03 April, 2012

Castle 4.20 -- The Limey


Monday's 'Castle' was entitled "The Limey", but it should have been called "The Cliche".

Let me count the reasons:

1. Multiple interrupted conversations between Beckett and Castle
2. Beckett jealous of Castle with a new girl
3. Castle jealous of Beckett with the new guy
4. The good-looking foreign guy to create drama between the two leads (Cole Barker, anyone?)
5. One friend giving another a pep-talk about the will-they, won't-they romance, encouraging them to go for it. They of course realize their friend is right, but still never go through with it.
6. A cop/inspector/detective using a fake badge to infiltrate a situation. Seriously, every show does this like five times per season.
7. An episode involving the contents of a diplomatic pouch. 'White Collar' had a much better version of this type of episode.

But that last one is irrelevant, because this episode wasn't about the crime of the week. And thank goodness, because I've never been less invested or less interested in any case they've ever had on this show. No, "The Limey' was about Castle and Beckett.

A shock, I know.

And as noted above, this show just continues to be one cliche after another -- and just as predictable as always.

We're 78 installments into the show now, and just episodes away from the Season 4 finale.  So while it may be frustrating to some that this show has been stalling and stalling when it comes to Castle and Beckett -- it appears something is actually going to happen between the two before this season concludes.

When a show is based on the will-they, won't-they crap, which admittedly I kind of enjoy, it puts itself in a tough position. They can't put them together too soon because it could hurt ratings, but by doing so it often frustrates a portion of their viewers by dragging it out forever.

In general, I think they've done a good job of keeping them apart this long. They've had some good reasons to keep them apart, given us some good two-parter episodes and have also distracted us with cases involving the murder of Beckett's mother. Plus, seeing those two work cases together and flirt while doing so has its charms.

But much like in 'Chuck' Season 3, it appears now is the time to get a move on this. Something needs to give, and it better give come the finale.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

CASTLE: "Sometimes it's the people we think we know best that we don't know at all."

CASTLE: "Esposito, you'll be here -- dressed as a hobo."
ESPOSITO: "Question. Why does a brown man have to be a hobo?"
CASTLE: "You want the flowers?"
ESPOSITO: "Hobo it is."

CASTLE: She's fun and uncomplicated -- I think that's what my life needs right now."

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--Loved the music in the opening. Next time I'm doing something bad and racing against the clock, I want that playing.

-Fun little moment when Castle covered his face, then Beckett's face and then his face again -- only to have Beckett get a look-see at the naked dude anyway.

THE SCORE: 58 out of 100

Don't give me crap about the score. You know and I know, that case was brutal and uninteresting. The Castle-Beckett stuff was contrived as always, and obviously any relationship Beckett has with that dude and Castle has with that stewardess will last one more week at the most. It was just a stupid plot device. And the conversation was interrupted AGAIN this week.

This episode was flat-out pointless.

I'm not wrong.