Review - CASTLE 5.17 'Scared to Death'

Whatever.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--CASTLE: "Well I wasn't asking for you!"

--PERLMUTTER: "Ah, Detective Beckett and defective Castle."

--ESPOSITO: "Castle's death will be sad and all, but his Ferrari will certainly lessen my grief."

--CASTLE: "You know, if there's going to be pictures of us up there, we should really pick them out now."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--I love Castle's facial expressions.

--For a second, it looked like Rick was getting intersected when he first put on the DVD.

--Apparently the court records were sealed, but I still feel like the police should have found out the link between the two victims. Perhaps I'm wrong about this, but whatever.

--It drives me crazy when key pieces of info is lost due to bad cellphone service. So overused on TV.

THE GRADE: C-

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.16: 'Hunt'

Props to 'Castle'.

It's not easy to deliver a great episode during "sweeps". The networks resort to "stunt-casting", spend a ton of money promoting the special episodes and shoot for the moon plot-wise with them -- resulting in unrealistic expectations for viewers. So it's easy to let them down, especially in a two-part episode like this.

Part 1 was good and left people excited for the conclusion and I don't think that anyone left disappointed with Installment #2.

While the majority of the episode left Beckett, Esposito, Ryan and Captain Gates on the sidelines (fairly surprisingly but understandably), we at least got some good dialogue from our friends at the precinct and yet another great scene from Beckett getting angry and physical in the interrogation room.

As sweet as that was, I'm sure the majority of you want to talk about the big reveal of who Castle's father really is and how Alexis was the target all along. The second James Brolin's character appeared on screen, I had already known that he was NOT "Jackson Hunt". (God damn interwebs always spoil the good stuff.) But for those of you who didn't know, that moment when he tells Castle that he's his father must have been pretty damn awesome..

Castle's dad provided some great moments: the reveal of his identity, the skeet-shooting of Castle's phone, the heart-felt conversations with Richard and the bad-ass plan he devised to get Alexis and Castle back to safety. Loved it all.

HOWEVER, as much as I enjoyed that plan and liked the execution of it, I can't help but think the episode would have been better and far more powerful if Mr. Castle had gone in there and taken a bullet to the head in exchange for Alexis as the kidnapper had asked. It would have been a noble sacrifice from a father who owed it to Richard, while also serving as a heartbreaking moment. It would have been great TV.

But they did the expected and cliche happy ending instead, which allows for James Brolin to return and re-visit his relationship to Richard. They clearly have more stories to tell there, so I understand why they did what they did.

"Hunt" had all the drama, all the emotion and all the "wow" moments you want from episodes like this. If you felt differently, let me know why in the comments.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--MARTHA: "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
--CASTLE: "Getting my daughter back."

--RYAN: "What, so he's Liam Neeson now?"
--ESPOSITO: "Neeson? The dude is barely Ashley Judd."

--BECKETT: "Look, he's acting like a father and I have to act like a cop."

--BECKETT: "My partner's daughter is missing and YOU ... are in my way."

--CASTLE: "My daughter, my money -- I'm coming."

--JACQUE HENRI: "I value my life more than my word. If I had known who was really holding your daughter, who your daughter REALLY is, I would have NEVER TAKEN THE JOB."

--JACKSON HUNT: "Given how you feel so bad about your 200-buck phone, you might want to pick up that $3 million dollar briefcase."

--CASTLE: "Sounds made up."
--JACKSON: "It is."

--PAPA CASTLE: "Because she's my granddaughter. Richard, I'm your father."

--PAPA CASTLE: "What do you say, kid? You've been playing cop for years, you ready to play spy?"

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--"He's expensive." Why did that guy bother saying that to Castle? He's rich. Clearly he can afford any price and would clearly be willing to pay it.

--OF COURSE the one picture of the dead guy with a bullet in his head lands perfectly next to, and facing, his girlfriend in the interrogation room. How many throws of that folder would it take for that to actually happen?

--Is the same person in Hollywood used as the Police sketch-artist in all the shows? I need to know this.

--It drives me crazy when the main character of a TV show is one second away from dying and someone saves them. It's ALWAYS one second. It's more dramatic that way, you say? My counter to that: it's not dramatic when you know what's going to happen and the exact second that it's going to happen. Counter that, bitch!

--I know you were literally a second away from dying and all, but how could you forget about your briefcase with $3 million in it? Amateur.

--It was obvious that Jacque was going to back-stab Castle, but I still loved him. He was a bad-ass. 

--I came close to crying two different times. Now I'm a wuss, so that's not a surprise. But still means the episode did something right.

--Everyone's father is a spy except for mine.

--The on-location filming was solid. Always nice to see.

--VOLKOV! Really!? That villain name has been taken by a far superior show, dammit. I don't care that they spell it differently, still copying.

THE GRADE: A

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.15: 'Target'

These past few weeks I've come up with a ton of different (pathetic) excuses as to why my reviews of 'Castle', 'Suits' and 'White Collar' were so brief and not as in-depth as I'm accustomed to doing.

Well, don't fret, my 'Castle' fans, because this week is going to be different.

No, this week that supreme laziness won't suffice. So this week, I actually have a good excuse for my forthcoming quick review. It's a two-parter, dammit, and the quality of it is mostly dependent on next week's conclusion. So until then, I'll give you some of my quick and initial thoughts on Part 1.

If you're the type of person that's going to complain about what Castle did to that suspect behind closed doors, stop reading immediately. And never read my reviews again. Because you are a little baby. First of all, it's a TV show. So shut up. Second, if you're child was kidnapped and their life was on the line, don't act like you wouldn't inflict a little pain on the CRIMINAL who was responsible to try to save your child's life.

For you normal people who read this, I'm sorry you had to read that last paragraph. But it's necessary, because there's always a dummy or two out there. 

OK, back to the episode itself. Two things that I really liked to see, that we really don't get to see much of: (1) Nathan Fillion getting to play a more emotional and serious side. He was great in this episode, and it was hard not to feel what his character was feeling. (2) It was also nice to see Molly C. Quinn actually get to do something. Alexis hasn't been on much this season and when she is on the show, she doesn't get anything good to play. I'm sure they'll be a lot more of her next week, which will be fun to watch. (Nice job picking that lock, Alexis. We got a Neal Caffrey protege on our hands here)


Although it was a bit predictable that Sara would be the one that made it out and Alexis would still be held hostage, it was a solid episode. I thought the ending was good (with Alexis shocked where she was and screaming on the roof) and it leaves me really pumped to see next week's episode. That's the mark of a good-two parter. Let's hope they finish strong.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--CASTLE: "Kate, they'll see."
--BECKETT: "I don't care."

