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.”

Castle: G.D.S.

by Michael Seese

Oh, what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!

If you haven't guessed...

SPOILERS FOLLOW!

"G.D.S." picks up where "And Justice For All" left off. Castle, Alexis, and Hayley are in L.A., planning a trip to Koreatown to search for clues from Castle's "missing time." 

Speaking of missing, where was Beckett? They couldn't even get Stana Katic into the studio to film an "OK, be careful" phone call with Castle?


They tied up some loose ends, though I have no doubt we haven't heard the final words on Castle's disappearance.

And like "And Justice For All," "G.D.S." melded that story with the murder, throwing in some nifty side arcs.

I thought the Greatest Detective Society was a clever concoction. And if I really did some digging I might find evidence of a real-world counterpart. (A cursory search yielded the Grand Detectives Society. I'm sure there are others.) Naturally they met in some hidden-away, dimly lit grotto.

Then we also had the side story of Lanie enlisting Ryan to do a background check on a prospective boyfriend.

Picky aside: I would assume she has access to the same online files he does.

And when Ryan's prank came to light, the results were hilarious. Speaking of hilarious, this episode was replete with funny lines.

Alexis: "We were hoping to scope out some man-candy."
Hayley: "Surfers are hot."
castle: "You're a bad influence on her."
Hayley: "Thank you."

Castle: "Look on the bright side. There are worse places to be trapped than a five-star hotel with room service."

Hayley: "And... it's a myth. It's... it's a fairy tale old PIs tell rookies to get them to do the scut work."
Castle: "Said the detective that didn't get an invitation."

Castle: "The G.D.S. is requesting my presence at headquarters. This must mean I passed their test and they want me to join their ranks."
Hayley: "I hate to burst your fanboy bubble, but how do you know this is on the up-and-up?"

Castle: "Not ruined. Destroyed. Terminated. Extirpated, vaporized, eviscerated."
Hayley: "Do you plan on running through the whole thesaurus?"
Castle: "No. I think that'll about do it."

Castle: "As hot as it would be to see you two fight - especially after that kiss - we need to work together on this."

Castle: "Having second thoughts?"
Hayley: "About having a ménage with a trophy-taking serial killer? No! What could possibly go wrong?"

Castle: "Like I'm scared of her."
Mason Wood: "She is a master of Krav Maga. And she is deadly with a sniper rifle from a mile and a half. Good luck."

Hayley (holding up her manacled hands): "Do you think you could...OK."

Esposito: "What did you tell her?"
Ryan: "Bed wetter."

Then tying it all up with a nice little bow was the scene where Hayley confesses to her role in Castle's missing months. It offered a clever explanation for why she keeps popping up. And her remorse at having deceived Castle was so genuine.

"I'm fond of you, Rick, and I adore your daughter. And after a lifetime of caring about nobody but myself, I decided to stick around and keep an eye on you two."

And then the bombshell: we learn that Castle was somehow tied to Locksat, long before (as far as we know) Beckett became involved.

Wow! 

We're all caught up on Castle. Until Monday, that is.

Please share your thoughts on "G.D.S."

Castle: And Justice For All

by Michael Seese

I enjoyed "And Justice For All." I thought this episode strung together a lot of fun individual scenes, and wove them in nicely with the murder investigation. My favorites:

- Castle's "speed dating" with the ESL students, especially when Aida began speaking real French at him.

- Hayley's serving as an interpreter, translating Alistair's "English" to English.

- Castle's classmates throwing up roadblocks as the FBI began tailing Judge Caldwell.

- Castle's "death" at the hands of Hayley.

- NOT among my favorites was Martha's schmaltzy speech at the end about what makes America great.

- And...

(MINOR SPOILERS)

I thought it was VERY cool the way they touched on, in passing, Castle's missing six months by mentioning the letters he had received in response to his plea for information, and then bringing it to the forefront by having him flashback after tasting the Korean food.

And as always, Dr. Perlmutter provided a breath of fresh (or would that be stale??) air. Even before "the break-up," he detested Castle. But now that Beckett (in theory) hates Castle, Perlmutter is free to speak his mind.

"It's because of nitwit pretty boys like you that good men, like my brother Edgar..."

"There's a scalpel and a rib spreader if you need them."

And to back up a moment, when he told Beckett he had a twin, I loved her delivery of the line, "Uh, there's two of you?"

So while we're on the lines...

Castle: "I have a little writer's block, that's all."
Beckett: "So you're taking it out on the laptop?" 
Castle: "Not the laptop. The cursor. Just look at it. Taunting me. It's just blinking on off on off. Like it's so easy to write a bestselling novel. Because I'd like to see you try it, Mr. Cursor."

