6x16 - "Hunt" Review
Reunited on “Castle”
By Lisa Caputo
2013-02-26
The annual two-part event concludes with an emotional
reunion and a stunning rescue
Last week, Castle kicked off its
annual two-part event with the most personal, emotional, intense, and
stunningly epic storyline yet. As with most of this incredibly stellar fifth
season, “Target” raised the stakes and exceeded even the highest of
expectations, and Monday’s installment concluded this year’s two-part event
with an explosive, deep, and incredibly stirring continuation.
Penned by storytelling genius and series
creator, Andrew W. Marlowe, and directed by the incredibly talented Rob Bowman,
“Hunt” dove right back into the intensity and emotion of last week’s episode,
with the team trying to establish how to track down Alexis and Sara from the
evidence of Alexis’ Skype call to Castle. When a ransom agreement only served
to bring Sara home safely, Castle realized that protocol and red tape would
only continue to stall the investigation into Alexis’ whereabouts and opted to
hunt her down himself. Without saying a word to either his mother or Beckett,
the determined father flew off to Paris to find his daughter and bring her
home.
While we have witnessed both Castle and
Beckett going rogue to investigate their more personal cases without the
boundaries of police policies to get in their way before, Monday’s episode took
this to a whole new level. With Castle resorting to hiring a very
cloak-and-dagger bounty hunter while Beckett remained in New York to work with
the evidence they had there, television’s most compelling couple spent most of
the episode working separately rather than together, upping the intensity even
more.
It was actually rather moving to watch
Beckett’s determination to do anything she needed to do in order to bring both
Castle and Alexis home safely. Again, while much of the focus was on Nathan
Fillion in this episode, and rightfully so, Stana Katic managed to deliver some
truly unforgettable moments throughout the hour as well. The fear and yet determined
vulnerability that came through in Beckett’s voice, even just for a moment,
when she told Agent Harris that she was not willing to just sit back and
“manage expectations” when it came to accepting that Alexis may not be returned
home safely was brilliantly moving. Likewise, Beckett’s interrogation of
Henson’s girlfriend, with her kicking the chair out from under the unwilling
witness and then leaving the woman cowering in fear after her rather abrasive
yet successful method of questioning, was a scene that Castle fans would
not soon forget.
When the bounty hunter that Castle hired to
find Alexis eventually turned on him, selling him out to the men who had
kidnapped Alexis, we were given another brilliant scene that we would not soon
forget either. After years of questions revolving around the mystery of
Castle’s father, the time had come to finally meet the mysterious man himself
in what was truly the granddaddy of all guest roles on the series thus far.
James Brolin guest starred as Jackson Hunt,
a ruggedly handsome spy who was soon revealed to be Castle’s long-lost father.
Brolin’s guest performance was absolutely spot-on, truly a highlight of the
episode, though there was likely no doubt that he would bring such a presence
to this already rather illustrious role. The combination of Hunt being such a
well-written character, the mythology behind him, and the casting of Brolin in
this role was truly magic indeed.
Fillion and Brolin shared a number of
stellar scenes together in the second half of the hour, though a few stood out
above of all of the others and certainly deserve to be discussed. The first was
their initial meeting, before Castle knew who Hunt really was and why he had
saved him. Though it was not revealed yet to either the audience or to Castle
that this was his father, it should have been remarkably evident in the
personality that Hunt exuded, clearly displaying such wonderful similarities to
Castle himself. The two bantered hilariously with Hunt not only coming across
as being as humourous and quick-witted as Castle, yet also with that familiar
sarcasm that made him a great sparing partner in Beckett’s absence. Should
those two ever meet, it would be quite interesting indeed.
When it became painfully clear that Alexis
had, in fact, been the intended target, kidnapped as a means of getting revenge
against Hunt, he had no choice but to come clean to Castle and tell him that he
was his father. While the reveal itself was stunning and jaw-dropping, Hunt’s
explanation to Castle, answering at least some of his burning questions, was
heartfelt and deeply moving. Brolin and Fillion were both fantastic in this
scene as Hunt revealed to Castle that he had always been watching over him in
secret and Castle realized that his father had once given him a gift,
unbeknownst to him, that ended up inspiring him to become a writer. In a way,
even without his presence being known, Hunt had been there for his son, and the
sentiment was a profoundly beautiful one.
