figure out how to work together now that Rosie blew the whole romance thing. Plus the whole elephant in the room — btw, your husband was murdered — drifts along undiscussed until the end. I have an idea of a potential twist coming later in the season, and I’m praying that I’m wrong or I’m going to kick a TV as a cheap gimmick. Or a Castle ripoff, not sure which.

Anyway, the investigation was almost secondary to the episode, while everything else roamed around in the interim. I hope the season focuses on the mystery part, not the 8 different love-lives. On the other hand, I like the new Captain, so it’s not all bad.