‘Castle’: Getting Back To
Normal
By Lisa Caputo
2014-10-14
Castle and
Beckett start getting back to their usual routine with a seemingly supernatural
case and a great deal of flirtatious banter
Castle kicked off its
intriguing seventh season with two very dramatic and emotional episodes,
continuing last year’s intense cliffhanger and introducing a new mystery
revolving around Castle’s disappearance. But despite the lingering questions
and a desire to learn the truth, Castle and Beckett seem to be resolved to move
on with their life together and attempt to find a sense of normalcy again.
Monday’s episode brought the series back to its roots, thus giving Castle and
Beckett a chance to display their commitment to finding their solid ground
after their harrowing experiences recently.
Written by the
extremely talented team of Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Creasey, and
directed by the highly accomplished television veteran Kate Woods, Monday’s
“Clear & Present Danger” was a quintessential Castle episode, complete with a case that opened the door to some
hilarious debates about the validity of the supernatural and a plethora of
fantastic Caskett scenes that focused on television’s most captivating couple getting
their spark back. It was a firm and much-needed departure from the heavy
dramatic content of the opening two episodes of the season, allowing that
seamless bridge back to the type of Castle
episodes that have long been a staple of the series. While the mystery
surrounding Castle’s disappearance is far from being solved, returning to the
classic comedy and romance was a necessary step to ensure that the series is
able to maintain its unique balance between a wide range of storytelling. It
was also a vital episode to let the audience know that Castle and Beckett are
committed to moving forward, even though we know they will revisit Castle’s
mysterious disappearance again in the future.
From its
incredibly sharp opening to its tantalizing ending, Monday’s episode captured
the very best of Castle and Beckett’s relationship, an indication that what
they have been through has only served to strengthen their bond. The chemistry
between Canadian leads Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion has been the show’s
guiding force since the very beginning and while their characters have been a
tad bit off kilter following their recent ordeal, it was obvious throughout
this episode that they were back in stride once again. In fact, the opening
scene that found them both attempting to lay the groundwork for their first
intimate night together since Castle’s disappearance was perfectly played. With
clever dialogue that was filled with subtext and had the pair insinuating how
they wanted to spend their night together without ever saying it straight out,
and both Katic and Fillion wonderfully balancing that initial tentativeness
between Castle and Beckett with their eventual admittance of their desires, the
scene was a brilliant start to what quickly became a truly enjoyable and entertaining
episode.
When their
intimate moment was interrupted by the phone call we all knew would be coming,
Castle and Beckett were forced to put their plans on hold to begin an
investigation into their latest murder case. Of course, the hour was filled
with a plethora of great Caskett moments that displayed some of the very best
elements of their relationship; the flirting, the teasing, the witty banter,
the challenging and pushing one another, and the way in which they are able to
both lock onto the same thoughts and ideas without either of them uttering a
single word. While the past two episodes have found these two not always on the
same page, Monday’s installment certainly had them back in perfect sync again.
While watching them battle through those tough times together and seeing them
not in step with one another is always captivating, those episodes must stay
few and far between as seeing these two in sync with one another is where we
see the true magic between them.
Their latest
case seemed to help a great deal with that as well, presenting to them one of
those fantastic mysteries that wonderfully towed the line between Castle’s
penchant for the supernatural and Beckett’s firm hold on proven facts. With the
initial evidence pointing them to an unseen killer, Castle’s wild theories were
back in fine form, certainly a sign that he was returning to his usual self
again. First believing that their suspect was the devil himself and later
claiming it was an invisible man at work, Castle spent much of the episode
debating the validity of his theories with Beckett, who clearly had no inkling
to even humour his wild ideas. While the two hilariously bantered back and
forth over whether an invisible suspect was even possible, they also took great
pleasure in teasing and tantalizing one another, both over the case itself and
their impending (and long-awaited) private time together.
But when Castle
and Beckett found themselves under attack by an unseen force while
investigating their suspect’s home, even Beckett was unable to explain what had
happened, leaving her visibly shaken by this massive hit to her sense of
reality. While the event itself was a truly remarkable scene, one that
certainly had to be both fun and yet extremely challenging for Katic and Fillion
as they were thrown around the room and essentially beaten up by an invisible
suspect, it also brought forth a number of other hilarious scenes with its
lasting impact on our dynamic duo, especially on Beckett herself.