In the end, father and son teamed up in an
elaborate and shocking scheme to rescue Alexis. While the audience was
brilliantly led to believe that Castle had been captured and reunited briefly
with his daughter, only to flush out Hunt and leave all three of them doomed,
the plot quickly took an interesting turn as we realized that this had been
their plan all along. In one final moment of intense and heart-pounding action,
they set off an explosion that allowed Castle and Beckett to escape, though the
fate of Hunt was unknown. A quick flashback of Castle attempting to say an
impossible goodbye to the father he had just met hours prior proved to be one
of the most emotional moments of the entire hour, especially as Hunt told a
tearful Castle that he had always been proud of him, calling him “son” for the
first time.
The episode concluded with one final scene,
full of emotion as well, though with all of the hopefulness that has long been
a trademark of the ending of these annual two-part events. Castle and Alexis
returned home to the loft where Castle and Beckett shared a brief yet moving
moment together, Beckett movingly telling Castle that was glad he was okay, a
brilliant throwback to her line from “3XK” before asking him to promise her
never to do anything like this without her again. The two sealed their deal
with a short yet sweet kiss before Beckett turned to hug Alexis while Castle
hugged Martha, the happy family settling in to celebrate their reunion. In the
final moment of the hour, Castle found a package that had been delivered just
earlier that morning and opened it, revealing a copy of “Casino Royale”, the
novel that his father had given him all of those years ago, clearly a sign that
he had survived and would continue to watch over his son.
This season’s two-parter honoured the epic
scale and scope of all of its predecessors, with that same hallmark intensity,
yet it also delivered the most personal, emotional, stunning, and stirring
storyline thus far. With the bar raised so unbelievably high after this one,
the question will bound to be asked as to how they will top this next season.
But if I have learned anything over the years, it is that they most certainly
will.
6x17 - "Scared To Death" Review
‘Castle’ Takes On A
Cult-Classic Horror
By Lisa Caputo
2013-03-19
‘Castle’ returns from a three-week hiatus with a fantastic
and quintessential episode
After the annual Castle two-parter
concluded in epic style three weeks ago, the question remained as to how the
creative team behind one of television’s hottest shows would be able to follow
that up. Their answer? Deliver the quintessential Castle episode. With
Castle, Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito classically carrying the episode as they
investigated a quirky case that challenged their beliefs between logic and
paranormal fantasy, Monday’s return was a clever mix of comedy, suspense,
pop-culture references, and mystery, with a healthy dose of flirty romance and
a heartwarming yet hilarious ending, just for good measure. The hour proved to
be filled with all of the elements that have made Castle a hit series
for the past five seasons and it was definitely worth the wait.
Penned by the versatile Shalisha Francis,
who last wrote the dramatic “After Hours” earlier this season, “Scared To
Death” took a page out of the cult-classic horror film, The Ring, with
Castle and Beckett investigating the death of a young woman who appeared to
have been literally scared to death three days after watching a supposedly
cursed DVD. After Castle inadvertently watched the aforementioned cursed video,
and with the evidence in the case becoming increasingly more difficult to
explain by logic alone, the team was classically split between Castle’s
paranormal theories and Beckett’s penchant for a more reasonable explanation.
It is always very intriguing to watch these
types of stories play out on this series, as Castle and Beckett’s fundamental
differences are a key component in what makes their relationship so
interesting. While Castle spins wild theories based on what would make the best
story and Beckett stubbornly yet wisely sticks to her real-life logic, Ryan and
Esposito typically end up picking sides as Castle and Beckett exchange their
clever banter and witty challenges towards one another. Monday’s episode,
however, had even the typically logical Esposito running scared, displayed
brilliantly in a scene early on into the hour where neither he nor Ryan would
agree to watch the cursed DVD to comb for clues in their case. Of course, the
always-realistic Beckett stepped up to the plate and watched the DVD,
convincing Castle that she, too, was now doomed.