--RYAN: "He's gotta be wrecked -- hell, I'm wrecked."

--CASTLE: Don't. Don't promise me you can find or unless you can do it. Because I'd never forgive you, anymore than I would forgive myself."

--BECKETT: "Do you want a coffee?"
--CASTLE: "No, thanks, my adrenaline will suffice."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--I don't care if I'm getting paid $25,000 per month to be someone's body guard ... I'm not standing in front of a speeding van any longer than I have to. What good is all that money if you're not alive to enjoy it? This is all moot, though, because at 5'11" and 140 pounds, I doubt I will be hired as a body guard anytime soon.

--I'm surprised Castle didn't IMMEDIATELY fear the worst when he first learned that Alexis was with the Sara on the night of the abduction.

THE GRADE: B+

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.14: 'Reality Star Struck'

I'm going to take a page out of the great Alan Sepinwall's playbook and do a "quick review" of this week's 'Castle'.

I'm doing this for three reasons: (1) I'm lazy. (2) Alan Sepinwall is the man and if he can do it, so can I. (3) How much is there really to say or analyze about a random episode that is essentially a filler stand-a-lone?

Is it just me or does it seem reality shows aren't just taking over TV, they are taking over our regular TV shows, too?. Seems like every procedural features a reality TV style murder episode. This one wasn't particularly noteworthy, either, featuring the lamest and worst murderer ever. She gets confronted by the cops, threatens to leave the interrogation, fumbles for her keys in her purse and when she can't find them -- she says the hell with it and confesses! What!? Pretty stupid.

It was inevitable that Laney and Esposito would get back together at some point, so I didn't really care about that storyline. Yawn. And holy crap, but they have no idea what to do with Detective Ryan anymore. That was embarrassing. I really used to like his character, but he's useless now. Kind of a shame, really.

The Castle-Beckett stuff was fine, nothing special. No way Gates would be that clueless, though. At least I don't think she would be. You guys agree or no?

One thing I really did enjoy was Beckett going crazy in the interrogation room, knocking over the table and flipping out. That was great.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--MARTHA: "Boy I wish I had these reality shows in my day: no script, over-acting, screaming at everybody -- what a gig."

--CASTLE: "I can't feel my butt."

--CASTLE: "Bob?! And Penelope!? You two are back together?! Spoiler alert."

--CASTLE: "Looks like one of us did our homework."

--BECKETT: "Now take your clothes off, put them in the drawer -- and meet me in the bed."

--CASTLE: "Seriously?"

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--I'm not going to quote it, but I enjoyed Captain Gates' rant on the reality show when Beckett and Castle are watching a clip.

--The husband of Gina Torres' character was a sad sack of shit. No way he could have pulled her.

--Sadly, I can relate to how much fun Castle and Gates were having when they were discussing and debating the happenings of the reality show. I may or may not do that with my family and 'The Bachelor'. If anyone wants to talk that show with me, message me on Twitter (EliRosenswaike). I'm not kidding about this.

THE GRADE: C-

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.13: 'Recoil'

I'm a sucker for call-back episodes, two-parters and any installment that pushes the story forward (stand-a-lone's are not my favorite), so Monday's new 'Castle' was precisely the type of show that I was hoping for and one this show badly needed.

I liked how the episode focused on Kate protecting Bracken (a cool idea that I wouldn't have predicted) and loved how it also gave us a new case for the team to investigate -- was Bracken involved with the "suicide" of his 24-year-old staffer? But it also makes me worry: I don't want that to be the way that Bracken is taken down by Beckett and Co.

That would be a travesty, as far as this show is concerned. We spent the first 4+ years of this show wondering what happened to Beckett's mother and now that we are invested, we need the proper resolution to that storyline. He should go down for THAT crime.

While Beckett doing the right thing in the end by protecting Bracken was predictable, I did like how they showed how she struggled with the decision and having her realize she almost made a huge mistake.

I was hoping in this episode, though, that Captain Gates would find out about Bracken and be on Kate's team in trying to take him down. It did seem that Gates had a suspicion that Beckett was telling the truth in that interrogation room, though. I'm sure in the next Bracken-related episode, she'll be clued in on what's going on. I hope so.

I also wonder if the next time we see Bracken will be Kate trying to get him on murder or if Kate will be cashing in on that favor Bracken said he owed her. Maybe both.


Two complaints before I wrap this up:

(1) By now you should know how partial I am to Esposito over Ryan. So you may think what I'm about to say is biased, but it isn't: Ryan is such a killjoy. Get over your damn high-horse all the time. Cops that have a constant stick up their ass and condemn cops for not doing everything 100% by the book are annoying. I used to really like that character, but not anymore.

(2) OK, so you have a massive car bomb. You have the detonator and your target is walking towards the car with NO idea what's about to happen. HOW DO YOU MESS THAT UP?

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--BECKETT: "In my dreams, I'm the one that gets to pull the trigger. But you know what, if you're not comfortable with me leading this investigation you're more than welcome to tell everyone why."

--BECKETT: "When someone commits murder, whoever he is, Senator, I will bring him to justice -- no matter how long it takes."

--ESPOSITO: "If I'm her, I'm sitting there shuffling papers until whoever it is puts a bullet in his head."

--THERAPIST: "Maybe the right choice is the one that you can live with."

--CASTLE: "I wouldn't have done it, what she did. I would have stood and watched."

--BRACKEN: "You never know when you might need a friend."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--I want to be an extra on a TV show, discovering a dead body.

--Oh come on! Like the dead woman's sister didn't know she had a missed call on her cell phone with a voicemail. Everyone knows when they have a missed call. Why do I feel the need to complain about the little things

--I wish I wasn't following a million TV insiders on Twitter, it would have been a cool surprise that this was a Bracken-related episode.

--Swell job in not letting Bracken know Beckett was on the trail, Esposito and Ryan.

--I'm sorry, I just find it weird when a woman is referred to as "sir".

THE GRADE: B+

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.11: 'Under the Influence'

With the first 10 episodes focusing more on Castle and Beckett's new relationship, it was a nice distraction this week to have one of the secondary characters featured in a primary role.