Castle: "While I do love kissing you Beckett, it's just a little creepy when you do it in front of a dead body. It's inappropriate."

Beckett: "Sounds like our mild-mannered zoo keeper rattled a few cages."

Vikram: "Who is the sexiest digital investigator alive?"
Esposito: "No way I'm saying you, bro."

Castle: "In your position, I would have done the same thing."
Esposito: "No you wouldn't have."
Castle: "No I wouldn't have. I have a soul."

Picky aside: I can appreciate that the new arrivals might not know Richard Castle, author. (Though they could have; last time I checked, they do have books in England, Korea, Senegal.) But the teacher, John Emerson, should have recognized the amazing resemblance between the famous mystery writer and Jean-Luc de la Croix.

Please do share your thoughts on "And Justice For All."

Castle: The Blame Game

by Michael Seese

Cool, cool episode! And somewhat like "Dead Red," two different shows. Like its glasnost-tinged predecessor, "The Blame Game" began with a humorous scene involving the Castle family, and then became something else. Though "The Blame Game" turned out to be much darker.

Castle: "Guess who's about to have the best day ever!"
Martha: "Could it be the fellow who just interrupted us rather rudely with boo-yah!"
Alexis: "What's going on, Dad?"
Castle: "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. I'm sworn to secrecy."
Alexis: "OK. So anyway, my psych professor said..."

Alexis: "Gram, you know he's going to keep pouting until he gets his way."

Martha: "Darling, if you think you're going to get top billing over Stephen King, you'll need more than luck."

And then....

BTW, SPOILERS!

... the trap is sprung, and a groggy Castle awakens in an elementary school classroom. If I may boast (MAJOR SPOILER HERE) I called Brandon as the murderer as soon as the four male hostages awoke from their slumber. Knowing (or being 99% sure) he was behind it did detract somewhat from the drama of the bee sting, the administering of the poison, and the discovery of the antidote. Still, I thought it was very clever writing the way Castle solved the riddle to open the cryptex, and mix the antidote.

I have to admit, were I one of the four people in that room, I would be dead. Because once I found the gun, I would have shot the wall three times to get rid of the bullets, and put to rest any possibility one of us would follow through. I guess it's good Castle isn't me.

As I thought about it, one of the things that made this a cool episode was that once Castle wakes up in the "traproom," the murder of Emma Matthews (remember her?) largely becomes irrelevant. The mass kidnapping turns into the crime. And yet the writers neatly begin weaving the two arcs together once Alexis and Hayley begin comparing notes with Ryan and Esposito.

Quick aside: WHEN are they going to have Espo and Hayley become an item?

Even though I loved it, a few picky asides:

#1. If the death of his twin caused Brandon to snap, he sure managed to research, plot, and implement a really intricate plan mighty quickly. If memory serves, it was mentioned that her funeral was the week before.

#2. And if Brandon were so distraught (and bent on suicide, as he said in the final scene) why not just kill his parents?

#3. Castle reasons that the person behind the plot used his (and ostensibly the others') phones to lure their spouses to 143 Nicholas Street. Come on... the FBI can't crack an iPhone. And Brandon could?

#4. How did he know that Meadow was allergic to peanuts? Perhaps he just made an assumption that someone could have been. Which kind of leads to my final point...

#5. I'm sure a statistical analysis guru could run the numbers, but it seems to me as though killing any of the captives changes the end game. Taken to an extreme, what if both Meadow and Patty (the two female hostages) were allergic to peanuts, and both smoked the cigarettes; then, Beckett used the booby-trapped gun to try and shoot the door? Suddenly, Brandon is down to three men (one of them him) and three levers.

Oh well. I still really enjoyed it.

Please let me know what you thought of "The Blame Game."

Castle: Witness For The Prosecution

by Michael Seese

OK, we're trying to catch up on Castle. Over the weekend we watched "Witness For The Prosecution," but couldn't get to any of the others saved in the DVR. So unfortunately, by my calculations we're still two episodes behind, with another on tonight. No rest for the weary.

Overall, I enjoyed "Witness." I suppose I should say...

SPOILERS!!!!

I have to offer kudos to my wife, who almost immediately noticed that Castle didn't witness the murder itself, but its immediate aftermath.

I thought the court scene was well played, though it ultimately succumbed that whole rising-voice, finger-pointing courtroom drama cliche. Based on my (admittedly) limited exposure, most trials don't get that exciting; if they did, people would line up for jury duty. But the way the camera inverted as it followed Castle out the door was a neat trick.