The rest of the hour was filled with clever
pop-culture references to not only The Ring but also the very spirit and
formula of the majority of classic horror films, with a plethora of witty
comments and one-liners about the usual scenes or situations found in most
films of that genre. Even horror master Wes Craven popped in for a hilarious
cameo in the episode, with Castle calling him for advice on how to ward off the
evil spirits.
But despite the comedy and pop-culture
references that were mixed into the episode so brilliantly, the mystery
surrounding the cursed DVD and the case itself was full of suspense, classic
horror elements, and a great number of clever twists and turns. In truth, it
was perhaps one of the more interesting cases of the season. While the plot
itself seemed to parody The Ring, every element of the storyline and the
production of the episode was a perfect homage to the horror genre.
Although the episode was void of the usual
appearances of series regulars Tamala Jones, Susan Sullivan, Molly Quinn, and
Penny Johnson Jerald, the always-fantastic Arye Gross returned as Medical
Examiner Sidney Purlmutter, stealing his few scenes as he typically does. Gross
also contributed to one of the highlights of the episode, as Castle finally got
a rare bit of payback on the cranky Perlmutter after the M.E. was unable to
determine a cause of death for their victim, reluctantly adding credence to
Castle’s paranormal theory.
As always, the episode was wonderfully
infused with some classic banter and flirty romance between Castle and Beckett,
with Canadian leads Stana Katic and Nathan Fillion displaying why they are
television’s most captivating on-screen couple. One of the most stellar
highlights of the episode centered around these two, as Castle and Beckett
prepared to leave the precinct late one night in the midst of their
investigation. Beckett began to tempt Castle into heading back to her
apartment, with Castle more than willing to accept her offer until he realized
one rather alarming thing. He turned her down by hilariously uttering, “In
every horror movie I’ve ever seen, having sex pretty much guarantees we will
die.” When Beckett caught on to his very evident fear, she decided to mess with
him and push him as far as she could. Castle, meanwhile, fumbled and stuttered
for a way to respond, conflicted between temptation and fear. The two engaged
in a classic Castle and Beckett moment before Castle hilariously made his exit,
walking into the wall in his haste in a fantastic ad-libbed moment from Nathan
Fillion.
In the end, Castle and Beckett unraveled
the sordid mystery and found their killer. A very human killer, of course. The
episode concluded with a final scene between Castle and Beckett, as the two
prepared to settle in for a night of celebrating together. In a truly
heartwarming moment, Beckett discovered that the first item on Castle’s bucket
list, which he had referenced throughout the hour, was to be with her. When
Castle revealed that he had written that list a number of years ago, the smile
on Beckett’s face and her inability to find the right words to respond were
more than enough to prove how much the thought of that meant to her.
Yet in true Castle fashion, there
was one final moment of comedy to end the hour. When Castle seemed to still be
fearful of the seemingly disproved curse of the DVD, pulling away from Beckett
as she leaned in to kiss him because the clock had not struck midnight just
yet, Beckett decided to mess with Castle once again. This time, she sauntered
off towards her bedroom, taunting him by saying, “There’s one thing on my
bucket list that I would like to accomplish, and it involves a little trick
that I do… with ice”, a clever mirror
back to her infamously teasing line from season three. Only this time, it was a
promise and not just a tease.
It may have been a long three-week hiatus,
but this quintessential episode was definitely worth the wait. Though when it
comes to Castle, it always is.
6x18 - "The Wild Rover" Review
Secrets of the Past on
‘Castle’
By Lisa Caputo
2013-03-26
Ryan goes undercover to take down an Irish Mob ring in
Monday’s exciting episode
While this fifth season of ABC’s hit
series, Castle, continues to set the bar ever higher with each new
episode, it has been wonderful to see some of the supporting cast able to take
center stage from time to time in episodes that have successfully revealed
hidden elements to their characters. Monday’s exciting episode shone the
spotlight on Detective Kevin Ryan, with supporting actor Seamus Dever stepping
up to the plate and knocking one out of the park.