If you've been reading my "Castle" reviews the last two seasons, you know that the more prominent Esposito is in the episode the more I typically enjoy it. So while 'Under the Influence' wasn't hilarious or quirky, it was a solid episode of the show nonetheless.

Aside from some cliches of the cop mentoring the young troubled teen, we learned that Esposito isn't afraid to break a few rules and get his hands dirty (Do you think Javy really would have threatened that guy in the bar like he did? I don't find that far-fetched at all, it's more Ryan who is a stickler for the rules and protocol), and that he had a previous criminal record when he was younger. Although, it's possible that we knew that already and I had just forgotten.

I appreciated the break from the Castle-Beckett relationship drama and enjoyed the silly little argument they had in the beginning of the episode about the repercussions of picking a bad date movie. I think we can all relate to that argument a little bit. Less forced drama (like last week's garbage) and more silly fights is what I'm hoping for.

It took four full seasons to get these idiots together, I don't want them broken up so quickly for some contrived reason like last week's show threatened.

Nothing else to say, I'll let you guys (and by guys I mean HGF and MaryPloppins -- the only two people who ever comment on this) do the rest of the talking.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--MONSTER: "Where's the super-hot detective?"
--ESPOSITO: "Oh, you're looking at him."
 
RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--The first minute of this episode was practically IDENTICAL to the first few minutes of the 'Nashville' pilot.

--I love it when guys get busted for talking like guys before they realize ladies are present.

--Haha, loved it when Ryan ran his hand through his hair. And then Castle checking out his hair and touching it in the interrogation room.

--Police sketch artist is a such a bad-ass job. Don't know how they do it. I've always wondered how badly I would be at describing a witness to a sketch artist. They would fucking hate me.

--Apparently Joey "The Monster" watches a lot of TV, because he knows the Police playbook better than they do. No way this kid is friggin' 13. My ass.

--Wow I had NO IDEA that Esposito was gonna take the kid in. Such a total shock, you just never see that on TV. ...Wait, AND he tried to escape? Who knew!?

--It's shine now, and not bling? Man, I'm getting old.

--LOL on the bodyguard covering his junk the second time Javy entered the bar.

THE SCORE: 78 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.09: 'Secret Santa'

I made you all wait three extra days for this crappy review?

My apologies for all those who patiently waited for this. And by all, I mean all one of you. Thank you, maryploppins.

Usually, I could care less about the case of the week on 'Castle'. They aren't always exciting or intriguing or all that difficult to figure out who did it. But most importantly, they are essentially inconsequential to whether or not I liked the episode. But this week was the exception, because their wasn't much Beckett-Castle stuff this week and the stuff that was there was a bit lame.

So I had to hang my hat on something different this week -- like figuring out why a Santa fell from the sky, why he stole the clock, why he changed his life so strangely and who killed the damn guy. And I enjoyed trying to figure it all out and watching to see how in all unfolded.

I also loved seeing Esposito get his clock cleaned (see what I did there?) by that Santa. I've often complained about the show not using enough of Ryan And Esposito (especially of Javy) and it was nice to see him featured more this week. Although, the less Captain Gates we can get, the better. I couldn't care less about her personal life.

As stated earlier, the Castle-Beckett storyline was brief and a bit lacking, but there doesn't have to something big going on between those two every episode, so I didn't have a problem with it or anything. She changed up her tradition for him, and he was going to do the same for her, so that was all swell.

Solid episode, nothing special.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--CASTLE: "And now Santa is dead!? When will it end?"

--BECKETT: "That's a 38, do you still think he fell out of it?"
--CASTLE: "No, clearly he was shot out of it."

--CASTLE: "I think you meant less clausible."

--CASTLE: "I was thinking we should have a Christmas movie marathon ... or some other kinda marathon that makes life wonderful."

--ESPOSITO: "Shouldn't you be home, stuffing your wife's stocking?"

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--I don't mind being in the Christmas spirit, but it drives me crazy when people go way too overboard with it.

--Well, that was easy to convince Ryan to have kids.

--If I got a $1 every time I hear: "I didn't kill _____, but I know who did" on TV, I could retire.

--Could Castle have made it any more obvious when trying to convince Gates to let Beckett have Christmas Eve off?

--I know Alexis is a great daughter and all, but no way she cancels her plans at that age to spend Christmas Eve with her father and grandmother.

--I must be a sap of epic proportions, because when Javy got invited into that house, I practically shed a tear.

THE SCORE: 79 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.08: 'After Hours'

As usual, I'm going to start with the positives ...

General Beckman!!!

If you have no idea what this means, you are dead to me, dead to Geek Furious and dead to all that is right with this world.

If you DO know what I'm talking about, you were probably just as excited as I was when Bonita Friedericy appeared in Monday's episode.

Like me, however, that might have been all you were excited about during 'After Hours'. Because it pretty much stunk.

Season 5 has been terrific thus far, with very few complaints -- so I'm not going to get too angry here. Although, that's two straight clunkers. The Beckett-Castle relationship has been fun and done well in the early going here, but I could have done without the ridiculous fighting and the ridiculous counseling from the witness/bad guy. So lame, unoriginal and tired.

Also lame ... the crap with Castle's mom and Beckett's dad. Puke. And who didn't see them bonding throughout the episode over the disappearance of their children? If those two end up as an item at any point this season, I'm going to give that episode a 0 out of 100.

And for those who were genuinely surprised by the twist of who killed Father McMurtry, apparently you haven't watched much television before. Because there is one rule in TV: If you recognize a guest star (and that guy has been in every damn show in the world), then you know he's not just there to play some stupid small-bit part in the episode.That dude wouldn't have taken that role as simply a witness on the run -- there had to be more to it than that and there was.

Three more problems: it doesn't matter that the cell phone was locked. All phones, even when locked, have an emergency call option on the screen that does not require the password to be used. So although I enjoyed that little sequence with Castle and the phone, it made no sense. Another thing that bothered me was that there were essentially no good lines/dialogue whatsoever. I usually list a tone of good quotes below, but there were no good options this time.

Also, Castle essentially handed over Beckett on a silver platter to Mickey Dolan. Dolan read Castle like a book, figuring out where Beckett and Leo were hiding. Castle should have turned away from Dolan, not enabling him to get a read on him like that.

Turns out chivalry is dead, after all.


QUOTE OF NOTE:

--BECKETT: "Dude, where's the car?"