Picky aside #1: I wasn't sure why Castle beat himself up over Caleb Brown's cornering him on the witness stand, potentially undermining the case. A bit later, in the precinct house, Prosecutor Weller underscored Castle's misplay by piling on. But Castle merely answered the questions presented to him by the defense; if he was unprepared, that's the fault of the Prosecutor.  

Picky aside #2: If Castle (the show) hadn't been on a winter-long hiatus, I might have remembered who Caleb Brown is, and why he is significant to Beckett's and Vikram's mission.

A few favorite lines:

Beckett: "Be charming. But not too charming."
Castle: "That's like telling Superman to not be too super."

Beckett: "Rubbing your nose? Yeah, that's really romantic."

And in response to Nina's comment about being a lesbian...
Castle: "A problem with me? No, check my search history."

Castle: "How would you like to have a main character named after you in my next book?"
Joanna: "How about a villain?"

That's all for "Witness For The Prosecution." What did you think? (If you can remember back that far.)

Castle: "Tone Death"

by Michael Seese

Quite a lot of changes on Castle. Beckett is now Mayor of New York. Alexis is married. And Castle is a grandfather.

OK, I'm kidding. It only SEEMS like it's been that long since we've had a new episode. (77 days.. but who's counting?) Of course, it's taken me nearly that long to write this.

I thought "Tone Death" was a pretty good episode. They took a simple idea -- a faux fight between Castle and Beckett -- and ran with it.

(And they got in "lividity," as in "Based on lividity and body temperature, I estimate time of death...")

It all starts with Castle and Beckett talking on their cell phones as she arrives at the precinct.

"It means I love you, but right now, I'm going t have to yell at you." Then she walks in, and, "Castle! We talked about this! You can't be here." The ensuing spat was terrific.

Later, they have another run-in:

Castle: "Oh, I'll decide how short my leash is."
(slap)
Esposito: "Hey, bro. You OK?"
Castle: "Yeah. No. Ow, man. She hits hard."

All this, naturally, leads to Ryan and Esposito estranging themselves from Castle.

Ryan: "Beckett's family. You cheat on her, you cheat on us."

And where would this episode be without the great singing...

The opening scene gave us Martha delivering "a classic love song from back in the day." That would be, "The Things We Do For Love," but done à la William Shatner.

Tops, though, was all the a cappella music. The setup for the discovery of competing singing groups came via a great misdirection. Castle and Alexis walking through a creepy, abandoned warehouse in a seedy part of town. Shadows dash about on the periphery. A noise. They follow it though a clownface curtain to...

"Take me dancing tonight..."

And you HAD to love Esposito's musical interrogation of Hunter in the dressing room.

"You best be straight / 'cause you're gonna hate / to feel the steel of my handcuffs."

A few other noteworthy lines to wrap up:

Hunter: "We couldn't compete with their feel-good orange is the new singing sensation backstory."  

Hunter: "Can you keep a secret?"
Beckett: "No. But you're going to tell me anyway."

Ryan: "Apparently, she's the Paris Hilton of Long Island."
Castle: "You say that like it's a good thing."

Castle: "Honestly, how did you guys solve murders without me?"

And now we have two to watch from last week before yet another new one on Monday. Let me know what you thought of "Tone Death."

Mr. & Mrs. Castle

by Michael Seese
 
It took us a while to get to "Mr. & Mrs. Castle." A pretty good episode overall, though not one of my favorites.

Most of the time, I cite a lot of lines here. In "Mr. & Mrs. Castle," I thought a number of scenes turned out to be more noteworthy. The three which come to mind I could categorize as the good, the bad, and the ugly. Taking them out of order:

The autopsy scene was rather graphic. The victim got a lot of screen time on the table. Then when Perlmutter starts pulling the string from her throat... Eccch!

Good / great was the dance scene on the ship. Castle was hilarious as he faked his way through it.

Picky aside: he's a well-known author. None of the dancers recognized him?

Bad, since I managed to paint myself into a corner, would have been the phone scene between Castle and Beckett, where he's trying to keep her on the line while Hayley works to get a connection to Vikram's system ("Sorry about that. Just taking off my pants. Are you coming up?), and she realizes he's on to something. I suppose I could say it was "bad" because it was sad that they had to resort to trickery.

Picky geek aside #1: "Someone synced a RAT to one of my servers." Vikram called it a Remote Access Tool, though the more common name is Remote Access Trojan. It's a type of malware that gives an attacker literal control of your computer. And you download it, you don't sync it.

Picky geek aside #2: You don't "decrypt" firewalls.

On to the lines...

Martha: "I'm so glad you've agreed to consult with Richard. Maybe this money pit will turn a profit."

Beckett: "Found a floater at the 79th Street boat basin." (Funny, in a gruesome sort of way.)

