Castle: Heartbreaker

by Michael Seese

First, we had Castle jetting off to La-La-Land. Then we had Beckett flying solo. And now “Heartbreaker,” aka the Esposito Show. As I've said far too many times, I enjoy the episodes where the supporting cast takes the lead. So I suppose we'll soon be seeing “Ryan Time.”

“Heartbreaker” let us see a few different sides of Esposito. We saw frustration, which often seems to be his primary emotion. But the conversation he and Sonia had in the car -- the one Castle and Ryan eavesdropped on -- was genuine and tender. His speech in the van, as Ronaldo is driving them to the gold stash, showed his nobility. Then we saw his inner strength when he slapped the cuffs on her yet again.

Plus, we were treated to a glimpse of his family, including a feisty tia who slapped him upside the head. “Estupido! Don't let this angel get away twice.”

And of course in addition to tenderness and strength and nobility we had humor.

Esposito: "Sonia and I were kind of involved."
Castle: "Involved? Like dating?"
Esposito: "Dating? No. Come on. Dating. We... we were more like engaged."

Castle: "So, did you ask for the ring back, or did you let her keep that so she could trade it for cigarettes in the prison yard? That's... don't answer that."

Sonia: "And speaking of, I need new clothes, because this outfit is damn near ten years old. And I got a rep to protect, so I need labels."
Esposito: "Fine, whatever. Let's just hurry up and get this over with."
Sonia: "Didn't I used to say that to you whenever you got frisky at night?"
(Followed by Ryan slapping a hand over Castle's mouth, preventing him from saying what they all wanted to.) 

Sonia: "How dumb do you think I am?"
Esposito: "Don't answer that. It's a trap. Trust me."

Then the big sad one:
Esposito: "Nine years ago, I found out you were a thief. You know what I did then?"
Sonia: "Yeah. You arrested me."
Esposito: "No. I went home, and I packed a bag. And I grabbed my passport, cleared out my savings account. I was ready to abandon everything I believed in because I couldn't picture a life without you."

And as Esposito was trying to sort through his complex relationship, we saw the same in the Castle-Beckett-Lucy triangle.

I was in stitches when Castle and Lucy were jostling back and forth.

Lucy: "No, Rick, you're amazing."
Castle: "No, you are."
Lucy: "No, you are."
Castle: "No, Lucy, you are."
Lucy: "Rick, you are amazing and you know it."
Castle: "Stop it."

And then Lucy’s dismissal of Beckett: “Great. Have fun. Goodbye. Leave the house.”

Naturally, Beckett would never allow herself to play second fiddle…

Interesting aside: Toks Olagundoye (Hayley) was listed in the opening credits, but never appeared.

Updated aside: In the back of my mind, I'd wondered if Hayley's increased role was in preparation for a possible Beckett departure. Now we know.

We're looking forward to trying to catch up. In the meantime, please share your thoughts on “Heartbreaker.”

Castle: Fidelis Ad Mortem

by Michael Seese

So “G.D.S.” the previous week gave us Castle flying solo. Then in “Fidelis Ad Mortem” we had Beckett working a case sans Rick.

I thought “Fidelis Ad Mortem” had a cool vibe to it, for lack of a better term. Beckett returns to a place from her past, a place instrumental in defining the police officer and person she would become. Yet it didn't seem to carry the weight that burdened so much of her past. In contrast, she seemed quite at peace at the Academy.

Quick aside: I thought it was cool how they went all techno-thriller and introduced us to the cadets by typing out their names onscreen.

And I always enjoy it when they give us a well-developed, wholly realized character. This time, it was Sgt. Ortiz. A tough cookie, the stereotypical drill instructor. Yet, he clearly was human beneath the gruff exterior, as evidenced by his obvious affection for Beckett. And he had some great lines.

“Way to faceplant in front of a superior, Decker. This is Captain Beckett.”

“Respect her, or your ass will meet my boot.”

“Oh, it's gonna take more than a bullet to put me down for the long dirt nap.”

Other great lines:

Castle: “Careful. I made it [the coffee] a little strong this morning.”

Kate Beckett: “Yes, that will wake the dead.”

Castle: “Certainly would make your job a lot easier. One interview. ‘He's the guy who killed me.’ Case closed.”

Martha: “Read the dedication.”

Castle: " ‘For Richard. Without your constant stumbles in life, the advice in this book would not have been possible.’ Constant stumbles?”

Martha: “Let's not make this about you.”

Beckett: “That would be the height of irony, huh? Manage to successfully hide our relationship from LokSat only to get outed by your Mom.” (The disheveled hair in her face was a nice touch as well.)

Beckett: “I have been at the edge of that map and monsters lie there.”

Hayley: “You are a hot mess. I take it your talk with Beckett last night went well?”

Castle: “Less of a discussion, more of an Irish intervention.”

Picky aside: Ryan said the handwriting analyst would have a hard time determining who wrote the threatening notes since they were done in block letters. I'm no expert in graphology. But my understanding is that they could match samples, even if one of them was written while drunk, and using the wrong hand.

Picky aside 2, which contains a small SPOILER: Beckett is an experienced cop. When she got the call suggesting that Ortiz was the killer -- and he was standing right there -- ARMED, she would not have played her hand like that.

And kudos aside to my wife, who called the killer right away.

Please share your thoughts on “Fidelis Ad Mortem.”