RANDOM RAMBLING:

--Ah, the old fake-an-injury bit works every time.

THE SCORE: 54 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.07: 'Swan Song'

Ehhhhh.

That's my expert analysis/review of Monday's episode of 'Castle'. They don't pay me for nothing, folks.

I love when shows experiment with different formats/structures/styles and tamper with the norm and try to get away from the mundane each and every week -- but that was lame, tired, unoriginal and simply not a strong effort.

It was funny for a few minutes with Esposito pining for the camera every chance he got, but the same bit with every other character got old. And got old fast.

It was nice to have more Ryan and Esposito in the episode, but there was basically no Castle whatsoever. Yes, he was on the screen a fair amount, but he did essentially nothing in all of his scenes. Nothing particularly memorable or hysterical, at the very least.

And if this whole episode was just about mocking the "mockumentary" style TV shows like 'The Office' and 'Modern Family', it wasn't funny or clever in doing so.

It had a couple moments, but not enough. Kinda disappointing considering how strong this season has been so far -- especially the last two installments.

Oh well, no big deal. Not every episode is going to be good.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--ESPOSITO: "Boom. We got you now, bitch? Can I say that?"

--BECKETT: "That's not the only thing on that video being faked."

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--If I got $1 for every time someone awkwardly looked into the camera, I could be able to afford to write these reviews for free.

--No. Way. In. Hell. Would. Cameras. Be. Permitted. In. The. Precinct. For. That. Stupid. Documentary.

--Makes sense Ryan and Esposito were so gung-ho about the cameras and attention, they never get enough screen time in a normal week.

--That was so obviously fake gun fire coming from that apartment. Esposito can't get anything right.

--Enjoyed Beckett's "Thank you" and high five with Castle into the camera at the end. Didn't love her locking the cameraman in the closet, that was obvious.

--Esposito was definitely the episode MVP.

THE SCORE: 47 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review -- CASTLE 5.06: 'The Final Frontier'

Things I do not like: Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Blade Runner, Firefly, Deep Space Nine and all that other garbage. Just because I may write for GeekFurious.com, doesn't mean I am a geek.

(Although after writing this, I suspect I will no longer be writing for the Web site. HGF is very spiteful like that.)

But all this doesn't mean I didn't love Monday's new episode of Castle. Because my disdain for sci-fi nerd shows aside, "The Final Frontier" was one of my favorite TV shows at its best: quirky, silly, funny and charming.

Because it was so entertaining, I won't let the ending bother me. Sure, that was some of the worst acting ever by Lieutenant Chloe and her reasoning for committing murder was uttlerly ridiculous -- but I can live with it.

Six episodes into Season 5, I think we all have to be thrilled with how strong the show has been thus far and how well they've handled the Castle-Beckett relationship. So far, the writers have had fun with the following:

--Caskett trying to keep the relationship a secret
--Having them be flirty and sexual and enjoying each other's company
--Tackling jealousy issues
--Giving each other a hard time

No real complaints on my end thus far in Season 5. Do you have any?


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--CASTLE: "Listen, if you want your very own signed copy of Storm Season, I'd be happy to arrange a private signing."
--BECKETT: "Cap your pen, Castle. There's been a murder here."

--BECKETT: "In your dreams."
--CASTLE: "Look at my life, all my dreams come true."

--PERLMUTTER: "Detective Beckett and non-detective Castle."

--CASTLE: "A real sci-fi murder at a sci-fi convention -- this just keeps getting better!"

--ESPOSITO: "You took my p-p-pen"

--ESPOSITO: "Yeah, I could probably see you as an elf, or a hobbit."

--CASTLE: "OK, so if I wake up bald tomorrow, you'd still be attracted to me? ... Oh, my god, you wouldn't!"

--BECKETT: "You wanna make out, Castle?"

--BECKETT: "Castle, are we going to make out?
--CASTLE: "Maybe we should start with the marathon."


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--The fan playing Lieutenant Chloe at the convention? BABE. Maybe it was just the costume that did it for me, who knows.

--The bald guy in the beginning that discovered the dead body is a dead-ringer for Jim Rash (Dean Pelton on Community)

--Beckett is such a fanboy. First it was of Richard Castle and his novels and then it was Nebula 9.

--I love how Perlmutter disrespects Castle all the time.

--Hot damn, Esposito always gets hit on by witnesses.

--Castle wants to un-see his daughter in that skanky costume, but I'm just fine with it.

--Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that Head Geek Furious has his own laser dungeon?

--I thoroughly enjoyed Castle freaking out about not having worn protection.

--If I got $1 for every time Castle accidentally solved a crime, I could buy a couple $5 footlongs from Subway.

--Loved Castle's reaction to the captain taking out the chick with a body slam and twirling the blaster on his finger and holstering it. ... Loved Castle's mad-dash to the elevator and him trying to close the doors more quickly. ... Loved Castle's reaction to Beckett's costume.

--If I missed subtle or non-subtle references to those shows you love so much, it's because I don't watch that crap. So sue me. However, I did pick up on the obvious Firefly references: "We're canceled after 12 episodes and "That Joss Whedon show".

THE SCORE: 89 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review -- CASTLE 5.05: 'Probable Cause'

ATTENTION: THIS REVIEW WAS TO BE POSTED TUESDAY but the storm prevented that from happening. I apologize. Blame the gods. -- HGF

I sincerely hope your power wasn't off Monday night.

If it was, you missed one of the best 'Castle' episodes ever -- but then again, if you're reading this, your power is on and you watched it already. (And if you have no clue what I'm talking about, watch or read the news, you idiot.)

Point is, that episode was a doozy, and I feel badly for the people who were unable to watch it.

Stupid me had forgotten about the 3XK killer from Season 3, Episode 6 (a terrific episode), so bringing that storyline back was smart, unexpected, dramatic and intense. Of course, with the way 'Probable Cause' ended, it's probable that the writers will ruin it and bring him back once again even though he should be very dead. Although, if Castle was right, and that whole thing was orchestrated to get them all to the bridge, 3XK was probably wearing a vest and could have survived getting shot like five times. I suppose.

(Why can't anyone really be dead on TV shows when shot? Bryce Larkin and Daniel Shaw, anyone? And if anyone complains about my lack of a "Chuck Spoiler Alert", you only have yourself to blame having not watched the entire series by now.)

