by Michael Seese
OK, so it wasn't what I thought it would be. At the end of "XX," I thought Beckett was going underground, and in my review opined about "Caskett On The Run." Instead, she was just moving out of the apartment in order to protect Castle & family.
And in an obvious effort to lighten the tone from the previous two installments, "PhDead" was a really funny episode. I loved the subtle humor in the imagery of the dozen or so arrows stuck in the door frame, as Castle practiced his archery.
We also FINALLY got "lividity" from Lanie. Of course, the first two shows this season didn't have "found" bodies, so there wasn't the opportunity.
I nearly ran out of room writing down the lines.
Great concept: The CDRK, aka, the Castle Depression Rescue Kit which, per Alexis, contained "video games, Sumatra coffee beans, enhanced Blu-Rays of the original Twilight Zone, and this..."
Martha: "9 Woof Woof?"
Alexis: "Puppies at your doorstep in 30 minutes or less."
Castle: "I can't recall if I saw things other than a body with a gruesome wound."
Scott Powell: "You didn't really think you could Jump Street the prime suspect, did you? Your partner is growing ear hairs right before my eyes."
(I had to cite the IMDB entry for the show, since it was MUCH better than the movie.)
Castle: "You, in the printed non-ironic tee, beside the too-friendly blonde."
Alexis: "I'm getting fitted for an iron lung in the morning."
In the bondage room...
(Castle's look)
Alexis: "What? I read 50 Shades, and so did Peter."
Castle: "I'd say this is less 50 Shades, and more Fatal Attraction."
Castle (over the walkie-talkie): "In your face, Frankenstein."
(Beckett's look.)
Ryan: "We can explain."
Beckett: "I ask one thing of you guys."
Quick aside: Maybe things have changed since I went to college, but Halloween didn't last a month back then.
Frankenstein: "You're pretty hot for a cop."
Beckett: "I have a gun."
Castle: "You're indoors and it's dark. Take off the sunglasses. You look stupid."
Castle: "When you say it in that tone, I sound like a bad parent."
A few nitpicks (with a SPOILER) thrown in:
- Regarding Beckett, Castle was being a baby. (Much like a few seasons back, when Beckett decided to move to DC, and he thought it would be the end of them.) I get the whole "we're a team" thing. But she's not talking about separating; she's talking about protecting,
- Castle was far too easily rattled by Scott Powell. Richard Castle is a multi-millionaire, best-selling author who has faced death many times, and he lets a 20-year-old punk dress him down? I DON'T THINK SO.
- Likewise, the initial prison scene had a few issues. Let's see, Castle and Alexis find a prison in the middle of Midtown, staffed by obviously young people. One takes his wallet and phone and shoves him into a cell. And Castle lets him? And the "guard" didn't think, "You sure don't look like a student." Not too mention, Professor Lillstrom was video monitoring it all; she didn't see it?
- You mean to tell me that Emily, an emotionally broken 110-pound girl, threw a man onto the tree branch with enough force to impale him? Uh-huh.
Still, the above were not so egregious as to tank the whole episode.
What did you think about "PhDead?"
by Michael Seese
The second part of the Castle season opener, "XX," played out pretty much as I figured it would, albeit with a few twist, otherwise known as ...
SPOILERS.
I thought the way they wove in the backstory of what happened the day of XY -- with Rita saying, "Tell me what went down" -- was a neat idea. And I thought it was a really cool technique to move the camera out into the alley next to the theater and hear the gunshots -- and Beckett's grunt -- through the closed doors. Unfortunately, I missed a detail or two in the laundromat scene, as I had to close my eyes while Beckett was sewing herself up. (Yes, my wife told me I was a sissy.)
Quick aside: I liked Ann Cusack in this role. I didn't even know there was another acting Cusack.
So the first twist was Bracken winding up dead. I guess they figured the character had pretty much done all he could.
The second twist -- which disappointed me somewhat -- was Beckett's decision to leave at the end. Yeah, I get her whole "fight for justice and truth" attitude. But Rita was right. She now has other important people in her life, and the "suicide" gave her the out she needed to walk away. Though I have to say, I will be curious as to exactly how "Caskett On The Run" will play out.
A final note: I enjoyed the goodbye exchange between Alexis and Hayley. I could see her coming back every now and again. (And I STILL could see her and Esposito having a relationship.)
Not a lot of lines, but a few:
Vikram's comment that he didn't expect to be "hunted for sport by the Zero Dark 30 all stars."
Rita: "Oh god, no. I work for a different three-letter agency."
Castle: "OK, so did you guys get lost? Or were you waiting for the last possible second to save us?"
Esposito: "We were distracted in there. You've got a fully stocked bar, satellite TV."
Ryan: "We ordered some sushi on your credit card, so I hope you don't mind."
That's about it. Feel free to share your thoughts on "XX."
by Michael Seese
After a summer of reruns, Caskett is back. Well... sort of, as
SPOILERS!!!!
they weren't really much of a team in the season opener XY because Kate is on the run from bad guys and her friends, not to mention (ostensibly) the entire NYPD.
The show starts with a murder, up close and personal. (Word to the wise, guys: if a woman you've never met crawls into your lap and start kissing you... RUN!) Then on to a scene of domestic bliss at the Castle residence, where we learn she is now Captain Beckett. She goes to work, he stays at home, and then the sh!t hits the fan. (Or is that the blood and bracelet hit the floor?) We then follow Castle as he tries to track down his beloved, putting himself into harm's way several times over, before a hazy reunion at the end. We are left with the setup of a bang-bang beginning to the second part ("XX") as we see a gang of armed men storming Beckett's (no longer) safe house.
What will happen?
Prediction: she doesn't die.
Real prediction: she was enlisted by the FBI to help ferret out an evil insider; they needed her, because she had been trusted and now was the cliched "one person we can trust."
Lighter prediction: I see a future romance between Esposito and Hayley Vargas.
We shall see.
A couple of noteworthy scenes.
I loved the BS routine that Alexis fed the paramedic in order to get him to review the tape with her.
If I may say "loved" again, I loved that Esposito and Ryan updated the child's game to "Knife, Gun, Kevlar."
And finally, kudos to Espo for not just kicking in the door, but knocking it down.
Considering it was a darker episode (of course, any episode with Bracken immediately takes on a midnight hue) I thought there was a lot of humor.
Castle: "What am I going to do, sit outside your office and fetch you coffee?"
Beckett: "Yeah, you're great at fetching. I've trained you well."
Castle: "You've closed four cases? That's more than I have."
Alexis: "I know. Step up your game."
Castle: "You're going to call off your dogs, right now."
Bracken: "Or what? You going to write something mean about me?"
Castle: "I'm going to start a scholarship in your name and offer it to the children of the first inmate who shanks you in the prison laundry."
Assassin (yes, that's how the character is listed in IMDB): "Your earlier stuff was better. You got soft once you met the skirt."
Castle: "Everyone's a critic."
So what did you think of XY? And what do you think will happen in XX? (Please answer within the next 120 minutes.)