Penned by longtime and uber-talented series
writer, Terence Paul Winter, who has a knack for writing some of the show’s
most memorable episodes, “The Wild Rover” presented Beckett and her team with
the murder investigation of an FBI informant who had been killed after his
cover was blown to the Irish mobsters who he had infiltrated.
When the team’s prime witness, Siobhan,
proved to have a past romantic connection to Ryan, the truth about Ryan’s past
as an undercover officer was exposed. Much to the amusement and disbelief of
his coworkers, especially Esposito, Ryan explained that he had once worked on
an undercover assignment to bring down the Irish mob in Staten Island. While he
was successful in taking down a large portion of the mob ring, he failed to get
the information needed to take down its leader, Bobby Shannon. With Bobby
suspected of murdering their victim and with Siobhan in severe danger due to
her own assistance in the FBI’s case against the mobsters, Ryan offered to go
back undercover to infiltrate Bobby’s operation once again.
In a brilliantly-crafted, performed, and
edited sequence, we watched Ryan transform from the soft-spoken, suit-wearing
family man of a detective into his former alter ego; a rough, gritty, and
street-smart mobster named Fenton O’Connell. Leaving behind his devastated
wife, played wonderfully by Dever’s own real-life wife, Juliana Dever, Ryan
embarked on what was surely the most dangerous undercover mission ever
witnessed on Castle.
The hour truly provided the opportunity for
Seamus Dever to shine, with Ryan displaying not only the best elements of his
current persona but also a much more dark and edgy side to him, something that
was actually rather incredible to watch unfold. Dever gave a captivating
performance throughout the episode, making every one of his scenes an absolute
highlight of the hour. Delving into heavy drama and nail-biting suspense,
watching Ryan undercover was truly impressive, especially as he went toe-to-toe
with the mobsters. In the end, despite it seeming as if Ryan was in well over
his head and Bobby’s right-hand man, Liam, had discovered that he was a rat, he
proved that he was a much better undercover cop than anyone could have
anticipated, having pick-pocketed Liam’s cell phone and silently leaving it on
a call to Esposito to allow the police to track them down and arrest the
mobsters.
This final scene of the case was thrilling,
suspenseful, and extremely dramatic, though there was a classic Castle
comedy break in the midst of it all, something that was so perfectly crafted as
a stark reminder that even in the most dramatic situations, there is still an
opportunity for some lighthearted fun. Just as the mobsters were preparing to
kill Ryan, he informed them of his brilliant scheme involving Liam’s phone,
calling out to Esposito and then to Beckett as the two arrived on the scene and
surrounded the mobsters. But when Ryan then called out to Castle, assuming he
would arrive with the same flair and backup support as Esposito and Beckett,
the writer clumsily walked out from his hiding place behind Beckett and
uttered, “Seriously? I didn’t bring my vest.”
Though most of the episode was focused on
Ryan and his undercover operation, there were some other very interesting
storylines and moments woven in amongst it, all of which had a very profound
way of tying back to the underlying message of the episode itself. There were
some short but important moments between Ryan and Esposito that displayed how
much Esposito truly cared for his partner and yet also how much he seemed to
doubt his ability to pull off his mission. It was also interesting to note that
after Ryan transformed into Fenton, Esposito rather amusedly began wearing a
suit to work, a wonderful reversal from their usual roles.
There was also a beautiful and moving scene
between Jenny and Beckett, with Juliana Dever and Stana Katic delivering such
touching performances in what was a short but vital scene within the episode.
Meanwhile, there was a rather amusing
ongoing storyline between Castle and Beckett, beginning in the opening minutes
of the episode with Beckett revealing to Castle that he had repeated the name
“Jordan” in his sleep a number of times the night before. Though she seemed
more curious than upset, something that should display how secure Beckett has
become in her relationship with Castle, his refusing to answer her questions
only served to add to her intrigue. Once the case was solved and Castle and
Beckett returned home together, Castle revealed the truth to a shocked but even
more enamoured Beckett, explaining the mistake from his past that had haunted
him all of his life and yet had also prompted him to be better man, and a
better writer.