In fact, the
always-rational Beckett found herself at a loss for words when attempting to
explain to Captain Gates what had happened to her and Castle. After all, she
could not bring herself to admit that they were attacked by an unseen force,
opting instead to simply tell Gates that they had not been able to get a good
look at their assailant. Katic played this scene perfectly, with Penny Johnson
Jerald ramping up the comedy of the moment when Beckett hesitated to leave
Gates’ office, prompting the observant Captain to pick up on the fact that
Beckett was holding something back. Of course, Beckett’s hesitation was only a
momentary one, quickly understanding that she would be much better off
withholding the truth from Gates than she would be admitting what had really
happened to them.
But Beckett’s
hilarious paranoia did not end there, instead creeping in to ultimately delay
her and Castle’s night together. Deep in the throes of passion, poor Beckett
could not seem to shake the thought that an invisible person could be watching
them the whole time, her own paranoia quickly spreading to Castle as well, with
the two of them pausing in the middle of their romp to nervously look around
the room as if to make sure they were truly alone. And their paranoia soon grew
to the point where Castle was prompted to hang a collection of pots and pans
around the room so they would be able to hear if anyone other than them had
entered the room. Of course, just as the two got back into the swing of things,
their night was once again interrupted by Martha as she became hilariously entangled
in the cobweb of dental floss that was holding those pots and pans up, unaware
that the pair were even home.
But, in many
cases throughout the hour, it was actually the smaller moments that came up
that truly delivered those great Caskett elements that helped make this series
a hit. From Castle and Beckett challenging each other’s theories early on in
the episode, a clever form of foreplay for the couple, to Castle begging
Beckett not to answer her phone and just pretend she had already left to go
home with him for the night, despite the fact that Beckett could never ignore
her phone ringing at work, to the meaningful way that the two came up with the
same solution to their invisible suspect problem with just a knowing glance,
the sharply-written dialogue and fiery chemistry between Katic and Fillion
absolutely drove the episode, doing so in a very clever and very classic way.
In the end,
their case managed to land somewhere between Castle’s supernatural theory and
Beckett’s reality-based theory, something that so brilliantly settled the case
in a way that was an equal compromise for them and allowed them to collectively
be right, rather than giving either of them the upper hand. They were in sync
as partners again, solving this case collectively. Since it is a typical Castle technique to have the case of the
week reflect on the state of Castle and Beckett and their relationship within
that same episode, it was the perfect way to end Monday’s case and set the
stage for Castle and Beckett to come together as lovers as well, this time with
no interruptions and the timing being right.
Thus, the
episode concluded with Castle and Beckett back at the loft, completely alone
and without any fear that they were being watched by an invisible stranger, nor
that they would have Martha or Alexis walk in on them. In typical fashion,
Castle even went as far as to order a thermal camera headset so he could ensure
that they were, indeed, alone. Of course, he also managed to find a way to turn
his thermal camera into a prop for a seductively charming comment about
Beckett, one that prompted her to take their night into the next gear,
whispering to Castle that she was going to slip into something more
comfortable. With the earlier setup line revolving around a piece of lingerie
that Castle had bought for Beckett for Valentine’s Day cleverly finding its
payoff, a joyous Castle asked Beckett if that was what she was going to wear
for him. But the always-surprising Beckett had another plan in mind; returning
to their bedroom with her own “invisible” outfit on.
With that,
Castle and Beckett were finally able to enjoy their first intimate night
together since his disappearance. While the scene was presented in a fun and
flirty way, the significance of that moment should not be lost on the audience;
what did not kill Castle has only made them stronger, and while they will still
have obstacles to overcome and will have to face the mystery of Castle’s
disappearance again in time, they are already doing what they need to do to
return to that state of normalcy. In just one episode, these two seemed to be
well on their way to that and completely back on track while also being
stronger than ever. Perhaps that fall wedding truly will be only a few weeks
away.
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