Castle: "The Limey"

Wow! We actually got to watch "The Limey" the day after it aired. How rare is that?

So what did I think of this episode? As I said last week, I knew that the focus would be the Castle-Beckett relationship; but, to keep true to form they have to throw in a murder. So, it was kind of like a soap opera. (I'm trying to come up with a clever pun -- "Precinct Place" or "All My Castle" -- but it's just not working. Yes, there is "Ryan's Hope" But it's not about him.)

The simple fact that Beckett and Lanie had a heart-to-heart at the beginning told you that she was looking for something other than a killer. I mean, really, when has Beckett girl-talked with anyone? And there were the not-so-subtle snips that both Castle and Beckett shared with Colin:

He said, "Sometimes it’s the people that we think we know best that we don’t really know at all."
She said, "...hanging on, hoping he'll change..."

Or, consider that the average case usually has...what...3, 4, 8 suspects, all with motive, all with opportunity, and none guilty (save for one) yet providing a subtle clue that leads the gang to the real murderer. In this case, there was one real suspect: Nigel. Heck, Biggie Slim wasn't even considered a suspect for more than two minutes. (By the way, I thought that Beckett said they were going to bring in his driver to confirm his alibi. How did that work out? Sorry.)

Still, there were a lot of very enjoyable moments in this episode. And some of them didn't even involve Stana Katic in her backless black gown.

I thought the opening scene was well done. There was the intense guitar music overlaying the quick cuts between Colin searching the body, and images of the body; then there was the tension generated by the maid searching for the right key, about to walk in.

I liked that Beckett was conflicted, and expressed that to Lanie.
"You're crazy about him. Oh, what, was that supposed to be some big secret?"
"Yes! No!"

There also was a lot more humor than had been on display in "47 Seconds."

Even as a guy, I laughed at Castle's chivalrous covering of Beckett's eyes when Colin dropped the towel. (And her curious peek around.)

And you had to love Castle's plan to break into Nigel's apartment. "...then I rappel down the side with Nikolai..." Plus, extra points for the exchange with Esposito:

"Question. Why does the brown man got to be the hobo?"
"You want the flowers?"
"Hobo it is."

I thought that Colin did a great job with his faux-Texas accent when he visited the storage facility at JFK. Plus, I found it amazing that he could talk with a foreign (to him) accent (actor Brett Tucker is from Melbourne, Australia), fall back to his "own" accent (which, as it turns out, really isn't his own) when talking to Beckett, be in constant motion while looking over the boxes, and appear concerned the whole time. I suppose that's why he's an actor, and I'm a writer.

And, of course, there were looks: Beckett's aforementioned glance around Castle's protective hand, and Castle's amused "No," when Beckett said, "You showed the stewardess our evidence?"

Oh, and if I may boast...

In my review of "Til Death Do Us Part," I speculated that Lanie and Esposito would be getting back together. It appears that they have, at least at the "bootie call" level.

From what I hear, we have to wait for two week for our next "Castle" fix. Until then, feel free to share your thoughts.

Castle: "47 Seconds"

IMHO, this week's episode of "Castle" served primarily to forward the Castle-Beckett relationship story arc. Look no further than the fact that at the end of the previous week's show, the previews focused on that ("I remembered every detail!" "She remembered?"), and at the end of "47 Seconds," the previews for "The Limey" showed Beckett and Lanie talking about "them" as well. That's OK. Characters need grow and change to stay interesting.

I'm sure a lot of folks felt this would be "it." But of course, you knew that when Castle sat down to tell Beckett exactly how he felt, something would interrupt.

I thought this was a fairly dark episode. There wasn't much levity. Perhaps the funniest exchange occurred when Castle said that he thinks the Captain is "starting to like me" and she replied, "No, I'm not."

I was happy to see the return of  West Side Wally ("You know I prefer West Side"). I like recurring characters like that.

And there were very few "looks." In fact, no humorous glances come mind. Beckett smiled appreciatively when she saw Castle leading Alexis out. And you could see a smidge of confusion / realization crossing Becket's face when they were interrogating the TV reporter, and Castle made reference to lies. But other than that...

Speaking of which, in terms of solving the crime, this episode reminded me of a previous one, "Til Death Do Us Part." There were a lot of leads. Some seemed ironclad (primarily Andrew Haynes, the anti-protester). But then in the last five minutes Castle does a lightning-speed recap of the facts, which leads to a suspect who hadn't even been on the radar.

Let's see what tomorrow's show brings.