In the end, Ryan succeeded in his
undercover mission as well as his personal mission, with Jenny sweetly and
touchingly revealing to him, as well as to the audience, that she was pregnant,
a perfect moment to cap off a truly incredible episode.
Yet even with these happy endings, there
was an exchange of dialogue between Castle and Beckett that seemed to stay with
me long after the credits had rolled. Castle explained his secrecy to Beckett
by asking her, “What happens if you don’t like what you see?” and Beckett
replied, “What happens if you don’t let me look?” Perhaps it was one of those
clever moments of foreshadowing or perhaps it was just my overactive
imagination, though I am more inclined to believe that it was a clever way of
setting the stage for the final arc of this season. With Beckett’s walls long
broken down now, could it be Castle’s walls that will present a challenge to
their relationship? Only time will tell.
6x19 - "The Lives Of Others" Review
‘Castle’ Celebrates 100
Episodes
By Lisa Caputo
2013-04-02
The ABC hit series celebrates the milestone with a stellar
and special episode
A little over four years ago, ABC launched
a midseason replacement dramedy, a clever and witty series that introduced the
story of a famous and charmingly boyish mystery writer whose path crossed that
of a stubborn and tough-as-nails homicide detective. It was an intelligent show
that mixed comedy, drama, suspense, and a perfect will-they/won’t they romance,
appealing to its audience with brilliant writing, an incredible ensemble cast,
and two leads with an undeniable chemistry. In its early days, it was often
described as the best show on television that nobody was watching.
Now in its fifth season, Castle has
evolved from the little show that could into an absolute hit series, with some
of the most stellar storytelling on network television and the grandest and
most classic love story told in recent history. It has made us laugh, made us
cry, and made us scream and throw things at our beloved televisions, but more
than anything it has enlightened us, entertained us, and inspired us.
On Monday night, Castle celebrated
its milestone 100th episode with what was truly the perfect and
quintessential hour. Penned by the always incredible team of Terri Miller and
creator Andrew Marlowe, “The Lives Of Others” followed a Rear Window-inspired
storyline in which Castle was confined to a wheelchair at home after breaking
his knee and, in his boredom, began spying on his neighbours from one of the
windows in his loft. When he discovers what he believes is evidence of a
murder, he immediately calls Beckett, who is working with Ryan and Esposito on
a case of their own. But when they investigate his claims and find no evidence
of foul play whatsoever, it became a classic case of Castle trying to prove to
them that he truly did witness a heinous crime, despite the evidence to the
contrary.
The hour was filled with adorably sweet
(and incredibly domestic) moments between Castle and Beckett as Beckett did her
best to take care of him in his somewhat helpless state, though there was also
a very healthy mix of the classic banter between the two as they butted heads
and challenged one another from opposite sides of the case. The plethora of swoon-worthy
hugs and kisses and scenes of them cuddling up in bed or openly acting like a
couple in front of anyone and everyone were brilliantly balanced with the
verbal swordplay and bickering and back-and-forth banter that has always
captivated us, right from the pilot until this 100th episode.
There were also more subtle yet meaningful
moments as well, including the highly-anticipated utterance of the word “love”
being dropped for the first time since Castle and Beckett officially became a
couple. Of course, it was truly just a clever tease on the part of the
brilliant writers, with Beckett expressing to Castle, “Your overactive
imagination has actually brought a lot of people to justice. In fact, it’s one
of the things I love about you.”
In fact, the scene that this occurs in
happens to be one of the most stellar scenes of the entire series, truly a
masterpiece of storytelling, even more so when you rewatch it after seeing how
the rest of the episode played out. It was also a brilliant display of the chemistry
and captivating nature between Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic, perhaps one of
the main driving forces behind the success of this series, as the two perfectly
portrayed Castle and Beckett in what was not only one of the most incredible
scenes of the episode but was also the perfect setup to the final (and very
climactic) twist in the story.