Now that I've mentioned how much I love the episode, it would only be appropriate, given the bitch that I am, to complain a little bit about it. Although Beckett insists how she believed him the whole time, it seemed like she, along with Ryan and Esposito, had their moments of doubt. I mean, seriously, c'mon.

As viewers we obviously knew that Castle was innocent from the beginning and going to get absolved from the crime, but the show did a good job of keeping it tense and us guessing throughout. Kudos for that. However, I can't help but wish they made this one a two-parter with Castle being kidnapped and Beckett going on a Sarah Walker-esque rampage trying to find him. ("Giant Brunette Shemale of New York" doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "Giant Blonde Shemale of Thailand", does it?)

Quibbles aside, that was a great episode, highlighted by the fact that it came out of nowhere. I would really love to know what you all thought about it, so blow up the comments section.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--BECKETT: "I know him, Laney. He is an immature, egotistical, self-centered jackass sometimes, but he's not this."

--ESPOSITO: "I know how you feel about the guy -- I love him too. But there's nothing we can do."

--CASTLE: "This is so much less fun than the other night at your place."

--GATES: "The DA is calling it a prisoner's escape. They've issued an APB and instructed me to begin a man-hunt ... Well as far as they're concerned he's well-connected, knows our procedure and has substantial resources."

--CASTLE: "You wouldn't happen to have his contact information, would you?"

--BECKETT: "You shot him, he's dead. It's over."
--CASTLE: "For now."


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--How come the viewers always know when there is impending danger (the bridge scene at the end), but the cops don't?

--Damnit, Beckett, how do you fall for the 'I'm faking being dead' maneuver?

--Apparently a psychopath serial killer can write crime novels just as well as Castle. The writing was seemingly good enough to make the police think it was Castle's work. It doesn't bode well for his skills if they can be duplicated by a novice.

--A lot of planning went into this frame-job. Gotta respect it.

--Castle is a better cop than Beckett more often than not.

--I want to know who owed Castle a favor and helped him escape the transfer.

--POLL: Do you want them the show to bring back the 3XK killer or do you think that it's not feasible he survived?

THE SCORE: 92 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review -- CASTLE 5.04: 'Murder He Wrote'

If you didn't like this week's episode of 'Castle', may I suggest that you just stop watching entirely.

Sure, you could complain about the ridiculous twist at the end, the ridiculousness of a dead body falling into his pool or Castle being the best detective ever -- but that would just make you a bitch. Kinda like the one I've been accused of being on Furycast 46, of which, of course, we all know to be patently false.

We're not watching this show for realism, after all. That was just plain-old fun, with odes to 'Murder She Wrote' and 'Scooby-Doo', Esposito and Ryan poking around Beckett's love life, Beckett looking especially gorgeous and the usual goofy and fun moments between Castle and Beckett. I mean, if you didn't laugh at Ryan going crazy in his interrogation, this is not the show for you.

And speaking of Ryan, I was proud of him not telling Esposito and respecting their privacy. Normally, I would have fully expected one of those guys to parlay valuable information like that into Castle bribing them with nice things. I wonder if Ryan will say anything to Castle and/or Beckett when they get back to New York in next week's episode.

Not much else to say, other than this was a fun all-around episode and that this season has been very good in the early going. It's clear that getting those two together has not ruined the show one bit, and it seems to have given the show a spark that it really needed. I just hope they don't do anything stupid and create unnecessary relationship drama that leads them to break up. Some fights here or there and some drama are OK, but nothing over-the-top, please.

QUOTES OF NOTE:

--RYAN: "Girlfriend ... what do you mean, girlfriend?"
--LERNER: "What does that matter?"
--RYAN: "HEY! I'll ask the questions here, pal! Are you telling me that Richard Castle brought his girlfriend in your interrogation!?

--CHIEF BRADY: ''Not to sound all Scooby, but he might have gotten away with it if it weren't for you, Castle."

--BECKETT: "Do I get writer's credit?"
--CASTLE: "We'll talk."


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Really? Mentioning the murder is enough for an arrest for interfering with an investigation? And even if it were, wasn't the "investigation" over at that point in the minds of the Chief?

--Haha, a stupid reference to Caskett. I like it, as well as his "Kate-ick" suggestion.

--Castle loves his terrible puns and terrible jokes: "Hey Lerner, killer boat." And the "Cook the book" line.

--Worst. Crime. Boss. Ever.


----I enjoyed how Beckett was trying to get freaky with Castle and he was distracted, then later it was the other way around.

--What was the point of the shooting star at the end?

THE SCORE: 87 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review -- CASTLE 5.02: 'Cloudy With a Chance of Murder'

I just had an epiphany. Whether two characters on a will-they-won't-they type TV show are dating or not, it really doesn't matter.

Is the show still good or not? That's all that matters.

In the case of 'Castle', I get the sense from some of my readers that they are concerned about the direction of the show now that Beckett and Castle are together. But for me, I don't care either way. I only care whether the show is still entertaining or not. I argue that it still is.

Magnus (HGF) thinks that there is no sexual chemistry between the two characters. I say who cares! Whether he's right in his assessment or not, it's not like this show is a porno. There's not exactly a lot of sex scenes or makeout scenes in it, anyway. The success/entertainment of this show depends on their chemistry with dialogue, facial expressions, mannerisms, etc. And in this aspect, I think their chemistry is good and it makes the show fun to watch.

Some of the stuff on 'Cloudy with a Chance of Murder' was a bit over-the-top, but it didn't really bother me because the episode itself and Castle/Beckett were fun this week. The jealousy drama and the keeping-it-a-secret crap was entirely cliche, and we've seen it a thousand times, but those two characters make it work by being charming and funny. And before those two crazy kids got together at the end of Season 4, the same thing applied. That's why I've always liked this show.

And I don't laugh out loud too much on TV shows, but Castle messing around with the green screen at the news station was hilarious.

This week's case was fairly interesting, which was a nice bonus, but it's main purpose was very clearly to give Castle and Beckett a pause about keeping a workplace relationship and displaying the difficulties that it can cause.

Much like Castle and Beckett, I suggest you do the same -- just fucking deal with it. The show is still what it was before, whether or not those two are having fake sex or not.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--BECKETT: "You just want me to take my shirt off again, don't you?"
--CASTLE: "WHAAAAATTTT!?"

--CASTLE: "Don't tell me you dressed like that for Esposito."

--RYAN: "Fine, just judge all you want."