Beckett: "Well she was shot in the head so unless she tripped and fell on a bullet, it wasn't an accident."

Castle: "Beckett, I think your crime scene's making a run for it."

Castle: "I was a professional square dancer. A lot less cardio."

Beckett: "Got anything?"
Castle: "A pulled groin and a potential clue."

And at the end, the über-cute:

Beckett: "Naked punishing?"
Castle: "Very naked punishing."

So this is it UNTIL FEBRUARY 1, TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN.

Grrrr!

Castle: The Last Seduction

by Michael Seese

So, have we turned the corner on the Caskett separation? Only time (and future episodes) will tell. But in the meantime, we got a slight break in the break (or a "timeout from the timeout") in "The Last Seduction."

I enjoyed this episode a lot. It was replete with both humor and wistful weepiness. (For some reason, my spellcheck wants to make the latter "creepiness.)

Overarching it all was the ongoing spat between Ryan and Esposito. It's been brewing for a few weeks now, and finally the kettle came to a boil. (OK, the worst analogy EVER.)

But a lot of humor came from their pain.

Ryan: "I am not jealous you passed the sergeant's exam."
Esposito: "Tell that to the hole in my ass."

Castle, hearing Ryan's Esposito impersonation: "That was a good Espo. Only you didn't say 'Yo.' "

Then, when Esposito was "praising" Ryan: "Normally, his slow-as-molasses ass is never that fast."

Another great scene took place in the sauna. (And not just because the ladies were walking around in towels.)

I loved Hayley's opening line: "The regals have landed."
Then the scene ended with Beckett lamenting, "Yup, she's running in the towel."

Though my favorite vignette of all had to be Castle's infiltration into Lindsey Trent's office. Specifically, the fallout, as he is being forcefully led down the hall, and Lindsey says, "No way you could fool me." Then the camera pans over to a red-headed woman pushing the mail cart the opposite way. And once the mission has been accomplished, Alexis gives Castle the finger-on-nose sign. I re-watched that bit twice.

A few other noteworthy lines...

Alexis: "He's already on wife number 3."
Castle: "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Beckett: "By sending my husband to the city's top divorce attorney?"
Esposito: "Happy anniversary."

Speaking of the anniversary, I thought it was touching that they decided to forgo their dinner to coach Ryan and Espo. And, yes, it was rather heavy-handed to hear them deliver lines to the boys which applied to themselves. Still, it was nice.

Castle: "They've been through way too much together to give up on what they have."
Beckett: "You're a wise man Castle, with a big heart. And you're rather good looking too."
Castle: "You might want to pace yourself with the flattery. You've got a whole dinner to get through."

And I was glad to hear Lanie give us "lividity" once again, between 9 p.m. and midnight.

Picky aside: why did Scott live in his tiny apartment when he had the penthouse at his disposal?

Until next week... um... tonight.

Castle: Cool Boys

by Michael Seese

We watch Castle, in part, because we enjoy the leads and the interactions between them. But let's be honest. We've "known" them for 7+ years now. So they probably have become slightly less interesting to us. That's why it's great when the writers can introduce a memorable character to stir the pot.

I felt that way about "The Nose." And I would say the same for Detective Ethan Slaughter, who made a return in "Cool Boys." 

Part of his charm is, much like Mia The Nose, he doesn't CARE that people don't like him. But even more than her, Slaughter takes Castle out of his game.

Witness Castle's facial expressions -- aka the looks -- which ranged from surprise to fear to disgust to amazement to amusement. 

Plus, it's obvious to me that Slaughter is the man Castle envisions himself as being.

Suffice to say, this was a funny episode. The writer's gave Slaughter so many good lines. (Or, there were good lines about him.)

Martha: "Don't 'mama' me, darling."

Slaughter: "This whole thing's a little above my intellectual paygrade."

Slaughter: "We're like Butch and Sundance."
Castle: "You know they died, right?"

Castle: "Flowers are a nice thank you gift. A giant Rambo knife... That's psychotic."

Slaughter: "Criminal Good Will Hunting."

Slaughter: "I'm not role model material."
Castle: "He's really not."

Castle: "You know you can take out the SIM card, right? I've lost more phones in this line of work."

Quick aside: It would be fun to know exactly how many. Two others immediately come to mind.

Castle: "Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm trying to be scared. I just keep picturing you doing jazz hands."

Quick aside 2: That might be one of the funniest Castle lines EVER.

Louis: "You've got that kind of clout with the mayor?"
Slaughter: "Hell, no. But Castle does."

Speaking of Louis, I loved his rapid-fire explanation of how he found Slaughter by hacking his life.