After being reprimanded by Captain Gates
for their breaking into the storage locker of Castle’s supposed murderer, only
to find that there was no evidence of a murder whatsoever, Castle and Beckett
prepared themselves at the loft later that evening to celebrate Castle’s
birthday in style. Dressed to the nines and looking better than ever, Castle
and Beckett prepared to put the entire debacle behind them and enjoy their
evening together. But when something Beckett said sparked one of Castle’s
classic “I know who the killer is” moments, the two were thrown into a heated
debate over Castle’s obsession with this supposed murder, leading to the point
where Beckett decided to put an end to all of it by marching over to the
suspect’s apartment and searching his fridge, the place where Castle believed
he was hiding the body, herself.
This scene also had some of the greatest
one-liners of the series, including Castle’s suggestive, “If that’s my present,
I can’t wait to unwrap it” in reference to Beckett’s stunning dress. Or his
response to Beckett reminding him that he had apologized to her for obsessing
over this supposed murder by telling her, “I rescind the apology. I take it
back. She’s in the fridge.” Or, of course, Beckett’s reply to Castle asking how
she would possibly get their suspect to let her in to his apartment, dryly
stating, “Look at me. He’s going to let me in.” From start to finish, it was
the quintessential Caskett scene, one that the fans will likely be quoting for
the next 100 episodes… and yes, I will
ask you not to ruin my story with your logic on that comment.
In the end, when the suspect appeared to
attack Beckett just as the lights in his apartment went out, Castle called Ryan
and Esposito for backup and hobbled over to rescue the love of his life. But
when the boys arrived at the apartment, the lights flashed back on to reveal
that Beckett was not only safe and sound, but surrounded by Castle’s family and
friends, truly the greatest surprise party ever. He quickly surmised that the
entire thing had been a clever plan by Beckett, with a little help from the
others, to give him the best birthday gift he could have ever imagined; his own
murder mystery to solve.
While there were many clues dropped along
the way, most were not entirely noticeable unless you were looking for those
signs. Fans who take the time to rewatch this masterpiece of an episode, which
I would highly recommend, will notice Beckett’s sly giveaways throughout the
episode. A knowing smirk at the very beginning when Castle first tells her and
the guys about what he believed he saw, her starting to feel a little
remorseful when Castle began to take this far too seriously and she became worried
about how far he would go to prove himself, and the way she emphasized her
offer to get him a drink “from the fridge” at the end of the episode as a means
of sparking his revelation about where the suspect was hiding the body, all
were very carefully planned and very subtle hints along the way.
After celebrating Castle’s birthday
together and then solving their actual case, in large part due to Castle giving
Beckett an unknowing hint of his own, television’s most captivating couple
concluded the episode together in what was the perfect way to end this
monumental and incredibly special hour. Castle and Beckett exchanged some
clever dialogue about how they must have solved about a hundred cases together
by now, with Castle offering a memorable toast, “Here’s to 100 more.” With
that, the two shared a sentimental moment before Castle suggestively wheeled
Beckett off towards his bedroom, concluding the episode with both the heart and
humour that we have come to know and love about this series and the grand love
story between these two.
It is impossible to sum up this episode in
just one word. However, I believe that Castle said it best himself as the hour
concluded… “It was epic.” I could not agree more.
6x20 - "The Fast And Furriest" Review
The Calm Before The Storm on
‘Castle’
By Lisa Caputo
2013-04-15
Castle and Beckett hilariously take on the bigfoot myth as
the series approaches its final dramatic arc of the season
Castle
returned on Monday night after its final hiatus of this stellar fifth season.
With only five episodes remaining and creator Andrew Marlowe’s penchant for
ending the season with a dramatic multi-episode arc, it seemed evident that
Monday’s episode would be the calm before the storm. But while many fans and
critics alike wrongfully assumed the hour would be nothing but an entertaining
filler episode, the Castle team once again delivered a fun, classic, and
sharp episode that had a great deal of heart and importance amongst the humour
and intrigue of the case itself.
Penned by “Secret Santa” writer, Christine
Roum, and directed by sci-fi guru, Jonathan Frakes, “The Fast and the Furriest”
had Castle and Beckett investigating the murder of a young woman who appeared
to have had a fatal encounter with the mysterious bigfoot. Of course, Castle
jumped at the chance to run wild with the evidence while Beckett stood strong
in her belief that it was nothing more than a hoax to cover the tracks of the
real murderer.
