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

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Review - The Walking Dead 3.04: "Killer Within"

This weeks episode ends with a shocker, the prison group gets a mysterious new enemy, and the body count rises! We get to check in at both camps this week, but more of the action takes place at the prison. Andrea and Michonne are at odds over what do next: stay in Woodbury, or go back out on the road. This argument felt a little tired to me and seems to just be a rehash of the argument over whether or not to stay at Hershel's farm from last season. At least it seems like it won't drag on for as long as that previous debate. The more interesting part of this story was Merle and Andrea's conversation about how she was left behind, and her feelings about why no one in the group came back for her.

Meanwhile Rick and the others are trying to make their happy little federal penitentiary a bit more homey, but things get interrupted when an unseen intruder opens one of the gates and lets in a pack of walkers to wreak havoc on our survivors. It turns out it was the prisoner Rick banished last week. The set up for this scene was good and I liked how Rick, Glenn and the others were somewhat trapped on the other side of that fence and had to watch, briefly helpless, as Hershel and the others tried to get away. Also, T-Dog's final sacrificial act of helping Carol through the prison was a nice tribute to him as a character, even though he was one of the show's least used characters. By far the bigger piece of action was Lori going into labor while fleeing the walkers with Maggie and Carl. But Lori's final contribution might have been one of the show's best dramatic moments, her conversation with Carl and the final birth scene as a whole was spectacular.

This episode touched on a lot themes the show has dealt with before: Rick's moral conflicts as a leader, the trustworthiness of other survivors and the ruthless nature of the walker world. But this episode had high enough stakes to make those themes seem fresh and worthwhile. But it does raise a question which often come up with this show: does it need to kill someone off every week to make the emotional stakes high enough? And can it do those themes justice in the weeks when it's not racking up such a high body count?

I give this episode a 90 out of 100- it started off a bit slow, but the ending was no doubt a memorable one.

Highlights, quotes:

- Is Carol really dead? It felt like we weren't supposed to believe she was.

- Michonne's plan- a nice tribute to Left4Dead and a few other members of the zombie genre

- Merle: "How come you and I never hooked up?"
  Andrea: "You called me a whore and a rug muncher" (Or maybe because you are creepy and racist Merle!)

-  The Governor: "We should visit Augusta; take only the women and let them play. It'll be historic!" - I would totally go on that outing even though my golf skills are minimal.
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Furycast 52 - We Are Back!

 
Jess and Magnus discuss DOWNTON ABBEY, NEW GIRL, THE MINDY PROJECT, PARKS AND RECREATION, 30 ROCK, HAPPY ENDINGS, THE WALKING DEAD, and tons of political and social science stuff (republicans, religious types, and general conservative leaning individuals should just skip that final half hour). We also briefly mention the new STAR WARS trilogies.

Unedited podcast. EXPECT SPOILERS FOR EVERY SHOW DISCUSSED! Maybe someone can put the times in for me in the comment section so I can list them for everyone. I am just too lazy to do it right now.



You can also DOWNLOAD this podcast as an MP3 by right clicking on this link and saving it to your hard drive.

Click this link to subscribe to our podcast via iTunes.

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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

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