--ESPOSITO: "He's a man, he has a pulse, so no."

--CASTLE: "I know who the killer is!"

--CASTLE: "She's like the terminator sex bot."

--BECKETT: "What I want is to not have this image of a bikini-clad woman stuffing her boobs in your face, so good luck with that."
--CASTLE: "Do I even get credit for figuring out who the killer is?"
--BECKETT: "No!"

RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--Does the NYPD really have a strict dating policy?

--Detective Ryan's suit at the beginning of the episode was pretty fugly.

--Luckily for me, I don't drink coffee -- so no morning coffee will be killing me.

--I don't know about you, but when I make death threats, I don't typically use stationary that can identify me.

--This Week on 'Eli is a Creep': I love Jodi Lynn O'Keefe. She was a knockout when she was on 'Boston Legal' and still is 10 years later.

THE SCORE: 85 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Review - CASTLE 5.01: 'After the Storm'

As a generally negative person, I find myself nitpicking, criticizing and downgrading shows that I enjoy watching when I write my reviews.

And while I could complain about a few tidbits from the 'Castle' Season 5 premiere, 'After the Storm', I'm not going to dwell on the little things when an episode hit this big.

This was an excellent follow-up to last season's finale, which was good enough, but the stakes were lowered in that one because we knew Beckett wasn't going to be shot again (not gonna do that in consecutive finales) and that her resignation wouldn't last long.

I actually think that Monday's premiere was more intense than that finale, because we really had no idea what to expect from it. The scene at the end between Beckett and Senator Bracken was pretty chilling. I knew she wasn't going to kill him, but at one point I had no idea what she would do. The way she took control, fooled him, threatened him and pistol-whipped him was a better and more-earned moment than anything we saw at the end of last season and perhaps any in the series.

After four seasons of dragging it out, we finally have an answer as to who killed Kate's mother. It's nice to finally know and I like where they are going with it, I just hope they don't go too overboard with it. An episode here or there that touches on the Senator Bracken storyline would be good, but if I were him, I'd be scared shitless of Beckett after their encounter.

It was amusing how scared Castle was at the beginning of the episode when his mother almost walked in on him and Beckett. I feel like his mom would have picked up on that something was going on, but nevertheless, that was a fun moment with Kate hiding in the closet and sneaking out of the house. While cliche, it had the fun dialogue and goofiness that we like so much about this show.


QUOTES OF NOTE:

--CASTLE (to Beckett): "We shoulda done that four years ago!"

--SMITH (to Beckett): "I owed Rob, not you."

--ESPOSITO (to Ryan): "Put that phone away or I'm going to break your freakin' arm."

--SENATOR BRACKEN (to Beckett): "Who are you? You're a disgraced cop obsessed with her mother's murder."

--BECKETT (to Bracken): "I am done being afraid. It's your turn now. [Pistol-whips him] That's gonna leave a nasty scar, every time you see it -- think of me."


RANDOM RAMBLINGS:

--UGH. If she's such a great cop, how come she didn't realize they were being tracked to the demolished building?

--Is Kate ever going to call Castle by his real name? Now that they are sleeping with each other, one would think she would call him Rick.

--Seriously, how cool are the gadgets that criminals use?

--Poor Castle, always looking for a weapon.

--I totally called that safe being booby trapped ... yet somehow I still jumped a bit in my seat when the bomb went off.

--I know lives are on the line and all, but is it even worth putting that puzzle together? I think I'd rather just die.

--Call me crazy, but NONE of that file would have survived that explosion. It looked like it went through a shredder and not, you know, fire and shit.

--Feisty Beckett, I like it!

THE SCORE: 90 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

REVIEW: Castle 4.23 -- Always (season finale)

Good for you, Rick Castle, play hard to get! The four-year slow play wasn't working out so well.

The Season 4 "Castle" finale was entitled 'Always', but probably should have been named 'Always Predicatable'.

Beckett's shooter would make an appearance? No! No resolution would be made on the case and we still don't know who orchestrated it all? No way! Beckett would be seconds away from dying? What a stunner! Beckett and Castle would finally get together? Never saw that coming!!

What made last year's finale so special, in part, was because it was nothing like this. We didn't know Beckett was going to get sniped. We didn't know Castle would blurt out "I love you" and we didn't know if she heard him say it. But in this finale, we knew everything that would happen before it even happened -- and that's WITHOUT seeing any spoilers that may or may not have been out there.

Maybe it's not fair to compare this year's finale to season 3's, but that was such an intense ending that just left me saying "wow". I couldn't wait for the next season to start. There was no "wow factor" in this one and while I'm interested to see how they resolve Kate's resignation from the precinct and how they handle Beckett and Castle moving forward, I'm in no rush to fast-forward real life to the Season 5 premier.

It's not all bad. I mean, those complaints aside, this is kind of what we wanted, right? We wanted the finale to be related to Johanna's murder and Kate's shooting. We wanted drama, we wanted angst and movement on the Beckett and Castle front and we got all of that. I guess I just hoped it would have been a bit better and a lot less predictable.

I also wish they didn't pull one of the things I hate most in life: "three weeks earlier". UGH. I would very much like to know what you all think about this, whether you like when shows do this or not, but I just don't like when the dramatic moments are teased at the beginning. I feel like it takes the suspense out of a moment that is supposed to be -- wait for it -- SUSPENSEFUL! Just a lame and tired plot device. 

There's really not much else to add. Maybe the expectations were too high, because of the bar it set last year, but I was hoping for better. Now I'm hoping you will let me know what you think of the way this season ended.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

CASTLE: "Wow, that really is a smart phone."

BECKETT: "How the hell could you do this?"
CASTLE: "Because I love you. But you already know that, don't you? You've known for about a year."
BECKETT: "Are you kidding me? You're actually bringing this up right now? After you told me you just betrayed me.

CASTLE: "Because of everything we've been through together! Four years, I've been right here! Four years just waiting for you to open your eyes to see that I'm right here.  And that I'm more than a partner. Every morning I bring you a cup of coffee just so I can see a smile on your face because I think you're the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, frustrating person I've ever met. And I love you Kate, and if that means anything to you -- if you care about me at all, just don't do this."

CASTLE: "Yeah, you're right Kate. It's your life. You can throw it away  if you want, I'm not going to stick around and watch it. This is over, I'm done."

BECKETT: "Keep it. I resign."