The episode brought forth that classic and
always entertaining banter between Castle and Beckett at they debated their
separate and very different beliefs and challenged one another every step of
the way throughout the investigation. Meanwhile, Ryan and Esposito took sides
as well, with Ryan attempting to find evidence to back up Castle’s wild bigfoot
theory while Esposito stood beside Beckett and backed her up in a much more
rational pursuit of the evidence.
One of the highlights of the episode
involved Castle and Beckett hunting through the woods for the scene of the murder
itself, with Castle hilariously done up in full hunting gear and bringing forth
his best bigfoot calls, all the while with Beckett mocking him (and rightfully
so). The two ended up falling into a trap in the forest, leading to Beckett to
instruct Castle to “Pop a squat, we’ll pull a cheerleader move” with him
hoisting her up onto his shoulders so she could escape and find a way to rescue
him as well. While the moment seemed to be a throwback to a similar moment in
last season’s “Cuffed”, it was topped off with Castle rather suggestively
asking Beckett, “Shouldn’t you be wearing a short skirt for this?”
Alexis factored into another classic
element of the storyline, harkening back to those wonderful moments between
father and daughter. In the midst of the investigation, Castle himself was also
on the hunt back at the loft, attempting to trap the perpetrator who had been
stealing food from his fridge. In the end, it turned out to be Alexis, despite
her lying to Castle earlier in the episode about her being the culprit. In the
closing minutes of the episode, Castle and Alexis shared a classically touching
moment together as father and daughter, bringing back that element of this
story that had been missing for a large portion of this season now that Alexis
has grown up and gone off to college.
Hilariously sarcastic Medical Examiner
Sidney Purlmutter also returned to the series with another memorable
performance from guest star Arye Gross, whose bitter rivalry with Nathan
Fillion’s Castle has always provided a wonderful amount of humour.
Of course, when the dust in the case had
settled, it was proven that bigfoot was not their killer, rather that their
killer was nothing more than a disturbed human, a professor who murdered their
victim, Anne, as a means of covering up his also murdering her roommate, with
Anne turning up the evidence that would have convicted him of his crime.
While the case itself provided a great deal
of humour itself, it more so set the stage for some truly great moments between
Castle and Beckett. Throughout the hour, it was very much evident that Beckett
has grown to truly appreciate Castle’s wild theories and unwavering belief in
the unknown, despite herself being much more grounded in reality alone,
something that displayed how far these two have come and how accepting they
both are of the differences they share. Likewise, the couple actually engaged
in a beautiful and meaningful discussion about those fundamental differences
that still exist despite their growing closer and becoming more and more alike
over the years.
In a brilliantly written and performed
scene at the magical midway point throughout the episode, once again harkening
back to the classic Castle formula, Castle and Beckett sat in bed
together and discussed their varying beliefs or non-beliefs. Castle finally
helped Beckett to understand why he believes in the unknown and why he is so
intrigued by the idea that despite technology and so many questions having been
answered in the world over the years, there are still those mysteries to which
people cling to, constantly reaching for more answers, thus sparking innovation
and magical discoveries along the way.
Meanwhile, Beckett shared some insight into
the idea that while she remains grounded in reality, she is still very much a
believer in magic. But instead of believing in things that have no evidence to
support their existence, she chooses to believe in the wonder and magic of the
real world, those natural and inspiring things that she is able to see and
touch for herself to know that they are real. In a beautiful and moving
conclusion to the scene, Beckett leaned in closer towards Castle as she
revealed to him, “There is one inexplicable, mysterious phenomenon that I do
believe in still”, concluding her statement with a whisper of “Us” as she
smiled and sealed the sentiment with a heartfelt kiss.
Monday’s episode was certainly one that
further explored those differences between Castle and Beckett while maintaining
a lighthearted and warm aspect to it all. Though that only furthers my
suspicions that this truly was the calm before the storm and that those
differences between them may start to be examined in a much more dramatic way
as we enter into what will surely be a stunning and emotional final four
episodes of the season. After all, nobody does dramatic final arcs better than
the Castle team.
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