And, though we didn't get "lividity," Lanie gave us a new great word: exsanguination.

Picky aside: Something both my wife and I noticed... In the opening scene, where Ryan, Esposito, the SWAT team are attacking, why didn't Ryan and Espo get helmets?

As I write (and post) this, I realize "The Last Seduction" already has erred. I'm going to make a bold prediction and say the video call where (ostensibly) an attorney asks about divorce is a complete red herring.

Castle: The Nose

by Michael Seese
 
Wow. 

I think my jaw is still on the floor. I really enjoyed "The Nose." It was probably my favorite episode this season.

Why?

I don't think it's hyperbole to say that Mia "The Nose" Laszlo was one of the best supporting characters, EVER. I don't care if every word out of her mouth was bitchy. They were all hilarious.

Mia: "Do you always eat kale for breakfast because that is just wrong."

Beckett: "Are you always this unpleasant?"
Mia: "Yup."

Castle: "She [Hayley] likes me a lot. You can probably tell."
Mia: "No."

Ryan: "How did you two manage to lock Liam Hollister in a car trunk?"
Mia: "Because we’re awesome and you two suck. Next question."

Mia: "And you barely stink."
Castle: "Coming from you, that's high praise."

And some of the lines about her are worth citing.

Ryan: "Our witness is threatening to file a complaint against me for assault with a deadly odor. She says that I smell like soiled baby diapers and Javi's cologne is quote, Satan's butt sweat."

Castle: "I think my palette fell asleep."

Something else I noted. Rarely in a 48-minute TV show will you see a supporting character evolve. But she did.

Oh, and I loved her "decontamination chamber," not to mention the tactic Castle used to "smoke her out" of her apartment. (If you haven't seen it yet, prepare to laugh.)

I hope they bring her back. Speaking of bringing back, it was nice to see Hayley pay a return visit. I imagine someone thought she would make a good recurring character. Oh yeah.... I DID!

A few other notes...

The best lines NOT involving Mia:

Castle: "Et tu, Lucy? Is nothing private?"
Lucy: Not without the proper settings."

Martha: "Off, Off Broadway."
Castle: "Mother, that was New Jersey."
Martha: "Off, Off Broadway, as I said."

Hayley: "You're not too bad for a cop."
Beckett: "And you're not too bad for... what exactly do you do?"

Picky aside: Ryan shot his partner because he shot at a silhouette. That would earn a cop an administrative leave.

Nice aside: I thought touching that Beckett and Castle smelled each other's clothes at the end.

Please share your thoughts on "The Nose." Oh, and...

Three weeks until the next Castle? WTF?

Castle: What Lies Beneath

by Michael Seese

Sorry, Castle fans, but I think I have to say that overall I thought "What Lies Beneath" was only so-so. To underscore, consider that we watched it Friday night, and this morning when I made writing this review a mental to-do item list, I thought, "Now, what happened again?" I'm not saying it was BAD; only that it wasn't stellar.

 













I imagine a SPOILER or two will pop up below.

It's good too see Beckett is "suffering" a bit from her exile from Castleland. When Martha hugged her, clearly she was saddened. And she let slip a little smile when Castle told her she looked gorgeous.

I think the strong point of this episode was a few good supporting players. Specifically:

- Billy O'Rourke, who made fast friends with Castle, and who couched every supposition about his involvement with "hypothetically," coached by Castle.

Quick aside: Though I harbor no delusions of being an actor, if I did ever act on stage, on TV, etc., it would be fun to play a character like that.

- Eric Logan, who decimated Castle, Esposito, and Ryan with his blunt truths.

A few lines of note:

Alexis: "Dad, when it comes to your sex life, how about we stick with the Afterschool Special version?"
Castle: "Fair enough."

Quick aside 2: I remember the ABC Afterschool Specials. Are they still around? If not, the reference is a stretch for someone born around 1995.

Castle: "Did you know that before writing a single word of The Butcherbird Song, Moffett spent seven years living as a drug-addicted Eskimo."

O'Rourke: "Neither of us ordered pigs wrapped in Kevlar. Get out."

Followed closely by...

Castle: "They're my cops."

Alexis: "Should we?" (run after the allegedly blind priest)
Castle: "Damn it. Yes."

OK, I think I have to close with a nitpick. I get that P.J. Moffett was supposed to have led a reclusive life after publishing The Butcherbird Song. But in this day and age, there would be photos of him somewhere. The point being, if a world-renowned author started courting me (were I single, of course), I imagine I would run a Google search or two. I'm just sayin' ...

Feel free to share your thoughts about "What Lies Beneath."

Castle: PhDead

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?"

Castle: XX

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."