CASTLE: "Beckett, what do you want?"
BECKETT: "You. ... "I'm so sorry, Castle. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

BECKETT: "He got away and I didn't care. I almost died and all I could think about was you."

BAD GUY: "I'm gonna put Beckett in the ground once and for all."


RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--Why do chicks only want the guy when the guy says he doesn't want the girl anymore? I need answers!

--Yup. Of course! Only a half-second away from dying and she's saved. It never fails.

--I enjoy when Castle talks about the problems he has with Alexis to Kate. Also love how it's always on a walk to the crime scene.

--Ugh. Criminals this smart aren't dumb enough to walk in front of cameras in secret hiding places.Criminal masterminds tend to cover their bases better than that.

--Ah, isn't that cute? Alexis' and Castle's storylines co-inciding. And Beckett's too!

--You did the right thing Detective Ryan! I'm proud of you!

--I feel like 50% of all shows have a roof-scene in their finale's. Anyone else notice this?

THE SCORE: 75 out of 100

Some nice scenes between Castle and Beckett, a nice little surprise with Beckett quitting and good performances by Ryan, Esposito and Alexis. But that's about it for the real positives.

And don't complain about the score. A 75/100 translates perfectly into 3/4 stars. It wasn't better than that.

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

REVIEW: Castle 4.22 -- Undead Again

Full disclosure: I don't like zombies. Or vampires. Or werewolves. Or anything of the sort. [editor's note: I'm right there with ya!]

But I knew it was inevitable that 'Castle' would go down this road at some point. And I gotta say, it was pretty cool.

With that said, I will not be watching 'The Walking Dead' or anything having to do with the 'Twilight' series under any circumstance. I'll stick to watching Castle.

And 'Castle', despite the zombies, stuck to what it does best in "Undead Again" -- having a good time solving a case that doesn't matter much and that we'll forget about come next week's episode. And that's the way it should be. After all, this isn't 'Law & Order'. We don't watch 'Castle' for the crimes, we watch for the characters.

And seemingly, based on the conversations Castle and Beckett had throughout this episode, these characters could actually be together by season's end. At this point, I don't really care. All I know is, it's starting to get a bit old with all the reasons why they aren't together. Just get these two crazy kids together and let's have some more fun.

And this episode was certainly a lot of fun. Castle got so excited about zombies, that it got ME excited about something that I really don't like. (I'm still not going to watch The Walking Dead. Sue me.) The costumes were sweet, Castle messing with Beckett was entertaining and overall the episode was a nice little departure from the typical cases this show does.

This was just a nice little episode before the fourth season finale that will inevitably get a lot of hype and that will also dictate how well we perceive this season to have been. The Season 3 finale was such an excellent episode that next week's finale has a lot to live up to.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

CASTLE: "Our killer is a zombie!"

RYAN: "I mean, he does look like a real zombie."
ESPOSITO: "A real zombie? I'm embarrassed for you, bro."

CASTLE: "The more intelligent the victim, the more delicious the brains."

CASTLE: "How did I not know about this! This is outstanding!"

CASTLE: "Is there a police code for zombie on the loose?"

CASTLE: "No. You know what I do believe in? Driving Beckett crazy."

CASTLE: "When a life altering moment occurs, people remember."
BECKETT: "Well maybe it's too big to deal with. Maybe he ... can't face it just yet.
CASTLE: "Do you think he ever will be?"
BECKETT: "Hopefully, if he feels safe."

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--Seriously, who turns down laser tag? Ah, never mind. It was all a ploy!

--As Beckett and Castle are being surrounded by zombies, I can't help but think of the opening of Resident Evil 3. I think that's the one that starts just like that. Maybe it's the second one. Or maybe all of them.

--Castle's giddiness over the zombie killer is what makes this show so fun.

--If you didn't realize that was Castle in the zombie costume at the end, and I mean realize it at the very beginning, then you don't know this show as well as you think you do.

THE SCORE: 83 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

REVIEW: Castle 4.21 -- Headhunters

It took all of two seconds of screen time before we got a Casey grunt/snarl!

Not only did Monday's new episode of Castle make me think of 'Chuck', but it also made me think of how fun this show can be when everything is "clicking" for a lack of better term.

We had Castle being goofy (playing with "action figures"), we had Castle even further out of his element with a new partner, getting into fights, holding a gun and getting messed with by Slaughter, Ryan and Esposito. We got to see Beckett more in therapy and Castle coming into the precinct with a suspect, set to music and a tissue up his nose.

And for you 'shippers out there (yes, I'm talking about you, Maryploppins), we got to see Castle and Beckett working separately, working together and talking about each other with somebody else. This episode re-establishes their working connection moving forward after a brief falling out and moves the storyline forward as something is expected to happen between them in the Season 4 finale. Who knows what it'll be, but should be interesting. What are your predictions on that front?

Per the usual, and for the better, the actual case takes a back seat this week. It wasn't about who killed the kid, it was about further separating Castle and Beckett and then bringing them back together. It was about making Beckett jealous and getting her to worry that she waited too long and messed things up with Castle. It was about Castle realizing, no matter the hardships, that Beckett is worth it to him and that he'll keep fighting for her. Wow, that sentence was lame. Did I really just write that?

But "Headhunters" was also simply about having fun. And it's hard not to have fun when you have Nathan Fillion and Adam Baldwin together, isn't it? And any time you can slip in a few nods to John Casey and "Chuck", well, that's pretty awesome too, isn't it?

People tend to either like "Castle" for the Castle/Beckett relationship or for just how fun this show can be. I admittedly like both aspects of the show and thought this was a good mix of the two overall.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

CASEY/SLAUGHTER: "Rule No. 1, do not use the word awesome -- you're a grown man."

SLAUGHTER: "Man needs a friend, he gets a dog. A woman like that you storm the beaches or die trying, come on!"

SLAUGHTER: "Do you have a skirt that says writer on it too?"
CASTLE: "No."

RYAN: "I feel like he's cheating on us."

CASTLE: "They rejected you and you feel betrayed."
ALEXIS: "How am I supposed to get over that?"

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--I'm sure at some point there was an episode with a better first segment before the commercial break, but I cant remember it. I mean, severed heads, Casey, Castle with a gun, Castle in a fight and Castle playing with dolls! Great stuff.

--Loved Slaughter trying to convince Castle to help him get out of excessive force complaints, while stashing someone in the truck and doing doughnuts.

THE SCORE: 88 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

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.

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Castle 4.19 -- 47 Seconds

Unlike the previous three seasons, the Beckett-Castle "relationship" has largely been ignored for the majority of Season 4. Not nearly as much flirting, no real serious talks between the two, no outside relationships to make each other jealous (except in the two-parter) and no acknowledgement of what happened in last year's finale.

But in Monday night's "47 Seconds", the Beckett-Castle relationship was in the forefront -- even if Beckett couldn't fully realize to what extent -- in a much-needed excellent and emotional episode of 'Castle'.

And not just emotional in the moments between our two main characters, but also the emotion of the actual case. Most often in TV procedurals, you don't care about the fake victims or the culprit -- but given the specific crime and emotion throughout this whole episode, it's a nice added bonus to be invested in the case as well.

But realistically, if you're reading this you care much more about Beckett and Castle than you do about an expected twist in the case, the wrong suspect halfway through and the fairly obvious fact (just two minutes into the episode I just knew) that the reporter was involved with the bomb.

Admittedly, I enjoy the episodes more when they incorporate the Beckett-Castle relationship in some way. I don't care all that much whether or not they actually get together, but it annoys me when they just ignore the situation for weeks at a time. The "I Love you" in last year's finale has been lingering for entirely too long and it was nice to see it addressed in a clever and surprising way.

I loved the way Castle found out that Beckett knew all along what he said to her after she was shot, and it was compelling to see how he handled the situation. He said to his mother that he could work side by side with her and ignore it, but we knew better. He was hurt and angry and he continually let his emotions get the best of him whenever around Beckett.

It will be interesting to see how he handles things around her next week. I think it would be fun and a good change-of-pace to see him cold, distant and angry with her for a while. Hey, something needed to change at the end of this season. You didn't actually think they would put them together, did you?

My one complaint of the episode? OF COURSE Detective Ryan interrupted Castle trying to tell Beckett once again how he felt about her at the last exact moment. It's annoying that he didn't get to have that nice emotional moment with Beckett, but what really grinds my gears is that it's the most cliched thing in TV history. At some point, there needs to be a show above that crap.

NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

--CASTLE: "It's like trying to find Waldo in a see of Waldo's." OK, it's a lame quote -- but it brought me back to the good-old-days.

--BECKETT: "To hell you don't remember. Do you wanna know trauma? I was shot in the chest and I remember every second of it."
--CASTLE: "All this time. You remembered."

--MARTHA: "Richard, love is not a switch, you can't just turn it off. You can't work side-by-side with her and not feel anything."
--CASTLE: "Watch me."

--ROBERT: "Amensesia sounded like the better plan."
--CASTLE: "Yeah."

--CASTLE: "Well that's what your friend Jesse would call 'sinning by silence.' It's not smart, it's not brave -- it's just cowardly."

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--A mug with his own name on it? I love Richard Castle.

--Really loved the music/score in this episode.

THE SCORE: 87 out of 100

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE

Castle 4.18 -- A Dance With Death

It's been three weeks since the last new episode of 'Castle' aired, so I was looking forward to watching and reviewing "A Dance with Death".

Luckily for me, I really don't have to review it.

Because I think I could copy and paste my review from the previous episode (4.17 -- Once Upon a Crime), and nobody would have even realized the difference.

Don't believe me? Just check out the first section from that review and tell me they don't almost 100 percent apply to this week's show:

The following is a list of things that happened during Monday's episode of 'Castle':

1. There was a crime
2. Beckett and Castle flirted
3. Castle's mother annoyed him
4. There was a twist in the case
5. Beckett and Castle got the wrong killer
6. Castle accidentally stumbled upon a clue to determine the real killer
7. Captain Gates was nowhere to be found

By now, perhaps you realize that I could use this intro as my review on almost every single Castle episode ever made.

This isn't a complaint on "Once Upon a Crime". It was a typical Castle episode, which means it was enjoyable-enough. The crime was interesting and provided some twists, Beckett and Castle were fun together as always and at the end of the episode I'm glad I watched it.


So basically, all that needs to be done is change "Once Upon a Crime" to "A Dance with Death". Castle and Beckett didn't really flirt at all, but whatever. This was essentially the same damn thing.

I won't lie and say that my laziness isn't a factor in this, but what else is there other than that to really review about this episode?

One original thing I can say is that I loved all the scenes between Ryan and Esposito. They don't get to do too much, but they are fun when they do.


NOTABLE QUOTABLES:

RYAN:"Damn, you see that? She acted like I didn't exist."
ESPOSITO: "You don't, not since you put that ring on your finger. Get used to feeling invisible to single women." 

"ESPOSITO: "Cause now you're all blissfully happy with your wife and whatnot. You have the stink of honeymoon phase all over you. No woman wants to be around that."

ESPOSITO: "What's wrong with you, man? Why do you gotta throw salt in my game like that?"
RYAN: "You can't pick up on hunnies while wearing the eternal symbol of my love and commitment to Jenny. ... Did I just say that out loud? ... No wonder why women won't flirt with me, I'm a lost cause -- a man in love with his wife."

ALEXIS: "All in all, I think there's ample evidence that Mr. Morton was murdered."
CASTLE: "Ample. Murdered. I am just so proud."
ALEXIS: "Dad, work. Boundaries."


RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

--Is it just me, or are there a lot of murders backstage on this show? There was an episode with a murder at the set of a soap opera last season (3.18 -- One Life to Lose), and a backstage dog show murder earlier this season (4.13 -- An Embarrassment of Bitches). Creativity, people!

--"Well unless our killer used a silencer, someone must have heard a shot." I swear, that quote is used IN EVERY EPISODE OF EVERY CRIME SHOW.

--Ah, the obligatory first suspect with obvious motive and proof of them threatening to do EXACTLY what happened. That person is never guilty, people.

--Mrs. Winterbottom!!! How fitting, considering John Casey will be on Castle later this season. If you don't know what that sentence means, you should be ashamed of yourself.

--I love how gripped Beckett gets when Castle is telling her one of his crazy theories.

--So many contrivances. A man clever enough to get away with one murder gets busted for another because he put the gun in the dumpster behind his office? C'mon. Alexis discovering the natural cause of death was bogus, but a professional not seeing the obvious signs of a pillow being used. Eh.

THE SCORE: 74 out of 100

Whatever. Who cares what my score is, anyway?

CLICK TO READ THIS ARTICLE